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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
- 17
- 18
- 19
Chapter 18: What You Are Made Of

"Explain yourself immediately." Harry took a step toward Lucius and adjusted his wand so that it pointed at the Death Eater's heart.

"Really, Mr. Potter! Do you Gryffindors even recognize the concept of civility?" Lucius said as he sipped the firewhiskey from the crystal glass. "Tisk, tisk, did they not teach you how to greet a fellow wizard in your home?" He wagged a finger disapprovingly at Harry and Draco.

"Not when that certain wizard is a Death Eater," Harry exclaimed as he tightened his grip on the wand.

Lucius smiled, his lips peeling back from his teeth and reminding Harry of a dog growling over some tasty morsel. "You needn't worry about that, Mr. Potter, as I have come not to fight, but simply to chat with you, and to see about Draco. After all, it is my son's first extended stay away from home, other than his time at school."

Lucius emptied the glass and pointed toward the two chairs in front of the desk. "Please, sit. However, first we will act like proper gentleman. Lower your wands."

Harry considered castingExpelliarmus, but if Lucius were to deflect the spell, there would be no way to avoid a fight. Worse, Harry might never have a chance to find out what Lucius was planning. For now, he decided to hold his fire, although he shook his head, refusing Lucius' request.

Under Lucius' intense gaze, Draco began to wilt. His eyes lowered, his shoulders slumped, and finally his arm began to sag. "Draco!" Harry hissed as Draco's arm fell flat against his side. He did not respond, but instead reached over and yanked Harry's wand out of his hand before the Gryffindor could react.

"Very good, Draco," Lucius said in mock pleasure as he leaned forward in the chair. "Now bring them here and place them on the desk." He patted the corner of the desk with his gloved hand. Draco slowly walked to the desk and placed the wands on the corner.

"You always have to do what Father says, don't you?" Harry said angrily as he elbowed Draco out of the way and sat down in the chair closest to the wands.

"Shut it, Potter!" Draco snarled as he sat down in the other chair beside Harry.

Lucius lightly chuckled as he picked the wand up from his knee and placed it on the desk along with his silver-tipped cane. "Now we are equals."

A tense silence followed as the only noise in the room was the sound of the clock ticking. Lucius Malfoy sat with his fingers laced together, his thumbs supporting his chin as he watched Harry and Draco in front of him. Harry continually shifted his glance between Draco and Lucius as he sat in the chair, while Draco sat with his arms crossed, brooding.

Lucius quickly surveyed his son before turning his attention to Harry. "So, Mr. Potter shall we tend to business?" Lucius asked, breaking the silence and starting the conversation.

Harry glanced at Draco, hoping that he would say something. Seeing that Draco would be of no help at the moment, Harry exhaled deeply and focused on Lucius. "Alright, let's. First, how did you manage to get into my house?"

Lucius again faintly smiled at Harry. "To answer that question you need to speak to your house elf."

"What, Kreacher?"

A small pop echoed in the room as Kreacher spun into view beside the desk. Kreacher bowed to Harry as if ignoring the presence of Lucius Malfoy. "Master Harry has returned from his visits. What may Kreacher do for Master Harry?"

"Kreacher, how did Lucius Malfoy get into this house?"

Kreacher gazed at Harry with his large, green eyes before turning to look up at Lucius, as if silently asking for permission.

"Go on, house elf, tell him," Lucius said as he casually waved his hand.

"Master Harry musn't be angry with Kreacher! Kreacher was told that Master Harry and Master Draco would not be harmed."

"Kreacher, how can you believe a word this man says?" Harry asked as he pointed his finger across the desk, not seeing how close his hand was to the wands.

"Kreacher is sorry, but…" Kreacher began before he hugged the leg of the desk and began pounding his head against it.

"What the house elf meant is that he now serves the Malfoy family," Lucius said finishing the statement for Kreacher.

"What?" Harry asked rising out of the chair.

Lucius did not move in his chair, but simply stared at Harry with his cold blue eyes and subtly motioned for Harry to sit down once more. "Yes, since you cost me a house elf once before, I did what was only right by claiming this one, such as it is," Lucius said as he extended his hand down toward Kreacher, who had finished banging his head against the leg of the desk and now looked up at Harry with tear-stained eyes.

"Hermione was wrong about you!" Harry spat, glaring at Kreacher. "I've treated you like a human being and this is how you repay me?"

Kreacher's only reply was a low moaning sound. Sitting on the floor, he curled his arms around his knees and began to rock back and forth.

"I simply offered him what you cannot, Mr. Potter. How can a house elf say no to a chance to once again serve a pureblood family? Once he had agreed, I performed the requisite spells for the transfer of ownership myself." Lucius began to refill the crystal glass with firewhiskey. When he had finished, he raised the glass in a salute that included Kreacher and Draco.

Kreacher let out another, louder moan and began muttering as he rocked on the floor. "Master Malfoy said he needed to see Master Draco, said it was for Master Draco's own good, said the boy needs his father, needs to listen to his father. And who is Kreacher to meddle in wizard families? Master Lucius told Kreacher that Master Harry would not be harmed-"

"Enough!" Harry shouted. "I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses." He raised his eyes to look at Lucius. "And just how did you get into here?"

"Oh, that! It was very simple, again thanks to your former house elf. I had him brought to Malfoy Manor, where I offered him the opportunity that I spoke of moments ago. He said that the two of you had gone out, but that you would return. Therefore, I insisted on coming here to wait upon your arrival. The house elf was generous enough to bring me this bottle of firewhiskey to help pass the time along while the both of you were away."

Harry smirked as Lucius drank from the glass. "So that is what this is all about? Trying to best me by stealing my house elf just because you were stupid enough to lose Dobby five years ago?"

Lucius paused as he listened to Harry's words while holding the glass to his lips. Slowly, he brought the glass down and tossed it aside, shattering the crystal on the floor. "That, Harry Potter, was a childish trick of yours that cost me my servant."

This time, Harry smiled at Lucius. "You're right; I did it on purpose because you deserved it."

"Your moment is short lived, Mr. Potter. Do not forget that it was this house elf," Lucius said as he pointed down at Kreacher, "that informed the Death Eaters of certain information regarding the Order of the Phoenix."

Harry looked down at Kreacher as he remembered the truth to Lucius Malfoy's stinging words. "Well, goodbye, Kreacher, I hope you enjoy being tortured and punished every day as you serve him."

"The house elf has made his choice, Mr. Potter. His allegiance is to me, now."

"You didn't answer my question," Harry started. "Is that your grand scheme- to steal a house elf? I would have thought that someone like you would have a more devious plan."

Lucius leaned forward onto the desk and glared at Harry. "Oh, you are so wrong, Harry Potter, stealing your house elf is a minor victory. Yes, I do have much more important ambitions."

"Like what? Going to the Ministry and kissing Shacklebolt's arse so that he doesn't throw you in Azkaban? Or do you still think you can bully the Ministry by calling yourself a dark wizard?"

"I see that you still cannot grasp the big picture, Potter. You only see what your narrow mind focuses on." He eased his back against the chair in a relaxed manner while leaving his hands folded and resting upon the desk. "The main purpose for my being here is because I have a proposition for you. As you are well aware, the Malfoy name has fallen upon difficult times since the Dark Lord's defeat. It does not carry the same meaning as it once did."

Lucius got up from the chair and walked over to the wall where the Black family tree was located. "Now, I normally would blame you for placing our family name in this position, but I am not going to. It is a new world now, one filled with fresh opportunities and unlimited possibilities. No longer do wizards cower in fear because of a dark power."

He walked back to the desk and stood beside Harry, letting his fingertips brush Harry's shoulder. "I offer you, Harry Potter, a chance to be a part of that new world, and to have a fresh start on your life. We needn't be enemies any longer. Yet, who would know and understand a fellow wizard more clearly than one who was formerly his nemesis?"

Lucius slowly walked back around to the desk and sat back down. He gazed at Harry's eyes as they stared down upon the wands. "You want that don't you? You feel protected by its touch within your fingers?"

Harry remained silent. "Pick it up," Lucius said as he motioned toward the wand. "Take it in your hand and regain that confidence. Allow yourself to have that advantage over me."

Without thinking, Harry grabbed the wand and pointed it at Lucius. The elder Malfoy wryly smiled, "You still have not fully listened to my entire offer."

"Potter!" Draco spoke up causing Harry to jump in his chair. "For Merlin's sake, don't be so thick! Listen to him."

"What?" Harry asked as he cut his eyes toward Draco. "After everything that you told me about Lucius, now you want me to listen to him?"

"Potter, please just do it. Father is right. Think about the last few days here. Who would have ever thought that we would ever be able to be in the same room without trying to kill each other? After everything he's done, he's still my father. If you can understand that, you'll listen to what he has to say." Draco said as he turned to look at Harry, and then to Lucius.

"Correct, Draco. Listen to what he is saying to you, Mr. Potter. You see, my ultimate goal is to restore the Malfoy family name to its prominence. However, to do that in this new world, we are going to need assistance. That certain assistance will not come from the Ministry. You, Harry Potter, can become so much more than 'The Boy Who Lived'. You can escape those shadows and create a new legacy, an even more powerful legacy within the Wizarding World. Give yourself and your friends a new life. Help them to defeat their poverty. My proposal is that together we form an alliance, and together we will restore our names within the Wizarding World, thus shedding our pasts and all of that which was associated with the Dark Lord. No matter what you may think of me, I am not a monster. I merely worked for one."

Still pointing his wand, Harry sat silently, contemplating everything. Lucius sank back into the chair with a large grin upon his face, fully confident in what Harry would next say.

"Harry, please," Draco whispered as he pleadingly looked into Harry's eyes with his own blue-grey ones. Harry found his gaze drifting down and looking at Draco's hand. He knew that he wanted to hold that hand right now, and then his answer came to him.

"Tell me, Lucius," Harry started, "if I were to accept your offer, would you beat me with your cane or curse me with an Unforgivable if I disagreed with something that you said or ordered? That's not an alliance; it's a dictatorship, just like with Voldemort."

"So Draco has been telling stories, has he?" Lucius smiled, but his eyebrows drew together, and he fixed Draco with a baleful stare. "And what reasons do you have to believe anything that my son tells you?"

Harry glanced at Draco, hoping for some show of defiance, but the younger Malfoy seemed to have shrunk into himself. His head drooped downwards, and he stared at his own hands, his eyes unfocused.

"I trust Draco," Harry said. "He's a friend."

"Is he really?" Lucius sneered. "Or is he simply following my orders, telling you what he believes will make you sympathetic? Make no mistake, Potter, Draco has nothing for you. I am the one offering you the means to power-"

"You and your offer can sod off, Lucius. You can't give me what I want." Harry glanced at Draco before continuing. "I will never join you or accept any offer that you make, because I have seen what you are made of. You are a weak man who rides the coat tails of other wizards and uses their power to help increase your own gain!"

The grin on Lucius face quickly eroded into a snarl. "Very well, Harry Potter. Now you will see just how weak of a wizard I can be." He stood, snatched up his wand, and extended a hand toward Draco as if expecting him to take it. "Come, Draco. Our business here is all but finished."

Draco hesitated, glancing from Harry to Lucius before looking down at the floor.

"He won't go with you," Harry scoffed. "I'm the one who can protect him from Azkaban, not you. He's done with you!"

"How like an orphan mongrel to underestimate the bonds within a pure blood family. Draco's loyalty is to me. I am his family!"

"No." Harry shook his head and felt his mouth curve into a soft smile. "I've seen who he really is. He showed me that today."

"Really? Well, then let him speak for himself." Lucius pocketed his wand, took up his cane, and put his weight on it as he leaned toward Draco. "Just where did you and Potter go today?"

Draco's eyes darted from Lucius to Harry, and then back to Lucius. "We were out. Potter wanted to go and visit a cemetery," Draco replied in a flat voice.

"A most interesting place to visit. I see that you still like to keep in close touch with the dead, Potter. Whose grave did you visit? Dumbledore's?"

"No, Father. Remus Lupin's."

"Ah, the werewolf. And why, Draco, did you go and visit a teacher that you loathed at Hogwarts, someone whom we fought against?"

Once more Draco cautiously looked at Harry before answering. "It was Potter, Father. He forced me to go."

Lucius looked across the desk into Draco's eyes, as if reading his mind. "How? Do you honestly mean to tell me that Harry Potter held you against your will? You, a Slytherin were held captive by a Gryffindor?"

"No! Of course not." Draco snorted. "But I had to go along with him in order to follow your orders. You told me to get close to Harry Potter, and so I had to follow him."

"Ah." Lucius' mouth quirked into a sardonic smile. "And would you say that you have shown Mr. Potter who you really are?" His tone rose at the end, as if he were imitating a young girl.

When Draco answered Lucius, his eyes were locked on Harry's face. "No. He has yet to see who I really am."

"Very good," Lucius said as he stopped leaning on his cane and stood at his full height. Harry moved as if to get up from the chair but was interrupted by Lucius pointing his wand into Harry's face. "If you value your life, Potter, you had better refrain from casting any kind of spell," Lucius snarled.

"Master Malfoy said that he would not harm either…" Kreacher began, but he was kicked into the corner by Lucius.

"Ignorant, despicable house elf," Lucius said as his upper lip sneered.

Harry shot to his feet and aimed his wand, taking advantage of Lucius' momentary distraction. When Lucius turned back to face Harry, he found himself staring down the shaft of Harry's wand.

"Well done, Potter! Now, do you have it in you to kill a man? Do you have the darkness within your soul to say those two little words?" Lucius asked as he walked around the desk and stood in the middle of the library.

"I can say it, Lucius, especially if it means killing you," Harry replied as he walked toward the middle of the room, positioning himself into a dueling stance.

"But can you kill someone whom you just recently have called your friend? Can you use magic against someone who stood beside you at your teacher's graveside? Draco, come here."

Draco walked to the desk, picked up his wand and moved to the center of the room, standing just outside of what would become the line of fire as soon as Harry or Lucius made a move. "Take your wand, son, and point it at Potter. If he attacks me, then you must kill him."

"But, Father I-" Draco started.

"Draco! Potter is nothing to us. What does it matter if a mudblood lives or dies? Or has the Gryffindor weakness infected you by association? You will do as I say!" Lucius shouted causing Draco to flinch and turn his attention toward Harry.

"Yes, Father," Draco replied solemnly and pointed his wand directly at Harry.

"Draco, no!" Harry shouted as he quickly glanced at the Slytherin while holding his wand toward Lucius Malfoy.

"You see, Potter, what we have here is Slytherin deviousness versus Gryffindor stubbornness. I sent my son here to strike at the weakness that every Gryffindor wears like a badge of honor-your belief in friendship and loyalty. Once we had used your friendship to our advantage, your end would have been the same-death by my hand."

"Same old story, Draco? Father knows best and the son follows blindly," Harry said as he glanced over at Draco.

"Don't think that you can begin to understand me, Potter!" Draco yelled.

"Oh, I understand perfectly. When your father misses me with his curse, I will not be forgiving in which curse I place upon you. I trusted you. I believed everything that you said, all of your stories and half-truths, and you betrayed me!"

"Sometimes, Potter, a half truth is a whole lie," Draco said as he pointed his wand away from Harry and aimed it directly at the heart of Lucius Malfoy.

Lucius' face hardened as he saw both wands pointing at him. "So, at last you've shown your true colors, Draco. So be it."

"This is the way it has to be, Father. This war has to come to an end."

"Perhaps, but you may want to consider one very important thing, Draco. What about your mother?"

"You bastard! If you harm her I'll-" Draco shouted.

"It is the way it has to be, son," Lucius interrupted. "If you side with Potter now, I will disinherit both you and your mother. Without my gold, Narcissa will dwindle away to nothing. She will spend the gold that she has left, and then she will be no better off than one of Potter's blood-traitor friends. Will you console her as she sells herself in Knockturn Alley?"

"Potter!" Draco said through clenched teeth.

"Shut up, Draco, he's bluffing! Besides, I can take care of you and Narcissa," Harry replied through gritted teeth of his own.

"I give you one final warning, Draco!" Lucius growled. "Stand down and I will give Potter a quick death. It's more than he deserves after spurning my offer of alliance."

Harry inched forward, closing the distance between himself and Lucius. He had decided upon which curse to use first. Behind Lucius, a small movement caught Harry's eye.

"Kreacher, no!" Harry shouted.

Lucius turned around as the elf jumped at him, teeth bared. Kreacher landed on his right arm and bit into it vigorously. Lucius screamed in agony as the teeth sank into the flesh. He frantically shook his arm until Kreacher's grip loosened, thus sending the house elf flying through the air in the direction of Harry and Draco.

"Avada Kedavra!" Lucius screamed, and the green light filled the room, just barely missing Draco and Harry, who dove in opposite directions. Kreacher landed against the wall with a sickening thud as Draco and Harry stood up.

"Get us out of here, Potter!" Draco screamed as he whirled around and saw the tip of Lucius' wand glowing green once more.

Harry ran toward Draco. Time seemed to dilate, and he felt as if he were watching in slow motion. The tip of Lucius' wand swiveled to point at Draco, and his lips moved, forming the beginnings of a curse. Pointing his wand at Lucius, Draco held out his free hand toward Harry and closed his eyes as if in prayer. His chest expanded with a deep, strong breath, and he stood with his shoulders squared and his chin thrust out in defiance.

"Expecto Patronum!" Draco shouted, and the room filled with a beautifully shaped mist. The patronus was a blur of scales and claws that flew through the air and collided with Lucius Malfoy, sending him flying against the wall and causing books to fall down on top of him.

Harry snatched Draco's outstretched hand, and they twisted out of sight.

Moments later, Lucius Malfoy regained consciousness. He carefully raised himself out of the pile of books, noting the pain in his back and neck from where he had collided with the wall. He brushed the dust off his robes and walked over to Kreacher's body.

With the tip of his boot, he rolled the corpse over and looked at the face of the dead house elf. "A Patronus," Lucius commented as he tightened the cloak around his neck and prepared to apparate back to Malfoy Manor. "Impressive, Draco."
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Darkness Within The Light