Disclaimer: I do not, in anyway own the wonderful world of Harry Potter, or Charmed. I am just dabbling in the world they left for us. I do own the plot however...

Chapter 48

Choices and Tasks...

Prominent Prueblood, Narcissa Malfoy, was found dead last night in Malfoy manor. There was no evidence of a break in, nor were there any defining marks which the Aurors could use to ascertain the cause of her death, which leads this reporter to believe that it was the Killing Curse that fell Mrs. Malfoy.

The Killing curse is of course, as all Witches and Wizards should know, unblockable. No one, but The-Boy-Who-Lived, has ever been known to have survived the Death Curse. (For more information on the Killing curse and The-Boy-Who-Lived; turn to page 7b)

With Malfoy senior, Luscious Malfoy, currently incarcerated in Azkaban prison for being found guilty of being a Death Eater in service to You-Know-Who, it is the young Malfoy, Draco, that will be taking care of the details for his mothers Funeral. But the question on this reporters mind is what is to become of young Draco. Will he take up the mantel of the Malfoy family and redeem the family name or will he follow in his fathers footsteps? One can only wonder.

"Malfoy is always walking around the halls of Hogwarts with an air about him, as if he owns the place." Roger Davies, recent Hogwarts Graduate from Ravenclaw House, replied when asked by this reporter.

The Ministry was in an uproar when the Dark mark appeared over the ancient Mansion and sent a batch of Aurors as soon as they had heard about what happened. And what is more, when the Aurors arrived on the scene there they found a note written on the wall, just above the body-

"No one is safe. We will find the hidden one!"

This reporter gives his regards and sympathy to the Malfoy heir, and we here at the Daily Prophet hope you make it through this terrible time.

Dieter Sleezer,

Special correspondent for the Daily Prophet.

As soon as he had seen the headlines of the morning prophet he had quickly walked out of the Great Hall, away from the stares of his housemates and those from the other houses. Not sure of where to go, he went to the first place that came to mind. And as Draco drifted lazily over the Quidditch pitch on his Nimbus two-thousand and one, the printed words from the prophet came to mind. His Father was in Azkaban, (this he already knew), his Mother killed by the killing curse, (this had upset him greatly), and there was apparently someone that was hidden, (what this meant he had no idea), but he would need to find out.

He was sure that the news of his mother's death would cause most in the Wizarding World, the wealthy ones anyway, to give their regards, or their pity in other words, which was something that Draco did not want to deal with. His mother had been there for him when his Father had not been, but even then she still did not show much in the way of feelings. She had picked him up when he had fallen, but told him to brush it off and keep going. As of this moment, Draco Malfoy had no idea how he was to grieve for someone that he hardly knew.

'But she was our mother' a soft voice in the back of his mind said.

"But what does that mean?" Draco answered out loud.

'It doesn't mean a thing' a new voice replied 'She was just another person who let you down, we should be glad that she is gone.'

"That is something my father would say." Draco whispered softly.

'And look where that attitude got him,' the soft voice said making itself known again, 'A cell in Azkaban where the sun does not shine and the company of the worlds cruelest creatures.'

'The reason he is in that rat-infested prison is summed up in one word; Potter'

"Stupid, Saint Potter, can't leave his nose out of another's business. He did get my Father arrested, he and his stupid friends." Draco hissed.

'But it was his choice; your Father's that is, to follow the Dark Lord. The only thing Potter did during that attack on the Ministry was lose one of the only people whom he looked at as a parental figure. Up until last night you had both of your parents.'

'The world is better of without the flea-bitten mongrel. He was a disgrace to the name of Black; a name that he did not even deserve.'

"And then what did he do," Draco began in anger, "He went a left all of his fortune to a Potter; someone who is not even worthy to lick the boots of a Malfoy.

'Ah, but the Potters are an older family than the Malfoy's.'

"That is just a technicality, I still say he is not even worthy to lick my boots."

'But isn't that what your Father does for a living; lick the boots of a monster, and a half-blood at that. Was it not your Father who used to tell you, every single night, that a Malfoy bowed to no one?

Draco sat there, floating on his Nimbus, staring out at the lake from where he was. "Do you have nothing to add to that?" He commented out loud, speaking to the "con-voice" as he had dubbed it during the internal battle he had been having with himself. When he did not receive a reply he gave a slight chuckle, "I must be really messed up if I am going to talk to voices in my head and name them."

Normally he was a very rational person and a Slytherin no less. But most of the time the responses he came up with were ones that his father had drummed into him. Then there were other times that it was all him; especially when dealing with a particular Gryffindor and his two friends that seemed to be glued to his side. "Potter just makes my blood boil. He needs to be taken down a few pegs…"

'If my Mother heard me talking like that she would slap me upside the head.' Draco thought to himself as he gave a heavy sigh. He was back to thinking about his mother, something he really didn't want to think about. While his she did not show her affection the way Draco would have hoped, she was till his mother and he would miss her greatly. After giving his head a shake, as though shaking the thoughts from his mind, he pushed his broom to its max speed in an upwards corkscrew around the pitch.

With each turn he rose higher and higher above the stadium not daring to stop. He loved the way the wind rushed passed him as he flew at break-neck speeds. It was his escape and right now, in this moment, he needed the escape that his broom provided. What he had failed to notice during his "escape" was that tears had begun to fall down his pale, now flushed, face. What began as a few falling tears, like a leaky faucet, became like that of a raging river making him want to push through the pain. The pain of losing his father and the pain of losing his mother was beginning to be too unbearable. He just wanted it to end.

As he continued to rise, drawing closer to the clouds looming overhead, he found it getting harder to breath. And at some point, through the pain, the tears and the difficulty to breath he lost his grip on the handle of his broom and began to plummet towards the earth at the break-neck speeds he was so fond of.

It seemed to be taking a lot longer than he would have thought to reach the ground. 'In fact,' he mused, 'it's as if I'm floating.' But what he didn't know was that he was floating, something had caught him and was helping him to the ground. As he drew closer to the ground, Draco saw something out of the corner of his eye.

A figure was running towards him with their wand drawn and pointing it at him.

'Ha! So I am floating' This was the last thought that passed through the Malfoy heirs mind just before he succumbed to the darkness that went along with passing out.

~hpgw~

Harry gave a smile as he appeared back in the Room of Requirement. It had been a long day, what with all of the talking, and persuading he had done to get everyone to agree to sign the parchment for the new DA, now Knights of Salem, so that he could start to prepare them for what was coming. What that was he really didn't know, but he knew something was coming and he hoped that that he would have them ready when the time came.

He gave a quiet chuckle as he thought about their faces when Neville and Luna disappeared after they had signed the parchment. That had been Ron's idea. 'Keep them on their toes' Ron had said. Shortly after, Hermione had come to him and the others saying that she had found a spell that allowed for short-ranged travel and a way to bind it to the contract so that when anyone signed it, it would transport them instantly to the location specified; the Chamber of Secrets or rather the Sanctuary as it was now called.

True to his word, he had a lot on his mind and just needed to get out and get out he did. He didn't have a particular location in mind so he just let his feet guide him. Before he knew it, he was in the entrance hall and heading to the large, oak doors that led out to the grounds. As he passed through the oak doors and made his way down the wooden bridge his gaze settled upon that of the Quidditch pitch. Deciding that a good lap around the pitch might help to clear some of the thoughts that were swimming through his mind, he made a beeline towards the wooden stadium.

As he drew nearer to his destination, Harry's gut twisted in a knot when he saw a figure falling towards the earth at a very fast pace. From where he was he couldn't quite make out who it was, 'That doesn't matter' Harry thought to himself and in one swift movement he had his wand out and pointed straight at the unknown person, all the while running towards them. After casting a quick and silent 'Wingardium Leviosa' he ran even faster than before, wand still outstretched, his eyes never leaving their mark.

Thankfully, Harry had been able to make it in time so that he was able to position himself underneath the falling figure, who, he had noticed had passed out. Carefully, Harry lowered the unconscious figure to the ground so that he could get a better look at him. However, once he did, he was shocked; to say the least. Never in his, so far five, years at Hogwarts had he ever dreamed that he would save the life of Draco Malfoy.

~hpgw~

White; it was all around him, the walls, the ceiling, even the stones on the ground had a bit of white to them. The figure gave a sigh as he closed his eyes, "Ugh, if this is death, it sure does hurt."

"You're not dead yet," a voice said with a chuckle, "Though in a moment you might just wish you were. Madam Pomfery is a force to be reckoned with."

Draco's eyes snapped open as an unknown voice penetrated the silence that surrounded him. "Potter!" the blond Slytherin exclaimed as he quickly sat up, which, was a mistake the moment he had done so because he had to put his hands to his head in effort to stop the pounding. "What are you doing here; don't you need to be off somewhere being 'Perfect Potter' the one all of the professor's love?"

Harry gave a slight frown and then said, "You know Malfoy; you could try being a bit more grateful."

"What on earth are you going on about? No, don't answer that, just leave and go about being the-Noble-Boy-Who-Lived and leave me to my peace." Draco said as he leaned back on the headboard of the hospital wing bed he currently occupied. He jumped slightly when another voice, this time the voice of a female, pierced the semi-empty wing.

"He is not wrong Mr. Malfoy," Madam Pomfery said as she drifted over from her office. "You could be a bit more grateful."

"Ma'am, Potter here is disturbing my rest. I demand that he is removed so that I may recuperate and rejoin the school as son as possible, I have……things that require my attention." Malfoy finished off quietly, his eyes falling upon the white sheets that his legs were under.

"I am well aware of what needs your attention Mr. Malfoy," the Healer replied, giving him a pointed look before continuing, "I can only give you my condolences. However, I do stand by my earlier comment of being a tad more grateful, especially to Mr. Potter here, seeing as he did save your life." With her thought complete, along with the diagnostic spells that she had been running, she left the two Hogwarts rivals to their own devices, but not before issuing the blond a warning. "If I even see a toe touch that ground before dinner, then you will miss every remaining Quidditch game Mr. Malfoy.

Harry smiled at the retreating back of the Medi-Witch, "Nope, I definitely do not want to get on her bad side." Harry commented as he turned his attention back to the bed-ridden Slytherin, who, looked as though he had been slapped with a fish. "Malfoy, earth to Malfoy……are you okay?" When he received no response Harry rose from the seat he had taken and began to turn around when a quiet whisper met his ears.

"You saved me?" Draco asked turning to face his long-time enemy, who, simply stared back at him with no emotion crossing his features. Other than a small nod, Harry made no other movements.

They stayed like that for some time, each looking at the other. "Why?" Draco asked his voice breaking.

Harry stood there looking pointedly at the blond boy, who had made his first five years at Hogwarts a pain, not totally sure of how to respond. "Malfoy," Harry began with a sigh, "I simply went for a walk and saw you falling, I would have done the same thing had it been anyone else…including another Slytherin." He saw Draco's gaze turn once more to the white sheets, his eyes not moving from the spot they had locked onto.

"You may have made my life as miserable as Hell since we started going here, but you are still human and as loath as I am to admit it, if you had died today then the Wizarding World would have lost a great wizard. That is, if you turned your efforts towards good instead of evil."

'You have no idea' Draco said to himself, giving a slight chuckle as he did so.

"I may hate you with a passion, but I do know that all human life has value and that includes you." Harry said as he began to back away, coming closer to the hospital wings double doors and with a swift turn of the handle the door swung open. Turning his attention back to the Malfoy heir he said, "Oh, a letter came for you while you were sleeping, so I took it from the owl and set it by your bed."

As Harry stepped out into the hall the voice of Draco Malfoy called out to him, "Hey Potter!"

Harry paused in his steps and turned back around to face the owner of the voice.

"Thanks." Draco said as he reached over and plucked the mail he had received off the table.

Harry just looked back at the Slytherin and gave a small nod, "Get well Malfoy." And with that Harry turned around and headed down the long hall, leaving Draco to read his letter in peace.

After leaving the Hospital wing, and reaching the first flight of stairs, Harry made his way to the Great Hall for dinner. It had been a long day and he just wanted to spend the rest of it being surrounded by his friends. As he was making one of the final turns, that led to the Great Hall, he saw someone making their way towards him that he had hoped to avoid as long as possible.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, nice day today wouldn't you say?"

"As well as can be expected Headmaster."

The two stood there, just looking at each other, as though waiting for the other to make the first move.

"Is there something you needed sir?" Harry asked.

"Actually, I was just heading to my office. I needed to check on a few things before I have supper." The Headmaster said somewhat sadly. Harry's underlying comment had not been missed by him. He knew what Harry was really asking was- 'what are you going to try now…' If he were going to be honest with himself he had been acting more than a Headmaster of a school in regards to Harry. 'But what I have done has been for the greater good, as well as what I must continue to do'.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I suggest you get yourself to the Hall. I do believe that your friends are already there and waiting for you."

Harry nodded solemnly and looked up at the Headmaster and said, "Yes sir, thank you, I will get there as soon as I can. I hope that what you need to check on goes smoothly. Goodnight sir."

"Goodnight Mr. Potter." Albus Dumbledore called out to the retreating back of his protégé; not that he would admit that out loud to anyone. With a heavy sigh, he turned his attention to the many, ever changing staircases that led to the floor his office was on. He was in the middle of one of the moving staircases when his robes began to vibrate. In one quick movement he retrieved the buzzing mirror and swiped his hand over it. His eyes flashed back and forth as though he were reading a message, his eyes growing wider with every word he read.

"Fawks!" Dumbledore cried out and not a moment later there was a flash of fire and the Headmasters familiar appeared on his shoulder; its black, beady eyes stared deeply into the his owners and with a soft thrill it vanished in another ball of flame, this time taking the aged Transfiguration professor with him.

~hpgw~

"Things are beginning to take shape. How are you faring on your task?" A disembodied voice asked, penetrating the silence of the night.

The cloaked figure, at the top of the dark spire, began to look around after heaving a heavy sigh. "Must you always resort to such matters Orin?" The posed question echoed off the stone walls.

"Only when I am lacking in entertainment." There was an eerie cackle and 'Orin' became visible. "But now that I have your attention, I ask my question once again. How goes the task Treva?"

"Why must you call me that awful name?"

"Because, Treva, it suits you," Orin stated, "And you are avoiding my question."

Treva huffed and looked into the eyes of Orin and said, "The task goes well."

"I sense a 'but' somewhere in your answer."

"The……task," Treva began, "Is beginning to ask questions."

"What sort of questions?" Orin asked curiously.

"Questions that you forbade me to answer; questions that…" Treva paused, searching for the correct word, "Questions that could compromise everything we are trying to achieve."

Orin stared silently out of the spire's only window, unmoving. Like a statue frozen in time, a deep-calculating look etched on the stone-like visage. "And your reply to the questions?"

"I am able to evade them, but it will only get more difficult as the years go by." Treva responded gravely.

"You must continue to evade, as you so eloquently put it, the questions as long as you can. It would be ideal if these questions remain could remain unanswered, however," Orin said, pausing momentarily to turn around and face Treva, "If it comes to pass that evasion is no longer an option, then you have my permission to reply in any way you see fit."

Treva nodded slowly and joined Orin at the window, looking out at the cloudless, night sky.

"Mars shines bright tonight." Treva commented off-handedly.

Orin nodded in agreement and replied, "And it will only get brighter."

A/N: So we have seen Draco once again, but what his future is…. you will just have to wait for that. And where did Dumbledore go to with Fawks….again you will have to wait and find out, but I will be nice and tell you that you will find out in the next chapter. And once again I have introduced some new characters, but believe me when I say, that everything I do or anyone I introduce has a purpose.

Thank you for Reading, but if you could be so kind and push that little Review button at the bottom of the screen….that would be great!

See you all next time,

Mudbloodpotter.