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Darkness Within The Light	By : crimson96 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 8759 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Author's Note: Welcome to Chapter 10. I do hope that everyone so far has enjoyed the story thus far. Again much credit goes to my beta-reader, Eris R. LeBeau, for sticking with me throughout this chapter. It was one of those chapters that took a while, but the final product is very good. To all of the readers, please do feel free to leave a comment or e-mail comment about the story or a chapter.

Chapter 10: A Painful Lesson

For what seemed like the thousandth time that day, Draco glanced out the window as he paced back and forth in his bedroom, hoping to see Orion's gleaming white feathers. A tiny nagging voice in his head was suggesting that he find something else to keep him occupied, but that voice was far weaker than the impulse which kept jerking his eyes toward the window. He was beginning to doubt that his letter would be answered because it was just like Potter to be petty and childish, abusing his position of power by making Draco endlessly wait.

Malfoy Manor had always been a lonely place, and Draco had long ago learned to take solace in the sound of his own voice. He spoke out loud now, needing to break the silence. "What other reason could it be? It's not like Potter has a bloody social life," Draco mumbled to himself as he continued pacing and looking out the window. "Even someone as dim as Potter wouldn't take two whole days to write a simple reply, if he even plans on writing one."

Draco knew that old wounds would never heal, and that there had already been too much damage done between him and Potter. He stopped pacing across the room and stood in front of the window looking out toward the horizon. "Well, at least if he doesn't respond I won't have to suffer though trying to befriend Potter just because Father wants me to. I can still say I tried.

Yet the twisted visions in his head had gotten worse from the moment he sent the letter. Draco looked over his shoulder and scanned the room as if expecting to see Lucius standing in the doorway hearing everything that he had spoken aloud. "How can Father expect me to look Potter in the eye and have a normal conversation with him, to 'get to know him'?" Draco scoffed and imitated Lucius as he repeated his father's words and swagger. "The bloody idiot. I hate him!"

"Father doesn't understand how difficult it is trying to say things to someone like Potter. What the bloody hell am I supposed to tell him, the truth?" Draco asked out loud as if expecting the room to answer him.

"What am I supposed to do, go to Potter and ask him if he fancies a cup of tea when what's really in my head is an uncontrollable urge to grab him by his hair and force him to his knees?"

Draco blinked his eyes and shook his head trying to erase that particular thought from his mind. "If Potter doesn't want anything to do with me, then…then…then it is a bloody relief to me!" Draco knew that if Harry did not want to reply to him that he should be happy about it, but he wasn't, which made him even angrier.

"Bloody Saint Potter!" Draco growled as he felt his pale face heating with anger. He wanted to get on his broomstick, fly to Grimmauld Place, and ask that high-handed Gryffindor why he thought he was too good to write a reply.

That thought triggered a monstrous fantasy, one that wouldn't stop until it had played through, even though the pure vileness of it made Draco's stomach squirm and constrict as if trying to invert itself.

Draco could picture Potter saying something stupid, like, "I-'m sorry. I couldn't think of what to say to you. You're a Malfoy and a Slytherin and I'm only a half-blood Gryffindor…."

"Is that a fact, Potter? Welll it is still no excuse!" The fantasy Draco would say, causing Potter to cringe and push those barmy glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"I told you, Draco, I'm sorry. How can I make it up to you?" Potter would ask, causing Draco to raise an eyebrow before taking Potter's shoulders and spinning him around so that he faced away from Draco.

Draco would run his hands through Potter's hair while he bit at Potter's neck. Then his hands would claw their way down Potter's back, pinching that soft, scrawny arse. Next, he would lift the robes while yanking down Potter's pants and boxers. He would shove Potter down to the floor and follow immediately as he forced himself closer. One hand would reach around Potter's face to muffle the inevitable sounds of protest, and the other would slide below Potter's abdomen feeling the bristle of hair and finding…

"No!" He screamed. Draco panted heavily as his mind continued to torment him with that sickening scene-he and Potter wrapped around one another, like two snakes mating. He refused to give in to the fantasy, to let himself enjoy it. His hands had started to drift downward of their own violation, and now he raised them both to his head and squeezed his temples, then tugged at his hair.

Why couldn't things be simple? Why couldn't he want to hex Potter or kick him in the face? He tried remembering the emotions as he kicked Potter on the Hogwarts Express, breaking the Gryffindor's nose. The memory did not bring any of the sick satisfaction that his true fantasies gave him. In fact, if someone else kicked or cursed Potter now, that would make him angry.

Draco knew that he would go crazy if he kept pacing and talking to himself, so he left the room and proceeded down the stairs, planning to go out onto the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Far out of view and away from his parents, he could shout, kick things, and perhaps even cry in a secluded area. He hurried down the steps, skipping every other one until he came to the floor of the large living room. In his haste to get outside, Draco did not bother to look into his father's study as he passed by the open doorway.

"Draco!"

Draco stopped in mid-step as he heard his father's voice.

"Draco!" This time the voice was more urgent, and Draco knew that he could not avoid this conversation. "Come here, Draco, now."

Draco closed his eyes for a moment, turned and began to walk back to the doorway of Lucius's study. Slowly, he slunk to the doorway, expecting to see Lucius sitting behind the desk, but instead his father was standing directly in the entrance.

"Where do you think you are going, Draco?" Lucius asked.

"Out," Draco replied.

"Oh no, you are not. You are going to report on your progress regarding the task that I gave you," Lucius said as he extended his arm and pointed at the chair that sat in front of the desk.

Draco did not move from the doorway as he asked, "What task?"

"To befriend Harry Potter," Lucius replied, speaking slowly and over-enunciating in order to show his contempt for Draco's intelligence while poking Draco's chest with the silver serpent head of his cane. "Now, sit!"

Sensing that it was pointless to fight his father, Draco walked over to the chair and sat in it. Lucius slowly followed while flicking his wand at the door so that it would slam shut. The elder Malfoy stared at his son as he circled around the desk and sat down across from Draco. "Now, what have you accomplished, Draco?"

"I wrote to him," Draco said hastily. It was true, after all. He had written to Potter, albeit before Lucius charged him with the burden of getting to know the Gryffindor.

"And what did you say?" Lucius asked.

Thinking about the contents of his letter, he looked away from Lucius and studied the intricate patterns in the carpet. He hadn't betrayed his father, not exactly. In fact, Draco could argue that he had furthered his father's plans by giving Potter a reason to trust him. Draco decided that a partial truth was better than a lie, and he settled on, "I thanked him for saving my life in the Room of Requirement, and I told him that I owe him a debt."

Lucius flashed a rare, genuine smile. He slowly leaned forward in his chair while tilting his head to regard Draco with the bemused pleasure he might show a dog that had performed some impressive trick. "Very good, Draco! And what did he say in return?"

Draco looked down at the floor, and then back to his father. "He hasn't replied," Draco muttered.

Lucius sighed while raising his left hand to his forehead and firmly rubbing his fingers and thumb across it. "I gave you a simple and important job, Draco, one that regardless of its simplicity, you cannot complete!"

"And what did you expect, Father?" Draco asked, standing up from the chair. "Did you think he would write me a bloody love letter? He doesn't want to be my friend, not after everything I've- everything you've made me do."

"Everything I've made you do?" Lucius raised an eyebrow, and his mouth made an "o" of surprise. "Sit down, Draco."

Draco knew that tone of voice. It sounded cool, collected, almost amused, and yet it nearly always heralded pain. For once, he didn't care that he defied his father. He had written things in that letter to Potter that he had never told anyone, and that four-eyed prat had humiliated him by failing to dignify his words with a reply. Nothing that Lucius could do would hurt any worse than that.

"For one thing, I never wanted to be friends with Crabbe and Goyle! They're fat, lazy sods, both of them; I don't care who their fathers are or if they are Death Eaters. You forced me to be friends with them and I never want to be seen with..."

Draco's words trailed off, as something outside the stained glass window had caught his attention. In an instant, Draco was sure of what he had seen. It had been a glimpse of white feathers. He hadn't been able to see the bird clearly through the thick, colored glass, but it had to be Orion with Harry's reply. Draco met his father's eyes, and Lucius made a rolling gesture with one hand as if inviting Draco to continue his tirade. A soft tap at the window interrupted everything as Lucius turned in his chair to find the source of the noise.

Draco could not speak. His greatest fear was unfolding in front of him and he could not move to prevent it. The bird tapped on the window again as Lucius reached for the window latch. With a slight creak, the window opened just enough to allow the bird to stick a leg through the opening. All that Draco could see was a glimpse of the bird's talons and a piece of parchment tied to the leg. Draco watched as Lucius untied the twine, and then he watched a feathered shape flap away from the window ledge and into the sky. Lucius slowly turned back around to face the desk, curiously looking at the envelope.

"Now, let's see what he has to say," Lucius said, grinning with anticipation. Draco heard his father speak but could only focus on the brown envelope that Lucius held within his hands. His father would soon know all of the things that he had written to Potter. He would read Potter's response and then curse his only son to death. Draco could see Lucius screaming at him as he tossed the letter aside and then he would hear the words "Avada Kedavra" come from his father only to be blinded and stuck dead moments later.

Lucius slit open the envelope and pulled out a single piece of folded parchment. He let the envelope fall onto the desk, unfolded the parchment, and began reading it. Draco could see his father's eyes rapidly tracing across each line of the letter as a low growl began to emanate from Lucius. His hands begin to shake as he continued to read the letter, and his lips tightened into a scowl. Draco stood still, oblivious to everything but his father's reactions to the letter.

"That bastard!" Lucius spat as he slammed the letter down onto the desk. "Who the hell does he think he is?" Several seconds of silence followed as he sat in the chair glaring at the letter. Hastily, Lucius folded the letter and placed it into his pocket. "I must go, immediately! We will finish this conversation upon my return, and for your sake you had better have a plan of action when I return." Draco watched his father get up and proceed around the desk.

"Wait. I want to know what it said!" Draco heard the words come out of his own mouth, but could hardly believe he had said them. Upon seeing Lucius freeze as he reached for his traveling cloak, Draco knew that he had said the wrong words to his father. He watched as Lucius slowly pivoted to face him, his mouth slightly agape.

When Lucius spoke, his voice had a dry menacing sound to it. "What did you say?"

Draco swallowed hard, realizing his mistake, but jerked his chin toward his father's breast pocket. "The letter. I want to know what it said."

Lucius's pale face had begun to redden as anger seeped into it. He took a step toward Draco, leaning forward. "There are matters at stake about which you know nothing!" he hissed. "When I feel it is necessary for you to know of these things, I will tell you!"

"I don't care!" Draco shouted. Impulsively, he reached for the folded parchment in his father's pocket, using his left hand. The edge of the parchment sliced into his finger, and he felt a hard sting that soon was followed by the more intense pain of his father's silver cane smashing into his hand. Draco gasped as the pain raced up his arm. Lucius stepped back away from Draco patting his front pocket and smirking with satisfaction as he felt the letter still in its place.

The smile upon Lucius's face quickly disappeared. Draco followed Lucius's intense stare, which was fixed on Draco's own right hand. To his horror, he realized he had drawn his wand in his fit of anger, and while he hadn't exactly pointed it at Lucius, the threat was imminently clear. Draco again swallowed hard as he glanced from the trembling tip of his wand to his father's face.

"I see you have grown a backbone," Lucius said as his upper lip curled into a sneer. "Good. You may yet bring honor to Slytherin."

Draco darted in front of Lucius and stood blocking the path to the door. He forced his hand to stop shaking and raised the wand. "Give me my letter! I mean it!"

"How dare you threaten and raise your wand at me!" Lucius snarled, his own wand held at a deceptively casual angle. "I see you still have not learned your lesson; so be it." The wand twitched with a tiny movement that could have been mistaken for a tic if not for the word that Lucius spoke at the same time. "Crucio!"

Draco violently bit his lower lip as the Unforgivable Curse gripped his body. The pain was immense, and he fell to his knees. Draco looked up in vain at his father to plead with him to stop, but Lucius's eyes glowed like twin blue flames at the end of a long, dark tunnel. Draco heard the faint wooden clink of his wand hitting the floor without having felt it slip from his fingers. His head spun, and for a moment the room went entirely black. Then as quickly as it had been cast upon him, the evil curse was released.

Lucius knelt down so that his face was inches away from Draco's.

"If you ever dare draw your wand in front of me without my permission again, I will show you what true pain is like. Consider this your warning. The next time I will not be so merciful."

The elder Malfoy raised himself back up to his full height, fastening the traveling cloak around his neck, while Draco collected himself from the effects of the curse.

"Now get out of my sight!" Lucius barked.

Draco retrieved his wand and struggled to his feet. For a moment, he stood bent over with his hands on his thighs, catching his breath and waiting for the pain-induced blotches to clear from his vision. The envelope from the letter lay on his father's desk, and when Draco read the name, he felt a feeble smile on his face. It hadn't been his reply from Potter after all. Gingerly, he hobbled out of the study and back upstairs to his bedroom relieved, yet very angry with himself.

As Draco approached his bedroom door the house elf, Kraven, apparated in front of him. "Master Malfoy says that young Master Draco has been clumsy again, and for Kraven to assist Master Draco."

Ignoring Kraven, Draco opened the door to his bedroom, and slammed it in the house-elf's face. Once inside, he threw himself on the bed, buried his face in the pillow, and let out the screams he had been holding back. He had been beaten, cursed, and worse, he had made a fool of himself, all over nothing! Potter still hadn't written to him, or perhaps he had, and something horrible had happened to Orion. His eyes began streaming, quickly soaking the pillow, making it damp and unpleasant.

A beautiful cry echoed throughout the room, and Draco sprung out of the bed to see Orion at the window, waving his leg to show the message attached to it. Draco crossed the space to the window and threw it open, letting the eagle glide into the room and land gracefully on the bed.

"Kraven!" Draco yelled. The house elf apparated in front of the bed, and bowed.

"Young, Master Draco has called for Kraven?"

Draco ignored the question as he fumbled with the knotted twine, forcing the brusied fingers of his left hand to hold the string in place while he picked at it with his right hand.

"Master Draco needs Kraven's help getting his letter?" The house elf asked as he jumped onto the bed ready to snap his fingers.

"Master Draco can untie this knot by himself, Kraven" Draco irritably said as he struggled to untie the final knot. "Now, take Orion with you and feed him."

"As you wish, Master Draco," Kraven said with another long bow.

"And Kraven, shut and lock the door. I don't want to be disturbed," Draco said as he unfolded the letter. With a nod from the house elf, the door swiftly closed and locked behind him.

Draco hesitantly held the letter in his hands, wondering what he would do if it contained nothing more than some obscenities or a cold reminder of all the things Draco had done to Potter and his friends.

"No," Draco said aloud to himself. "It wouldn't be anything like that, it couldn't be. Potter is too bloody noble to be that way. His Gryffindor honor would demand forgiveness."

Draco unfolded the letter to find Potter's sloppy, but legible, printing. The note was short and simple, and none of it truly surprised Draco, save for a passage at the end.

Draco, you may want to speak to your mother about me when your father is not around. I think you will find that what she has to tell you will be rather interesting.

Harry Potter

"I will indeed, Potter," he said, as he read over the letter once again to make sure that he did not miss anything that the Gryffindor had said. Draco knew that it was time for a mother and son chat; it was time to set a few things straight regarding Harry Potter, and Lucius Malfoy. One more item from Harry's letter had caught Draco's eye. For the first time ever that he knew of, Potter had spoken to Draco by writing his first name, and not referring to the Slytherin by his surname.

Draco conjured a small green case that was lying across the room on his mantle above the fireplace. The case was his own personal keepsake that only he knew how to open. Inside, it contained many memorable and sentimental possessions that Draco kept. He placed the letter inside the case, closed the lid, and sent the case back to its place.
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Darkness Within The Light