THE FRIENDSHIP OF RIVALRY

Notes:

Disclaimer - I do not own the setting of Harry Potter or any of the characters; those are the property of J.K. Rowling. I have however added a few new names, given that this story is centered on the time after Harry and Draco have graduated. The plot is entirely mine.

This story is a male x male slash so please don't read it if you don't like to read these types of fanfics. For those who do not know, male x male slash is when the story is told around the relationship of two boys or guys, meaning this is a gay fanfic settled around the main characters of the story.

Key:

"Thoughts"/"Telepathy"

"Speech"

~Parseltongue~

Chapter 16: Unexpected answers (Harry)

Harry found that he couldn't help but grin as he glanced at Draco. Glancing through the ritual's glamor, he could easily see the expression of pure joy as they streaked through the sky. Draco's familiar had thoroughly surprised even him as they had entered the room. Hermione had ranted about Dreqs for weeks when she learned about the fact that they had once existed within the wizarding realm.

Granted, he hadn't listened much at the time, but somehow some of the information had still been absorbed into his brain. Maybe repetitive learning really did work, he mused as he swooped low in his phoenix form. A part of him wasn't really surprised when he'd learned that Draco's familiar was a Dreq. They were extremely loyal creatures and they would demolish an entire planet if someone or something threatened those under their protection.

Harry's attention snapped into place as he registered a faint barrier and he quickly dove in front of Cyan to stop him from flying any further. Magical sensitivity was one thing phoenixes could brag about and unfortunately it was also one of the things Dreq's weren't talented at. Luckily Harry could project his message to both Cyan and Draco at the same time.

"There is a barrier placed here! My guess is that it was created in order to keep Cyan inside, just in case you were able to find each other. I can easily break it, but your parents, who created the barrier, would immediately know if I did that."

Draco immediately shook his head. "No, I am the head of the house now, so I will easily be able to break through any barriers my parents put up, without them knowing about it." The Malfoy heir seemed to think for a bit. "I can ensure that no one else within the household registers that there are two creatures with me as well, but they will probably try to sense the barrier once they remember about it and if they can't sense it then they will know that Cyan escaped."

Harry immediately chuckled at Draco's reasoning. "So I am classified as a creature then? Oh, what will your parents say when they hear that you have consorted with a creature? Aren't purebloods supposed to be pure?" The red staining Draco's cheeks immediately gave Harry his answer, but he was sure that Draco wouldn't give up his game yet, so when Draco just blushed and looked pointedly at the sky beyond the Malfoy estate, Harry just took it as a sign that this specific conversation would be postponed.

A little voice in his head told him that he didn't have to wait till later. But, unfortunately, it was one of the things that made the situation hard between him and Draco. He always wanted answers now, while Draco was always willing to give answers later. First, they had to get through the barrier undetected though. Harry considered his own abilities for a moment before coming up with a plan. "You know, I can just teleport us near the castle. I saw Fawkes do it once. Cyan and I will just have to shrink into our smaller sizes since I am pretty sure we don't want any students or teachers to notice us like this."

Draco nodded and they landed on the grounds of the Malfoy estate. Harry concentrated on taking the smallest form available to him and he was slightly shocked to see that he seemed to be the size of a teenage version of the phoenix. He tested his wings and he was glad to see that they were still strong enough for flight.

He looked at Cyan and was glad to see that the Dreq could shrink to the size of a medium-sized lizard. "Wow, no wonder Dreq's can easily hide their forms and their presence. I don't know of any other creature that can become that small."

Draco turned to him and smirked. "Cyan says that only alphas have this extra skill. Because they are weak in sensing magic, they use this form to hide when looking after their Wyer. The younger and less strong ones can't hide so successfully so the alphas do it. When something or someone attacks the Wyer, the alphas can immediately take on their biggest forms and attack. He says that a Wyer contains more than one alpha and the alphas themselves have ranks of command."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Well, that makes sense. I am going to grab hold of the two of you now. Cyan, make sure that you at least touch a part of me since I haven't fully heard about how this teleportation thing works."

Both Draco and Cyan looked at him with slightly scared and apprehensive faces. Harry couldn't really blame them for it when he was feeling the same, but he couldn't keep himself from blushing because of the stares. "Don't worry, its instinctual for a phoenix to be able to use their powers and even though I was born a wizard, I am technically a real phoenix at the moment."

Harry flew over to land on Draco's shoulder and he saw Cyan scurrying into the folds of Draco's robe before he put one tiny clawed paw on Harry's feathered leg. He chirped in laughter as he saw the death grip that the tiny Dreq had on both him and Draco's robes. "Don't worry Cyan, I won't drop you or Draco."

Both Draco and Cyan nodded and Harry flapped his wings experimentally. He was glad to see that he could easily lift them before he settled down again. He wanted to make sure that he could carry them in the event that he somehow managed to teleport them to a dangerous place and with his luck, anything was possible. Not that he was going to voice that out loud.

Harry took a deep breath before looking inside himself to find the acquired magic for teleportation. When he felt it rising up around him, he looked at Draco and Cyan. "Relax your bodies, but hold on tight." Both of them nodded their heads as expressions of determination crossed their faces.

Black feathers circled around them before shadow fire swallowed them whole. The exchange was instant and Harry felt the feathers and flames disappear as Draco's feet touched the ground. He immediately looked around, but he only saw shelves filled with potions. The other end of the room held a huge desk with a few books that lined the wall behind it. Only two places at Hogwarts contained a room full of potions like this and that meant they were either in Severus' rooms or in the infirmary. Draco seemed to easily recognize it as the infirmary since he spent so much time in his godfather's rooms. Harry changed back into his human form before looking around the room once more.

"Really Harry, the infirmary? I guess only you would think of a place like this when you spent so much time here when we were students. Did you know… hmmgh!" Harry quickly covered Draco's mouth as he heard footsteps and voices nearing their location. He knew that they would have some explaining to do if Madam Pomfrey found them, so they would have to hide instead.

The footsteps came closer and Harry silently dragged Draco into a walk-in cupboard he had once seen when he visited her office. He had just shut the door when the office door opened and a male and a female voice entered the room. Harry was shocked to hear that Madam Pomfrey was speaking to none other than the new minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt. He looked at Draco and saw that his face mirrored Harry's own in shock.

"What is it you want me to do minister? You created a dangerous situation that doesn't exist, just because you want to test both Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter. Yes, I know it got Potter out of his self-imposed exile, but what do you think is going to happen when those boys find out what you did? You are going to lose both of them because of this silly charade, so explain to me why you couldn't just give them the standard test that the other Aurors received?"

Pomfrey huffed in anger and annoyance. "I know I am doing this because I owe you a favor, but you set the boys up for a mission that they have no hope to complete within two months, and what then? Are you going to remove them as candidates for the Head Auror's position, just because you don't want to lose your hold on them? You know they won't be able to share the position even if you gave it to them and Potter would immediately hand the position over to Mr. Malfoy anyway since he doesn't want to be part of the ministry anymore. So I ask again. What is it you want me to do?"

Kingsley looked around and locked the door with a wave of his wand and Harry rolled his eyes. "He should have done that before Madam Pomfrey started her rant." Harry felt like he wanted to barge into the room in outrage and he could see that Draco was fighting against himself to do the same. They had not expected the mission to be a fake, but instinct told them both to wait until they received the entire story.

"The reason I selected you for this test Poppy, is because I am implementing some changes at the ministry and I need time to ensure that these changes are done right. I am willing to do anything that would ensure that neither Draco Malfoy nor Harry Potter can leave their positions as Aurors because they are simply too strong to be allowed to do whatever they want. They may have had a great hand in finishing the second war, but their power can easily corrupt them and we can't allow another dark lord to rise. That is also why they will never receive the position of Head Auror." The frustration in Kingsley's voice was clear.

Harry felt his anger boil over and he was about to confront the minister when an angry screech filled the air. They clearly felt Madam Pomfrey's magic rise up around them in equal anger, if not greater. "Kingsley Shacklebolt, do YOU know how much those boys have given up for the wizarding world?! They lost family and friends in a war that children of their age shouldn't have had to participate in, in the first place and now you want to manipulate them just because they are the youngest of the strongest wizards alive today?"

A scrape could be heard as a chair was moved and Harry was surprised at the deadly tone that now resided in the mediwitch's voice. "I refuse to be a part of this. Get out of my office! I will tell both boys the truth when I find them and I will make sure they resign before you can implement that little plan of yours. They deserve to live their own lives and they will never, and I will repeat it, NEVER become dark lords."

A second scrape was heard and Harry could hear that the two voices were practically toe-to-toe with each other. Kingsley's voice was threatening as he cast a stunning spell at Madam Pomfrey before he spoke. "Stupefy! Then I guess I will just have to Obliviate you and get it over with. I will not allow anyone to mess with my plans. I would have loved to think that we could work together to ensure the safety of the wizarding world, but it seems I was mistaken. Oblivi-…"

Harry moved quickly as he jumped out of the cupboard and Draco seemed to have a similar mindset as they both cast Expelliarmis at the minister, who was knocked back with the impact. They released the mediwitch from the spell and Madam Pomfrey immediately directed her wand onto Kingsley and cast a binding and a sleep charm as she looked at the boys. Something seemed to click in her mind and she stared at them in shock before speaking slowly. "Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter I believe?"

They both nodded and her shoulders sagged in relief. "I assume that both of you heard enough to be able to testify against Mr. Kingsley here?" When they nodded again, she smiled and cast a Patronus. A lioness jumped from her wand and Harry couldn't help but think that it fit her perfectly. She did protect her patients like a lioness protects her cubs after all.

"Tell Head Auror Tonks to please meet me in my office. It has to do with Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy." The Patronus nodded and sped away. She looked at them again and Harry couldn't help but feel like a bug under a microscope. "I would have loved to inquire how the two of you were able to take those forms, but I have a feeling that I don't want to know."

Draco and Harry looked at each other and smirked. "No, I don't think you would like to know ma'am. Thank you for standing up for us though. We really didn't know that the minister was planning something like this and it's a wonder that he waited until now to try it."

Harry felt anger course through him as he glanced at the unconscious minister. People were always trying to manipulate him and he was tired of it, but what angered him more was the thought that the minister wanted to trap Draco as well.

The fireplace inside the room flared briefly and Nymphadora Tonks stepped out. Her shocked expression told Harry everything as she surveyed the occupants of the room and he knew without a doubt that she had nothing to do with the charade. She greeted them and it didn't take long for them to explain the situation. She nodded grimly before transfiguring some vials.

"Could I trouble the three of you to each place a memory of what happened in one of these vials? That way you won't be required to attend the hearing since you have already explained the situation to me as well." They nodded and placed the memories into the vials. It didn't really surprise them when Tonks did the same. She was always thorough in her investigations and never missed a detail if she could help it.

She looked at Harry and Draco. "I would suggest that you write your resignation forms immediately if you want to resign. I will accept them and file them once I get back to the ministry. It might be completely boring without the two of you there, but I refuse to let anyone manipulate friends of mine like this. Although I would love to know the spell you used to change your appearances to such a degree."

Harry glanced at Draco who only quirked one eyebrow before he looked back at Tonks. "I might tell you one day." He winked at her before turning to Madam Pomfrey who had already gotten him and Draco each a parchment and a quill. They quickly filled the letters with their reasons for resignation before folding the letters and handing them to Tonks. She nodded in thanks and tucked them away.

Harry looked at Tonks as she levitated the minister towards the fireplace. "Are you sure no one will be able to make us come back? What are you going to do about this whole scheme he made?" Tonks paused and thought for a moment before looking Harry directly into his eyes.

"I will make sure that they won't be able to do anything without consent from the two of you and Kingsley might have to step down from his post. No one will ever be able to trust a minister that would manipulate his people as he just tried to do. It is also very illegal to obliviate someone unless it's for medical purposes and even then there is a lot of red tape to go through."

Tonks sighed. "I can't believe that he would try something like this, he was once such a great man and now fear seems to have reduced him to this. Instead of calling on you to help him, he has made enemies of not just the two of you, and by extension your friends and relatives as well, but also the ministry itself. If word got out on how he tried using his status to force another's hand, the entire ministry would be done for."

She looked at them as she stepped into the fireplace with her burden. "I would ask that the three of you stay quiet about this. I promise that if things get out of hand then I will make the story public, but until then please keep it to yourselves. I suggest the two of you figure out what you want to do now that you don't work for the ministry anymore."

Harry nodded before speaking. "Well, we probably should reveal ourselves now that the 'threat' is gone. It's not really fair for us to be in any of the classes since we already completed our Hogwarts education, although I must say, it's nice to go to classes without everyone freaking out about 'Harry Potter' being at Hogwarts."

Everyone including Harry grinned at the thought. Tonks gave him a brilliant smile. "Yes well, no one would blame you if you stayed undercover for at least a little while longer. I'm pretty sure you have some loose ends that need to be tied, so I suggest you make use of whatever ritual or spell you used to take care of it."

Harry, Draco, and Madam Pomfrey nodded their goodbyes as Tonks and Kingsley were enveloped by flames. Harry looked at Draco. "She was right about the few loose ends. Are you going to join me?" A minute or two passed after he asked the question and Harry felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. Maybe Draco didn't want to be in his company any longer than he absolutely had to. It was probably crazy of him to assume that Draco liked him after that kiss.

Harry was about to tell Draco that he had only been joking when Draco suddenly hit him over the head. "Stupid Potter, I can practically see your mind going a million miles an hour, coming up with all the wrong scenarios and conclusions. Of course I will help you. Who else will be able to deduce things as good as I can?"

Harry smiled in relief and they made their way to the door, unlocking it before they walked out. Madam Pomfrey tried to accompany them to their dorms, but both boys assured her that they would be able to make it by themselves and they bid her a good night. They walked slowly as they contemplated everything that had happened in the few hours they had been gone. They made it into their common room without any problems and headed straight to bed. As much as they immediately wanted to let Severus and Lupin know about what had happened, they knew that contacting them at the present ungodly hour would only send the pair scurrying into their chambers in fear and anger.

"We probably wouldn't get off without a scolding if we contacted them now," Draco said and Harry nodded. "We'll go see them tomorrow. We also need to go see what exactly Filch is up to since we have to make sure that he isn't trying to endanger any of the students. Then we will probably have to reveal ourselves to Jean and Theo before we reveal ourselves to the rest of the school. It wouldn't be fair to them if they found out with everyone else."

Harry was surprised that Draco would even think of including Jean and Theo, but it made him happy and so he agreed. "I'm with you there, but what are we going to do now? I mean, even though both of us can pretty much spend the rest of our lives living the high life, I am sure that we would lose our minds in no time at all." Draco nodded while unconsciously pulling Harry towards his bed.

"Uhm Draco? Why are we heading to your bed?" Draco smirked at him warily before casting a spell to exchange their clothes for pajamas. "We're going to sleep on my bed because there's a pair of familiars snuggled up on your bed and they probably wouldn't like it if you were to disturb their sleep so deep into the night, seeing as you would have to move them in order to make enough space for you to lie down."

Harry looked at Draco's bed apprehensively. As much as he wanted to snuggle up to Draco, they still hadn't really talked about the kiss and their possible feelings for one another. Add to that, the fact that they will only take on their original forms when they reveal themselves to the school and you get the whole problem of still being stuck in their 11-year-old disguises. Harry didn't want to reveal his own feelings until they were back as they were. He wanted to kiss Draco when he was permanently back into his original form and not just fighting to keep the glamor forms at bay.

He glanced at Draco as they headed towards the bed and his thoughts suddenly calmed. Both he and Draco were too tired to do or even talk about anything further. Hopefully, they would finish the loose ends by tomorrow and then he can make plans to talk to Draco tomorrow night. Nodding to himself, Harry missed a step and practically fell into Draco's arms.

The two laughed tiredly as they got into bed and Harry felt himself blush as he was pulled into Draco's arms. One glance told him that Draco was already asleep a few seconds later and Harry lay back even further with a grin on his face. Their problems could wait for tomorrow he decided as he felt himself drift off into a deep sleep.

No one noticed the spider crawling out of Harry's robes that had been discarded on the floor. Charms and spells usually kept out insects, but this wasn't your everyday insect. A faint mist swirled around the spider as it made its way under the door and into the common room. From there it escaped through a window, intent on telling its friends what he had found.

Thank you for those who are reading this fanfic… And a special thank you to those who follow it.

- Before anyone asks, no this is not where the fanfic ends, this is actually where it begins.-