A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this next installment and, as always, please review. I really love hearing what you all think about my stories! Also, sorry about the lack of breaks in the pervious chapters. If anyone actually knows how to use this website, please PM me because I am still learning. Thanks!

"Hey, wake up." Draco's voice loomed to him through a thick haze. What was Draco doing in his bedroom?

Harry sat straight up, drawing his wand as he did.

"Woah, calm down," Draco said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry looked around, the events of last night coming back to him. Along with his memories came the pain.

His bones were aching, and he could hardly breathe, but he had to. He had to move, had to speak.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked Draco.

"Yes, I'm fine." Draco said, "It was getting late."

Harry looked up into the sky. Through the trees, he could make out the position of the sun. It looked like it was almost noon.

"We should go now," Harry said, "It is late enough. There is no point in stalling further."

"Harry,"

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? You were twitching in your sleep."

"I'm fine." Harry brushed him off.

"I assume he found out about you healing the Weasley?" Harry sighed.

"Of course he did."

"That's why he tortured you?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to do anything about your marks or the obvious nerve damage?" Draco gestured to Harry's hands, which were still shaking.

"No, I don't think so," Harry said, rising. "I think I will leave them. Who knows, maybe the Order will be sympathetic."

Every movement hurt with an aching, another side effect of torture. Every step he took felt like it would crack his bones. In fact, he was reasonably confident that some bones in his left wrist had cracked. His movements were seemingly jumpy as he twitched slightly. He took a deep breath, taking control of his body.

Harry didn't complain or say anything about it but led the way through the woods and back towards the house. He wanted them to see him like this. He wanted to play to their sympathies.

Harry could hear voices coming from the inside as he walked up the front steps.

"Are we positive we want to do this?" Draco asked, his voice uncertain.

"No," Harry admitted, "but I don't think we have much of a choice. He will find us if we go anywhere else." Draco nodded.

"Okay then, let's do it."

Harry reached out his hand and knocked twice. He heard the house quiet and held his breath.

The door unlocked with a small click, and the door swung open. Harry found himself facing the girl with bright red hair, a sister of Ron's. She looked stunned momentarily, then whipped out her wand with lightning-quick speed, obviously recognizing Harry. Though it was against everything they had ever learned, Harry and Draco both raised their hands in surrender.

"Guys!" The girl called into the house, "You had better come see this."

Instantaneously, the girl was surrounded by order members, including Sirius, Lupin, and Mr. Weasley. Harry could see the brown-haired girl from last night as well. At once, everyone had their wands out, pointing at the two boys.

"I'm not sure we should have come…" Draco said into Harry's ear.

"Take out your wand," Harry instructed Draco. Draco did so, causing the Order members to tighten their holds on their own.

"What are you doing back here?" Sirius looked nearly murderous.

"We mean you no harm," Harry said, reaching behind him and taking Draco's wand slowly. "We need to talk." Harry reached into his holster and quickly drew his wand. A spell flew at him, but he dodged it easily, his body crying out in protest.

"We just want to talk." Harry smirked, "There is no need for any of that."

He held out his and Draco's wands, and Sirius stepped forward, pocketing them.

"Bind them," Lupin said, "And bring them inside."

Thick ropes shot out of the end of the brown-haired girl's wand, tying both Harry and Draco's hands. Mistrust was etched on every face as they were led through the house and seated in the kitchen.

"Why are you here?" Mr. Weasley asked. Harry took a deep breath.

"First of all, I'm very sorry about my methods of escape last night. I realize they were excessive." Sirius snorted.

"Excessive? You tied us up and set us all on fire!"

Draco groaned from beside him. "You didn't tell me that part…"

"Yes, well, I apologize," Harry said quickly. "When I left here last night, I went back to the Manor. The Dark Lord was waiting for me, and… we had a talk."

"And?" Lupin asked, his eyebrows raised.

"And he admitted to it, everything." Harry said, the anger evident in his voice, "He confirmed everything you all told me. He lied to me for eighteen years. He killed my parents and kidnapped me. He admitted to it all, and he was proud of it." Harry shook his head in disgust. "I didn't know what to do; I only knew I couldn't stay there anymore. I wasn't sure where else to go, so I came here."

"And who are you?" Sirius challenged Draco.

"Draco Malfoy, sir." Draco inclined his head towards Sirius.

"Why did you come here?"

"Harry and I have been friends for years. When he told me what had happened, I didn't hesitate to join him." Sirius nodded. He exchanged a glance with Lupin and Mr. Weasley before considering Harry again.

"What happened to you?" Sirius asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know if you noticed, but you have a ton of tiny scars running up and down your arms and neck. Also, your hands were shaking, and you are very twitchy. Normally, I would draw it up to nerves, but somehow, I doubt you are nervous. "

"I'm not," Harry said truthfully, "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"If you plan to stay here, then you have to answer our questions." Mr. Weasley said quietly. Harry sighed.

"When I returned to the Manor, the Dark Lord searched my mind to see what had happened when I was caught. I made up a reason as to why I healed the boy, which he accepted in the end; however, he decided I still needed to be punished, so he tortured me for a while."

The room collectively took a step backward.

"Are you okay?" The brown-haired girl asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I still have the marks, though. Most likely nerve damage, too. Also, I think my wrist might be broken, seeing as it is rather painful right now. Would you mind giving me my wand back for a second just so that I can fix it?" Everyone exchanged a glance and then looked at Harry, mistrust etched clearly on their faces.

"Look," Harry sighed, "I could just take my wand back from you right now; you saw me do it last night, but I asked you for it. If I wanted to leave right now, then I would. The only thing keeping me here is the fact that I have nowhere else to go. If I meant you any harm, I would have already inflicted it."

Sirius looked at Harry and then sighed. "Fine, but one wrong move, and you are dead." Harry held back a smirk as he nodded.

Sirius reached into his pocket and took out both wands. "Which is yours?"

"The one on the left," Harry said, "Would you mind untying me?"

The girl glanced around before waving her wand and releasing Harry's binds.

"Thank you," Harry nodded at her.

"Sure," She said weakly.

Sirius handed him his wand. Harry looked down at his wrist. It was slightly swollen and looked as if it was a bit crooked. He shook his head as he felt it. It was definitely not correct. He wasn't going to be able to fix this alone.

"I'm going to need someone to help me out here," Harry said, looking around the room.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Draco asked, his voice quiet in the silent room.

"The bone seems to have moved; I need someone else to snap it back into the correct position, so to speak."

"I'll do it," Lupin offered quickly.

Harry looked at him warily but decided against arguing. He placed his left arm on the table, and everyone was able to see just how bad his injury was.

"How did you say you got this?" Sirius asked as Lupin moved to stand next to Harry.

"Torture," Harry said shortly, preparing himself for an immense amount of pain.

"Are you ready?" Lupin asked, taking hold of Harry gently.

"As I'll ever be," Harry said.

"Okay. One, two… three."

Harry clenched his jaw to the point where he thought his teeth might break as his wrist seared with awful pain. This was almost worse than the torture was last night.

His vision was swimming as though begging to drag him into a blissful unconscious state, but he could not let that happen. He had to stay awake. He closed his eyes, his right fist clenched, and focused just on breathing.

"Harry," Draco said rather loudly, "Are you okay?"

"Just fine, Draco," Harry muttered, a sarcastic note in his voice.

He took another few breaths and opened his eyes. His jaw was still tight as he looked down at his wrist. Now, at least it was straight.

He took his wand, body still tense with pain, and tapped his wrist once. With a hard stab of pain and a sickening crack, his wrist was restored to its former glory. His body relaxed at once. He tentatively moved around his fingers, testing his wrist slowly.

"You good?" Draco asked.

"Yes, I'm okay," Harry said.

"You should do Insertia," Draco suggested.

"Good idea," Harry said, then he turned back to the rest of the room. "Mind if I do one more spell?"

"For what?" Lupin asked.

"It gets rid of most of the scarring and the nerve damage," Harry explained.

"Go on," Mr. Weasley said.

"Thanks," Harry smiled. He pointed his wand at his arms. "Insertia."

The scars seemed to sink down into his skin, leaving only a couple. He felt his body relax as his hands stopped shaking and the aching in his bones lessened.

"How's that?" Harry asked, turning to Draco.

"Much better," Draco nodded, scanning his arms and neck.

"Great," Harry said, "Here you are then," He turned back to Sirius and handed him his wand.

"Should I bind him again?" The girl sounded unsure. The rest of the room seemed at a loss of what to do as well.

"No," Mr. Weasley said decisively. "Bring them up to a room and watch them. We need to talk everything over."

"Okay," The girl said. She flicked her wand, and Draco's bonds disappeared as well.

"We'll take them." Two red-haired twins offered. Harry and Draco rose to their feet as one of the twins led the way out of the kitchen, and the other one followed behind them.

"I'm Fred," The twin in front said.

"And I'm George," The twin behind them added.

"Pleasure to meet you," Draco said, shaking both of their hands. Harry shook their hands as well.

"Look," Fred said, "We were in the garden yesterday, and we saw what you did for Ron." Harry didn't say anything.

"We won't forget that anytime soon." George said, "So if your staying comes down to a vote, just know you have ours."

"Thank you. We really appreciate that." Harry said, actually meaning it. The twins nodded and led the way upstairs and into a small room.

"You guys will stay in here," George said.

"We will send someone up to watch you," Fred smirked.

"Okay," Harry said. They closed the door, leaving Harry and Draco alone.

"What do you think is going to happen to us?" Draco asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm not sure." Harry answered truthfully, "I would like to think that they would be able to forgive what I did to them last night, but I honestly don't know." Draco nodded but didn't say anything. Both boys were aware of what could happen now.

Harry walked further into the room and sat down on the small bed, which took up a good portion of it. Draco walked over to the window and looked outside. Just then, the door opened, and the brown-haired girl walked inside.

"Hello," She said shyly.

"Hi," Harry offered her a kind smile, which did not quite erase the worried look in his eyes.

"I never introduced myself," She said, "I'm Hermione."

"Nice to meet you, Hermione," Draco said, turning to her. "You already know who we are."

"Yes, I do," Hermione said. She went to sit on the floor, but Harry jumped to his feet.

"Sit there," He said, offering her the bed.

"Thank you," She looked rather surprised but sat down on the bed.

The room fell silent for a few moments. Harry knew he could not say anything to Draco with Hermione there, and maybe that was the point.

"So," Hermione said, attempting to break the awkward silence, "Where did you go to school?"

"I was taught at home, but Draco went to Durmstrang," Harry said, taking a seat on the floor, his back against the wall.

"I have always wondered if Durmstrang has houses. Also, are you sorted into them like us?" Hermione asked.

Draco, who was still standing by the window, looked at her momentarily before answering.

"Just like Hogwarts, there are four houses. Their names are Gallantry, Sage, Machiavellian, and Altruistic. They would be the equivalent of your Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff. There is no sorting like you have; it is a test. They put you through an obstacle course, and how you get through it is a test to see where you would best be placed. Once you are sorted, they brand your robes with your new color, and you go and sit with your group."

"What are the colors?" She asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Gallantry is a gold color. Sage is bronze. Machiavellian is silver, and Altruistic is a very reflective metal which reflects every color imaginable."

"What house were you in?" Hermione asked.

"Machiavellian," Draco said shortly.

"It must be cold in Bulgaria." Hermione said, more to herself than to the boys. Harry glanced up at Draco before the pair of them started to chuckle.

"What?" Hermione asked, "What's so funny?"

"Since Durmstrang was founded," Harry said, controlling himself, "everyone has thought it was located in Bulgaria. This was a trick by the founders so that it could never be found if they did not want it to be. Everyone who attends Durmstrang is told to pretend that it is in Bulgaria to keep up the act, and one of the required courses is Bulgarian. However, Durmstrang is actually in northern Italy."

"Really?" Hermione gasped.

"Yeah," Draco confirmed. She started to laugh.

"Wow, I can't believe they have been able to keep it a secret this whole time."

"Well, I think part of the reason it has stayed so well hidden is that they curse all of the students to forget its whereabouts at the end of seventh year." Draco explained.

"So why didn't you forget?" Hermione asked him.

"I never went back for seventh year." Draco said, "The Dark Lord thought it would be better if I stayed with him and Harry to train like we did before I went to school." Hermione nodded but didn't say anything else about it.

They fell into an awkward silence again, Harry looking anywhere but at her.

"Should we get out our trunks?" Draco asked Harry quietly. Harry shook his head slightly. They had not been told that they were allowed to stay yet.

"I'm sure they are going to allow you to stay here." Hermione said, looking at her hands, which were in a ball in her lap.

"While I hope so, I find that people have difficulty getting past first impressions, and Draco and I have made quite the first impression." Harry chuckled to himself. "How is Ron, by the way?"

"He's okay," Hermione's face lit up at the mention of the other boy. "He woke up a couple of hours ago. Mrs. Weasley made him stay in bed, though."

"Is he sore or anything?" Draco asked.

"He said that his chest was aching something terrible, but other than that—"

"What?" Harry asked sharply.

"Yeah, his chest was hurting. Is that a problem?"

"No, at least, I don't think so. I will want to see him later, though, to ensure that I got all of the curse out."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, relaxing slightly.

"The curse that I used on him was called Limbous Senerious. It is part of a difficult branch of magic that harnesses the world of shadows."

"Shadows?"

"Yes," Harry said, "Shadows. The spell leaks shadows into the skin, causing the muscles to almost freeze or clench in their most painful position. That is why the spell will eventually kill you; the pain is almost unbearable for more than a few minutes. The spell that I used to counteract the curse is meant to draw all of the shadows out. It is normal for Ron to be sore, but I want to make sure that I did not miss any of the shadows in his chest."

"Would you be able to tell just by looking at him?"

"You wouldn't." Harry said, "But I have practiced this for years. I'll know if they are there still."

"What do you do then?" Hermione asked, biting her bottom lip.

"Perform a variation of countercurse again; maybe this time, Draco could help me make sure that I got all of it out." Harry gestured beside him.

"So Ron will be okay?"

"Yes," Harry smiled at her, the smile still not reaching his eyes, "Ron should be okay."

She seemed to unclench her body, leaning back on her hand. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Hermione jumped to her feet, and the boys watched as she walked over and opened the door.

"They made their decision." The girl with the red hair was standing in the open doorway.

"What is it?" Harry asked, getting up from the floor. She blushed slightly before saying, "I was instructed not to say anything." Harry exchanged a glance with Draco.

Draco's face was cool and calm, though Harry knew better than to trust his outward appearance. Harry took a calming breath and turned to face the two girls again.

"Lead the way," He said, projecting an air of confidence which he did not possess at the moment. The two girls walked back down the many steps, Harry and Draco trailing behind.

"I'm gonna be sick," Draco muttered under his breath.

"Calm down," Harry reassured him, "Everything will be fine."

If either girl heard their conversation, they made no mention of it.

Draco quickly stepped ahead of both girls and held open the door for them as they entered the kitchen.

"Er— thanks?" Hermione said, looking surprised. Draco nodded but didn't say anything.

Harry gave him a brief reassuring nod before entering the room himself. He quickly scanned the faces of everybody there.

He saw that Moody was back, standing in the corner next to Fred and George. Their faces gave away nothing as his eyes pierced theirs. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were still there, as well as Lupin and Sirius. Lastly, Harry's gaze traveled to a man sitting at the head of the table. Draco noticed the man, too, and froze where he stood.

Harry stepped back at the sight of him, raising his hand. Harry's wand flew out of the pocket of Albus Dumbledore, and into his waiting palm. Instantly, every wand in the room was trained on him.

"I'm sorry," Harry said quickly, realizing what he had done. He turned and handed his wand to Hermione, who returned it to Dumbledore.

"I apologize." Harry said again, "It is a habit of mine. I wasn't thinking."

"It is not a problem," Dumbledore said, his smile bright, though Harry was not fooled by it. A moment ago, he had seen the look of mistrust that had played across Dumbledore's face.

Harry took a deep breath, reigning in his emotions and putting a stop to them. Dumbledore would only hurt them if they gave him a reason to. There was no need to be concerned with his presence.

Harry took the lead, entering further into the room and sitting down across from the old man. Dumbledore smiled brightly but said nothing. Draco had taken a seat next to Harry, his fist clenched tight. Harry knew he would be the one doing the talking for now.

"Would you like us to bow or something?" Harry asked, a little passive-aggressively after another minute of silence had passed.

"No, I do not think that is necessary." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, but as they met Harry's, the boy could feel a gentle nudge in his brain. Dumbledore was attempting to get past his metal blocking.

"I would not recommend going any further with that," Harry said, looking at Dumbledore closely.

"What are you talking about?" Lupin asked slowly. Harry did not look at him but kept his gaze focused on the old professor.

"I do not know what you expect to find, but I assure you, no one but the Dark Lord and a few select others are able to break into my mind without the most dire consequences."

"What do you mean by that?" Dumbledore asked softly.

"Are you threatening him, boy?" Moody barked from his corner.

"No," Harry said calmly, "I am warning him. I can't control any of what will happen to you if you attempt to get into my mind. It would be out of my hands, so I am telling you, you do not wish to attempt a break-in again." Dumbledore didn't move but looked at Harry with a keen interest.

"Will that be an issue?" Harry asked the now silent room.

"No, I think not," Dumbledore said.

"Can you just tell us if we are staying or not?" Draco asked loudly from beside Harry. "If not, we need to find a place to sleep before it gets dark." Dumbledore chuckled slightly.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, you will be allowed to stay here."

"Really?" Draco asked, hardly containing his surprise.

"Yes, but there will be some… requirements."

"Such as?" Harry pushed.

"Remus, would you like to—?"

"Of course," Lupin took a step towards the boys. "There are only a few rules. The first one is that you are not allowed to carry a wand with you, either of you. The second one is that you will be required to attend lessons, for lack of a better word. They will cover mainly the truth, catching you both up on everything that is going on, you know, that type of stuff. And the last rule is that you must attend all meals and interact with the rest of the house. You are not allowed to hide in your room all day and night. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes," Draco said, and Harry was glad that he was talking, "Who will our lessons be with?"

"They will be with whoever is around at the time. It will always be a member of the Order, but who it is will vary."

Draco nodded and fell silent. Harry looked around the room and then decided to pose the question that had been plaguing his mind.

"Am I able to check on Ron?"