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Second Mission	By : KitBaiu Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 6740 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- 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.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
This chapter has been betaed by QuixoticContradiction and PrettyPinkDepression, to whom I am eternally thankful. ^.^

*****

A magnificent door stood before Harry. He slowly lifted his hand to knock on the door but was surprised to hear a soft voice say, �Come in,� before his knuckles ever made contact.

Blinking, Harry pushed the door open, taking his time excessively. There clearly was no reason for him to be so careful about his movements. Faint snores filled the office around Harry, but he knew better than to assume the portraits of previous headmasters were actually sleeping. In fact, Harry found the idea of them actually listening in more unnerving than he originally felt approaching the office.

�Please sit down, Harry,� Dumbledore smiled with his hands together, sitting behind his desk, a twinkle in his brilliant blue eyes.

Harry sat down in a chair opposite him, his eyes straying from the headmaster, suddenly unable to look him in the eye. He nervously bit his bottom lip and fumbled his fingertips over the end of the armrest. Staring at his knees, Harry internally screamed at himself to say something, but his mouth refused to open.

�To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, especially one so late?� Dumbledore asked.

Harry glanced up at the man for a moment, then back down to his desk. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Just tell him the truth, get to the point. You can skip over the details.

Harry opened his eyes and said quickly, �Voldemort knows the blood bond protection breaks when I�m seventeen.� He looked at the headmaster, feeling his cheeks burning slightly.

�Ah, yes,� Dumbledore replied, a simple smile still across his face. Harry lifted an eyebrow slightly; Dumbledore didn�t sound remotely surprised, concerned or upset. �I commend you on your courage to tell me, Harry. For a moment, I almost thought you wouldn�t. Silly of me.�

Harry blinked, not expecting that answer and unsure what to make of it. �So . . . You already knew?�

�I frequently know what�s happening in my school,� Dumbledore replied, casually leaning in his chair, looking up at the portraits on the wall. �More than I admit, more than I�d like others to know . . . Hogwarts is not an ideal place to keep secrets.�

Harry glanced at the portraits for a moment before looking down to his feet. Did that mean Dumbledore knew exactly what he and Malfoy did? Or did he just know Voldemort knew?

�Don�t blame yourself for young Mr. Malfoy�s actions, Harry,� said Dumbledore. �I too had hoped his true feelings would influence his decisions for the best.�

�True feelings?� Harry scoffed.

Dumbledore sighed. �I�m afraid if I elaborate, I�ll only bring you more heartache.�

Harry rolled his eyes. �What would you know about heartache?� he grumbled.

�More than you could possibly know, more than I�d wish on anybody,� Dumbledore said solemnly. Although he still smiled, that twinkle commonly seen in his eye faded, replaced by a sadness that Harry found daunting yet curious. He didn�t voice his questions though, assuming Dumbledore would have explained on his own accord if he felt the need.

�Did you know Malfoy . . . ? Did you see us . . . ?�

�What you and Mr. Malfoy do behind closed doors is not mine, nor anyone else�s business,� Dumbledore answered, apparently aware of what Harry was too shy to properly ask. �In other words, no, but I would advise being more cautious than you have when you consider a conversation private. As I said, Hogwarts is no place keep secrets. There are many ears people do not account for.�

Harry�s body relaxed, and he breathed a huge sigh. Knowing Dumbledore had only heard conversations and didn�t see his and Malfoy�s more intimate moments was immensely relieving. Yet, Harry considered he needed to use the Muffliato spell a little more than he already had.

Although Harry no longer found himself embarrassed, his throat dried, the sadness slipping back into his chest. �It�s my fault. I should�ve known. I mean, it�s Malfoy.�

�Love can blind even the greatest of wizards, Harry,� Dumbledore breathed, leaving Harry to find that sadness behind his wise eyes even more curious. �But if there is anyone in this school who is burdened as much as you, it is Mr. Malfoy. You may find it difficult, but you might consider taking pity on him.�

Harry snorted. �Are you serious? Me take pity on him? I�ll be glad when he�s expelled.�

�Mr. Malfoy will not be expelled, Harry,� said Dumbledore.

�What?! Why?!� Harry clenched the ends on the armrests, furrowing his brow. He didn�t understand. Malfoy had given information to Voldemort. Even if he wasn�t technically a Death Eater, he was on his way. Harry thought Dumbledore would have kicked him out the second he found out.

As always when Harry behaved hostilely, Dumbledore sat calmly, with a small grin. �Doing so will only complicate situations rather than helping.�

�Complicate what?!� Harry shouted, standing abruptly from his seat. �Why can�t you just tell me what�s going on, instead of talking in circles?!�

�Harry, I understand your frustration,� said Dumbledore, not appearing to even struggle to keep his calm. �But first, I must ask you take a little more control of your emotions. I daresay; your anger has already caused you to call a dear friend a terrible name earlier tonight. I assume you do not want to make the same mistake twice.�

Harry swallowed hard, his cheeks tinged with red. �Sorry,� he muttered, sitting back down.

�No need for apologies. Emotions have a tendency to get the best of us,� Dumbledore said, honestly not appearing offended. �To my original point, I know my methods may come off unconventional, but I trust you to trust me. As of now, such information would be a burden and serve no productive purpose. As you currently hold more troubles than any student in this school could possibly understand, I would find it only cruel to give you more.�

Harry nodded in understanding, but he still felt disappointed. He hoped a time could come when he�d be past all this, a day when he could fully understand rather than all the trial and error games.

�I assure you, a time will come where you do understand,� he continued. �Not just Mr. Malfoy or what we�ve discussed tonight but a great many things. Only then do I hope you can understand my reasons for keeping them from you.�

Closing his eyes, Harry nodded silently. He knew trying to force the issue would only cause more frustration. Overall, it appeared Dumbledore always steered him in the right direction, so he felt it best to go ahead and trust him again.

�Is there anything else you would like to discuss?� Dumbledore finished.

Harry sat silently for a moment. He considered asking more about how Dumbledore knew and of Snape�s involvement, but he didn�t. The whirs and pops from the objects on the side table sent gentle echoes off the walls. �Aren�t you mad at me?�

Dumbledore�s eyebrows lifted, the grin still across his face. �Whatever for, my dear boy?�

�Because . . .� Harry bit his bottom lip, his attention running everywhere around the office but the headmaster. Once again, he chose to ask vaguely, realizing he didn�t even want to know if Dumbledore knew the details of his and Malfoy�s relationship, whether anyone saw it or not. �I didn�t use my better judgment. I gave away vital information.�

�I admit, the means were clever,� said Dumbledore. �I�m sure you and many others would have suspected Voldemort to try and trick an Order member. I�m sure he easily could have. As you�ll come to understand, Voldemort underestimates his opponents, making his more clever ideas foolish. Mr. Malfoy told you, did he not? I have people who told me before even you knew. The fact that Voldemort knows how the blood bond breaks may come off to our disadvantage, but since we know, the advantage is actually in our favor. Simply put, I�m not upset with you, Harry, and I�m sure you�ve learned a valuable lesson.�

Harry smirked. �Yeah, never trust Slytherins.�

The small smile on Dumbledore�s face faded. �Now, Harry, you can�t judge an entire group from a single person�s actions. I�ve even met Death Eaters that proved redeemable, although not many.�

�Like Snape?� Harry asked quickly, almost wishing he hadn�t.

Dumbledore shook his head. �I�m not explaining this again. I trust Severus.�

�You know, I had a vision, and you weren�t here,� said Harry. �When I talked to Snape, he-�

�-transported to Malfoy Manor immediately, convincing Voldemort to spare young Malfoy�s life,� Dumbledore finished with a smile.

�He did?� Harry raised an eyebrow, admittedly glad to know that Snape did take him seriously and at the same time, not that surprised as Malfoy had returned from the holidays, appearing relatively fine.

Dumbledore nodded. Although Harry didn�t feel nearly as happy about it as he would�ve the night he had the vision, he still didn�t wish death upon Malfoy. His abdomen contracted. It didn�t matter how angry and loathsome he felt toward him, he knew he was still going to care about him. How he wished he could just dismiss these inconvenient emotions.

�If you have no more questions, I ask that you return to the common room,� Dumbledore beamed. �I expect you could use more sleep than you have been getting.�

-----

Harry sat at the bottom of a tree on the Hogwarts grounds. His two best friends stood ahead of him, facing the Black Lake. With Quidditch, Through the Ages held open in his hands, Harry�s lips curled. He�d grown quite tired of Hermione and Ron�s latest choice of discussion.

�I never would�ve guessed Malfoy an actor,� Ron said.

From the sigh Harry heard Hermione give, he assumed she was shaking her head. �Well, we don�t really know him, Ron.�

�Whaddya mean, Hermione? We�ve known him for the past five years.�

�We�ve known of him. We don�t know him. I�m sure he treats the Slytherins much different from the way he treats us.�

Harry growled in frustration, dropping his book to his lap. �Will you guys please stop?! I�m sick of you talking about him. I don�t even want to hear his name spoken.� His eyes widened in accusation. He had asked them this many times before, yet they always came back to the subject eventually.

�Sorry, mate,� Ron grumbled, shooting red sparks from his wand that skipped across the Black Lake, hiding his face away from Harry.

Harry picked his book back up, thumbing through the pages to return to his place.

�Harry,� Hermione breathed, walking away from Ron and sitting across from him. �I�m sorry. I know you don�t like talking about him. But something�s been bothering me, lately . . .�

Harry rolled his eyes, picking up that she was basically asking for permission to keep talking about Malfoy. �What is it?�

Hermione spoke very delicately. �You said, you lifted his sleeve and didn�t see a Dark Mark.�

�Yeah?� Harry replied irritably, flipping a page a little harder than he needed.

�Was it his left arm?� she asked.

Harry nodded.

�Are you sure?�

Harry growled, letting go of his book once more. �Yes! I remember lunging specifically to the�ah, fuck!�

Ron turned around. �What is it?�

�I lunged to the left!� Harry groaned, smashing his palms into his forehead. It was so obvious; how did he miss it? �My left! I was facing him. I checked the wrong arm.�

�So do you think that means he has a Dark Mark?� Ron asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Hermione nervously twiddled the ends of her hair. �I don�t know, but I�ve been thinking. We saw him threatening Borgin before the year started, then you overheard him talking to Snape about an Unbreakable Vow . . . It just doesn�t add up. What would any of that have to do with you?�

Ron walked over and sat next to Hermione, looking at her. �So, what? Are you saying that getting information from Harry was like a second mission?�

Harry reached into the pocket of his robes. Hermione continued, �I don�t know, but-�

�I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.�

�Harry!�

He unfolded the map, his eyes glued to it. His book slid off his lap, ignored at his side.

He ignored Hermione, not surprised that she had shouted at him as soon as he pulled out the map, but Harry was surprised with himself. It made sense. Malfoy must have been ordered to get information from Harry on a separate occasion. The more he thought about it, he did notice Malfoy�s change of attitude started to shift after they returned from the Christmas holidays . . . How had none of this occurred to him before?

�What are you doing?� she snarled.

�You�re right, Hermione,� said Harry, not looking up from the map. �He�s up to something. Something else . . .�

Hermione stood up. �We don�t know that for sure. I didn�t tell you so you could spend all your time looking for him on that map again.�

�I don�t know, Hermione,� said Ron. �If Dumbledore�s not gonna suspend him for what he did to Harry, maybe it�s worth catching him.� Harry grinned to himself. He hadn�t expected Ron to side with him and felt admittedly happy that he had.

�Exactly,� Harry said, his eyes intently scanning the map. �He�s up to something, Hermione, and I�m going to catch him.�

Hermione scoffed, snatching her bag from the ground and storming off to the castle. Harry looked up from the map to see Ron stumbling to get up to his feet and run after her. With a sigh, Harry whispered, �Mischief managed,� then grabbed his book and bag off the ground, following after them.

�You�re not mad at me, are you?� Harry asked, catching up to Hermione and trying to organize the map, his book and bag in his arms to keep from dropping them.

Hermione shook her head. �I�m just disappointed.�

�Why?� Ron asked, his eyebrows rising. �If he�s up to something, we should figure it out.�

�First of all,� Hermione said, coming to a stop outside the great oak front doors, �it�s not our place. If he�s up to something, I am sure that Dumbledore can handle it without our assistance.�

�Not if Snape�s helping Malfoy,� Harry replied, getting his bag open and slipping the book and map inside.

Ron pushed the door open. �Yeah, Snape would probably be trying to hide it from Dumbledore.�

�Okay, well second of all,� Hermione said, turning toward Harry rather than walking inside. �You know that seeing Malfoy�s name on the map is only going to bring out past emotions, which are just going to make you sad and hurt more.�

Harry shook his head. �I understand your concern, Hermione, but it�s not like that. I just want to catch him, bring him to justice.�

Hermione sighed. �If you say so,� she said, not sounding remotely convinced. She walked inside, followed by Ron and Harry. They walked toward the marble staircase, when the door to the dungeons caught their attention.

Draco Malfoy�s physique had grown considerably thinner since the last time he saw him. Harry heart pulsed, sending a jolt through his veins that felt like needles. He and Malfoy stopped dead in their tracks the moment they took notice of each other.

Ron immediately drew his wand. �Stupefy!�

Malfoy jumped back, the door still open to deflect the jinx. Scowling, Malfoy poked his head out from behind the door. �What�s your problem, Weasel?�

Ron opened his mouth to shout, but Harry threw his arm across his friend�s chest. �Don�t worry about it, Ron. Just ignore him.� Harry looked over to see Hermione�s knuckles white from clutching Ron�s arm so hard. Despite the fact that she clearly didn�t want Ron to attack Malfoy, she glared daggers at the blond.

Malfoy scoffed. �I don�t need you to protect me, Potter.� He stepped out from the door, Pansy Parkinson followed immediately behind him. Malfoy quickly grabbed her hand, shooting a seething glare at Harry.

Narrowing his eyes in return, Harry lowered his arm, watching as the couple walked up the marble staircase. Parkinson glanced back, sending Harry a taunting sneer before they disappeared around the corner, making his stomach twist.

He personally wanted to catch Malfoy, no matter what.

*****

Anon-Thanks! Here it is. lol

FallenAngel1129-Yep, holidays slowed me down. :/ But I'm back on track now. ^.^

thrnbrooke-Yeah and Hermione usually has the better judgement. lol

Bluefirex-Draco deserves to be hurt! *evil grin*

Firaga-Thank you so much! :D I'm glad you like it.
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Second Mission