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Dignosco Perturbatio	By : KianaD Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 1771 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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
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Same warnings/disclaimer as from chapter one. Carry on, brave soul.

Once inside, Draco paused for a second, battling a wave of nostalgia that being back here had brought as he attempted to soak up the warmth of the hall before turning and making his way toward the Headmaster�s office.
They were almost there and Draco was actually holding out hope that they wouldn�t meet anyone since most people were intelligent and were spending the holidays with their none insane families, when the one person Draco actually considered family came around a corner and caught eyes with Draco.
"Draco." Severus Snape stopped in his tracks, his face betraying no sign of the surprise that he felt upon running into the boy. He had been expecting it, sooner or later, but the fact that he was with Potter sent shockwaves of something akin to panic down his spine.
"Come. Dumbledore will be eager to see you," he snapped out crisply, offering Draco a wry smile while he completely ignored Potter's presence.
"I bet," Draco snorted with dry humour. "That man is never happy unless he�s forcing those blasted sweets down someone�s throat. Oh, and Potter�s with me," Draco added unnecessarily.
"I'm not blind, Draco. I can see that myself." The raised brow, and slight curl of the side of his mouth belied any harshness that may have been in Snape's voice as he continued to lead them towards Dumbledore's office.
Pausing at the gargoyle that barred entrance, Snape turned to look at Harry for the first time since their paths had crossed. "Well, well Potter," he drawled as his dark eyes stared unblinkingly at Harry. "Will you ever cease to be a thorn in any of our sides, I wonder."
Biting his lip, trying desperately hard not to snap back at Snape with any of the thousand and one insults that seemed to simultaneously run though this mind, Harry merely glared back at his former Professor with a renewed loathing that he had almost begun to believe hadn't been as bad as he remembered.
Smirking at Harry's failure to answer, Snape turned his attention back to Draco. "I have a great many questions for you, however no doubt Dumbledore will have the same so I shall allow him to ask them."
Turning back towards the gargoyle, Snape muttered the password, leading the way towards the Headmaster's Office.
Draco�s brow furrowed slightly at Potter�s lack of a reply to Snape and he shot the other man an unreadable look as he followed his Godfather up the stairs.
Exhaling slowly, Harry rubbed a temple that had begun to throb painfully. He'd begun to feel very much as though he'd wandered into the snake pit, and rather foolish at doing so voluntarily. Luckily, however, at least he would have Dumbledore for support; or so he hoped. The three of them obviously knew something that he didn't, and Harry grimaced at the thought of being hopelessly outnumbered. A rather irrational thought really when he considered the fact that the reason they were here at all as because Malfoy had tried to help him.
Shaking his head, he followed the other two men into the office, smiling as he caught sight of the elderly wizard.
Standing as first Snape, then Draco and finally Harry entered his office, Dumbledore held his arms out in warm welcome.
"Draco, Harry, it is good to see you both, and looking so well. Please, take a seat."
Lowering himself back down into his own chair, he peered at the pair of them over the top of his half moon spectacles, smiling the same, kind smile that had always made Harry feel as though there were nothing in the world that the Headmaster couldn't fix.
Draco, however, was disconcerted by that look. He had been on the other end of it enough to know that bad things usually happened immediately following it. He sighed and shifted in his chair, deciding it was better just to get it over with.
"Sir," he said, only continuing when Dumbledore nodded at him. "I overheard Lucius� plans three nights prior. Apparently he has decided to finally take action," Draco continued as though he hadn�t heard Potter�s snort, "and is using someone well known to Potter to drink a Polyjuice potion, act as him in public. What I heard was a plan to embarrass Potter, to discredit him, but frankly, that is entirely too tame for Lucius. He will not stop there, and in fact the means of embarrassment and discredit are lead up to the subsequent plan of murder, and a means to make sure that there would be no one left who would care enough that Potter went missing. But�"
He paused to catch his breath. But what, indeed? Draco snorted. "Given that he did not inform me of this and I that I only managed to overhear the last parts� I think that perhaps there is more to it than I know."
"So it would seem that your father doesn't feel able to confide in you regarding his plans," Dumbledore replied, fixing Draco with a shrewd gaze. "That is not encouraging news. However, what you did learn is certainly interesting and incredibly helpful. Thank you for your service, Draco." The Headmaster smiled warmly at Draco then, before turning his attention to Harry.
"Well Harry, it would seem that your troubles are not over quite yet. You realise of course that now you know you will have to be constantly vigilant in all that you do and say to everyone; even those that are closest to you. You will have to be careful not to arouse any suspicions however. Can you do that, Harry?
Harry heard Snape snort softly in the background, and pointedly ignored him while he nodded, his mouth tight.
"Good," Dumbledore smiled. "Now, are there any other questions either of you have for me? I have to admit, that it is encouraging for me to see you together. Unity always did provide more protection than separation and I have no doubt that you will both be much better off with each other, than without. Despite your previous� problems."
Draco snorted at Dumbledore�s statement, but only replied to his question. "Actually yes there is. I need to borrow your Pensive, if you would."
"Certainly. Severus, if you would be so kind?" Dumbledore motioned Snape to the cupboard in the corner of the room, even as he lowered the wards that protected it. "You will of course be staying for the night?" he continued, as Snape handed Draco the pensive. "The rest of the school has taken leave for their holidays so you will be able to make use of your rooms once again. I'd imagine you two have quite a lot of catching up to do. Perhaps, you'd like to play against each other again. I fear Quidditch hasn't been the same without the rivalry between the Gryffindor and Slytherin seekers."
Snape exchanged a curious look between Dumbledore and Draco. "But Headmaster, it isn't the best playing weather surely."
"Indeed it isn't Severus," Dumbledore agreed, bobbing his head up and down slightly in a nod. "However, both have played in worse conditions, and fared greater storms."
"You�re rather mental, you know," Draco replied, blinking slightly at the aging headmaster.
"Yes, perhaps I am." Dumbledore chuckled as he rose to his feet, exchanging a glance and a nod with Snape before he turned his eyes back to his former students. "As you wish, however. I hope the pensive proves useful to you."
Harry's eyes roamed between Malfoy, and Dumbledore, to Snape, then back to Dumbledore, all with the confusion of a rabbit stunned in a car's headlights. "Thank you Sir," he managed to force out eventually, his brow furrowed as for once he found himself actually agreeing with Malfoy. He had seemed to go rather� odd.
Watching as Malfoy carefully extracted his memories, pulling silvery wisps from his head and placing them into the bowl carefully, Harry had a sudden thought.
"Sir," he asked, looking up towards Dumbledore. "If someone takes a Polyjuice potion they only look like me don't they? That is as far as the connection goes right. But I'll still have certain�abilities that they won't be able to copy?"
"That is correct Harry." Dumbledore confirmed. "They will only taken on your physical appearance. Therefore anyone who really wants to confirm your identity will merely need to ask you do to something that they know only you can do. Of course, how many people will actually stop to consider doing this? Most will have no reason to suspect that it isn't you, other than your odd behaviour of course. But you recall, I am sure, how quick people were to believe the rumours that were printed about you previously."
Harry nodded, as he turned back to Malfoy, who seemed to have stopped what he was doing. "You finished?"
"No, I am standing here, distracted from my task in awe of your earthly beauty and razor-sharp intelligence," Draco said with a straight face. "If you are finished asking questions, perhaps you would care to use the Pensive?"
Snorting, Harry stood and walked towards Malfoy, "Glad to see you finally paying attention then," he replied equally straight faced. "You're not going to drop it on my toes or anything while I'm looking are you?"
Surprised but unwilling to show it more than with a raised brow, Draco shook his head. "Contrary, Potter. I was always a better, quicker student compared you. And no," he added as an afterthought. "If anything I wouldn't drop it on your feet, and Circe knows anything will bounce off that head of yours... so I suppose you are safe."
"Not always quicker, Malfoy. I seem to remember coming out on top more than you ever did. Still, speed isn't everything." Mirroring Malfoy's expression, Harry raised a brow of his own, as absently his hand moved to rub a finger against the scar on his forehead. "You do have a point though," he replied with a shrug. "Deadly curses seem to rebound off my head as well, so I doubt you can do too much damage."
Taking his wand from his pocket, Harry swirled it within the pensive, watching keenly as Malfoy's memory came into view, the familiar face and voice of Lucius Malfoy, drawling his plans to discredit, and ultimately kill, Harry.
Unsure of how he expected to feel upon seeing the confirmation, Harry wasn't surprised to find that he felt�well�nothing really. He already knew that what Malfoy had told him was the truth, and although he might have expected to feel something at the coldness of Lucius' voice; the pure hatred and evil that was so apparent in his words and tone, the fact that he didn't failed leave any impression on him.
Pulling his wand from the basin, Harry took a step back, crossing his hands over his chest as his brow furrowed in thought. "Well�" he said after a few moments of silence. "That was interesting."
"Interesting? Interesting Potter?" Sighing with exasperation, Snape threw a glance towards Dumbledore. "How did he ever manage to defeat Voldemort? He has only marginally more intelligence than Longbottom, and we are still debating whether or not he is actually in possession of a brain."
"Severus�" Dumbledore replied soothingly, holding one hand up to silence the other man. "That's enough. Harry is a perfectly capable wizard, he just handles things differently from most."
Harry heard Snape snort in the background, but kept his eyes fixed on Malfoy.
Draco held Potter�s gaze for a moment before turning to face Severus, and shrugged. "If you have a moment, I would like to speak with you before I go."
Nodding, Snape muttered. "Of course, we can go to my office. If your business here is finished we can leave presently."
"Take it you're leaving then?" Harry said, his head falling to one side as an eyebrow rose in amusement. "What's the matter? Bring back bad memories?"
Draco remembered just how easy it was for Potter to get under his skin, and he had to bite down hard to keep a fast retort from spilling out. He instead studied the other man with narrowed eyes for a moment before a smile broke out over his face. "Oh I wouldn�t say that," Draco mused. "Why don�t you join us?"
When Potter and Severus both made sounds akin to choking, or perhaps sputtered curses, Draco merely smiled. "I am certain you would not pass up the chance to see Lupin, would you Potter?" he added smoothly, smiling now at his Godfather.
"Lupin? What would he be doing in Snape's�?" Harry's mouth fell open in horror, his eyes widening as he tore his gaze from Malfoy towards Snape. "No. Not�you mean�I think I'm going to be sick."
Fumbling his way back towards the chair, Harry sat down slowly, blinking several more times, even as he felt Snape's eyes burn into his skull. He knew his former Professor would love to whip out his wand and hex him right there on the spot, but thankfully he wouldn't try anything in the presence of Dumbledore. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head and barely managed an almost inaudible "wow."
If it were at all possible for Snape to grow any paler, he certainly did so. Clasping his violently trembling hands tightly behind his back, he glared first at Draco, his mouth tight as his eyes betrayed the raging anger that was burning in the pit of his stomach, and then the longing, the desire to rip limb from limb as his gaze moved on to Potter.
Having gone from amusement to deadly anger, Draco fought as hard as he could with himself to not reach over and pick up Potter and strangle the stupid bastard with his bare hands. "You worthless fuck," he hissed finally. "Even the fact I risked my life for yours is not enough to keep me from wanting to kill you."
He abruptly stopped, closing his eyes and taking a breath in before turning back to his Godfather. "Sir, I apologise for my faux pas and for overestimating Potter�s mental capacity. I assure you it will not happen again."
Snape merely nodded sharply as he bowed his parting to Dumbledore and headed towards the door. "Come," he barked at Draco, before sweeping out.
By this time, Harry had risen to his feet and was well on his way to rounding on Malfoy when he was halted by Dumbledore's voice.
"Gentlemen, please." Holding a hand up to silence the retort that was on Harry's lips, Dumbledore smiled gently at each of them in turn.
"Draco, I am sure that Harry meant no offence. The shock must have quite overtaken him. Indeed, imagine how you would feel should the situation been reversed. How would you react to learning that someone to care for and respect had formed an attachment to someone you hate? I seem to recall you viewing Lupin in less than a favourable light when he first joined our staff? Had the attachment formed then, would you have reacted any differently? That said, Harry do I have to remind you of all Severus has done for us, and for you? You owe him a great deal and not least of all your respect. I'm most disappointed in you."
Frowning, he placed his fingertips on his desk gently as he continued to observe the two men. "Harry, Draco has indeed risked a great deal to help you. He also deserves your respect and your patience, not to mention any assistance that you can give him. Draco, Harry has faced similar risks in the past, to help you as much as any other. Perhaps on that score you are even. Now, I do believe your Godfather is waiting for you. Harry, you are welcome to remain here until they have concluded their business."
"I extend my apologies to you Sir," Draco said to Dumbledore, somewhat stiffly.
Dumbledore smiled and nodded at Draco, as he turned to look at Harry who merely extended the same sentiment.
"It is not wise for you to fall out too seriously." He said. "I am in no way saying that you need to like one another but you will need to work together. Whether you realise it or not, each of you has something the other needs. Now, off you go."
With a nod and a sheepish smile, Harry got to his feet and walked towards the door, catching Malfoy's glance as he passed him. Once at the bottom of the stone staircase, and past the Gargoyle, he turned to face the other man.
"Look. I know I was out of line back there, and maybe my prejudice against Snape contributed to my reaction, but you know as well as anyone that we can't stand one another. Lupin's the closest link I have left with my family and I don't want to see him get hurt. Frankly, I don't see how he can he happy with Snape; but if he is, if somehow that miserable git manages to succeed in doing that, brilliant; fair play to them and they have my blessing. Not that they need it of course, but there you go. You want to have a go at me, now is your chance. There's no one here to stop you and frankly even I can't be bothered, but either way, it ends here."

Frankly even I can't be bothered.

Draco stood still for a moment, letting the words wash over him. Frankly even I can't be bothered. Quite suddenly, Draco was brutally reminded of several things at once.

Potter and his kind will never change.
Potter still couldn�t be arsed with Draco
Potter was still more important to him than Draco would ever be to Potter.

"Consider it ended," Draco said finally, turning on his heel.

That was too easy, Harry thought to himself frowning as he watched Malfoy's retreating figure. Shaking his head, Harry followed him, keeping several paces behind until they reached Snape's office, at which point he jogged the remaining steps and grabbed Malfoy gently by the elbow as he raised his hand to knock on the door.
"Listen. Today's been�well�kinda weird." Wrinkling his nose, Harry tried to form some sort of train to his thoughts which would help him say what he wanted to say in as clear a way as possible, but his brain seemed unwilling to cooperate with his mouth, and in the end he sighed and shook his head.
"I know I can be a prat. I know that better than most. And I know over the years we've given each other a hard time, and I dunno, maybe being back here sort of sparked it off again. I guess what I'm trying to say is thanks. What you did? I appreciate it."
Releasing Malfoy's arm, and shoving his hands firmly into his pockets, Harry gazed down at his shoes, scuffing the toes over the stone floor, and trying to beat down the surge of nervousness that had suddenly taken over him in a way that he hadn't felt in a very long time.
Again Draco found himself speechless at the hands of Harry Potter, and frankly, he was more than fed up with it. "You are thanking me?"
"Yeah," Harry replied, an awkward smile on his lips as he looked at Malfoy from beneath lowered lids. "You didn't have to tell me, and you certainly didn't have to put yourself at risk for me either. But, you did and I appreciate it, so thanks."
"No," Draco said, shaking his head. "I think I need whisky before I can deal with you thanking me."
Smiling, Harry allowed himself a soft chuckle before he inclined his head towards the door. "You going in then?"
Draco watching in consternation at the small smile that crossed Potter�s face as he laughed quietly. "Are you going to follow me in and apologise to Snape if I do?"
His face wrinkling into a grimace as a slight shiver ran down Harry's spine, he nodded. However much he disliked Snape, Dumbledore had a point. Snape had done a lot for him and if nothing else he deserved respect for that.
"Yeah�" he replied eventually as he ran a hand down the side of is face and sighed. "I probably should."
"Right. Wait here for a second? I will be right back." Draco slipped in, smiled at his scowling Godfather, said hello to Remus, grabbed a bottle of whisky, and told them both he would be back later.
He closed the door behind him no more than two minutes after he had left Potter there, and he smirked in amusement that he had managed to confused Potter. "Feel like adding to some inter-House unity?" he smirked at Potter, waving the bottle in his hand slightly.
Harry eyed the door, then the bottle, then Malfoy curiously, knowing full well the confused expression that must have been etched over his face, but frankly not caring much.
"Uhhh, sure," he replied slowly, his eyes widening slightly in question. "We're not staying here then?"
"I don�t think it wise for you to speak with Severus right now; let Remus deal with him first," Draco replied with a shrug. "Unless, of course, you prefer to go in there and undress Severus before dropping to your hands and knees � "
"Okay, okay," Harry held his hands up in defeat. "You've got a point, just� stop. I'd rather not think about that thanks, if it's all the same to you." Frowning, he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, if we aren't staying here where are we going then?"
Draco considered the question for a second. Really, he didn't have many places he would mind being, just a few he didn't want to be. Hogwarts ranked up there rather high at the moment, and he had planned on going home�
"Ever been to Tarskavaig, Potter?"
Harry shook his head slowly. He had never even heard of the place before let alone been there. "No. Is it far?"
"Few hours. Are you up for it, then?"
Taking a few minutes to think it over, Harry shrugged and pushed himself away from the wall. "Sure, why not?" he agreed, his voice surprisingly enthusiastic. After all today seemed to be a day for firsts so going somewhere new with the last person in the world he would have ever thought to do anything remotely social with, didn't seem like a completely absurd idea in light of everything else. Really, in an odd sort of way it made sense.
And so, after Malfoy had explained how to get there, and praying that he hadn't decided it would be amusing to direct him into the middle of the sea, or any other equally unsavoury place that would probably give him a great deal of amusement, Harry Apparated away.
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