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The Dark Circle	By : SisterGryffindor Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > General Views: 4815 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: We do not own any part of the Harry Potter series/charachters/movies/books and we do not profit from our writings regarding them.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
************Author's Note*************

Hello readers! Sorry its been so long between chapters; I hope to have that silly apartment done so that I can get back to updating stories! Thanks for your patience; I will try to post again within 2 weeks with another small chapter. Hope all of you are doing well!

Harry opened his office door and paused a moment, taking in the scene. On the divan just under the window sat Mallek, the bright morning sunshine pooling around him. He was curled up and leaning on the arm of the chair, holding a mirror in his hands. He just looked so happy and relaxed that Harry hated to have to interrupt him, but it was time. He cleared his throat quietly.

Mallek looked up when he heard the sound, and then sighed softly, looking distinctly unhappy now. He returned his eyes to the mirror, which did not reflect his image at all but showed an image of Alerick seated on his bed in his dorm room surrounded by red curtains. "I have to go, its time again…" he said reluctantly. "I want you to be especially careful, all right…?"

"Believe it or not, Lazlo and I are getting on pretty well; family sticking together and all that." Alerick smiled reassuringly. "I'm not alone here; I have Angel in my own house and Rose Weasley is here as well. There are plenty of people here I know, including teachers who Lord Father Malfoy has had over for dinner before; it's not so bad. It's almost like being home with you. Please don't worry, Mallek, I'm at school. What could happen?"

That question brought back plenty of memories to Harry; he knew precisely how dangerous things could get in Hogwarts when a student had a mind to wander about and stick their nose into things… even accidentally. For him, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's hallowed halls brought one adventure and life-threatening danger every year he had attended for himself, Hermione and Ron. But he had no intention of sharing those adventures with Mallek right now; he was worried enough and Harry wasn't going to make things worse. He simply kept his thoughts to himself.

Mallek touched the mirror with his open hand and Alerick did the same. "Be safe." He whispered.

"You as well, my Prince." Alerick murmured in response.

The dark-haired boy drew his hand down the glass of the mirror and it shimmered; Alerick's reflection faded. The mirror became nothing more than a simple looking glass, reflecting Mallek's image to him. The eight year old sighed softly and dropped his feet off the divan, turning to the side table. The book case for the mirror was there, awaiting its contents to be replaced. He set the mirror carefully down in the box and covered it carefully with its protective silk. He closed the lid and rested one hand on it, his head bowed as he clearly was fighting tears.

Harry said nothing, allowing the boy to have a few minutes to gather himself; he knew this had to be incredibly difficult for him.

Finally, Mallek looked up at him, his eyes misted with unshed tears. "How could you do it, Lord Harry…? I really don't understand how you could bear the separation…" he murmured.

"It wasn't the same for me, not at your age." Harry said, sitting beside him on the couch. When Mallek didn't shy away he settled back and relaxed. It was time someone explained things to him and he didn't see any reason to keep secrets. "And please, don't call me Lord Harry. We're brothers, aren't we? Just Harry will do."

"I'll try to remember." He said softly, his hands clasped, staring at them. "It's just…" Mallek took a deep breath. "I don't understand how you could handle it. You must have been a lot stronger than I am."

"Life was a lot different for me when I was eight, Mallek." Harry told him. "I really can't say if I'm any stronger than you are. At your age I was my cousin's full-time punching bag, and my aunt treated me like her own personal house-elf. I hadn't even met Draco so I had no idea that I had someone out there meant for me. To be completely honest, I had no idea that I was a wizard or anything special at all."

Mallek looked up at him. "They treated you that badly?"

Harry shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, they did… but for me it was just every day life. I lived in a cupboard for several years."

"A cupboard…?"

"Yes, under the stairs. It was at least a place of my own I could keep my things in… but it wasn't so bad. It was normal for me. You know, I think their treatment of me helped me to become strong enough to go through everything I had to. Dudley isn't all that bad anymore; he grew up and got his head on straight. He's rather a good fellow, now. I'll have to introduce you to him sometime."

"I wouldn't put up with anyone doing that to me."

"No, you wouldn't. But you see, I wasn't raised by my mum and dad, I was raised by my aunt and uncle. They constantly told me that I was nothing but an orphan and it was damned kind of them to bother taking me in; I was lucky to have anything to call a home. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon gave me a house to live in. Our parents had died when I was very little… but you know all of this right?"

Mallek shook his head, leaning into Harry. The older brother smiled softly and put his arm comfortingly around his younger brother. "Harry…? Did you know your parents…? I mean our parents…?"

"Not really. I was just over a year old when they were killed."

"That was the Dark Lord, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was." Harry said softly. "I have a few memories… mum was beautiful, always smiling." He reached to the side table and picked up the old photo that Hagrid had given him first year, sitting there upon the table. In the photo his parents danced and held each other; they were so clearly happy with each other. "This is the best photo of them I have." He said, passing the photo to Mallek.

He gazed at the people in the photo, his fingers lightly brushing the glass. "That's our mom… she looks… gentle." He said softly.

"I think she was. Everyone who knew her thought she was something special… well, almost everyone." Harry grinned softly. "Dad had a bit of a wild side, but mom kept him grounded I think."

Mallek gazed at the photo a few moments, and then handed it back to Harry. "Looking at them makes me sad. I really miss Alerick." He sighed sadly.

"Don't fret so. He's fine, really."

The boy fidgeted, rubbing at his eyes. "I just don't understand how you could get through summers at all. How did you do it, Harry…? Being apart from Alerick almost feels like I've forgotten how to breathe."

"It was really different for me, to tell the truth. I didn't even realize I really loved Draco until halfway through sixth year."

Mallek looked up at him, clearly a little confused by that statement. "But you and he are so much in love, how could you not know the minute you saw him?"

"Because he was, to put it simply, being an absolute and incredibly cruel snob most of the time. He was simply doing everything he could to make sure no one knew how much he cared for me."

"That makes no sense. Why would he do that?"

Harry paused, considering how to give word the answer. "Think for a moment before you say it doesn't make sense. He knew that during that time, his being close to me would cause me to be put in danger of either enslavement or death. Making everyone sure that he and I would never be together was his way of protecting me." He answered.

"Having him at your side doesn't make you weaker, it makes you stronger." He argued.

"As true as that is, Mallek, tell me this: If you knew that having Alerick at your side could mean his enslavement or death, what would you do?"

Mallek was silent several moments, thinking hard now. It would be horrible, but he knew what he would do and it was exactly what Draco had done. "I think I'd drive him as far away from me as I could." He said softly. "I would rather know he's alive and safe…"

"It took me a while to understand it too, but I don't think I would have done any differently. Lord Voldemort wanted to have my life in his hands, and it was the only thing Draco could do to keep me safe and away from that situation." Harry agreed in a soft tone.

"He must have been absolutely horrid to you."

Harry chuckled. "Yes, he was, and not only to me. He was just as awful to Ron and Hermione as he was to me; everyone around me was a target. He had two cronies who made things difficult for us all the time as well… He was really something else."

"If he was that awful to you, how did you ever find out that you really liked him? And that he loved you that much?" he asked, content to simply talk to this man who was his brother and he had really never taken time to get to know.

Harry smiled at the younger boy. "Now that's a whole separate story…" he began, but fell silent when a firm knock sounded on the door. He looked that direction and called "Come in."

Lucius Malfoy swung the door open, dressed as usual in his wizard's robes with his hair hanging loose in a pale cascade, looking ready to greet the Queen herself. His eyes swept the room quickly, taking in the scene before him. A faint smile touched his lips at the fact that the two were seated not only together, but the lad had been leaning in toward Harry. "Ah, good morning, Harry... I was just looking for Mallek."

"Here I am, Lord Father." Mallek immediately sat away from Harry and came to his feet.

"So I see." He returned with a smirk.

"I'm not late for morning lessons, am I…?" he asked, concerned.

"No, not at all." Lucius reassured him. "But you might be if you don't head out soon. Run along, your tutor is waiting."

"Yes, Lord Father Malfoy." He said, turning back to his brother. "Harry, thank you so much for sharing with me; I feel a lot better now. May I come back tomorrow?" he asked.

"Of course you may. I've enjoyed our little talk as well." Harry smiled.

Mallek gave the Malfoy Patriarch a formal bow, and then brushed past Lucius as he hurried out of the room. Lucius watched the boy move off at a brisk walk, then turned back to face Harry.

The younger man carefully maintained his calm expression; he had no idea if Lucius knew about the mirror and what they had been up to. He was pretty sure that Lucius would not take kindly to his going behind his back to allow the two to see each other, but he had an argument prepared to argue his point if he had to. He wasn't about to give anything away, though. Lucius would have to say something about it first.

"You know, this is something I have been truly hoping I would see from young Mallek." Lucius said softly, smiling now.

"What is that, Lucius?" Harry asked, rising from the couch.

"Think about it. As the Dark Prince, he didn't have to think about anyone other than himself and his Circle. He had no one that was considered parent, no one that he was to give allegiance to besides that mad fool Parkinson. Even the nursemaids were at his beck and call, creatures to serve and not to respect. "

"They respected you." Harry pointed out.

"As a person with more power than they, at that moment in time, yes." Lucius said agreeably. "But Mallek has only demonstrated that he has concern for Narcissa, and once in a while he displays some for me. He has little emotion when it comes to the other children of the household outside of his circle."

"I had noticed that too." He agreed.

"I couldn't help but notice that even though he had been told that you were his brother by blood and heritage, he did not want anything to do with you." Lucius pointed out

Harry shrugged, not concerned about that. "That was just because Alerick had that crush on me back when he was five years old. It made Mallek a little jealous…"

"A little?" The older wizard snorted. "He tried to sic his two bodyguards on you. Fortunately their knowledge of spells that could maim and injure had been removed from their active memories by the time he decided to do that."

"They were good at those spells too; I'd never seen a three year old use a spell without a wand before, intentionally to harm someone else."

"Severus saved the lives of all five of them by removing those memories." Lucius said softly, remembering how it could easily have been him lying there bleeding, if Jerrod had not intervened at precisely the right moment. "But up until now Mallek has retained his haughtiness and has clung to the idea that he is a step above the rest of the world. He does not run and play quite as the others do, though he is beginning to blossom into his own strengths…"

"True." Harry agreed. "But none of that explains why you are glad to see him here…?"

"His willingness to sit with you shows that he is developing an interest in those who are extended family. He is finally growing beyond that 'princely' image and is beginning to see himself as a part of our family, as a part of the world. Whatever it is that you are doing with him, Potter, please don't stop. He needs to be more human to get along in our world. Seeing him sitting there with you, being comforted by you, is one of the loveliest things I have seen."

Harry smiled, feeling warmed inside. Lucius had just given him direct permission to continue to allow Alerick and Mallek to have their little meetings, and he wasn't even asking what it was that was making Mallek act more human than he had in the past. He had permission and that was all that he needed. "Thank you, Lucius, I believe I will. I would like nothing better than to continue having my brother visit me every morning."

Lucius smiled softly. "Excellent, Potter." He said, with a bow. "Good day…" he turned and strolled out, quietly closing the door behind him.
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The Dark Circle