Hey guys thanks for the reviews, and I'm really interested to hear what you think of this chapter so do let me know!
Harry vaguely registered hushed voices, white sheets, the hum of magic. He tried to open his eyes but found he couldn't. He slipped into sleep again.
It was night when he next woke, but he wasn't alone. Someone was holding his hand and a deep voice whispered; "how's your leg feeling?" "all right, still twinging but they say it will get better." "hope so." A slight pause. "do you want me to grab you a "sandwich or something, I'm starving." It was then Harry recognised the voice.
"Ron?" Harry asked, fighting his eyes open. "Harry!" He and Hermione squealed. She threw herself into Harry's arms and he squeezed hard, over joyed to see them. "oh how are you feeling?" she asked, tears rising in her eyes.
"good…" he said, in fact nothing hurt at all. " what's going on?"
Ron and Hermione shared a look. "well, what's the last thing you remember?" Harry closed his eyes and thought, it was harder than it should be. "Hogwarts. Voldermort was there, I think… I think we won! Did we?" And Harrys smile was so excited, so hopeful and true that Hermione and Ron smiled with him.
"yeah." Ron said. "you nailed him."
"the only thing is.." Hermione looked at ron before continuing. "that was six months ago." Harry's smile faded. "have I been hear ever since?" he asked.
"no…you've been living with the rest of us." "then what-" Harry asked, looking agitated.
"Harry, I know this can't be easy for you, but…well just listen, okay?" Hermione asked, wincing as she shifted positions. Harry nodded slowly and looked to Ron. Even he looked a bit awkward.
"well, we think that just before you killed voldermort, he cursed you. It was an old, dark, complicated spell, but…well basically it was like he planted a seed in you. He…wanted someone to continue his work and since you were the only person more powerful than him, who was better?" Hermione asked slowly. But Harry couldn't help interjecting; "wait, seed? Continue his work? What do you mean?"
Hermione tried again. "he well, planted this "seed"…" She took a deap breath and plunged into it. "this seed of evil in you. The spell worked over time, but it was…turning you into him."
Harry gasped and felt the bottom of his stomach fall away "but…I mean, it's gone now right?"
"yes." Ron reassured him. "that's why you can't remember anything, they had to do such a thorough job of removing it that they removed memory as well."
"good." Harry said taking shaky breaths. "and… I didn't have time to do anything, right?" Harry asked hopfully.
"nothing…major." Hermione said, not looking at him. "I don't think at least."
Harry's face went white and he asked; "what did I do then?"
"well...blackmail." Hermione said. "and we found drugs in your apartment. We also…can safely assume that you have done a lot more than this, but…well, you didn't see fit to tell us." Harry looked helplessly up at them and croaked "im so sorry."
Hermione just hugged him tight again.
It was a lot to take in, that he had been on his way to becoming the next dark lord.
He was actually discharged the next day, but when Hermione showed him to his flat he wished he hadn't been. It was massive, expensive and ostentaous. It reeked of money and was exactly the sort of place a sane Harry would hate to live in. He collapsed into bed and as he did so, he slipped into a depression worse than he had ever known.
He had to deal with grief. He had to deal with guilt, and shame, and fear of what he had done. When Hermione had told him how he had turned on her, he wept.
He also found so many strange and scary things around his flat. Wads of money that he could only assume were the profit of illegal dealings, there were whips, illegal potions and animal furs that made Harry sick to his stomach.
Hermione and Ron came around as much as they could, along with Nevil and others who he had once victimised. He was actually really proud of how his friends forgave him, even Pavarti Patil dropped around, although that seemed like she had come to really see if Harry had changed…. She seemed suspicious for some reason.
It had been just over a week since Harry had been enlightened as it were and he was sulking in his far too big apartment when an owl from Gringotts came. It detailed what his accounts had been doing for the last six months, a lot of money was being moved around, to be honest Harry had no idea he had that much money….
There wasn't much of interest until Harry came across a line detailing a purchase of a house. Not in London though, but in the country, some old sounding place far away.
Feeling that this could not be good news at all, Harry swore and slowly got dressed (despite it being almost noon, he was only in boxers). He apperated just outside the gates of small but again impressive house. Harry let out a sigh of relief that it looked that nice actually, he had been afraid it would be some horrible crack den of slave labour children…
He walked in slowly, all was silent. It looked a well-cared for place, more Harry's sort of thing than back in London. He had a quick look around and was just about to head back, thinking that he didn't really want to go through even more evil junk and that the whips could wait, when he heard a soft thud from above.
He tensed and moved softly up the staircase, getting his wand out as he did so. He checked the first room, a bathroom and was about to go into the connecting bedroom when a small voice called; "master?" he hurried back into the hall and saw…a boy. He was looking at the ground and Harry couldn't see his face, but he was so small he couldn't be more than 14 or so. Harry licked his lips, praying that he wasn't the "master" but knowing that he was. "yes?" he said finally.
"it' s good to see you again master." The boy said. He was huddled by a wall and seemed to be shivering. "you two…" Harry said, "are you all right? Are you hurt?"
"no master." Came the reply. Cautiously, Harry approached him. He reached out and softly touched his back. He tensed but turned towards Harry, face still on the ground. Harry tentivly put his hand under his chin and raised it so that they were looking face to face. Immediately Harry noticed two things, firstly that it was Draco Malfoy. Secondly that there was utter terror in his eyes, it was proper fear, the kind that had witnessed true evil. It was as if he were looking at Harry and seeing the devil.
But also, looking over him now it was clear he wasn't a child, he was curled up, clinging to the wall, and he was gaunt, he clearly hadn't eaten in weeks, Harry's eyes went wide and he grabed Draco's bony wrist, ushering him down the stairs.
He sat Draco down on the couch and flew into the kitchen, trying desperately to find something for him. There were vegetables and fruit, but they were rotten, there was frozen food. But it would take time to heat up, and Harry didn't want Draco to wait a moment longer…
Finally Harry found some canned peaches and threw those in a bowl, before delivering them with a hurried "here, have these." Before going back to put some of the frozen stuff in the oven.
Meanwhile Draco waited nervously. Harry had not said "eat this" he had said "have this" and so Draco sat there, wanting it so badly, but he remembered all too well the last time he had seen his master. He had been called a good boy twice, he couldn't stand the idea of being bad the moment his master came home again.
But he was so hungry, and cold, and tried and frightened. He held the bowl in his hands and winced, it was getting a bit painful. He had hardly any meat on his fingers and so his bones were close to the surface, which make holding anything painful. His crying intensified and his body shock. His arms were aching now, it was a small bowl with hardly anything in it, but to Draco it felt so heavy and holding it up felt so hard. His crying by now was so loud that his master heard him in the kitchen and hurried in to see him again.
"what's wrong?" he asked, kneeling next to Draco. "don't you like it?" "I like it." Draco managed though his sobs. Firstly, he would never tell his master he didn't like something, that was not allowed and secondly he was certainly not going to say he didn't like food because that was just suicidal.
"okay…" Harry said, unsure of what was really going on. "eat it then?" Draco did need to be told once, but not twice. He devoured it in seconds. It was only a few slippery peach halves but they were perfection to Draco.
Harry sighed, and when Draco was done eating, he wrapped his arms around him. He was ice cold. Harry kissed the top of Draco's head softly and Draco smiled into Harry's shoulder, feeling that being fed and kissed so gently must be a good thing. But Harry sighed, feeling Draco's ribs under his fingers.
"I think you're going to have to go to hospital." Harry mumbled, as much as to himself as Draco.
"what?" Draco screeched. He began shaking violently again and "master please." He begged. He slipped on to the floor at Harry's feet and bowed his head, every bone of his spine popping up under his skin. " not that, please, I'll do anything master, I'll be so good, try so hard in future, I promise I'll never be bad again, but please, don't do that to me. One more chance please master." By now Draco was rocking back and forth, whole body shaking with tears.
"okay…" Harry said."okay baby, it's okay. You don't have too." he picked Draco back up and cuddled him again, so utterly confused as to what was going on. He was so bewilded, so desperate for Draco to be happy, to be safe, for everything to be okay again. He wanted to know what was going on and what to do…Harry himself was almost on the verge of tears.
" thank you so much master I'm going to be so good master I promise master never be bad again no never master sorry sorry sorry…"