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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
- 16
- 17
- 18
Author's Note: Well, here we are with Chapter 17. This chapter is a big departure from the mood of the last chapter, but 17 is very touching...so I hope that everyone who reads it will thoroughly enjoy it. Also, we are introduced to a new character, one that has a bit of a back story to him that I think will really help the story later on.

Chapter 17: The Uninvited Guest

The disorientation that followed the apparition was accompanied by the painful grip of Draco's hand on Harry's arm. Once Harry had caught his breath and was reasonably sure he was not about to vomit, he peeled Draco's fingers off his arm and checked to see that Draco appeared intact.

"You…nearly…splinched me!" Draco panted, leaning forward with his hands on his thighs. "It felt like something was trying to tear me apart. I thought you said you knew how to apparate!"

"I do. That's why you're still in one piece."

"Barely," Draco muttered, crossing his arms and rubbing his shoulders theatrically.

"Too bad your tongue wasn't splinched. That would stop you from whinging."

Harry turned to face the house and walked toward the front door. He could hear Draco following behind him, still mumbling something about gross incompetence and mortal peril. By the time they reached the door, Draco had quieted. The doorknocker was a silver serpent swallowing its own tail. Harry did not remember it from the last time he had visited Andromeda, but then that entire night was now a blur. His only concern after the narrow escape from Voldemort had been Hagrid's injuries. That night, the protective charms around the Tonks family home had saved him, and he hoped that those same charms were protecting Teddy now.

He raised the silver serpent's head, knocked several times, and stepped back to wait, steeling himself for the inevitable questions. What have you been doing? Why haven't you visited Teddy? Harry still wasn't sure what he would answer.

The door swung open. Upon seeing Harry, Andromeda burst into a grin, her soft brown eyes widening in surprise. "Harry! You've come to see your godson, I expect. He's sleeping now, but I can…" She trailed off, and her face hardened as she looked over Harry's shoulder. "What's he doing here?" She pointed at Draco.

"I'm your nephew," Draco explained. He moved onto the stoop with Harry and extended a hand toward Andromeda, flashing the same smile Harry had seen him use with the teachers at Hogwarts.

"I know who you are," Andromeda said. Ignoring his extended hand, she called, "Accio, paper." The current Daily Prophet materialized in her hand. She unrolled it and showed the front page to Harry and Draco.

The headline read, "Wanted for Murder," and a picture of the Malfoy family appeared below it. Before Andromeda banished the paper, Harry was able to read a little of the article, which confirmed Draco's story about standing trial eleven days from now. He also noted the byline: Rita Skeeter.

Draco scowled and opened his mouth, but Harry silenced him with an elbow to the ribs. Flashing his own smile at Andromeda, he said, "We all know what rubbish the Prophet prints, especially when it's Rita Skeeter and her damned magic quill. She's a liar."

"And Kinglsey Shacklebolt? Is he a liar, too?" Andromeda asked. "Because he's quoted as saying his sources have infiltrated the Death Eaters and brought to light the actions of the Malfoy family, including their involvement in the murder of Albus Dumbledore."

"That's according to Rita Skeeter!" Harry sighed.

"Still." Andromeda reached into her left sleeve with her right hand and pulled out her wand. "I won't have a Death Eater in the house with a child. I cannot begin to fathom your purpose in bringing him here-"

"Draco is my friend-" Harry began, but Draco interrupted him by shouldering him aside.

Moving slowly, his eyes focused nervously on the tip of Andromeda's wand, Draco raised his left arm and let the sleeve of his robe fall back, exposing the Dark Mark. "Look. It's fading now. In a year, you might not even be able to see it. I'm not a Death Eater, anymore than I'm a murderer. Harry can vouch for me. He saw Snape kill Dumbledore, and he's going to speak for me at the trial."

Harry nodded agreement. Andromeda looked from Draco to Harry and back before slowly lowering her wand. She stepped back and gestured for them to follow her into the house.

Andromeda's parlor looked like one of the impossibly neat rooms on a Muggle television program. The books on the shelf stood like soldiers at attention, and a glance showed Harry that they had been shelved alphabetically. Sunlight filtered through the white, lacy curtains in the window, nourishing a Screechsnap plant and two pots of white blooming dittany. A wooden hutch with glass doors held matching sets of cups and saucers on one shelf and precise stacks of dishes on another. The wood gleamed in the absence of dust, and the air smelled faintly of lemon and lavender.

"She knows how to keep house," Draco commented to Harry. "Your Kreacher could take a lesson."

When Andromeda turned to face them, she had an odd half-smile on her face, and her eyes swept back and forth between Draco and Harry. Unable to read her expression, Harry glanced at Draco, who returned his look of puzzlement with a shrug.

"Can I offer you tea?" Andromeda asked.

Harry shook his head. "We won't be long. I only wanted to see that you and Teddy are well. I-"

"He had a bloody nightmare," Draco interrupted. "Woke me up screaming. We're here because of a dream." He snorted and shook his head, rolling his eyes.

Andromeda frowned. "Dreams can have meaning. What was it you saw? Was Teddy in danger?"

"It was just a dream." Harry waved a hand dismissively, mentally cursing Draco. "It only reminded me that I haven't been a dutiful godfather."

"You've had other things to occupy your thoughts." Andromeda smirked when she said that, and for a moment Harry wondered if she could read his mind, or if Ron had visited her. "Teddy is upstairs in the nursery. You can come see him, both of you."

They followed her up a narrow staircase and through the door of a bedroom. Like the rest of the house, the nursery was preternaturally clean, with cheerful blue walls and shelves lined with an array of toys. The polished wooden floors shone, and in the middle of the room, the bassinet stood in the center of a hand-woven rag rug.

Andromeda sat down in a rocking chair in the corner, and Harry moved to stand over the crib, watching Teddy sleep. The baby wore a soft blue jumpsuit that covered his feet but left his hands bare, and his tiny fingers were wrapped around a toy that looked like a shiny silver ball. Upon closer inspection, Harry decided that it must be a toy snitch, and he grinned, imagining Teddy growing up to play Seeker. Oblivious to his visitors, Teddy twitched in his sleep, his fingers contracting on the snitch and his eyelids fluttering.

Harry leaned on the side of the bassinet, wondering what exactly he was supposed to do now. It seemed too soon to leave, but even if he wanted to wake Teddy, he had no idea what to do with him. What was one supposed to do with a baby, exactly?

Draco studied Teddy for a moment then looked to Andromeda and said, "He looks more like Mother than he does you and Bella."

Andromeda flinched at the comparison and replied, "At the moment, yes."

"What do you mean 'at the moment'? He looks like he could be my younger brother." Draco bent down again to peer at the child, who had begun to stir at the sound of voices.

Teddy flung his arms, letting the toy fall from his hand. His mouth opened in an "o" of surprise, and his eyes, currently pale slate-blue, blinked up at Draco and Harry. He made a bleating sound, frowned, and proceeded to squirm, kicking his feet in the air, waving his small fists, and making more unintelligible noises. His mouth twisted into a scowl, and his eyebrows knit together.

"Now he reminds me of you," Harry quipped.

"Oh, shut it," Draco growled. Teddy's noises were getting louder, and Draco wore a look of distress that truly did remind Harry of the baby. "How do we make him stop?"

"I don't know!" Harry shrugged and glanced at Andromeda.

"Entertain him," Andromeda suggested.

Draco reached into the crib, retrieved the snitch, and waved it back and forth in front of Teddy's face, eliciting more high-pitched protests and causing Teddy to turn red.

"You're not helping," Harry observed.

"You think?" Draco shot Harry a look of pure venom. The snitch in his hand spread its wings, freed itself from his grasp, and began bobbing up and down in the air. Draco jumped to catch it, and it darted out of reach, whizzing in circles above his head. The Slytherin jumped, waving his arms in the air, chasing the tiny ball as it orbited the crib. When he managed to catch it, he closed his fist around it, squeezing vindictively. "Bloody stupid toy..." he began, but Harry silenced him by pointing down into the crib.

Teddy was now smiling, and his cries had turned to soft coos that might have been the beginnings of laughter. He clapped his hands and beamed up at Draco.

"You enjoyed that, did you? Let's see how you like it, then." Draco bent down toward Teddy, placed his closed fist near the baby's chest, and quickly flattened his hand. Now free, the snitch danced around Teddy's head, staying just out of the baby's grasp. Teddy caught it by the wing and watched in fascination as it struggled to free itself. After a moment, he flung it away and then laughed with delight as Draco once again fumbled to capture it. This time, as Draco leaped and grabbed at the snitch, he stole frequent glances at Teddy's face. The more vigorously Draco chased the toy, the more Teddy laughed, and soon Draco himself was grinning broadly.

Harry backed into the corner and stood next to Andromeda's rocker, partly because he was afraid that Draco would knock him over as he grappled with the snitch, and partly because he wanted a better of view of this surreal spectacle.

"I've never seen him this happy before," Harry murmured.

"He was too young to smile or laugh the last time you saw him, Harry."

Harry chuckled. "I meant Draco. Just before we came here we were fighting. He was being a complete git, and now... look at him."

Andromeda nodded without looking away from Draco and Teddy. She smiled, but her eyes were streaming, and she dabbed at them with a handkerchief pulled from the pocket of her robes. Draco had lifted the child in his hands and was moving the baby through the air, following the snitch. "This morning I believed my nephew was a murderer, just like his father. And now, look at me." She snorted in self-deprecation and waved the handkerchief. "I'm proud of him, Harry. Thank you for bringing him here."

"You're welcome."

"I suppose you'll want to take Teddy now." Andromeda sighed and wiped at her eyes again. "I always knew that when you found someone to help with him, this day would come. I've become so attached to Teddy, but Remus and Nymphadora bequeathed him to you."

"Take Teddy?" Harry repeated, frowning. "Bequeathed..." He frowned and shook his head. He had understood each individual word as it had come out of Andromeda's mouth, but strung together, her words made no sense. "Someone to..." He realized that he sounded a fool, but in his confusion, he could not articulate a proper question.

"You and Draco," Andromeda clarified. "The two of you could take him now that you're, ah, what's the polite way to say it when two wizards are, ah..."

"I wouldn't know!" Harry shook his head furiously. His face felt hot, and he was unable to meet Andromeda's eyes. "I'm not... That is, he's not... At least, I don't think... We're not..."

"There's something wrong with him!" Draco called.

Andromeda shot out of her chair, her conversation with Harry forgotten in an instant. In two long strides, she crossed the room to where Draco was still holding Teddy. The snitch hovered above their heads, ignored.

"I didn't do anything to him!" Draco said, looking fearfully from Harry to Andromeda. "I swear! We were only playing and then..." He jerked his chin toward Teddy's head, which was now covered in a mat of pink curls. The baby's eyes had darkened to near black, and he fussed and squirmed in Draco's hands.

After exchanging an amused glance with Harry, Andromeda took the baby from Draco and laid him back in his crib. "He gets that from his mother," Andromeda explained.

"He's a metamorphmagus," Harry added. "When he's older, he'll be able to control it. It's a powerful gift."

"I know what a metamorphmagus is," Draco barked, clearly irritated at looking foolish. "I just didn't know what they're like when they're babies, that's all. You could have warned me."

"I'm sorry," Harry said, truly meaning it; Teddy's metamorphosis had transformed Draco as well, turning him back into the same bitter, unpleasant twit who had sulked around Grimmauld place for the past three days. Harry had enjoyed watching Draco happy, and he wondered what, if anything, he could do to see that side of Draco again.

"Yeah, well. As long as he's alright." Draco shrugged, looking sheepish.

"He's fine." Andromeda raised her arm, and the silver snitch flew into her hand like a trained bird. She placed the toy back in the crib, and Teddy curled his fingers around it once more.

"We should be leaving now, anyway," Harry said. He didn't want to finish his conversation with Andromeda, and he felt a surge of panic when he considered the possibility that she might say something about it in front of Draco. Draco would go off like a Wild-fire Whiz-bang, embarrassing Harry and probably getting them both banned from Andromeda's house for life.

"You'll be back soon, won't you?" Andromeda asked.

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

Andromeda fixed Draco with a sad, intense stare when he failed to reply.

Draco looked away from her and reached into Teddy's crib, letting the baby curl one pink hand around his index finger. "You saw the Prophet. I'm not exactly in a position to make promises, am I?" He pulled his hand back to his side and faced Andromeda.

"I suppose not." Crestfallen, Andromeda pivoted and walked out the door.

Draco and Harry followed her down the stairs, where they said their goodbyes on the stoop. Andromeda embarrassed Draco with a fierce hug before closing the door.

"I guess the kid's not so bad for a mud-" Draco began. Seeing Harry's face, he finished lamely, "I mean, he's not so bad. Neither is my aunt. Surprising, really, after all the things my parents said about her."

"No, she's not bad, for a Slytherin." Harry began walking down the cobblestone path that lead away from the house. Andromeda's offer was still boiling in his brain, and he couldn't help but wonder what Draco would say if he knew what his aunt had thought about the two of them. If Draco were offended, Harry could blame it on a misunderstanding, and if he were intrigued... Harry shook his head to clear it of that line of thinking. Of course, Draco would hate the idea. Still, some impulse forced the words from his mouth. "Andromeda thought we were going to take Teddy."

"Take him where?" Draco asked.

Harry stopped and turned to look at Draco, studying his face to look for any indication that he was deliberately baiting Harry and not just being inconveniently stupid. He found no such indication. "She thought that we were going to take him," Harry repeated, speaking slowly and choosing his emphasis carefully.

"What, you mean kidnap him?"

"No!" Harry pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and ran a hand through his hair. "She thought that you and I would raise him together. She thought we were a couple."

Draco's eyebrows shot up, and his flush was almost instantaneous. "You told her she was wrong, didn't you?" Harry nodded, and Draco continued, "And did you tell her she's bloody insane for even thinking it? Crazy old bat! What did you do to make her think that, Potter?"

"I don't know, Malfoy. Maybe you gave her that impression when you told her I woke you up with my nightmare. Did you even think about how that sounded?"

"If I had, do you think I would have said it?" Draco snorted. "Now my aunt thinks I'm a bloody queer because of your stupid dream."

"At least she knows you're not a murderer."

"I'd rather she did think I was a murderer!" Draco kicked angrily at a loose cobblestone and glared over his shoulder at the house. "You told her I'm not some filthy deviant, didn't you?"

"I corrected her," Harry said wearily. He doubted Draco truly meant what he said about preferring to be known as a criminal, but he was tired of arguing.

"Good," Draco nodded in satisfaction. "Now I suppose it's back home." After a pause, he added, "Back to your home, I mean, not our home."

"Not yet. There's someone else I need to visit first." He held out his arm for Draco to take so they could apparate.

"Well, who is it?" Draco asked, taking a step backwards and folding his arms.

Harry closed his eyes in frustration. He was tired of Draco's constant complaints, and if the Syltherin had anything unpleasant to say about Harry's intended destination, Harry feared that he might give into temptation and hex Draco with something nasty and permanent. "It doesn't matter. You can come with me or I can take you back to Malfoy Manor. Which shall it be?"

"Did you even mean what you said to my aunt?" Draco asked.

"About you not being a filthy deviant? Yeah, I said it with great conviction, now-"

"About me being your friend. I have the right to know where you're taking me. If you were my friend, you could tell me instead of threatening me."

Harry winced. "Fine. I'm going to visit Tonks and Lupin's graves. Now go ahead, tell me how much you hated him. Tell me how Tonks got what she deserved because her father was a mudblood and her husband was a werewolf-"

"I wasn't going to-" Draco shook his head. "Everything I've said, everything I've done- you love throwing it all in my face, don't you? Do you honestly think I'm glad Teddy's parents are dead?"

"No," Harry said quietly.

"I can't change my past any more than Lupin could change being a werewolf, Potter. If you were really the bleeding-heart do-gooder you pretend to be, you'd understand that." Draco's expression made him look like an injured puppy.

Harry scowled down at the ground. He wanted to snap back with another insult, and he also wanted to apologize. He wanted to kiss Draco, or curse him, or punch him in the face. He didn't know what he wanted, but he wanted it badly, and that feeling drove him mad. He startled when Draco took hold of his wrist.

"I'm ready. We can apparate to the graveside now." Draco closed his eyes and stiffened his entire body, squeezing Harry's wrist like a lifeline.

Harry wrenched free of Draco and took his hand, lacing their fingers together, not because he needed a better grip but because it seemed more natural. He hadn't visited Lupin and Tonks' graves since their funeral, and it felt good to have someone with him now.

"Draco...thank you."

If Draco replied, his words were lost in the agony of apparition.

"Damn it, Potter! You really ought to take more apparition lessons," Draco said as he stumbled, nearly falling to the ground along with Harry, who was on his knees in the grass, still clutching Draco's hand. "That's twice now that I've nearly been splinched!"

"Get used to it. I'm not perfect like some people," Harry replied as he picked himself up from the ground and wiped his robes clean of the dirt.

The apparition had brought the two young men to the edge of a small graveyard. The cemetery was surrounded by a low brick wall that had an old, iron gate at the center. A short distance away was the church, along with a single Muggle car that was parked beside it.

The car door opened and closed with a distinctive metallic thud, and Harry turned to see the family that had just gotten out of the vehicle. Walking toward the cemetery gate were a man, a woman, and a young girl. The man had his left arm cradled around the shoulders of his wife, while the child held onto her mother's hand. The little girl was tugging anxiously and using her free hand to point to Draco and Harry.

Draco snatched his hand out of Harry's and muttered a curse. "She must have seen you holding my hand, Potter. Congratulations- once again you've humiliated me."

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "I doubt she cares about that. If she just saw the two of us pop into existence, she probably thinks we're ghosts."

"And what exactly would be surprising about that?"

Before Harry could explain, the family approached. Draco went rigid, his face frozen in an expression of distaste mingled with panic.

"They're coming toward us!" Draco muttered. "What do we do?"

"We act natural." Harry placed his hand upon the gate and pushed. The metal gave a slight rusty creak as the two entered the graveyard. Their shoes crunched on the loose gravel and pebbles that lined the footpaths around the graves.

"Excuse me?" A woman's voice came from behind them.

Harry pivoted to face the Muggle family, and when Draco tried to continue walking away from them, Harry stopped him by briefly grabbing his sleeve.

"My daughter..." The woman smiled apologetically and stroked the little girl's blonde hair. "She says that you appeared out of thin air. Perhaps if she hears from you that it isn't true..."

Harry exchanged a glance with Draco, who arched an eyebrow as if daring Harry to lie.

"Out of thin air?" Harry chuckled, hoping his laugh did not sound as forced as it felt. "That would be something, wouldn't it? Just like magic."

"How did you get here?" the father asked quietly. His eyes swept over Harry and Draco as if he were memorizing every detail of their faces and every stitch of their robes.

"We live close enough that we don't need a car to get here," Harry replied.

"You see?" The mother beamed at her husband and daughter. "They walked."

The family began walking and turned onto another branch of the cobblestone path, but both the man and the girl glanced back over their shoulders.

"Mommy, are they angels?" the little girl asked.

"No!" the mother answered. "Sweetie, they are just like us, two young souls who've come to pay their respects. Besides, angels don't have glasses." The father did not reply, though he looked over his shoulder again and shrugged.

Harry started toward the back of the cemetery but Draco didn't budge. He frowned as he watched the Muggle family make their way to a tombstone and stop.

"You didn't tell her parents that she was telling the truth," Draco said. "Why?"

Harry stopped and turned to face Draco. "I couldn't. You know that, or you would have chimed in and explained for me."

"Do you think she'll be in trouble for lying, then?" Draco rubbed at the back of his left hand, where the ghost of his father's silver cane still lingered.

Harry shook his head. "No. He's a good man, I think. And he may have seen us, too."

The little girl knelt, reached into her dress pocket, and pulled out something small, which she laid in front of the tombstone. It was hard to tell from this distance, but Harry thought the object was a teddy bear.

"They're so much like us, aren't they?" Draco blurted. "Muggles, I mean. Look at them, just like my Mother taking me to visit my grandparents' graves."

"And what did you think they were like?" Harry started down the path again, and this time Draco kept pace with him.

"Savages. Animals. I don't know. Oh, don't look at me that way. Don't you dare! They think the same way about us. They say we eat children and go around turning Muggles into toads. I remember that much from Muggle studies."

"And they're wrong," Harry said softly.

"Yeah," Draco agreed. "They don't know any better." He craned his neck and studied the Muggles. "I suppose we'll have to come here with Teddy, to show him where his parents are buried."

Harry nearly tripped on a cobblestone. He replayed Draco's last sentence in his mind several times, wondering if he had misheard it. After Draco's near-tantrum over the idea of being with Harry, he couldn't mean... No, Harry decided. Draco wasn't subtle enough to try to convey something so important via a simple choice of words. Harry wondered what would happen if he tried to take Draco's hand, but decided that would only result in another outburst. Instead, he said, "That would be good."

"Do you know which one is theirs?" Draco asked, gesturing to the array of granite slabs.

"It's in the back," Harry replied without breaking stride. "I remember from their funeral." They continued in silence for another minute before Harry abruptly stopped, causing Draco to walk into the back of him.

"Potter, watch where you're walking!"

Harry ignored Draco's outburst and instead looked down at the tombstone. "This is the one." He knelt in front of the polished marble. The gravel was cold, and the tiny stones dug into his knees through the fabric of his robes, but he didn't mind. Here, surrounded by the dead, each sensation came as an affirmation of life.

Draco walked around Harry, squatted down beside him, and read the names from the tombstone. "Remus John Lupin, and Nymphadora Lupin. Forever in our hearts."

Devoid of its usual vitriol, Draco's voice sounded flat as he read the inscriptions. "I never liked Professoor Lupin," Draco continued in the same hushed, emotionless voice. "And I never knew my cousin, but they were your friends…" He sighed deeply and drew his wand from his pocket. A small flick of the wand and two white iris flowers appeared at the bottom of the marker, their stems crossed with one another. Draco pocketed his wand and stood up beside Harry.

Harry sniffled as he fought back tears. "Thank you, Draco."

Draco stared down at the two white flowers and nodded his head. "It doesn't feel right, my being here."

"It's fine," Harry argued.

"No, it isn't. I fought on the other side in the war that killed them, remember?"

"That doesn't matter now. The war is over."

Draco shook his head. "All the same…I'll walk over to that bench, alright?"

Harry could not find his voice to answer, but simply nodded his head in agreement. The truth was that he wanted Draco there beside him, but he knew that at this moment he needed to be alone to speak to Remus and Tonks. When Draco's footsteps had faded, he placed a hand on Remus's marker.

"Hello, Remus. Hello, Tonks," Harry hoarsely whispered. "I am so sorry that this happened to you. I know that if you were here you would tell me not to blame myself, but I can't help feeling so guilty. I am trying very hard to move on, as I know you would tell me to do.

Teddy- I'm also sorry for not being a great godfather to Teddy. Well, not until today, that is. Things are on the up and up though, as he has another person that cares about him." Harry smiled as he turned his head to look at Draco sitting on the bench. Draco was watching the Muggle family return to their car, and did not seem to notice Harry studying him. "I suppose I don't have to tell you who it is. Dumbledore said that he trusted him, and I do as well. You should have seen the smile on his face today when he was playing with Teddy. It was so natural, and it really made Draco look like a different person. It's almost as if I was seeing who he's supposed to be, or maybe who he is under all of that-" he closed his eyes, searching for a word. After a moment, Harry gave up and went on.

"Tonks, I know you'll understand this, maybe better than anyone. It's Draco-I-I love him. I know all of the reasons we shouldn't be together-they don't matter to me, but they do to him, at least at the moment. Maybe one day Draco can see through those. I hope that you and Remus are alright with him and Teddy, because I'm coming back here with both of them someday, and I want it to be as a family."

Draco sat down on the bench and watched as Harry knelt there, speaking too softly for Draco to make out individual words. All he could hear from this distance was the rise and fall of Harry's voice, but even from that, he could sense the grief and sincerity.

"Is death always like this?" Draco whispered to himself.

It dawned on him that he had never visited Crabbe's grave; in fact, he had never even thought about it. Crabbe had shown himself to be irredeemable at the end, torturing students with the Cruciatus curse and trying to kill Potter and his friends. Still, until seventh year, he had been someone to talk to. Draco envisioned himself visiting Crabbe's resting place and leaving a tray of puddings, but he knew he would never follow through on the idea. If he had anything to say to Crabbe, it would be that he had deserved what he got. The saddest part of it all was not that Crabbe had died trying to kill Harry, but that he had become a would-be murderer.

The truth of the matter was that Draco Malfoy had been unaccustomed to death, or at least unaccustomed to the aftermath of it. He had witnessed the murder of Charity Burbage, but he hadn't had to watch her husband and children sobbing over her body. He had never thought about what it would be like to go on without someone who mattered. What would it be like if he lost his mother? If he lost Harry? Being around something as powerful as loss was uncomfortable, and he hated this feeling. Even in the middle of the daylight, he felt a cold shadow that seemed to creep up on him as he sat there. Part of him wanted to go to Harry, grab his hand, and apparate out of here, but he knew that he could not do that. They had come here for a reason, and he would have to deal with this icy feeling inside of him until they left.

The sound of gravel being stepped on reached Draco, but he paid it no attention, as he thought that it was another Muggle family coming to pay their respects to a departed loved one. Only when he saw someone walk toward Harry did Draco realize his mistake. In spite of the warm weather, the man wore a long black duster that was split down the back, and at first Draco thought he was a wizard. However, the floppy, narrow brimmed cloth hat that the man wore was so ridiculous it could only be a Muggle artifact. The stranger continued toward Harry with a purposefulness that made Draco uneasy. Perhaps some of Professor Carrow's stories were true, and this was one of the Muggles who hunted witches and wizards.

"Potter, behind you!" Draco yelled as he leapt from the bench, his wand aimed at the stranger who stood behind Harry.

"What? Draco, no!" Harry said as he grabbed Draco's forearm, stopping him from cursing the person. "Are you insane? You'll get us both sent to Azkaban!"

"Hey, whoa, easy there!" The man said while stepping back away from Harry and Draco. "Put your wand down. I'm not here to hurt anyone!"

The stranger smiled broadly and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. The brim of that insane hat flopped down over his forehead, shading his eyes and making it hard to read his face. From the little Draco could see, the man looked young- older than Draco, but not nearly as old as his father. He guessed that perhaps he was in his early thirties. Unruly strands of sandy brown hair poked out from underneath the hat, brushing the collar of a black shirt much like those that Harry wore around the house. He wore the same kind of pants as Harry, too, but these were darker and belted with a black leather strap that had a shiny square buckle. His shoes were white, or would have been if they were not filthy, and they tied with laces.

"How do you know this is a wand?" Draco asked.

"What else would it be? A stick? Now, can we start over again, this time without the theatrics?" The man reached up and removed the hat, letting it fall back behind his neck, held by a string with a wooden bead. He had soft, light hazel eyes framed by the very beginnings of age lines, and he met Draco's eyes, then Harry's, with his steady gaze.

Draco nodded and lowered his wand.

"Harry, Remus was like a father to me," the stranger continued. "As a matter of fact you can say that he was my father. He helped to guide me when others would not." He extended a hand toward Harry. "My name is Janus."

"How do you know Remus, and how do you know my name?" Harry asked while shaking the hand.

Janus smiled. "Who doesn't know Harry Potter? You are 'The Boy Who Lived' and all of the other ridiculous nicknames that the Daily Prophet had branded you with. As for Remus, well, that's a long story that I will tell you one day."

"Your accent, is it American?" Harry asked.

Janus chuckled at Harry's question. "Correct again, Harry. I see Remus did not have time to tell you everything." He noticed the surprised expression on Harry's face. "What? Didn't you expect that there would be witches and wizards in America as well?"

"Err. No, actually I never thought about that," Harry replied.

"Yes, well we may not be as prevalent as you are here in Europe, but we do exist over there, and we have been in contact with our cousins here about Voldemort and his Death Eaters."

Draco made a sound as if loudly clearing his throat. Janus looked over Harry's shoulder at him. "I'm sorry, but when someone points their wand at me, I am a bit hesitant to shake their hand."

"When someone sneaks up on my friend from behind, I don't trust him," Draco replied.

"Hmm, a feisty one. With a temper like that you should be a ginger," Janus said, chuckling.

"How dare you-" Draco started before Harry grabbed him.

"Calm down," Harry said quietly before turning back to face Janus. "It's alright, he's with me."

"Of course it's alright. There's nothing more natural than seeing a Slytherin and a Gryffindor together in the middle of a Muggle graveyard. So, let's see here. Blond hair, blue eyes, and a pissed off expression on your face- you have to be the one and only Draco Malfoy."

"Alright that's it, how the hell do you know so much about us?" Draco said as he stepped between Harry and Janus. "And don't say it's because of Lupin! You are some kind of Death Eater that my father has sent here, aren't you?"

Janus stepped back, creating more space between himself and Draco. Slowly, he pushed the sleeve up on his duster, exposing his left arm. "A Death Eater? No, not quite. You won't find a Dark Mark on this arm." An edge had crept into his voice, one that Draco didn't like. "Besides, with your name and picture splattered all over the news, it's not hard to recognize you."

"I'm sorry, he didn't mean to accuse you…" Harry began, but Janus interrupted him.

"It's alright. I should have been more careful. I wasn't sure I'd find you here, much less with him. The truth, Harry, is that before the battle of Hogwarts, Remus visited me. It was a brief visit, but he asked me to keep an eye on you should anything happen to him and Tonks. I figured that eventually you would come here so I set up an alarm that would detect if any wizards apparated to this graveyard. As I said earlier, there is much to tell you that Remus was unable to."

"So tell us," Draco snarled. "I don't enjoy riddles."

Janus shook his head. "Not both of you, just Harry. Remus never mentioned you other than to say that scumbag Lucius had a son."

"Anything you have to say to me you can say in front of Draco," Harry said hastily, closing his hand on Draco's wrist even as Draco began to raise his wand again.

"Just as long as you're there to hold him back every time he decides to curse me?" Janus raised his eyebrows as he glanced down at Draco's wand. "We can't talk here, anyway, not out in the open like this. I'll come find you soon."

Janus placed a hand upon Harry's shoulder. "Dumbledore would be proud of you, as would your parents, and I know Remus and Tonks would be damn proud of you, too. Don't worry, Harry we are here to make sure that you stay safe."

"We? What do you mean by we? Are you a member of the Order?" Harry asked.

"No, but that's another story for a different day, my friend," Janus said as he apparated out of sight, leaving Harry and Draco alone in the graveyard.

"If he wasn't a Death Eater, and he wasn't a member of the Order, then who the hell was that?" Draco asked.

Harry stood there silently, shaking his head. "I've no idea."

"Whoever he is, I don't trust him, and I don't feel like hanging around here any longer." Draco pocketed his wand and clasped Harry's hand, positioning his thumb so that he could feel the pulse in Harry's wrist. It felt good to hold onto someone who was warm and alive, even if it was only for the few seconds before they apparated. "Take us home now, and try to keep me in one piece."

Harry did not respond but instead continued to stare at the empty space Janus had occupied. When Draco nudged him with an elbow, he snapped out of his reverie. Moments later, after a somewhat less unpleasant apparition trip, they both stood before the door of the library inside Grimmauld Place.

Harry opened the door and immediately drew his wand. Draco drew his as well and moved to stand beside Harry in the doorway. He expected to see Janus grinning at them from under that stupid hat, but as it turned out, their uninvited guest was someone even more unwelcome. He sat in one of the chairs, his legs stretched out in front of him, his ankles crossed casually, and his wand resting across his knees. In his left hand, he held one of Harry's crystal glasses filled to the brim with firewhiskey. He smiled and raised the glass in a mock toast.

"Harry!" he intoned, his eyebrows knitting in exaggerated disapproval. "Pointing a wand is hardly a way to greet a guest. And Draco- have you nothing to say to your father?"
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Darkness Within The Light