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It started with...

Chapter 20

A Discovery...

May 16th.

Hermione lifted her head from her book and smiled towards Draco who happened to be facing her. She had been reading 'The Healer's Helpmate'. Draco looked up. "The holidays are coming soon." He said softly.

"My parents want to go to Australia...but I could stay home?" Hermione said blushing wildly. Draco raised an eyebrow. "Or not..." She chuckled nervously.

"It's been four months. Four stressed tiring, nerve wracking, months." Draco said giving her a half smile. "And they've also been the best thing that's happened to me."

"I love you." She replied taking his out stretched hand and giving it a firm squeeze. "But when you sent me the letters...what did the 'M' stand for?" Draco blinked. He felt like it had happened so long ago that he hadn't given it much thought.

"Malfoy. DM would've been too obvious." He replied. Hermione nodded gently. "Now what about a small break? We've been revising so much these days..."

"Is that an invite to your bachelor pad?" She said teasingly. Draco smiled towards her. She was about to get up when an old brown dusty book landed on top of her book. She stared at it startled before looking up. Harry was there looking at her nervously. "Harry!" She said startled.

"I'm sorry." He rushed. "I've been acting like a jerk to you and you didn't deserve it. But right now I'm asking you for your help. You're the smartest witch I've ever known and I really could use your help." Hermione grinned. She had been waiting for a while now for Harry to start speaking to her.

"What do you need help with?" She asked opening the large book in front of her. She could tell it was pretty old, maybe a hundred years old or maybe more. The writing was in bold large gothic. She turned towards the page where Harry had marked. "Horcruxes?" She asked.

"I have to get a memory from Slughorn and he's refusing to give it to me." Harry muttered shooting daggers at Draco. Too many years of them being rivals couldn't be erased by the fact that Hermione was going out with him. "I don't really understand it all."

"Horcruxes are part of the Dark Arts." Draco said looking at the small message about the thing. "Dad says that it's like an escape from death."

"Hm...Well he's right. All it says is that: A Horcruxe can be divided and is a small cheat towards death. It's believed to be dealt with the Dark Arts therefore highly forbidden as it is well known to cause the witch or wizard great suffering." She looked towards Harry curiously. "I can do some more snooping but haven't you tried to ask Dumbledore?"

"He said I needed to get the memory from Slughorn before we can discuss anything else." Harry replied. "Can you ask Lucius?"

Draco snorted out with laughter. "Yea' and pigs will fly. I'm on the verge of being disowned. He doesn't wanna know me." Draco said bitterly. He got up, quickly kissed Hermione on the lips before leaving the library.

"I worry about him sometimes." Hermione said sadly. Harry took Draco's empty seat and looked at her curiously.

"Why?"

"I fear that he's hiding something from me...and the further I get close to him the more I feel he's gonna disappear." She replied staring at the library's door. She let out a long sigh then looked back at Harry. "Before I forget, Katie Bell's back from Saint Mungo's."

--

"Does it work Malfoy?" Pansy demanded blocking his way from the stairway. "When will we be able to use it?"

"Move." He replied pushing past her.

"Tsk...Tsk Draco..." Pansy tutted following him. "Mind your manners...now tell me, when will the thing be ready?" Draco stared at her. "You have all the parts."

"Stay out of my business and I'll stay out of yours." He replied curtly. He hurried away anxious to be away from the skanky female who wouldn't stop annoying him. He hurried back to his room, he closed his eyes shut and seconds later he re-opened them. A large crate the size of the door stood before him. "Sweet Lord." He whispered as he examined it. It was made of pure mahogany, the oldest and richest wood so far. There were small panels that were covered up by old normal wood.

He bit his bottom lip as he gingerly touched it with his fingertips. Like a child he wanted to test it. He looked around his room eagerly for any sort of object. He noticed an apple he had taken from Lunch laying on his bed lazily. Picking it up he opened the door with its smooth onyx made handle. He placed the object on the stool and shut the door carefully. He took out his wand and carefully tapped the large wooden object twice. He knew where the other one was. He had visited the shop so many times it was like reading a book. He felt a sudden shift and quickly he opened it. The apple was there but it was missing half of its piece.

He cursed under his breath and for the remaining afternoon he tried many objects that wouldn't go amiss, some would vanish completely; others would turn out like the apple. He looked at the large Grandfather clock, it read 6:45. Hermione would soon be coming for dinner. Quickly hoping for it to vanish, he sat himself on his couch, opened a random book and made himself look like he had spent the whole day reading his book.

"Draco?" Hermione asked peering through the door. She giggled when she saw him sitting on the couch. He looked up with a bemused look on his face. He loved her so much that it would make his betrayal all the worse. I'm doing this for her...for mother...at least when I finally go to hell for this then I'll know I've been loved by an angel.

---

Harry chewed on his chicken leg, Ron had gotten into his head that the food was going to vanish at any moment so he was eating nearly any thing that had food on. Hermione and Ginny were eating politely and Draco was just eating some salad that had gone unnoticed by Ron. Luna and Neville were discussing what plants they could use to improve the salad and for what not small potions.

"'Arry! 'tie's 'ere!" Ron shouted his voice muffled by the amount of food in his mouth. Harry looked up from his plate and stared at his best friend.

"Weasley don't speak with your mouth open its bad enough to actually see bits of food coming out from your mouth." Draco said which earned him a look off Ron and Hermione.

"Shut it!" He hissed. "Katie's back!" Ron said to Harry pointing to the tall girl who was being greeted by many other students. Draco felt himself grow pale. Katie...shit...maybe she doesn't know it's me...I mean I confounded her...she can't know...

"What's the keen interest in Bell Weasley? Is she your next victim?"

"She might give us a clue on who has been trying to attack Dumbledore." Hermione explained as Harry got up and rushed towards the tall brunette. "Draco, are you ok? You look pretty pale."

Draco ignored his girlfriend and focused on Katie and Harry. Katie was shrugging her shoulders but she suddenly caught Draco's glance. Harry whipped round just as Draco got up. "I'm Euh...going to the toilets...you know..." He trailed off. She remembers! Potter knows! Hermione! No! I gotta get out of here...

Harry rushed to the table. "Where's Draco going?" He demanded. He had caught the look in Draco's eyes. Fear. What did Draco fear? Then it hit him, he had begun acting weird when he'd gone to see Katie...it didn't take a genius to work that out.

"Toilets." Hermione replied not bothering, she was reading 'WitchTeen' with Ginny. Harry nodded and rushed after Draco. He took out his mauderes map and stared at it. Moaning Myrtle was alongside him. They were in the bathroom where Hermione had made her Polyjuice Potion.

Outside the bathroom he could hear a soft sobbing sound. Curious about the sound, Harry gently opened the door quietly.

Draco was stood before a sink, his back to the door, he splashed water on his face and rapidly pulled off his jumper. He clutched the sides of the sink tightly, his white-blond head bowed slightly dripping from the water. Moaning Myrtle was floating beside him, she looked like she was trying to comfort him. "Don't." Crooned the ghost. "Tell me what's wrong? I can help you..."

Draco snapped towards her. "No one can help me." He turned quickly to the sink. "I can't do it...it doesn't work! I've got to do it soon or else they'll kill her! They'll kill her!" His whole body began to shake violently. It wasn't till Harry heard a small sob that he realised Draco was sobbing. It became quite a shock to him, he had known the blond haired boy to be arrogant, pig-headed, rude, mean, nasty...but seeing him like this made Harry wonder if he really knew the boy, Draco's tears reflected into the mirror in front of him.

Draco shuddered and gasped and then with a great shudder he looked up at the mirror and froze petrified at the sight of Harry standing by the door behind him. He whipped round and suddenly all the anguish transformed into hate, anger...Harry quickly dodged the hex Draco had thrown at him instead it had hit a cubicle door. Harry shot a hex at the boy but it missed by an inch.

Draco lifted his wand, ready for another hex. "NO! STOP IT!" The forgotten Moaning Myrtle screeched, her voice echoing loudly around the room. Many of their hexes would hit sinks, toilets, doors; mirrors... the two boys were running round the bathroom their pants soaking wet. Draco was beyond reason now.

"I know you tried to kill Dumbledore!" Harry roared. Using a large cubicle for cover. "Why?"

"You wouldn't understand!" He roared back dodging a curse from Harry. "CRU-" He shouted running towards Harry. Harry had to think fast. Only one spell came to mind.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" The sixteen year-old boy bellowed waving his wand wildly. It hit Draco right on target. He stopped still and stared at him before looking down at himself. Blood had begun to sprout from his shirt; it looked like someone had slashed him with a sword instead of a wand. He touched his face and felt more blood come from small slashes across his face. "No..." Harry whispered as Draco staggered forward, his blood pouring out quicker than normal. "No..."

"MURDER!!" The ghost shrilled pointing towards Harry. "MURDER! MURDER!!"

"NO!" Harry shouted, he skidded to Draco's side. Pressing his hands on the wounds, his face was shimmering scarlet, his white hands clutching his chest. He was moaning something that was barely audible.

Suddenly the door banged open and Snape rushed in. He took one look at Draco and realised something was adrift.

He rushed to the boy's side, pushed Harry away roughly and pulled out his wand. He murmured something at Draco's chest following Draco's wounds. The blood slowly halted and came to an ease.

Harry watched Draco, he was on the brink of fainting, his face was paler than snow, what had possessed him to use that spell escaped him but now it seemed to fit into place. He caused Katie Bell to go to St Mungo's. He poisoned Hermione and Ron...what other crimes had he done?

Moaning Myrtle was wailing loudly, floating around them. Snape pushed Harry even further back as he picked up the now fainted Draco, his head hung limp. "Come with me. He needs the Hospital Wing. There's going to be an amount of scarring." His voice sounded colder than usual. Harry nodded and jumped to his feet. Snape supported the poor boy across the watery floor. Harry followed the potions teacher out into the corridor. He couldn't bear to look at Draco or Snape.

What's Hermione gonna think? What about Ginny? Ron? I nearly murdered Malfoy! The words 'Malfoy' and 'nearly murdered' rang inside his head. He could feel Snape's anger roll off him. Students gaped at him as they passed by. Madame Pomfrey gasped when she saw Draco. "Right here!" She demanded.

Harry stood in silence, it seemed like minutes had passed instead of an hour. Within moments Snape stood before him, his black eyes burning with a livid anger. "I didn't mean it to happen...I-I came in and found him..." He said in a choked voice. "W-we argued...and then...I've never used that spell before...I-I didn't know!"

"Enough. Luckily I came or else we might not be here. Apparently I underestimated you." He stared at Harry. "Who taught you that spell?" Harry bit his bottom lip. "Well Potter?"

"I dunno...I found it somewhere..." Harry started.

"A Dark Arts spell like that? Where?" Snape interrogated.

"The library!" Harry invented wildly. In truth he had actually found the spell in his Potions book. Courtesy of the Half Blood Prince. If he had known what the spell would do...the damage, he'd have never used it...

"Liar." Harry found is throat constricting inside him. He looked up and was surprised to see a slight flicker of fear in Snape's eyes. "Bring me your school bag. Now." Harry nodded and raced away. Down the corridor, he wondered why people kept staring at him as he passed them.

"Harry?" He whipped round and faced Hermione and Ron. "You're soaking!" Harry glimpsed down at his attire, he was amazed and horrified by the fact that he was soaking wet with Draco's blood. "What on earth happened?"

Harry stared at Hermione. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Hermione. But listen very carefully to me." Harry explained to her everything that had happened. Hermione's breath hitched in her voice. She didn't know what to do. She pushed Harry away and ran away from him. "Ron I need to ask you a favour."

--

Hermione threw herself on her bed. She sobbed loudly. The man she loved...was a liar and an attempted murderer. She shoved off everything he had given to her, books, letters, notes, small bits and pieces...

Ginny tried to comfort her but she was pushed back. "Leave me be!" She sobbed. Ginny shook her head and left. "Why? Why? WHY?!" She sobbed louder and louder. She dug her nails into her palms and sobbed loud loudly. Tears streamed down her face. It was worse than the Winter Ball. She had given him the chance to confess to her...she had demanded him to tell her if there was anything behind the attacks he's tell her.

He'd lied to her. And right now Draco could've died for all she cared.

The inevitable break up has happened. Well it had to happen sooner or later. Poll results are on next chappie that should be up...Tuesday or Monday. Don't forgt to review!!!