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I Give You a Wondrous Mirror	By : Lomonaaeren Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 17806 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Chapter Ten�Plunging Forwards

�� But,
Harry, don�t you think you should wait��

�� No,
because that�s how rumors get started,� Harry snapped, kneeling in front of
their fireplace. He�d already tossed the Floo powder into the flames and called
out for Malfoy Manor, and now it remained to be seen if the connection was
open. He tensed in irritation as Ginny put a restraining hand on his arm, and
shook her off. �If I firecall him, he�ll find it harder to ignore me than he
would if I just hid in silence and let everyone assume that it�s the truth, that I feel he�s guilty.�

�� But would
that really prevent you from��

�� The Floo
connection wasn�t open. Harry narrowed his eyes and stood. �I�m Apparating to
the Manor,� he said. �If I�m not back by the afternoon, Ginny, it�s because Malfoy
and I have killed each other, and you should tell Mrs. Malfoy to send my body
back to you.�

�� Harry, for
God�s sake, at least send an owl first.�

�� What, and
give ignorance another chance to breed?� Harry said, and burst into motion,
hurtling out of the house and into the August heat. He winced as it clanged
onto his head, but that didn�t change his determination. He would go to the Manor, and he would make Draco understand that, for
all the tensions that might lie between them, he would never do something as
stupid as this. If they knew each other well, he would trust Draco to have
accepted that already, but they didn�t know each other well, and that was as
much his fault as Draco�s.

�� Ginny
called out one more time behind him. Harry couldn�t tell from the tone of her
voice if she was worried that he was walking into a trap, or just that he would
embarrass himself. Neither was a worthwhile motive to stay where he was,
especially when he had his wand with him. He would like to see the Muggleborn
supremacists who could outfight him.

�� His blood
hurried through his veins, and his hands formed into fists even as he prepared
to Apparate. These enemies had attacked him
directly. He would not permit that. He would not. He would not let these people, whoever they were, foul things
up more than they already had�not for him, not for Draco, and not between them.

�� This was
the reason that Hermione had wanted him in the Blood Reparations Department,
and insisted that he would be wasted as an Auror. He could fight violence and
cast defensive spells well enough, but there were lots of wizards who could do
that. There weren�t as many who would grow so ragingly angry when they found an
injustice being done to someone else. And since Harry had grown somewhat wiser since he was a student at
Hogwarts, he no longer thought that only those people he approved of could be
wronged.

�� It didn�t
hurt that Draco had become a friend, of course. But he still wasn�t going to
let something this unjust happen, no matter whom it affected.

�� He vanished
with a crack that he hoped his and Draco�s mutual enemies could hear, wherever they
were.

*

�� The
signature was genuine.

�� Draco had
known that before he cast the spells to test it, of course. A signature couldn�t be feigned, not one made with a
wizard�s free will. It contained their magic. If someone had found a way to get
around that protection, they�d be using it to undermine the entire wizarding world�s
legal and financial system, not to strike at the obscure son of a Death Eater.

�� So now he
had to sit here with this letter from Harry expressing his opinion of Draco�s
guilt, signed with a damning rush of ink, and cope with the loss of the friend
he�d thought he was making and the one person whose support he�d most counted
on when facing these pure-blood supremacists, or Muggleborn fanatics, or
whoever they were.

�� It hurt
more than he had thought it would.

�� But beneath
the hurt burned anger like the coals of lava, smoldering and ready to burst into
flames the moment it was appropriate. The thought of Harry suffering was very
pleasant to Draco right now.

�� Of course,
he would not put harming Harry ahead of finding out whoever had written him
those threatening letters, and cast that blood magic. Those people had threatened
his son. Harry was just a
disappointment, and the best revenge Draco could get on him was finding out who
had really murdered Goldstein and throwing the truth in his face.

�� But when
the time came�

�� When the
time came, what delight he would take
in that.

�� Draco
flexed his hand once, and then stood up, with a little shake of his head. He
probably should have guessed something from Harry�s manner at breakfast this
morning, the way that they hadn�t actually started researching the life-debts,
but drifted into personal matters. Harry had probably lied about the dreams he
was having, too�anything to make Draco think more about sexual attraction than
the truth staring him in the face.

�� But what about the mirrors? And the fact
that Harry�s touch changed those cuts into mere scars? Can you really solve
this without him?

�� Draco
shrugged stiffly. He hadn�t tried
solving it on his own yet. And if it turned out, in the future, that he
required Potter�s help, there was no reason that he had to deal with him
face-to-face. The Malfoys had employed house-elves for even more distasteful purposes
than this before.

�� And will when I�m gone. Think of Scorpius. Think
of your ancestors lying in the vaults, all those bones that were clad in living
flesh once, and thought different things than you do, but had the same purpose�to
preserve the Malfoy line. Whoever they are, they won�t drag me down, and end
it, and put me in Azkaban. There�s still Scorpius, and I�ll secure a future for
him.

�� He nearly
missed the twinge in the wards, his attention so centered on his son. Then he
recognized Potter�s presence at the edge of them.

�� Draco
sneered. Come to tell me he doesn�t mean
it? Come to play more games with my trust, and convince me to take him back,
and then betray me again, to see how loudly he can make his cronies laugh? I
don�t think so.

�� He drew his
wand and cast a spell that would make his voice emerge from the air next to
Potter�s head, where he stood banging on the gates that would no longer
dissolve for him. �Fuck yourself sideways, traitor.�

*

�� Fuck
yourself sideways, traitor.�

�� Harry
hissed between his teeth. He had expected something like this. And the enormous
wards shimmered around the Manor, protecting it so thoroughly that he knew not
even the savior of the wizarding world could break through them.

�� Not that I want to break them, not when I know
that someone is hunting Draco�s family.

�� He stood
there fuming for a moment, contemplating turning his back and going home. But
then he shook his head and stood upright. His jaw clenched as he thought of the
times in the past when he had argued with Ron and Hermione. Not talking had
made everything worse. It had taken dragons to repair his and Ron�s friendship
in fourth year. He didn�t want the same thing to happen this time�especially because
this danger might be of the kind that would kill Draco and leave Harry alone
with regret and guilt.

�� He couldn�t
get through the wards.

�� But he
could make himself incredibly annoying until Draco opened them of his own free
will.

*

�� Draco
gritted his teeth. He should be reading about life-debts and what was acceptable
to fulfill them and what wasn�t. He should not be counting under his breath,
wondering if Potter would throw up another distraction on time.

�� He did.
Precisely five minutes since the last one�the prat must be using a Tempus charm�the wards rang in Draco�s
head, letting him know that someone was casting hexes at the border of the
gardens. The hexes couldn�t penetrate the wards, but they roused the alarms, as
Potter�s mere presence would not.

�� And Draco
couldn�t silence the alarms and cause Potter to leave him alone that way,
because then he might not hear his enemies the next time they showed up.

�� Five
minutes later, another round of hexes and another round of silent screams of protest
in Draco�s head. He slammed his book down and glared through the walls, as if
Potter could feel his eyes and would stop his obnoxious behavior at once.

�� He didn�t.
Of course, he�d been at it for three hours, so there was no sign that he would
get tired of his little game any time soon.

�� Another
round of alarms, shrieks in his head that troubled no one else, since the wards
were linked to him alone, and Draco jerked to his feet. He was grinding his
teeth, which wore the enamel off and which his mother had got after him about
more than once, but he didn�t care.

�� He would go
out and scream his consciousness of the truth into Potter�s face. That would be
satisfying in a way that waiting patiently and coolly for his revenge wouldn�t
be. He could always be patient and cool with his revenge later, once he had
proven that he didn�t need Potter.

�� His pace
quickened as he neared the library doors, and he was vaguely surprised to find
himself running by the time he reached the front entrance of the Manor. He
dismissed it as eagerness to make Potter leave him the fuck alone. How was he
supposed to get any work done, and
get rid of this curse that plagued them both, if Potter wouldn�t let him
research?

�� And no, he
didn�t mourn the loss of their new friendship. And no, he didn�t want any of
Potter�s �help.�

*

�� Harry had
planned carefully. He saw the doors of the Manor open, but he didn�t bother to
stop casting his hexes until he saw Draco hastening towards the iron gates.
Then he lit the feathers of an albino peacock that had strayed past the wards
to stare at him on fire. The bird squawked and ran away into the hedges,
forcing Draco to stop and smother the flames before he turned towards him.

�� And that gave Harry the chance to speak
first.

�� You�re
going to listen to me for five minutes,� he said.

�� Draco gave
a jagged sneer. The expression saddened Harry; it made his face look so ugly. �And
why should I��

�� I�m claiming
one of my life-debts, Draco,� Harry said, lifting his head. �Five minutes of
your time.�

�� Draco
rocked on his heels. Harry wondered what had taken him more aback: the use of
his first name, or the notion that the curse might be solved the sooner if they
could dissolve one of the ties binding them.

�� All right,�
Draco said at last, in such a supremely ungracious tone that Harry wished the
wards were down so that he could smack him. �Five minutes, Potter. And no more than that. I already know what
you think of me, so I see no need to let you declaim at length.�

�� You�ll be
the one to ask for longer,� Harry told him, and, as Draco�s face shifted towards
incredulity, he drew out the vial of Veritaserum from his pocket and placed
three drops onto his tongue.

�� He shivered
in involuntary revulsion as the potion�s haze settled over his mind. He had
never liked the effect. But he needed the guarantee. He threw the vial at the gates
before he could change his mind, though it bounced and rolled away from the
wards�but not far enough for it to get beyond Draco�s reach, as he snarled an
oath, dissipated the protective spells with a wave of his wand, and lunged
through the empty space to snatch the vial.

�� This could
be water, for all I know,� he said.

�� My name is
Sev�Harry James Potter,� Harry said, and he knew Draco would hear, as well as
he did, the lie twisting in his mouth like a hooked fish, transformed into the
truth in spite of himself.

�� Draco just
stared at him, then shook his head. �Why?� he whispered. At least a good
portion of the wind had gone out of his sails, which gratified Harry.

�� Because I
wanted to talk to you,� said Harry, the Veritaserum forcing him to interpret
the question as a literal inquiry after information. �And I didn�t see any
other way to make sure that you�d listen to me.�

�� Draco kept
on staring. Harry felt an odd sensation as those eyes examined him. It was as
if no one else had ever really seen
him before. Of course, that was probably his triumph at having made a stuck-up
prig like Draco listen talking.

�� Did you
write that letter?� Draco asked.

�� Harry
smiled, because he could answer simply, and Draco would have no choice but to believe
him. �No.�

�� Draco
clenched his hands at his sides, but his eyes didn�t waver. �But�there is no
way a signature could be feigned.�

�� That doesn�t
mean they couldn�t have got hold of it some other way, and decided to use it as
they liked,� Harry said. He spread his hands when Draco stared at him. �I�ve asked myself, the same questions, Draco.
Would you think I�d come here if I�d really
written the letter? I mean, what would be the point?�

�� To get me
to trust you again.� Draco�s face was screwed up in an odd way. If he had still
been a schoolboy, Harry would have said that he was trying not to cry. �So that
you could laugh when I did.�

�� That would
be something you would do,� said Harry, the Veritaserum forcing him to speak
the truth he honestly believed.

�� Draco
scowled.

�� You would,�
Harry told him. �You completely would.�

�� I did plan
to take revenge on you, yes,� said Draco. �But�� He blinked a few times, and
seemed to wrench his attention away from the letter to the implications of the
letter. �Was that what they intended to do when they sent this? Estrange us
completely, shut me off from you, because they knew how hurt I would be?�

�� I can�t be
sure, but I think that�s the reason, yes.� Harry folded his arms and regarded
him evenly. �And you did almost turn me away. I Apparated here the moment I
realized the Floo connection was closed, because I wasn�t about to send owls
and give you an excuse to ignore me.�

�� I would
have sent a Howler.�

�� And that
was probably what they counted on,� Harry murmured, his mind knocked into a new
track. �Whoever sent that letter, they know us fairly well. They know our way
of relating to each other�if you can think of punches and insults as a way of
relating.�

�� Draco
snorted, but didn�t make his opinion clear one way or the other. He was peering
at Harry now as if he�d never heard him use reason before.

�� I would
have got angry about the Howler, and either sent another one or decided there
was no point in reconciling to you,� Harry explained. �At least, that�s what I
would have done ten years ago, before I got to know you. And I have the feeling
that our enemies know what we used to
be like, but have no idea about this new friendship.�

�� Draco�s eyelids
lowered. �Then it might be better not to disillusion them, mightn�t it?�

�� I have no
idea what you�re talking about, Draco.� Nor did he have the slightest idea why
it made Draco look so distressed, whatever it was.

�� Maybe we
should pretend to anger in public,� Draco suggested, reluctance dragging at his
words. �Make them think their trick worked. That way, we can meet in secret and
not have them suspect anything.�

�� That�s a stupid idea,� said Harry, and Draco
glared again. He shrugged. �What can I say? I�m less diplomatic when I�m on
Veritaserum.�

�� Explain to
me why caution worthy of my father is stupid,� Draco said, in exaggeratedly
patient tones.

�� Because I
can�t lie that well,� said Harry. �Because they�d watch us, and sooner or later
they�d catch us meeting. Because if I don�t protect you, the Aurors might use
my supposed disapproval as an excuse to descend on you and arrest you. After all,
if the Savior of the Wizarding World�� he spat the words, so that Draco could
hear how much he despised the title ��is convinced you�re guilty, why should
they keep you free? And this time they might decide that lack of evidence doesn�t
matter.�

�� I don�t
need your protection, Potter.�

�� Yes, you
do, you stubborn idiot,� Harry told him, and was a bit horrified to note that
his voice sounded almost�affectionate. At least he really did think Draco was an idiot. �They sent copies of the letter to
the Daily Prophet, too. A wider storm
is about to fall on you than you realize. But I still have some influence with
the press. It�s not enough to prevent harassment, but it�s enough to outface
the Ministry people who might do stupid things because of what the papers are
saying.�

�� Draco
frowned at him. �This is going above and beyond what the fulfilled life-debts
ask you to do.�

�� If you wanted
the bare minimum of help, then you should have picked someone who wasn�t me to
owe you a life-debt.� Harry faced him. �I like to think I�ve learned something
about adulthood in the last decade�and honesty, too. It�s better to follow the
honest course, no matter how hard it is.�

�� There
speaks a Gryffindor.�

�� There
speaks someone who�s lived in the world for the last ten years, instead of
staying cooped up in his house because he thinks he�s a useless fool.�

�� Draco�s
expression drifted through a complicated mixture of emotions before it settled
on outrage. �And you��

�� You�re not a useless fool.� Harry was grateful
for the Veritaserum all over again. This might be the only chance he�d ever
have to say these words and have Draco believe him, and it was clear, now, that
they needed to be said. �You�re someone I�d be proud and glad to name a friend
if you�d just get over yourself. You
aren�t as much of a coward as I thought, and you love your son.�

�� That�s a
ringing endorsement,� Draco said dryly.

�� Shut up a moment,� Harry suggested. �It is an
endorsement, yes. But it�s based more on what I think you could be than what
you are right now. I�m going to need help to protect you and solve this curse
at the same time, not to mention solving the mystery. I�d rather not have you
hiding your head and moaning every five minutes.�

�� Draco
straightened his spine and gave him a molten glare. Harry controlled his
expression, which threatened to break into a grin. Everything he�d said was the
utter truth, but he�d chosen the words he had because he knew they would sting
Draco into reacting this way. Who said that you couldn�t manipulate someone
else when you were on Veritaserum?

�� I won�t
hide my head and moan every five minutes.� Draco spoke those words between gritted
teeth.

�� Not every
ten minutes, either. My tolerance doesn�t extend that far.�

�� Goddamn it,
Potter, I hate you.� But Draco belied that a moment later by waving his wand.
The iron gates dissolved. He hesitated one more time, then stepped forwards and
extended his hand.

�� Harry
clasped it. Draco met his gaze, and Harry could see the fire he�d lit burning
there, whether or not Draco wanted it to burn.

�� Shall we
show them that they�ve just earned themselves a new, united pair of enemies?� Harry
said softly.

�� The signs
of Draco�s enthusiasm were to be found in the flex of his cheekbones and the
corners of his eyes, Harry thought�not the usual place to look for such an
emotion, but he didn�t care. �Yes,� Draco breathed.

�� That one
word was all Harry really needed.

*

�� Ginny was
waiting for him when he stepped out of the fireplace, swatting at the soot on
his robes. She said nothing. Her folded arms and the absolute ice in her gaze,
worse than anything Harry had seen Draco muster since that day they�d faded
together, were all the words she
needed.

�� Harry met
her gaze calmly. That made her falter. She�d expected him apologetic or
defensive, he knew, the same way that Draco had expected him to come whinging
and claiming that there was some good reason behind his writing that letter. Harry
was almost amused to find that he�d hopped over his wife�s expectations the
same way he�d done to Draco�s.

�� I need to
know what you�re angry about,� he said quietly. �My spending time at the
Malfoys�? My leaving longer than you expected? My staying with Draco overnight?
Let me know, Ginny. You say that you�re afraid I�m going to leave you. I won�t leave you. But I won�t let you
dictate my friendships, either.�

�� Ginny
nibbled her lower lip, as if she were considering her options in the face of
his open honesty. Then she said, �I�m afraid that you�ll come to prefer his
company to mine. That he�ll come to mean more to you than your family. I�ve
never seen you take to someone so fast, Harry. Usually you�re more guarded than
this, you know.�

�� Harry
smiled and walked over to embrace her. �Well, most of the time new people I�m
meeting are strangers who might want to use my name and fame for something,� he
murmured into her hair. �Malfoy isn�t really a stranger.�

�� He still
wants to use you.�

�� I owed
them a life-debt.� Harry shrugged. �That makes it different.� He hesitated,
then decided that they had gone long enough without talking about the mirrors
and the visions. �And if we fulfill the life-debts that hang between us, Draco
and I, we might be able to stop seeing visions in mirrors.�

�� Ginny drew
back from him, at the same moment as her arms tightened. She had wanted to
watch his face, Harry realized, when he saw the incredulity and hope slowly
growing in her eyes. �I would love that,� she whispered.

�� And he
knew, then, how hard it must have been for her, seeing this strange magic
wreaking damage on him but never talking about it, because they had agreed that
they wouldn�t. She hadn�t wanted to acknowledge it, but it had forced itself
more and more into her awareness. And perhaps she hadn�t been as asleep as he
assumed she was during those dreams when he woke panting with fear or arousal,
or shaking with pleasure.

�� We�re both
working to ensure it goes,� he said, stroking her back gently. �I don�t expect you
to welcome Draco into our home any time soon, but he�s your ally in this, I
promise. We both want it gone.�

�� Then I can
endure him, I think,� Ginny whispered, her voice thick with emotion. �If he
gives me my husband back.�

�� Harry,
well-pleased with everything in the universe at the moment, kissed her hair.

�� We�ll right everything. Whoever our enemies
are, they�ve underestimated us. And I�ll be able to spend quiet evenings at
home with Ginny, as well as noisy evenings out with Draco. I�ll have everything
I want, too.

*

�� Mariahs_fantasy:
I�m really not sure how long the story will be, but definitely more than 20. We�re
looking in the neighborhood of 50 or 60 chapters, I think.

�� Mangacat:
Well, the pace really picks up further on in the story, but the relationship
stays slow. Sorry.

�� Ramandu:
Thanks! As for Marian, nothing�s been confirmed yet.

�� Beautifullove348:
I�m glad I got you so into the story! I hope this chapter satisfied you.

�� Nitesong:
Thanks for reviewing!
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I Give You a Wondrous Mirror