"I don't want it!" Draco shouted, flying up from the chair he had been sitting in.

Narcissa weakly watched him from beside the chair. She had been kneeling at his level to comfortably talk to him. She stood up as he stormed across the room, muttering, "Draco-"

"No!" Draco refused quickly. His eyes were wide with shock and his chest was heaving from his fierce pants. He wasn't angry, as much as he sounded like it; it was something more than that-something deeper. Yet, he shook his head and shouted again, "I said no! I won't do it!"

"Draco, you have to." She carefully approached her son whose back faced her. A sharp pain stabbed her chest. It was horrible-too terrible for words to have to make your son do such a thing. "It's the duty of the Malfoy's to serve him."

"But-!" Draco's throat closed and he couldn't speak. His face was burning and his heart was racing out of control. Something was wrong. This never happened to him. He clenched his hands into tight fists when he felt his body trembling. "But…. I-I-" What did he want to say? But why me? Why do I have to do it? Please, don't make me. The words wouldn't come out.

Narcissa felt her heart breaking as she listened to herself speak such harsh words. "I know you are just a boy… But you're old enough now. It is your duty. You will serve the Lord in whatever way he demands. This demand…." As much as she needed to, she couldn't continue.

Draco felt his strength and composure shattering to pieces. His eyes burned and he clenched them shut tight as well. "No!" He shouted again. His mother reached for him, but he fiercely shrugged her off, still unable to face her. "I don't want to! I won't do it! I-I can't!"

Narcissa forcefully grabbed his shoulders and made him face her. He had his head down as if shamed by just his looks and wouldn't bring it up. She felt herself on the verge of tears yet again, but forced herself to be strong. "I'm sorry…" She said in a soft whisper, almost inaudibly. "I'm so sorry, Draco. I never wanted this for you. I will protect you with all I can. But this… this you have to do on your own. I swear I'll get you out of this. We'll get away, I promise. But for now… Now we have to be strong… Oh, I'm so sorry…"

Draco finally lifted his head to reveal him as a complete mess. He wasn't shocked, but frightened. So scared out of his mind that he couldn't stop shaking and his face was stained. He broke down into his mother's arms as the tears poured down his face for the first time…

…...

"What do you think of me?" Draco asked solemnly.

Harry looked over to the white haired boy in the other swing. He stared for a second until the gold eyes glanced over at him. "Like, seriously?" Draco nodded and Harry blushed slightly. He looked at his feet that dug into the bark as he gently swayed back and forth on the swing. They were in a small park close to Harry's house that had a swing set, a slide, monkey bars, and a tunnel. It wasn't such a nice day with the grey muggy sky, but they wanted to be together anyway.

"Um…" Harry stuttered, unsure how to answer. "I don't know what to say…"

"Like, when you hear my name, what comes to your mind?"

Harry hesitated. This was unexpected. Then again, it was Draco. He had no clue of what was going on in his head. Yet, he sighed and spoke truthfully. "Honestly, when I used to hear your name, I thought of that stupid, spoiled kid from Slytherin that liked to pick on me… But ever since that one night… I realized I was completely wrong." Before he knew it, Harry had started to ramble, "I saw that you were the same tough boy from Slytherin, but you weren't rough at all. You were gentle….and kind to me. I knew that there was more to you and, of course, you were this hot and horny smart-ass…and…I realized… I loved you…"

When his voice trailed off, he felt his face burning and quickly rubbed his cheeks. He looked to Draco who only sat smirking with his head tilted slightly. Yet, it wasn't that playful smirk that he always gave Harry. It was more of an honest smile, one that was rarely shown to anyone. Harry relaxed upon seeing it and asked in return, "What… do you think of me?"

Draco paused, but didn't look away from him. Of all the things he wanted to say to him, he figured now was the time. This was probably his last chance. "I loved you…" he began slowly and calmly, "before I even met you. The first time I heard your name, I knew I loved you. You were… the famous Harry Potter, the boy who should've died and was now a worldwide hero… I was jealous for a while because you had all this respect and love from people you didn't even know, but when I met you at Hogwarts… I couldn't get across it. That whole… Gryffindor-Slytherin, boy-boy thing… But I still couldn't take my eyes off you. You were like… the one thing I couldn't get. The.. one spell I could cast… but I still chased you. Once that night occurred, I knew I wouldn't let you go for anything." Harry sat mesmerized as Draco gently ran his hand down his cheek, cupping his face and staring deep into the silver pools. "I love you… so much, Harry…"

Harry suddenly felt weak, like the swing was his only support and if he were to move at all he would collapse to the ground. He wanted to cry, but was so utterly happy that tears refused to form. Instead, he could only smile, getting lost in those golden circles for as long as he could. He never wanted the day to end. He honestly prayed from the bottom of his heart that time would stop and he wouldn't have to move on with the day. He didn't care if the sun set into night and they just sat there in the dark. As long as morning never came again, he would never have to leave this-leave such a great amount of happiness.

For a long time they sat there, leaning against the old chains and swinging lightly. They were palm in palm, fingers interlocked, swaying in unison, and staring off into the distance. They didn't talk much because what was needed had already been said. As happy as he was, Harry couldn't shake a slight shiver that was creeping down his back. The day couldn't have been more perfect, but something felt…off. Like Draco wasn't telling him something or he wasn't telling Draco something. But he couldn't name it.

He glanced over at their connected hands and spotted the beginning line of the bandages on Draco's forearm. It was still a mystery to him, but he felt too insecure to ask. It might ruin the day. Besides, Draco said it was just a scratch. He wouldn't lie to him. It's not like it was going to kill him. So he relaxed again and closed his eyes, leaning on the chains and squeezing Draco's hand tighter. Such warmth flowed from Draco's hand to his own; so warm that it quickly melted the chill that had worried him. Once again, he was losing himself in the man he loved.

Suddenly a loud snap echoed through the air and made both boys jump. A roar rolled across the sky and boomed throughout the entire town. As they looked up to the even darker sky, water started to pour down. It came as a light drizzle for merely a second, then it was a complete storm. They were drenched in seconds. Still hand in hand, they ran to the nearest cover place they could find which was a thick tree. The branches still dripped heavy balls of rain on them here and there, but it was better than standing exposed in the downpour. As Draco pulled out his wand, Harry couldn't help but snicker. Soon they were both laughing at the rain and each other.

Draco casted a quick spell and they were back in Harry's room. They wrung out their clothes, still snickering a bit, and Harry left to fetch some towels. Alone in his room, Draco's gaze slowly drifted around the room. The single bed, the Snowy Owl in the corner, the cluttered desk, the family picture on the bedside table… Draco couldn't take it. It was so lonely, so painful to be in such a room. He felt bad for Harry. The thought only hurt more when he remembered that he was Harry's only happiness during this time. And he was going to…to…

Harry returned, drying his face, only to find Draco looking distant and a bit sad. He slowly approached him and the white haired boy gave him a soft smile. Harry handed him the towel silently which Draco used to dry off his face as well. Harry wanted to ask him what was wrong, to try and help him somehow, but he felt like he wasn't going to get a real answer. It was as if they both knew what was yet to come, but they both had turned away from it, refusing to accept it.

After drying themselves off, they both silently stood there. Neither spoke nor moved. They faced each other, empty handed, speechless, and entirely lost in the other. They don't know how long they stood there for, but it was long enough for their clothes to start to dry and their skin to get covered in goose bumps from their ice-like clothes. Eventually, Draco came up and grazed Harry's cheek, a soft touch as light as gauze, tracing down his jaw line. Harry felt too taken back too move. He just stood there and watched Draco examine as if for the last time and gently drew away. When Draco took a step back, Harry felt his legs moving and he was on him in an instant. They clung to each other for a minute, kissing deeply and tightly. It was unbelievably full of passion, like two separating lovers, like Romeo and Juliet before he left Vienna, like a wife and soldier before he left for war-soft, meaningful, and sad.

Yet, they pulled away and Draco stepped away from him. They stared for the longest time before Draco smiled again, that honest smile. Harry paused, but smiled as well. As soon as he did, Draco had to look away. It was too painful to see him looking so happy when he was about to crush him. Still, he gave him one last look, a solemn, loving stare, because he knew it was probably the last time he was going to see him. After staring for God knows how long again, Draco forced out the words and activated the spell. "Goodbye, Harry…"

Harry stood there after the slight smoke had settled and he ha become alone. He couldn't have said goodbye even if Draco had asked him to. He felt so lost and suddenly heartbroken. Like when Draco had erased his memory, that lonely hollow feeling settled over him, but he pushed it away. He refused to feel such a way. He didn't want it. He didn't want it to fade, he didn't want the game to end. Yet it seemed the game was over before it even began….

…...

TWO WEEKS LATER…..

Harry looked over the letters that sat before him. He had multiple from Hermione and Ron, having received three each from the past two weeks, but not a single one of the papers were from the one person he wanted to hear from. Ever since their date at the park, Draco stopped showing up and he wasn't receiving any letters. In a feared attempt that Hedwig had miscalculated Draco's house, he had sent two or three-or was it six?-more letters to the right address and still nothing came. He felt a little hurt from being apart for so long, but he tried not to point any fingers. Maybe his family was keeping him busy. But he still would've made the time to sent him a secret letter at least once…

Harry piled the papers together and tried to shove Draco out of his mind. Ever since he last saw him, things kind of returned to the way there are, except for a tiny twist. He stopped listening to the Dursley's even though he got screamed at twice. The fat pig had threatened to kick him out once or twice, but never laid a hand on Harry since he had pulled out his wand that one time. He never got out much excluding a lonely walk around the block when he got too cramped inside the hell hole. So really he was still living Hell, but at least he was managing better.

On the bright side, his birthday was coming up. Harry laughed pitifully at himself. And exactly who am I going to celebrate that with? He then remembered when Hagrid came busting through the front door on his twelfth birthday with a cake and an invitation to the greatest thing that would ever happen to him. He wished he could see Hagrid. He wished he could be at Hogwarts and play with magic in class. He wished he could see his friends from Ron and Hermione, even if all they did was make-out, to Neville and Luna, even if they were both a little strange. He wanted it all! To sleep in a crowded dorm room. To get tormented by Snape. To play Quidditch. Or sneer at the Slytherin kids. To see Draco again…

Before Harry could kick himself for thinking such things again, something burst behind him. A crash and an echoing shatter. He turned and fell against his desk to find his window broken with a wide hole in the middle and glass all over the floor. An apple sat near his bed amid the mess, showing what exactly had broken his window. Hedwig was screeching and panicking until Harry calmed her down. He was a little cautious going to the window and he couldn't catch his breath for some reason. The only thing running through his head was, Is it Draco?

Yet, the loud shout echoed from somewhere down below. "Hey, Harry, are you alive?" A slight accent, very familiar.

Harry charged to the window, ignoring the broken glass, as the same, but slightly different voice said, "Now that's not funny. What if he really is?"

"Well, it was your idea to throw the apple."

"I thought he'd be hungry!"

"That is if he isn't dead."

Harry peered through the broken glass and saw the red head twins arguing on the sidewalk. They looked as if Harry had seen them yesterday. They both shared the orange ragged hair, sharp faces, and longs legs. They wore striped red and white shirts and blue jeans with one hand in their right pocket and wands in the other.

"Fred! George!" Harry called with a wide, goofy grin on his face.

"Well, wha'ya know? He's alive!" George said-or was it Fred? Harry could never really tell them apart.

Fred, however, was surprisingly serious. "Hurry up there, Harry. Get your clothes-"

"-and your owl-"

"-and your wand."

"We're leaving!"

"Like now!"

Harry was going to question them, but a loud scream from downstairs made him practically jump out of his skin. Oh no. The Dursley's. The broken window. He would hardly have two minutes before that door would bust down. He ran and shoved his chair under his door handle, buying him a little more time. Then he raced to his bed and whipped the suitcase out and onto his covers. After ripping it open, he snatched all his clothes from the closet and shoved them into the square case as fast as he could.

A fierce pound at the door. "Harry!"

Harry didn't even glance at the door. He shoved shoes, pictures, papers, and other necessary things into a tiny space in the suitcase. More pounds. Screams from the door. Shouts from outside. His pulse was racing and suddenly he was rushed with adrenaline. Even though his life was probably on the line from the pissed off pig outside his door, he found everything amusing. He laughed as he zipped his suitcase up, having to punch everything down once or twice, and dropped to the floor, forcing his untied shoes on his feet.

"Enjoying yourself there, Harry?" Fred's voice said calmly, suddenly right in front of him. Harry's head flipped up and found the boy's leaning outside his broken window.

"You know, we only have a few minutes-"

"-before the portal closes."

"Portal?" Harry said, out of breath, as Fred forced the window up without completely shattering it. "What portal?"

"Why, the portal we took to get here."

"How do you think we got here?"

"Walked?"

As they laughed, Harry brushed off the pieces of glass stuck to his jeans and dragged his heavy suitcase off the bed.

"Harry! Open this door right now!"

Harry shoved the suitcase through the open window, asking, "How are you-"

"Oh, our latest invention."

George lifted his foot and showed the rubber-like spikes that automatically stuck to the wall like super glue. "Stiky-Feet, I call 'em."

"No, I named 'em that."

"No, I did."

"Oh, what a load of-"

"Harry!"

Harry watched his suitcase tumble out of their hands and disappear into thin air. His eyes widened for a minute and he had to focus before he saw the slight glitch in the air. It was like looking over a fire, a flicker in the air that made a special area blurry. The portal was right there. As he turned to grab the rest of his stuff, he asked over the fierce slams and trembling door. "I thought you guys only made pranks."

"We do."

"This is one of 'em."

"You give them to your friends-"

"-thinking that they can walk on anything-"

"-but really they wear off in a matter of minutes."

"Actually, now that we're using them-"

"-it doesn't seem like a good tool to use."

"Harry!" The pig squealed.

"Come on!" Fred waved him through the window. "Let's go!"

Harry handed them Hedwig, saying, "Careful," as he passed the panicking bird through the window. He was about to climb through when a though appeared in his mind. He quickly turned back and dashed away.

"Harry!" Three voices said at once.

Fred exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

Harry snatched his wand and shoved it into his pocket, yelling at himself inside for almost forgetting it. He was about to go out again, when his eye got caught on something else.

Vermon was screaming. The door was breaking. The portal was closing. Fred and George were shouting at him to hurry up. His heart was going to pound right out of his chest. The blood roared in his ears. And all he could focus on was the letter that Draco had written him. His eyes were set on the three words posted at the bottom, echoing through his mind. I love you…

All at once, the door busted open. Harry snatched the letter and dove for the window. The pig surely would've gobbled him up in one fell swoop if he hadn't have tripped over the chair Harry had placed there. The twins started to help Harry jump, when George suddenly fell back. The spikes on his shoes had worn off and started to become unstuck from the wall. Both Harry and Fred had to snatch him from falling two stories flat on his back. He clutched onto the invisible edge of the portal and dragged Harry down right as another hand dragged him back. Vermon was screaming at the top of his lungs and trying to drag the brunette back inside. Harry, in the rush of adrenaline racing through him, kicked the pig's arm away and felt as if someone had roughly shoved him forward. In unison, the twins climbed over and leaped down as if jumping into a lake on a hot summer day. Together, they all went tumbling down into a never ending blackness.

Harry felt a giant rush of wind, one that cooled him straight down to his core, and the sensation of flying. That feeling he always got went he went soaring up on a broomstick for the first time after a long terrible summer. A wonderful light feeling that made his whole body tingle. At the same time, a bright light blinded him. He felt like he had been falling forever, but soon his feet touched cement and gravity sent his upper body slapping to the ground. Fred and George landed perfectly as if they've done it a million times. Harry sat crouched on the ground for a minute and realized his elbow was throbbing in pain. Had he hit it on the way through the window? The portal? It was only until he fixed his glasses that he saw his bookcase and Hedwig's cage beside him. He had practically landed on top of them.

"C'mon, Harry!" George said, grabbing one arm while Fred grabbed the other.

"We only got two more minutes."

"It's three minutes."

"Fine, two minutes and three-quarters. We just got to leave now."

Harry stumbled as he was yanked up. He felt completely drained of his strength and everything looked like it was spinning in fast forward. He shook his head and grabbed Hedwig as she was shoved at him. Fred rolled his suitcase while George started to drag Harry God-knows-where.

"W-Where are we going?" He forced out and slipped his glasses back on when they started to fall off. Yet, his question was somewhat answered when he was pulled into a crowded, old fashioned street he recognized as Diagon Alley. He remembered the crowded streets, old brick floors, and never-ending rows of shops. It was a bit creepy at first, coming out of an alleyway, but once in the light and fresh, magical air, he felt completely revived. He stopped stumbling over himself and matched the twin's racing speed.

George started to explain, "Do you remember that one door-"

"Of course, he doesn't remember! It's been years."

"Whatever!"

"He's talking about that one door-"

"-a magical door-"

"-of course."

"We had to put a timer on it so our parents don't find out."

"Otherwise mother would kill us."

"Wait," Harry said as he was dragged around a sharp corner, cutting through another eerie alleyway. He went to keep walking straight, but the twins yanked him to go left. "You're parents don't know I'm coming?"

"Well, no on knows."

"We're pulling a prank on our brother." They both snickered.

"You see-"

"-Ron wanted to bring you over a long time ago-"

"-but the magic never settled in right."

"When it finally started working for us to cross over like this-"

"-we lied and told him it wasn't until next week."

"He has no idea what we're up to."

"Can you imagine his face?"

Harry went to go left, but they yanked him to go straight. They approached a lonely door that was attached to some abandoned building. As much of a rush they were to get to it, they took their sweet time once there.

"How much time, do you wonder, we have left?" Fred asked.

"I don't know… Thirty seconds, I reckon." George shrugged.

Harry stood between them a they casually chatted over him.

"Ah, do you think mum cleaned our rooms?"

"No way, she probably had Ron did it."

"Ugh, he never folds my undergarments right."

"Guys!" Harry finally butted in and both boys laughed at him.

"Just kiddin', Harry."

"There was never a time limit."

Harry groaned with a roll of his eyes as George-or Fred- opened the door to reveal not an abandoned house, or a run-down room, but the Weasly kitchen. After scratching his wand across the door in the shape of an 'X', the spell had taken them straight to their house. The twins strolled in like they came home from a stroll in the park. Fred dropped his suitcase to the ground and put their wands in their jacket like nothing happened.

George shouted annoyingly, "Mum, we're back!"

Harry stood confused as they snickered and leaned on both sides of the doorway. A few stomps away, Harry heard the high pitch, strict voice boiling up. "You two boys are in so much trouble. How dare you just take off like without saying a word to anyone. Why, you're always up to such foolish things. When will you learn-" Upon entering, Mrs. Weasly spotted Harry and stopped in her tracks. The short, ragged old woman was still as pleasant and cheerful the last time Harry had seen her (besides being pissed at the twins). "Oh, Harry!" She turned to the two boys towering over, arms crossed, leaned back on the wall. She gave them each a smack in the chest and smiled back to the brunette. "It's so good to see you!"

Harry returned her hug with a polite, "Hello, Mrs. Weasly."

She held him at arm's length away, looking him over. "Oh, still as cute as ever. I bet you're starving! Well, are you?"

"Um, yeah, sort of."

"Oh, don't be shy! How many times have you been here?" She pushed him out of the doorway, shutting the door behind him. After they had entered, Harry hardly noticed that the way they came had returned to the original door to their field. Mrs. Weasly pulled Harry away and waved the twins over angrily. "You two, take Harry's owl and bags up to Ron's room. Oh, he'll be so glad to see you."

The twins smirked to each other, but obeyed, arguing the entire time. "I told you she'd do that."

"No you didn't," George said, "I did!"

"You liar. I said she would do this. You said she'd make us clean the entire house again."

"Yeah, right. After last time when we filled the house with practice runs of our inventions?"

"Oh, yeah. That was great!"

Harry watched his stuff get carried away as Mrs. Weasly pulled him out a chair and began to ramble. "Now I was going to wait for dinner, but now that you're here, I'll make it early. And no buts, mister. I know that miserable family doesn't feed you. Oh, those twins didn't injure you did they?" She asked when Harry was rubbing his slightly sore elbow that he had hit on his suitcase.

"Oh, no, ma'am-"

"I swear those twins are wild animals! They get it from their father, I swear. He's still at work, by the way. He'll be delighted to see you when he gets home. Ginny is out with her friends. That girl comes and goes like the wind. Ron has been stuck in his room like a hermit. A stubborn boy, that one is."

Just when Harry didn't think she'd stop, multiple poundings came flying down the stairs. Harry was on his feet by the time Ron appeared at the end of the stairs and in the doorway. "Harry! I knew it!" Ron charged at him and they hugged tightly for a minute. "It's about bloody time you got out of there! My stupid brothers. I knew they were up to no good. Always causing trouble. C'mon, I'll help you unpack."

"Ron," his mother called, making him pull back. "I need your help with dinner."

"Mom, I need to help Harry. Have George and Fred do it."

Harry smiled and teased, "I can do it by myself." Ron scowled at him since he was only using him as a scapegoat and Harry knew it.

Mrs. Weasly rolled her eyes and shooed them off with her wand. "Go!"

On the way up to his room, Ron started to talk and never stop complaining just like his mother. He talked about his family, the pranks, the chores, just like in all his letters. Then he moved on to Hermione and dragged on even longer. Harry didn't mind though. Just being in his mess of a room, climbing over the mountains of dirty clothes and garbage made him happy. They unpacked his crumpled clothes into the spare drawer and cleaned off the spare bed next to Ron's. They've done it so many times that it didn't take them long. Even then they kept talking, except this time Ron let Harry talk a bit. They talked about the good times at Hogwarts and how they never had to clean or work as much as at school. Harry explained how he exploded on the pig and his family and had pulled out his wand which Ron thought was bloody brilliant.

Ginny arrived home first, then Mr. Weasly. The boys went downstairs to say hello which both family members were happy to see Harry. They helped set the table and all together they sat down to eat. As the large family chatted, argued, and noisily ate, Harry couldn't help but smile. Molly was complaining to Arthur about the twins who played the innocent card again. Ginny told Harry about some spell she was studying that he would be interested in until Ron teased her. Which in turn he got yelled at by his father. Then the twins did the whole "I'm not George, he is!" and "No that's Fred," until both parents' heads were spinning. Ron was right; they were crazy. But Harry loved it more than anything.

After dinner, Harry started to help clean up till Ron made him stop. "You can go up and change. I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay." Harry listened and trudged up the stairs. He never realized how tired he was until he sat on the spare bed. It was softer and quieter than his back in the Dursley's home. He didn't miss it though, not a single bit. He threw off his shoes and started to clean up his mess. Earlier he had just shoved all the tiny things he had thrown randomly in there on his new desk that he was going to share with Ron. As he was cleaning, he came across his tooth brush, some crumpled up pictures-and his letters.

His heart dropped to his toes when he found his only letter from Draco. Once the twins showed up, Draco had slipped from his mind the whole day. He was too focused on Ron and his family to think of him. Now that he was standing alone in the room, all his focus returned to the white haired fiend. His legs suddenly went weak and he fell onto the bed. He reread the letter two times before dropping it behind him so he wouldn't look at it. His chest tightened. He ripped off his glasses and rubbed his suddenly dry eyes. He wanted to see him…so bad. But what was he to do? He couldn't use magic and he knew damn well that Draco wasn't going to come here. Not even if Ron (by some strong spell) invited him here. It hurt-physically and mentally-to be so far apart. This was the longest they were apart for, such a long treacherous month, a lot worse than at Hogwarts. He then started to remember everything they've been through; all beginning with that spell, the Quidditch towers, the secret meetings, sneaking out of classes and dorm rooms to see each other, and so much more. Harry longed to go back to Hogwarts so badly. He was so lost in thought of the school and Draco, that he didn't even notice Ron when he walked in.

The red head paused, seeing him sitting head down and silent, still unchanged. There was a tight, painful tension in the air that worried him. "Hey, man," he said in a hushed voice, surprising the brunette. "You all right?"

Harry got to his feet and glanced back at the letter. As much as it hurt, he picked it back up and put his back to Ron. "Yeah…" He said quietly. "I'm fine." He honestly tried as hard as he could to believe the words, but the pain wouldn't subside. He finally took a deep breath in, opened up his dresser drawer, and threw the paper in with a quick thrust-like if he didn't get rid of it now he never would for the rest of his life. The echoing slam of the drawer seemed to put him at a bit of peace… Yet, he wondered how long Ron's family would distract him before the pain would return….

…...

"Avada Kedavra!" The shout echoed across the room, the speaker's voice filled with pain and struggle. The green bolt of power that shot across the room was hardly enough to complete the spell. It sparked against the target on the wall, scorching and cracking the old cement yet again. After all the times it took to even scratch the surface, it was clear that the wall had been hit numerous times.

Exhausted, Draco doubled over to catch his breath. He leaned on his knees and stared at his feet, panting and sweating. How long had he been at this? Two weeks? How long was he suppose to keep practicing? This was ridiculous! He started to get frustrated. Of all the emptiness he had been feeling since he had last seen him, his anger was finally starting to resurface. He had been ordered again and again and again to do the same thing over and over and over until he got it right. Wasn't he good enough? Wasn't he strong enough? They all looked down on him. How dare they look at him like a child.

Draco lifted his gaze when he heard a faint sound. A rat came scampering across the floor. In the spark of his anger, Draco pounced forward like an attacking tiger and thrusted his wand at the poor creature. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" With his scream came such a powerful bolt of energy that the green light was larger, brighter and struck the rodent with all its might. The rat was tossed into the air and engulfed in the power. With one painful, miserable squeal, the power snap and the rat was gone. A thick pile of blood sat upon the floor where it once was and the ground was scorched heavily from the forbidden spell.

As soon as he did it, Draco regretted it. Watching the poor critter squirm, then implode was….was… Draco felt sick to his stomach and the pain immediately returned. What had he done? He had ended a life. Even if it was just an animals. It was still a life. And he was suppose to do that… He stumbled away from the scene, but couldn't take his wide, frightened eyes off the dead animal. He couldn't do it. He couldn't kill someone. As much as his family was devoted to it, as much as people expected him to, he automatically knew that he was too weak for it. He wanted to run. The fear wrapped around him and he couldn't escape. If he just ran-if he just started to run and never stopped, maybe-just maybe it would all go away. He took another step back, but didn't get far.

The boney hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed straight to his bone. Draco was immediately paralyzed with fear and even dropped his wand. As it clanked lightly against the floor, the bare, ugly feet of something known as a person walked by it. Dressed in a long, tattered black robe that flowed like some vile black fog was a person so horrible that no one could speak his name. He was too terrible even for words. Just the mention of his name made people drop to their knees to pray. The sight of his nasty features made everyone look away as if unworthy to look at such a powerful wizard. The sound of his hoarse, terrible voice sent such a chill down their bodies that they couldn't stop shivering. As soon as he touched him, Draco dropped his head in shame and started to tremble.

"Good work, my boy…" The soft, malevolent voice said as he walked in front of him. "You have done well." Draco didn't answer and only stood silent, too scared to move, or speak, or even breathe. The man slowly circled him as if mocking him of the horrible thing he had done. "Don't worry,…it gets easier once you've done it a hundred times. Soon… you'll be using it…ten times a day… like I do." Draco shut his eyes, trying to contain himself as the man circled him, dragging his claws across his chest as he passed in front of him. "I need your help, Draco," the man spoke as if he actually had feelings. "You're…such an amazing tool. I wouldn't be able…to complete my master plan without you. Sure… I have my assistants and…my entire army. Including your parents, Draco-" The words stung ten times worse than Draco imagined and he struggled to stay in one piece. "-but you're special. You're going to help me finish it off. You're going to help me…with the main….and most important part of my plan…"

Draco clenched his hands into fists and tried his hardest to stay still when both hands grabbed his shoulders from behind and spoke directly into his ear. "You're going to help me kill Harry Potter…."

Okay even though this was sad and suspenseful I had so much fun typing this chapter! I started typing at like 2 o clock yesterday and started typing so fast! Within an hour I went from page 2 to page 10 xD Anyway, hope its good. Review and tell me how it went. If I don't get a lot of reviews I'll go back to doing my homework x) Till my next update!