Chapter II: Wake-up, Draco!

Harry was let out of the infirmary within the next four days and it was now the first week of October. He was anxious to approach Draco, but he knew the inevitable was to come. He had to do this whether he liked it or not.

Draco's face was very pale now, or more than it normally was and he seemed to be thinking hard about something all through dinner that evening. He barely touched his food, which was understandable to Harry due to the Prophet lambasting his father for being a death eater and then the articles gloating about his death on the front page.

Harry internally felt sympathy for the blonde since he had never had to deal with this type of attention before. When Draco finally decided to leave early, Harry knew this might be his only chance for some one-on-one chatting with him.

Hermione grabbed his arm, "Where are you going?"

Harry smiled complacently, "I just want to go to the bathroom, Hermione. Is that a crime now too?" he asked innocently

Hermione swatted at him as he laughed and moved out of the way towards the doors.

Harry found Draco in the owlry and apparently just gazing out the window at nothing.

"Come to poke fun at me, have you Potter? Draco snarled in malice, "Well too bad, since I don't care if have or not."

"I didn't come to make fun of you Draco, but I want you to follow me as there is something you need to see in regards to your father's death?" He asked quietly

Draco stared at him before he snorted, "And what would there be to know other than my father died serving a maniac hell-bent on world domination and was killed by the aurors that caught him on his latest mission due to the Ministry lifting the ban on the use of the Unforgiveables for the aurors."

Harry looked to the ground, "That's where you're wrong though Draco. Your father wasn't murdered by the aurors at all. The dark lord killed him when he and his group failed their mission at the end of last term and he wanted answers for it. The man killed by the aurors was polyjuiced and your father's body was with your mother at the manor."

Draco looked intently at Harry at this, "You're serious then about the information you have?" He asked suddenly

Harry nodded, "Without a doubt it was the dark lord and I can prove it to you, but you'll have to follow me to somewhere else first. It is not safe to have this kind of conversation here as you know."

Draco seemed indecisive, so Harry gave him and extra shove mentally in his direction.

"Your father told your mother to tell you that he was sorry and that he hopes you make the right decisions. He never wanted this to happen, but it was only a matter of time in the end and this was prior to the dark lord killing him with the Killing curse; about two days or so, I think. He was locked with her in your home on watch by other death eaters for him at the time." Harry said quietly

Draco stared, "If he said that, then that meant my father was tortured before he was killed and possibly several times before his last one and then his death. Alright, I'll follow you to wherever you want to go, even though I don't know how much good this will do me anyways."

Harry led Draco to the room of requirement and asked it to provide him a pensieve for the memories to be viewed. They entered and noticed the comfortable sitting are with the pensieve on the coffee table. They sat down and Harry closed his eyes as he tapped his head and drew the memories forward and out into the bowl of shimmering water within the pensieve. Harry looked at Draco now seriously.

"There is something you must know before you enter these memories of mine Draco, and I advise discretion due to the level of maturity needed to handle them. You must be curious after all; about how I should even be aware of these happenings, let alone how I know of information that the others all around us do not have?" He asked the blonde quietly

Draco narrowed his eyes, "Of course I am, but I did not think you'd tell me?"

Harry stood up silently with his back straight and tall and he had turned his back to Draco as he gazed absently into the fireplace there. It was the first time Draco realized exactly how mature Harry was now due to his role in the war and of how handsome he'd become. His family genetics had been kind to him for sure.

"Do you truly wish to know the truth to this answer?" Harry asked softly

Draco was astounded by the level of trust Harry showed towards him but nodded nonetheless as he admired the dimly lit room and the low-light fire that made Harry's face seem even more appealing while the emerald eyes sparkled softly in the low-lighting towards him. Draco could feel the beginning of a strange emotion he never really felt before as well as the stirring of arousal before he squashed it and forced his mind to focus.

"You know by now that I defeated the dark lord once as an infant and that thereafter he and his followers were disbanded for many years. Nearly eleven years went by without his presence being seen again. What you don't know is that I was prophesized to be the one to defeat him entirely for good before I was ever born. When he came to my parent's home on Halloween of 1981 and tried to kill me; he left me as an orphan and with only one mark upon me as his curse rebounded upon him. The lightning bolt scar on my forehead." Harry said quietly, "This much I am sure you know besides the part of the prophecy."

Draco nodded as he listened to Harry's story for once and found that he was absently curious as to the rest of it since whatever he had been told was either a lie or a partial truth and he wanted to know the real story.

"The scar on me is more than just a magical wound mark, Draco. The scar that the dark lord marred me fifteen years ago now allows me to see into his mind at times when he is particularly angry or some other similar emotion and be able to know what he is up to. Beyond this, there are other things it allows me to do; but, they are irrelevant for now. However, you know that I was in the infirmary for the three days before today, and the real reason I was there was due to the pain in the visions he caused me to feel through the connection in my scar to him versus whatever the headmaster told the rest of the student body. I believe he said something else as to keep the true reasoning a secret from the dark lord otherwise I'd be in trouble."

"When the dark lord casts a Cruciatus on one of his followers or a prisoner he has captive, I feel it just as if I were there in front of him and he was using it on me even though we might be hundreds or even thosands of miles apart. For three days, the dark lord questioned numerous followers about the events that happened last term and tortured them for failure and answers that displeased him. When your father was finally called to him from Malfoy Manor, he was already in pain from the last round of torture still. I could tell because I have first-hand experience at being under Tom's Cruciatus." Harry said slowly

Draco appeared horrified, "When did that happen?"

Harry glanced at him, "During the Triwizard's third task after we were portkeyed to another location and after Cedric Diggory was murdered. This was also when Tom was re-born in a dark ritual using a bone of his father he hated, the flesh of his servant wormtail that was willingly given to him, and...my blood that forcibly taken from me that night." Harry said bitterly

Draco appeared pale and as if he might be sick now.

"Anyways, when your father gave no more an answer than the rest of them had; Tom lost it finally in his anger at them all and killed him out of petty anger for all of their failures and saying he had lived out his usefulness to him and that you would take his place and know the true meaning of the words 'death eater' soon enough." Harry told him somberly

Draco paled even more to that and so Harry plowed ahead.

"The man they polyjuiced was another of his lower death eaters in his service who was discovered as a traitor for socializing with someone they considered light-sided and giving them information. He was punished by death and then his body was used to double your father's for the auror's, so your mother could at least bury his true one in Malfoy Manor's cemetary. Tom has at least enough respect to allow this considering Lucius's years of dedication to him, although forced." Harry sneered

"But now you will need to see the events in here to believe it yourself." Harry said

Draco nodded intently as he entered the pensieve to view the atrocious acts. When he returned, Draco shivered in a sense of dread.

"You weren't lying." Draco said, "I thought you were crazy and out of your own head, but you were right and you told me the complete truth. All these articles about you being crazy is just wrong when you know better than anyone else what's happening around here."

Harry smiled, "Yes well, perhaps I've just gotten more use to it as time went by."

Harry sat down on the floor beside Draco, "What do you plan to do? Your father is gone and your mother is in distress from grief over his murder at the hand of the man her husband followed by force in fear for your family's safety."

"You must feel at least sad somewhat that he's gone, too. Lucius wanted you to make the right choice that he couldn't make because Abraxas was overbearing on him I believe, but you also know that is a hard road if you choose either of them. To stay as his follower or to renounce the ties your family had altogether to the dark lord and fight to avenge your father's death with me on the light-side."

Draco shook his head, "It's so hard to believe he's gone to begin with even though he wasn't the best of fathers'. I knew he loved and cared for me deep down, but I resented the fact he couldn't find it in himself to stay away from that mad-man. He trained me to take his place in time, but to know I might not have to is almost a relief. For so long, I was told what to do by him and now that I can make my choices…it's like not knowing who you are any longer but wanting to find yourself again too." He said almost to himself

"Draco, if you'd like; I'd offer you my friendship in exchange for your allegiance to the light side so you can avenge your family. Ron and Hermione might take a while to sway to the idea, but I'm sure you can convince them of your sincerity to do the right thing if this is what you want?" Harry asked him hesitantly

Draco looked at him uncertainly, "You would trust me after everything we've said and done to each other?"

Harry looked to the fire again, "We are soon going to be at war again Draco, and I am at one of the pinnacle pieces of it. The time for childish taunts and name-calling is over and now we must all work together if the wizarding world is to survive Tom's wrath."

Harry looked upward, "I never truly hated you as a person at all Draco; I have just hated how the pureblood traditions ingrained in to you from childhood blinded your intellect from seeing the true disguise of what was in front of you. Blood purity has really nothing to do with magical potential. Hermione is muggle-born and you know she is the most powerful female witch in our year whether or not you choose to deny it."

"She can cast just about any spell she is told of; given time to research and practice like all the rest of us. Whereas Neville is pureblood and before last year, we all thought he was going to end up being found out as a squib just because he had so much trouble with the simplest spells? He's really not a squib, but he has been so downtrodden because of his grandmother that he had low self-esteem. She would always be comparing his lack of accomplishments for his age to his father, which never helped." Harry told him

"I believe that magic itself in its full potential comes not from your blood status and ancestry, but more from the environment in which you were raised and your determination to make something of yourself when everyone else says you never will." Harry told him honestly

Draco remained silent and knew not what to say to this. He had for so long been taught of how blood purity was so important, but now he truly wondered if Harry and his side did have a point in this.

He knew Hermione was smart as a witch, but the fact she was muggle-born made even more surprising as to how quickly she could grasp at some of the most ancient and arcane knowledge when presented to her.

"Harry, I think I finally understand why my mother always never argued with my father about blood purity now. My father had a more traditional view of the custom, but even though my mother was formerly a Black; she believed blood was only used for legal matters if necessary or similar matters. Other than this, she did not care if she talked to someone who was muggle-born or half-blood. Of course, she couldn't do this freely with Bellatrix and my father around, but she was of a different opinion though she could not openly show it."

"I will take your offer of friendship and I want that bastard to pay for the pain he's brought my family over the years. Technically I am the new Lord Malfoy now, and so when I return home for Christmas holidays; the dark lord will no longer be welcome in our home." Draco said firmly

Harry smiled, "Thank you Draco, and this thanks comes from myself not only as Harry Potter; but also as Lord Peverell and Lord Black. I will need more allies and friends in the near future as the war breaks further outward, and I believe I know a way we can convince your fellow house-mates not to follow him as well."

Draco looked momentarily stunned, "You're Lord of the House of Peverell?" He questioned hesitantly

Harry raised an eyebrow to this, "Yes, as the Potter clan descended originally from Ignotus Peverell. The dark lord branches from Antioch Peverell as well though, so we are in some form related, but it is not close enough to consider it a healthy acknowledgment. Cadmus Peverell never married and so he had no heirs. Why do you ask this?" He said curiously now

Draco was hesitant, "Then you know the story of the three hallows, correct?"

Harry smirked, "Oh, you mean the one that's considered a child's fairy tale of my ancestor and his brothers that held them. The elder wand of Antioch, the resurrection stone of Cadmus, and death's own cloak of invisibility from Ignotus?"

Draco nodded silently, "So the tale is true then?"

"It depends on perspective." Harry said, "I do have the cloak for certain and I know you've seen me with it before though Professor Snape never did find me with it and I think that irritates him, but I honestly can't say that I care." Harry smirked as Draco seemed confused, "I know not where the resurrection stone is either, but the elder I have safely hidden from the headmaster and from the dark lord as well."

Draco was astounded by this, "Why would you hide it from the headmaster? Isn't he your mentor or something?"

Harry smirked at this, "You'd think so wouldn't you? Let me just say this Draco; if it wasn't for the Headmaster and his meddlesome and interfering ways, I would have grown up in a wizarding household after my parents death with people who loved and cherished as their own even if I wasn't. Hwever, since the headmaster interfered in this, I did not grow so like this."

Draco remained silent and did not know what to say.

"Time has grown short and curfew will be soon, so I will not be able to discuss my plan on how to get your house-mates on our side with you tonight. When is your free period tomorrow?" Harry asked him

"It's directly before lunch?" He answered in a questioning

"Good, mine too; so let's me meet here again then and I'll explain my idea to you and you'll tell me whether you think it would work or not?" Harry asked

Draco considered, "Very well then, but how do we explain our absences if we accidentally end up having lunch here while ironing out this idea of yours?"

"Any way you wish to, as long as it actually sounds feasible. I doubt your companions would believe you if you told them you left to go have a secret rendezvous with me somewhere?" Harry smirked as Draco's face flushed red

"What?!" He yelped

Harry smirked again at him, "Well, I just thought if you told them that; they'd be more likely to beat you up to knock some sense into you rather than just nod and let it go."

"You are crazy Potter." Draco said with a tightness to his throat that said he was embarrassed

"So I've heard, but we are still meeting tomorrow right?" He asked him

"Yeah, just don't have an aneurism if I arrive late due to Pansy hounding me about where I am going, since she believes I like her enough to marry her and make her the next Lady Malfoy. Honestly, I swear she's dense but she is a good friend regardless."

Harry nodded, "We should go if we don't want to be caught by Filch now, and Draco" Harry said

Draco turned to him.

"Let not a word of what I said be known in your house yet. Take this as my way of showing I want to truly trust you." Harry said

Draco nodded his head silently as they parted ways and thought over all he had been told.