Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

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
- 27
- 28
- 29
Author's Notes: Hello to all of our readers. Another chapter down, and another just begun. First off I need to make a small disclosure. In this chapter there are a few lyrics to a song. Those lyrics and the song belong to Duran Duran.

Now with that out of the way, sit back, and enjoy this chapter. It's not as long as the two previous but still a most enjoyable chapter, that we hope you all will like.

On behalf of Eris and myself we both just want to say thank you for your dedication and patience in allowing us to present this story to you. Until Chapter 29, we wish everyone well.

Chapter 28: Everything About You

"I'm not getting in that!" Draco folded his arms across his chest and glared at the car. He stood with his feet spread apart, leaning forward slightly as if bracing himself for Janus or Harry to tackle him and force him into the vehicle.

Janus made a sound like a cross between a groan and a growl as he unlocked the doors and opened the passenger side.

"It's fun!" Harry said brightly. "It's like riding in a carriage on the way to Hogwarts."

"No, it's not. The carriage has thestrals pulling it. It makes sense. That-" Draco waved a hand at the car "- how does that bloody thing even work without magic?"

Janus sighed. "Somehow I don't think a lecture on the internal combustion engine is going to help. Let's put it this way- we either go into town to get food, or we stay here and starve. And while we're starving, we can talk. About things. Things we've done. Things we've seen-"

Draco flushed and without a word, shoved his way past Janus and into the front passenger seat of the Mini Cooper. Harry had to scramble over him in order to get in the back seat. Before starting the ignition, Janus reached across Draco to close the passenger-side door and to buckle Draco's seat belt for him.

"You don't have to tie me up!" Draco huffed, pulling at the canvas strap. "I'm not going to jump out."

"That's not what it's for." Janus glanced in the rear view mirrors before pulling out of the driveway and onto a narrow dirt road. He flashed a grin at Draco. "It's to keep your body from flying through the glass in case we crash. I wouldn't want you breaking my window, now, would I?"

"Does this car have a radio?" Harry asked, hoping to forestall Draco's reply.

Janus nodded and touched a knob on the dashboard. Harry jumped as music came blasting from the speaker behind him. Steam in the subway, earth is afire...

"Ugh! Turn that noise down!" Draco clamped his hands over his ears.

Shrugging, Janus turned the knob, and the music faded until it blended with the sounds of the car.

Draco let his hands fall to his lap and peered out the window. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"I told you; into town to get food." Janus glanced at Harry in the rear view mirror and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I'm not stupid. I want to know where we are. And don't give me however many miles from home. Are we- are we even still in Britain?"

Harry watched Janus frown in the mirror. The radio filled the silence. In touch with the ground. I'm on the hunt I'm after you.

"Well?" Draco prompted.

"Yes." Janus nodded. "We're still in Britain. And that's the most you're going to get. I don't need anyone advertising my location."

"You're being paranoid! If we need to run, we won't know where to go," Draco shot back. "You've bullied us into coming with you, and you won't tell us where we are. There's a word for what you're doing. It's 'kidnapping!'"

"Believe you me, Draco, if I thought I could turn you loose and get away with it..." Janus took his left hand off the wheel and pinched his forehead.

"Janus is only trying to help," Harry said softly.

Draco scoffed, twisted sideways in his seat and pressed his face to the glass. The dirt road had changed to pavement, and the music sounded louder and clearer. Strut on the line, it's discord and rhyme. I'm on the hunt I'm after you...

Trees gave way to green rolling hills. The song on the radio ended, replaced by one about "dirty deeds" sung by a man with a hoarse, rasping voice. Janus tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, and no one spoke until they reached the village and Janus pulled into a parking lot near the town square.

Draco reached for the door handle, but Janus grabbed his wrist. "Wait. We can't have you using your names. You'll be 'Drew' and 'Henry' while we're around people. Got that? And one more thing. You two can't go into town looking like that."

"Like what?" Draco looked down at himself, smoothing the front of his shirt and fiddling with the cuffs. "We put on these stupid Muggle clothes like you asked us to."

"And you still look like wanted fugitives." Janus reached into one of the pockets of his duster and pulled out his wand. He pointed it at Draco, then Harry, and Harry felt an odd jolt, like a mild electric shock.

"So much for 'no magic,'" Draco grumbled. "Won't your little spell call attention to us or some rubbish?"

"It might." Janus shrugged. "But not as much as your faces would have."

Harry put a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. Janus' spell had made Draco's hair turn the color of polished copper, and when Draco turned back to glare at Harry, he did so with a pair of soft brown eyes set in a long, thin face. His complexion remained as pale as usual, save for a scattering of rust-colored freckles.

Draco wrinkled his nose and pointed a finger at Harry. "He's uglier than a blast-end scrute's arse."

Harry raised his arm and saw that the back of his hand was covered in freckles slightly lighter than Draco's. He shrugged. "If it upsets you, I suggest you not look in the mirror."

Smirking, Janus turned the rear-view mirror until Draco had a view of his own face. The pinched, mottled features instantly contorted into an eerily recognizable sneer.

"You chose these disguises just to humiliate us, didn't you?" Draco demanded.

"Better humiliated than dead!" Harry punched Draco on the shoulder. "Just get out of the car. The sooner we get done here the sooner he can change us back."

"Back?" Janus repeated, tilting his head and frowning in exaggerated puzzlement.

"If I had my wand..." Draco grumbled.

"Then you'd do something stupid, which is why you don't have it," Janus growled.

Harry reached into the front seat, opened the passenger door, and gave Draco a meaningful shove.

After Janus released his seatbelt, Draco hopped out of the car and took off across the square.

"I'll catch him up," Harry promised.

"I guess you should. He'd do too much damage if we released him into the wild." Janus sighed.

"He's not that bad, you know. Not if you'd give him a chance and stop provoking him."

"Yeah, yeah. Misunderstood soul, hard-knock life, needs a little love and understanding." Janus got out of the car, and Harry followed.

"You have no idea what he's-" Seeing the expression of contempt on Janus' face, Harry stopped himself and shook his head. "Where should we meet you?"

"Over at Smyth's." He jerked a thumb toward a general store across the street.

Harry nodded and turned in the direction Draco had gone.

"Harry?"

"Yes?" He looked over his shoulder to see Janus standing with his hands in his pockets.

"Tell Malfoy he can pick what he wants for dinner."

"Thanks." Harry turned and jogged across the square in the direction Draco had gone, but Draco was nowhere to be found. Shading his eyes, Harry turned in a circle, scanning the green grass of the square, the stone benches scattered around it, and the various shops and houses he could see. He cursed under his breath and began walking past the storefronts, wondering what would have caught Draco's interest. He peeked inside several windows, his frustration growing. Having rounded a corner, he heard a familiar voice coming through an open door.

"- anyone got a map around here?" Draco was asking.

Harry darted through the door into what appeared to be a pub. Small wooden tables filled the main room, which was ill-lit and smelled of tobacco smoke and fry oil. A bored-looking woman sat behind the bar, reading a newspaper, while a man perched on a bar stool, clutching a mug in his hands. The woman was shaking her head.

"Haven't got a map. Sorry." She turned the page of her newspaper without bothering to look up at Draco or Harry.

"At least tell me the name of this town!" Draco whined. He reached out to pull the paper from her hands, but Harry yanked him back.

"Dra- Drew, our cousin says you can pick out what you want for dinner. Come on." Harry tugged on Draco's sleeve.

"No! Not until I get some answers." Draco's right hand fluttered from his left sleeve to his front pocket to the waistband of his pants. Not finding his wand, he folded his arms across his chest, his orange-colored eyebrows knitting into a scowl. "The name of this town- what is it?" he repeated.

The woman lowered her newspaper, pursed her lips, and folded her own arms. Short and squarely built, she had the face of a no-nonsense schoolteacher. Her salt-and-pepper hair was pulled into a tight bun atop her head, and she wore little wire-framed glasses. She looked at Draco and Harry as if they were unruly pupils.

"And how did you get here without knowing where you are?" she asked.

"That's none of your concern!" Draco snapped. "I have the right to know where I am-"

"Benton." The man at the bar raised his hands in an expansive gesture. "Ain't much, but that's the name o' this place. Good old Benton."

"Which tells me nothing-" Draco began.

"We can find a map later," Harry promised, tugging on Draco's sleeve. "We need to get back to the store."

"I can show you where we are." The man at the bar moved his mug and dragged his finger through the ring of moisture, leaving a wet trail in the rough shape of Britain. "See, we're somewhere in here-" he made a wet blot with his finger near the bottom of the outline "- and London's up here-" he made another blot "- an' the highway, it'll take you anywhere you want to go, but it's getting there that's the tricky part." He frowned in concentration. "Let me start again." After wiping the moisture with his sleeve, he dipped his finger in his mug and made a glistening trail of beer across the polished wood.

"Never mind!" Draco rolled his eyes and turned back to the barkeep. "I have other questions. The man who lives north of here, drives a red car, do you know him?"

"Janus? Yeah, we've met." The woman nodded.

"And have you noticed anything weird about him?" Draco leaned forward on the bar, his expression intense.

Harry let his hand fall away from Draco's arm. He wanted to hear the answer, too.

"Weird? You mean like wearing that daft hat and his long coat, even in the summer?"

"No!" Draco sighed. "Not the bloody stupid hat! I mean anything weird, like have you ever seen him take out his wa- his stick and wave it around at people or point it at things?"

The woman's eyebrows shot up, and she opened her mouth, then closed it as if unable to think of a response.

"He means an actual stick," Harry clarified. "Like a twig, or part of a tree branch."

"No, nothing like that." The woman laughed and shook her head. "Quite a funny sight that would be, though, wouldn't it?" A fresh wave of laughter came over her, and she clapped a hand to her chest. Once the laughter faded, she frowned again, and her eyes went unfocused. "There was one time I saw Janus, though, at least I think it was him, but he looked-"

"Marge!" A cheerful voice called from the doorway, and Harry whirled to see Janus silhouetted against the bright mid-morning light. "Willy," Janus continued, nodding to the man who still fussed over his beer map, muttering to himself about how to get to the highway.

"Morning, Janus." The barkeep jumped, her eyes darting nervously. She pulled a rag from under the bar and erased the fruit of Willy's labor, ignoring the drunk's protest. "These boys were just asking about you, wanting to know if you waved sticks at people!"

"I see." Janus stepped into the bar and placed one hand on Draco's shoulder and the other on Harry's. His fingers tightened in a painful pinch and then loosened when Draco cried out. Janus' jaw muscles twitched, and the dark cloud seemed to pass over his eyes again before he flashed an ingratiating smile. "Don't mind my cousins here, Marge." He let go of Harry and Draco and leaned forward on the bar as if imparting a secret. "They're... special needs kids, if you know what I mean. They were in an institution from the time they were eleven years old until just recently. It's not that they were released; just that the place got destroyed. I'm watching out for them until they can be evaluated and put somewhere safe."

"Oh, I didn't realize..." Marge's face softened, and she looked from Harry to Draco to Janus with an expression that could have been borrowed from Hermione.

"That's a load of rubbish!" Draco snapped, pouting. "We were at school!"

"A special school," Janus agreed, patting Draco on the head and tousling his hair. "For special kids like you."

"Get your hands off me!" Draco slapped Janus away and glared.

Janus slouched against the bar with a dramatic sigh. "The mood swings, the temper tantrums, it's all part of his condition."

"You've embarrassed him enough," Harry muttered through gritted teeth. "Let's go."

"Once one gets going, it sets the other one off." Janus jerked his thumb at Harry. "They're a handful. Doesn't make 'em any less family though."

"If there's anything I could do to help..." Marge offered. When Janus shook his head, she looked relieved.

With surprising strength, Janus took hold of Harry's right elbow and Draco's left. Harry could hear the sound of Draco's shoes scraping on the floor as they were dragged outside the pub. Janus didn't let go of Harry and Draco until they reached the car, where he flung open the door and stood behind them, blocking any potential retreat. Harry darted into the back seat, pulling Draco with him.

Janus slammed the car door with a tooth-rattling thud that made the Mini Cooper rock on its tires. The glare he gave them through the windows was enough to make Draco shrink against the backrest and clutch at Harry's arm. After getting in the car, Janus shut his own door with another reverberating smack. A moment later, the tires squealed as they pealed out onto the road. The acceleration of the car threw Harry and Draco against the seats.

As they drove out of the village, Draco looked back, puzzled. "Aren't we going to the store? Potter said you told him I could pick out our dinner."

Janus kept his eyes on the road, his face expressionless.

"Well?" Draco prompted, raising a hand toward the sleeve of Janus' duster.

Harry grabbed Draco's arm and pulled it back. "Don't press it. I don't think he's in the mood."

While Draco rested his cheek against the window glass, Harry watched Janus in the rear view mirror, half-expecting to see the strange shift in his eyes again. Instead, Janus looked blank as he watched the road, his fingers twitching in time with the radio. ...I hate the rain and sunny weather. And I, I hate the beach and mountains, too...

As they neared the driveway of Janus' house, Harry felt a slight tingle and looked over to see Draco's familiar silver-blond hair. "We're back to normal," he said quietly.

"Good thing we're home, eh?" Draco grinned at Janus. "Would have been embarrassing if your little spell had worn off in the village, wouldn't it? Why am I not surprised you can't do a decent glamor?"

"Didn't wear off. We passed through the protective barrier around the place. It disrupts any existing enchantment. Nothing but the best protection for my favorite cousins." After parking, Janus pulled a lever under his seat and exited the car.

Harry pushed Draco out and followed behind him. Both of them soon found paper grocery bags shoved into their arms, and Janus managed to handle two and still open the front door with his keys. In the kitchen, Janus set down his bags. Once Draco had done the same, Janus struck without warning, seizing a fistful of Draco's shirt and yanking until their faces nearly touched.

"You jeopardized the entire life I've built here with your little stunt, Malfoy."

"Afraid of what I'd say about you in front of your friends, or is it what I'd find out about you?" Draco snarled.

"Right now, I'm afraid of what I'll have to do if you give me any more trouble."

"Do your worst, then. Give up your leverage and you won't have anything to hold over my head!" Draco tossed a lock of hair out of his eyes and grinned.

"You think that's my worst?" Janus let out a short, bark-like laugh. "For a sniveling little dark wizard wanna be, you have no imagination." His knuckles whitened, and his jaw spasmed. He continued in a low, husky tone. "You have no idea what I'm holding back right now."

"Is it more empty threats? Because if you're planning to bore me death I'd rather you used the killing curse and got done with it." Draco swiped at Janus' arms, but Janus hardly seemed to notice.

Harry let the bag he still held fall to the floor with a resounding "thud". Heavy cans tore through the brown paper and rolled across the floor. Both Janus and Draco startled, and the latter let go of Draco's shirt. "I've had enough of both of you!" Harry announced. Reasonably confident that Janus and Draco wouldn't kill each other, he went to the kitchen door.

As he exited, he heard Janus say, "Help me pick up the damn cans." Draco swore in return, and the sounds of the exchange only faded when Harry closed the heavy wooden door.

Outside, sunlight filtered through the ancient trees, making blotchy patterns on the brick patio. Harry walked in as straight a line as possible, only moving left or right when he had to avoid one of the trees. The dense leaves above blocked out so much light that only moss grew on the ground, which was soft and squishy beneath his feet. He counted his steps, reaching two hundred and fifty-four before plowing headlong into an invisible barrier.

The spell had the consistency of rubber when he tested it. Kicking and punching the barrier hurt, but not enough to bruise. "It's not a prison, it's a bloody padded cell!" He kicked again, this time in frustration. His hand drifted to the waistband of his pants, where he had tucked his wand. Involuntarily, he glanced over his shoulder. If he tried to apparate, Janus would know, somehow, and he would do something about it, something sneaky and strange, and somehow worse than a good honest punishment. Keeping a hand on the barrier, he walked the whole perimeter of their magical enclosure without finding any gaps.

Having satisfied himself that he was indeed trapped, Harry turned back and sat down on one of the white plastic chairs on the brick veranda. The veranda also had a tiny metal table, and on the other side of it was a second chair lying on its side, partially buried in blown debris such as leaves and twigs. Unsurprisingly, Janus must not have company often.

Harry heard a plaintive sound and looked down to see Janus' cat rubbing on his shins. He let his fingers trail over the cat's head and body, eliciting a loud rumble of appreciation. After circling Harry's legs several times, the Siamese curled into a ball at his feet and draped a paw over both eyes as if shielding his face for a nap.

A few minutes later, the back door swung open with a loud creak. Janus backed out carefully, easing the screen door closed with his foot while he held a wooden tray in his hands. When he set the tray down on the table, Harry saw a mug of hot tea, two plates with sandwiches, and a tall glass of iced tea with a wedge of lemon floating in it.

"Peace offering," Janus said simply.

Harry took the mug and watched as Janus righted the other chair and settled himself with his glass and plate. "What about Draco?" Harry asked.

"He won't starve." Janus' jaw had twitched at the mention of Draco, but after a moment, he relaxed and waved a hand toward the kitchen. "There's a plate on the table for him. I tried to get him to come out of the bedroom, and he had a few colorful metaphors for me. I'm not going to haul him out and force feed him."

"He wasn't wrong, you know," Harry blurted. "You don't tell us anything. You're just like- it doesn't matter. He doesn't like being in the dark, that's all. Neither do I."

"So ask me anything!" Janus put down his plate and spread his arms. "I'm an open book."

"I doubt that," Harry muttered under his breath. Out loud he said, "Alright. What about the hat and the coat in the middle of summer?"

"My suit of not-so-shining armor. The wards on the hat alone took three months' work. The coat was a little project for my graduate work in defense against the dark arts. Besides, I like having pockets. Next?"

Harry glanced out at the trees, feeling a little foolish. "Of course," he murmured. "I didn't think." He looked back at Janus. "Why wouldn't you tell us the name of the village or let us look at a map?"

"Simple. I don't trust my own wards with your life, and I don't trust Malfoy with anything. If he's able to get through the barriers and find some of his Death Eater friends, he can lead them to us, assuming he remembers Willy's beer map." Janus took a bite of his sandwich.

"He wouldn't do that." Harry shook his head. "You don't understand-"

"That's where you're wrong." Janus averted his eyes, tracing the rim of his glass with his index finger. "Arthur told me, Harry, and I understand, I do-"

"It isn't just... that!" Harry protested, frustrated.

"No, it's never just that." Janus laughed. "It's always something more, something you see that no one else can, some deeply buried redeeming quality, some inner pain-"

"I'm not the only one who sees it!" Harry snapped.

"You're the only one in this house. Harry, he's Lucius' son. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"I don't believe that. Besides, Lucius wasn't like Remus. He's not... someone Draco looks up to. He's more like my uncle Vernon." Realizing the analogy would mean nothing to Janus, Harry waved a hand. "Draco isn't like him. Just trust me."

"You're not exactly objective, Harry. I'd trust my cat more, and Socrates doesn't like him."

Harry thrust his chin out and looked Janus in the eyes. "Teddy Lupin does."

Draco paced the tiny bedroom, arms folded across his chest. Every so often, he would kick at the mattress to vent his frustration. He was always careful to avoid the bed frame and the trunk, not because he was afraid of whatever it was that Janus was holding back, but because the thought of Harry teasing him about his... personal activities was too horrible to contemplate.

His stomach made a disgusting squelching noise, reminding him that it had been too long since that morning's awful, rubbery eggs and greasy sausage. He opened the door of the bedroom and poked his head out. To his relief, Janus was nowhere to be seen. The thought of looking into those creepy bloodshot eyes again, or worse, seeing them turn dark, almost made Draco lose his appetite. He swung the door open slowly, smiling to himself when it didn't make a sound.

Silently, he walked into the kitchen and found it unoccupied. A plate with a sandwich on it sat on the small wooden table, and next to it was a scrap of paper with "Draco" scrawled on it. The sandwich didn't look poisoned, and when Draco lifted the top slice of bread to see what was inside it, he found sliced beef, bright yellow mustard, and a thin sliver of tomato. His mouth watered slightly at the smell.

If it was poisoned, Draco decided, Harry would find his dead body and finally see Janus for... whatever it was Janus happened to be. He picked up the sandwich and took a small bite, then another. As he ate, he heard the sound of voices coming through the screen door.

"Teddy Lupin does." That was Harry, sounding self-righteous, as usual. Draco moved across the kitchen until he could see through the screen door.

"Hmph!" Janus made a surprised noise. "Only because he's too young to know better." After a long pause and a sip from his glass, he asked. "How is my brother? I mean..."

"He's not infected. And yes, we're sure. He's a metamorphmagus, just like Tonks was."

"Little 'Dora Tonks." Janus' mouth quirked into a smile. "The last time I saw her, she was a brat in pink pig tails. And now..." The smile faded. He closed his eyes and sighed. "There's so much I've missed, Harry."

"You would have liked Tonks. She was an auror, one of the bravest." Harry's face glowed with a reverence that made Draco roll his eyes.

"I know. Remus wrote to me about her. I just wasn't back in time... Not in time to see 'Dora all grown up, and not in time to fight alongside her and Remus."

"If you had been, you might be another headstone in the cemetery. At least this way Remus has someone else to remember him, and Teddy has a brother."

Draco finished his sandwich, using a monumental force of will to keep it from coming back up. Remus has someone else to remember him... Teddy has a brother. He mouthed the words mockingly and rolled his eyes again.

"Hmph." Janus grunted and put his plate down on the table.

"Janus... Is that why you're... I mean because you blame yourself, is that why you're..." Harry sputtered.

"You mean is that the tragic origin story behind my little Incredible Hulk impression earlier?"

"Yes. I think. Is that your way of going back on your promise to answer my questions?" Harry flashed that irritating smirk, the one he used on Draco at least a hundred times a day.

"You want an answer? It's 'no'. Not even close. Malfoy just really bugs me." He shrugged.

"Fine. Another thing I still want to know- why is he afraid of you?"

Draco froze in place, so startled that he had to force himself to breathe. His mouth went dry, and his palms itched with a sudden outpouring of sweat.

"Because I could kick his butt?" Janus shrugged.

"No, there's something else. Draco's used to being threatened. He's been beaten, cursed, and tortured, and I've seen him stand up to the person who did the most damage. Something about you scares him, though, enough that he gave up his wand. You used it again to make him get in the car. If I'm going to trust you, I have to know-"

Janus shook with silent laughter, waving a hand for silence until he regained the ability to speak. "It's- it's nothing, trust me."

"That's just it. After today, I can't," Harry said in what Draco thought of as his dramatic-hero voice.

"Harry!" Janus groaned. "I can't tell you without betraying a confidence. I don't want to do that, not even to Malfoy. Not unless he gives me a good reason to, anyway."

"Not good enough."

"Alright, look, I want us to be friends-" Janus began. Before he could finish, Artemis the owl swooped down onto the table and perched on one clawed foot, helping herself to the sandwich that sat untouched on a plate. She held the bread in her claw and tore into it with her beak.

"Arty!" Janus chided. "Good timing, bad behavior." He sighed and gave Harry an apologetic look as he untied the scroll from the owl's leg. "I can make you another one."

"No, it's fine. I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure? Because..." Janus trailed off as he scanned the scroll. His jaw twitched, his eyes went dark, and his hand clenched, shattering the glass he still held. One of the shards lodged in his palm, and blood began to ooze around it.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"Confirmation." Janus raised his head and looked toward the screen door. "Draco, get out here. Now."

"I didn't do anything!" Draco protested. "I was just eating my lunch."

"Save it. I don't care." Janus vehemently waved the scroll, scaring Artemis, who hooted her displeasure before taking off, carrying the remains of the sandwich in her talons. "This isn't about you. It's Moreaux. My contact at the Ministry says he's alive and kicking."

"Then your contact is wrong. I told you before, I saw him dead. Even if Potter's girlfriend is bloody incompetent at dueling, it doesn't take a fat lot of skill to drop a chandelier on someone!" Draco pounded his right fist into his left palm.

"Did you check his pulse?" Janus demanded.

"I-" Draco flushed and glared down at the shards of glass on the ground. "No. I didn't have time."

"Then you don't know squat." Janus crushed the scroll into a tiny ball, which soaked up some of the blood from his cut hand and became a soggy, red mass.

"What does it matter?" Harry asked. "We're hidden here, and the Ministry aurors can find Phillipe and send him back to Nurmenguard."

"Last I checked, they were too busy chasing someone else." Janus pointed one of his gruesomely bleeding fingers at Draco. "I knew I smelled Moreaux!" He rose and began to pace.

"Your hand..." Harry stood up and took Janus by the wrist, twisting so that his palm faced upwards. As Draco watched in morbid fascination, Harry pulled out the dagger-like shard. Instantly, the blood pooled in the cup of Janus' palm.

"I guess I didn't notice." Janus flexed his fingers, and the blood ran off onto the patio.

"Let me fix it." Harry reached for his wand.

"No!" Janus snarled. "No magic." He turned and stormed through the screen door, leaving a trail of red droplets behind.

Harry was on his heels, and Draco followed. In the kitchen, Janus stood at the sink, holding a bottle of the fire-potion he had used on Draco and pouring it over his own hand.

"Janus," Harry said quietly. "Who is Moreaux to you?"

Janus shook his head. "Q and A session's over. If you want to make yourself useful, get me my pen and paper, and find Arty. I need another favor from my contact."

"Well, that answers that question, Arty," Janus said as he stroked the owl's feathers. The owl hooted, and flew out the kitchen window with a portion of Janus' dinner leftovers clutched in her talons.

"Answers what?" Harry asked looking up from the book in his hands, a copy of The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. "Another letter from your contact?"

Janus folded the note and placed it in his pocket. "Yes, it was. I'm sorry, but I can't-"

"I know. I know! You don't have to keep repeating yourself," Harry said, slamming the book down on the table and rattling the empty plate. "It's another secret, which is why I can't trust you. Why can't you just tell me the truth?"

Janus scanned the title of the book and smiled. "That's a good book that you chose to read, Harry. One that I am sure you will find…relevant."

"What does any of this have to do with this book?" Harry asked, closing his eyes and slowly twisting his neck, causing a loud snap to come from his spine before he opened his eyes again.

"Civilizations are reciprocal; they depend on each other, and when people forget that... I was hoping that you'd understand a bit more, Harry." He sighed deeply before continuing. "I don't like keeping things from you, but it is for your protection."

"Protection?" Harry scoffed. "You call this protection!" He waved his hand around the room. "More like imprisonment!"

"I'm sorry, but-"

"Honestly, Draco and I could do a lot better on our own. Then you wouldn't have to worry about protecting us anymore. The more I think about it, the harder it is to find a good reason to stay."

"Really?" Janus asked, sitting back into the chair and folding his hands across his chest. "Let's see now. Because of your little adventure in London, two Muggles are dead." Janus held up one finger on his hand. "Your house elf is dead, too, and if Lucius knows where you live, I guarantee you that Moreaux does, too. So that makes two," he held up his index finger. "Malfoy Manor needs a damn good re-decorating job." A third finger raised on Janus' hand. "You put Ginny Weasley and the rest of her family on Moreaux's radar. That makes four.

"Do you really want to keep pushing your luck, Harry? Sooner or later, either the Ministry or Moreaux is bound to find you and Malfoy, if you keep taking chances. So make your choice. Do you want to, in your words, keep doing things on your own? And, maybe you don't run across the Ministry or Moreaux. Or do you stay someplace safe? Here, for example. Tell me, what's the worst thing that's happened to you since you came here?"

"I-" Harry began. He looked down at the table, feeling sheepish. "You'd really let us leave if we want to?"

Janus rose from the table. "Sure, if that's how you want it. Now, I have to go and get ready. Find Draco. Then the two of you meet me in the living room in five minutes with your answer."

Harry picked the book up and made his way to the bedroom, where Draco sat cross-legged on the bed with one of Janus' books on the dark arts.

"What now?" Draco asked without looking up.

"He wants to know if we're going to stay here or not."

"So he's trying to kick us out, too, then? Just like the Weasleys." Draco snorted. "Doesn't surprise me."

"No! He just-" Harry sighed and pinched at the bridge of his nose. "Maybe. I don't know what answer he's looking for. Not that I could blame him for wanting to be rid of us, after today."

"Wanting to be rid of me, you mean. He likes you." Draco closed the book and tossed it on the end of the bed.

"It doesn't matter." Harry grabbed Draco by the arm and dragged him to his feet. "He wants us both in the living room in five-right about now, and we're going to apologize and tell him we want to stay."

"Right. Remind me what gives you the right to order me around? Maybe I don't want to stay here. Maybe I'd rather fight Phillipe or go to Azkaban than spend another night in the same bed with you."

Harry's eyes narrowed, his lips tightly pursed. "I have my wand. Janus has yours. That's what gives me the right." Harry moved his hand down to Draco's wrist and dragged him into the living room, where Janus waited near the door, wearing his duster but holding a wizard's robe draped across his arm.

"Your answer?" Janus asked.

Harry glanced at Draco, who stared past Janus. "We'll stay."

"And you, Draco? Anything to add to that?" Janus tilted his head expectantly.

"Yes." Draco took a step toward Janus. "If we stay, no more barriers, or wards, or whatever you call the spells keeping us here. We're not bloody mental patients, and we're not children. I won't be held prisoner by some Muggle-born American lunatic! And I get my wand back. Those are my terms."

"Your. Terms." Janus said the words slowly as if pondering their meaning. "So let me get this straight. You run off to God-knows-where, casting spells that send up a red flag for Phillipe Moreaux, and I get to take the blame when you get yourself killed? No. Here are my terms. Say the word, I'll drop you back on Arthur's doorstep, and we'll never see each other again. Stay here, and we do things my way." He looked away from Draco, meeting Harry's eyes. Elbowing Draco aside, he moved close to Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Stay here, and no one touches you. My word on Remus Lupin's grave."

"Janus," Harry said, "I've already told you. We'll stay." He glared at Draco until the Slytherin reluctantly nodded.

"Good." Janus said as he nodded his head and let his hand fall to his side. "And you'll behave yourselves? No wandering off, no magic, no trouble? I have your word?"

Harry nodded, and Draco rolled his eyes and murmured, "Yeah, we'll be model citizens." When Janus made a rolling motion with his hand, Draco sighed and added, "You have my word!"

"All that I ask!" Janus grinned. "Right, now I have to leave for-"

"Leave?" Draco interrupted. "You mean you're going somewhere without us?"

"Yes, Draco, I am," Janus said. "And I don't appreciate being interrupted."

"So you're just leaving us here, alone and trapped inside this house?" Draco ashed as he shrugged away Harry's hand from his wrist.

"Draco, stop!" Harry positioned himself between Janus and Draco.

"No, I won't, Potter! I think we're deserved of a few answers."

"Deserved? After what you done in the village today?" Janus barked. "I don't think so." Draco pushed Harry aside as Janus drew his wand, the tip of it touching Draco's nose.

"You get one warning, Malfoy. Back down now, or else I turn you into a rat and let Socrates hunt you for sport."

Harry pushed Draco aside and onto the sofa where the Slytherin crossed his arms and turned away. "So much for your word on Lupin's grave."

"He's joking, Draco." Harry glanced at Janus for confirmation.

"Course I'm joking! Socrates never caught a rat in his life. Arty, on the other hand…" He trailed off as he scanned Harry's face, then Draco's, finding no sign of humor. "Now, it will probably be late when I come back, so the two of you just relax, and chill out. There is food in the kitchen and television if you care to watch. All I ask is that you don't make a mess anywhere. Right, Malfoy?" Janus winked at Draco as he turned to go to the front door. "Don't worry, Harry, just as added security I will set up some extra wards as I leave."

Draco leaped from the sofa as the front door closed. He raced to the nearest window and saw Janus casting several different spells into the sky before getting into the red Muggle car and driving out of sight.

"He's gone!" Draco's face stretched with the first real smile he had had in days.

"And?"

"And what, Potter?" Draco asked as Harry picked up the book and walked toward the bedroom. "Don't you want to try and leave from here?"

"Leave?" Harry asked rounding on Draco in the bedroom doorway. "After what we just said to Janus?"

Draco scoffed as he swatted his hand in the air as if trying to swat away a fly. "Whatever, Potter. Do you actually think I meant any of that?"

"Yes! You should, otherwise it will appear that I just lied to him!" Harry shouted. "Sometimes I think Janus is right about you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Draco asked as he followed Harry into the bedroom.

"It means that I don't appreciate it when you try to sabotage everything because you don't like Janus. Maybe he should have turned you into a rat. I'm not sure I'd notice the difference."

"Really funny, Potter." Draco's hands shook as he envisioned himself snatching the book out of Harry's hands and hitting the bloody Gryffindor with it. "Fine! I'm going to go and find a way out of here. You can sit here with your stupid book and pretend that all of this is fine and well!"

"Look, Draco, think about this-if we do leave here, where are we going to go without endangering anyone? What about the Ministry and the twenty thousand galleon reward? What about Moreaux?"

Draco scoffed as he crossed his arms and stared at Harry. "I'll find a wand, deal with anyone that tries to catch me, and go hide someplace where no one will recognize me."

"You idiot! We are doing that already!" Harry shouted as he threw the book at Draco. It narrowly missed Draco's face, but crashed into the mirror on the closet door. Hundreds of fragments of glass fell onto the floor as Harry and Draco watched.

Draco turned and grinned at Harry. "You did that, not me!"

"Only because of you! Go ahead. Try to find a way out, but I'll tell you this right now, you're wasting your time."

"Fine, bloody Saint Potter! I'll find a way and prove you wrong!" Draco shouted as he slammed the bedroom door.

Harry heard the front door close as he grabbed the pillow that was on the bed and hammered his fist repeatedly into it. "Stupid, bloody, Malfoy git!" Harry shouted with each blow into the pillow.

After releasing the majority of his anger on the pillow he threw it back onto the bed, and raised the window to the bedroom, letting in a bit of fresh air. In the distance Harry could see Draco feeling around the edges of the boundaries.

Harry's lips parted into a small grin as he watched Draco struggle. "Janus is right," Harry said to himself, "he will never learn."

He looked over his shoulder at the broken mirror. "Maybe Janus won't be too mad at me for that. It was an accident." Harry walked over and picked up the book, being careful not to cut his fingers on the broken pieces of glass. He lightly shook the book, allowing any tiny fragments to fall from the pages and binding.

"Well, at least the book isn't damaged." Harry opened the bedroom door to allow the air to flow more freely before returning to the window. He watched Draco walk sideways, feeling his way along an invisible barrier. The sight reminded Harry of a Muggle television show where a man dressed himself like a clown but did not say anything.

"A mime trapped inside a box," Harry said as he continued to watch Draco in the distance. Harry lay on the bed, the book resting on his torso, as he began to read the chapter on Augustus.

Half an hour later, a large flash of light illuminated the evening sky through the window, followed by what sounded like thunder overhead combined with Draco's screams. Harry tossed the book aside and jumped out of the bed, scanning the entire view for Draco. He saw Draco getting up from the dirt driveway, slowly brushing the dust off his clothes. "Lesson learned, I hope," Harry muttered and moved away from the window before Draco spotted Harry watching from the house. He curled back on the bed to begin reading as he heard stomping footsteps, and muttered curse words coming from the driveway.

The front door slammed shut and seconds later Draco appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. Harry pretended not to see or hear Draco as the Slytherin stood there panting heavily.

"Potter!" Harry heard Draco call his name.

"Yes, Draco?" Harry responded not bothering to look over the book.

"Potter, look at me!"

Harry laid the book down and looked at Draco. He tried to stifle the laughter that erupted from him, but could not keep his mouth from spreading into a large grin. "So…" Harry began while coughing to keep from laughing. "Did you find a way out?"

"Does it look like I found a way out?" Draco shouted at Harry.

Harry tilted his head to one side, and then to the other before holding his hands in front of him with the tips of his thumbs touching to form a frame-like shape that he focused his sight through. "I don't know Malfoy. The spiked hair things looks kind of perfect for you," Harry mocked, snickering.

"Fine, whatever! Laugh all you want, Potter. I'm glad you find it all so amusing. The bastard set up some kind of electrical barrier on the wards," Draco snapped as he stepped carefully over the broken glass and walked over to the clothes drawer. "I thought you said that when you tried it felt like rubber."

"It did," Harry said as he hid his face behind the book. "I guess Janus knew that you would try to search the barriers when he left. So that was his extra protection."

"He's supposed to be protecting us from what's out there, not the other way around!" Draco shouted, waving a pair of undershorts emphatically.

"This-" he pointed to his frizzed hair. "This is not protection."

"And what if you had gotten through the barrier?" Harry asked. "What if Phillipe Moreaux had been on the other side? You don't even have your wand."

"Thanks to Janus." Draco began to pace, a set of clothes clutched to his side. Broken glass crunched under his shoes. "I don't understand why you trust him! What is it that you think you see in him?"

"He's Remus Lupin's son!"

"And I'm Lucius Malfoy's!" Draco sneered. He had stopped his pacing and stood just outside the bedroom's open door. "It means nothing. There's more to it than that. I've seen the little smiles you flash at him, the way you hang on his every word, how quickly you jumped to pull that piece of glass out of his hand-"

"Are you serious?" Harry heard himself laugh, though he felt more shock than humor. "I'm not even going to argue with that." He rubbed at the bridge of his nose, feeling suddenly tired.

"Fine. And if you like Janus so much, you can go wait in his bed for him."

Harry took a deep breath, waiting for the wave of anger to subside before he answered. He wanted to go to Draco, but his shoes were in the living room on the other side of the pile of broken glass. The frustration of not being able to touch Draco combined with the sting of his words. "I'll sleep right here, thanks. Alone. You can have the sofa. And close the door behind you on your way out."

Draco's mouth dropped. "What? Well, what about that beast of a cat?"

"Kiss and make up with him," Harry shrugged as he disappeared behind the book, leaving Draco to seethe in anger.

After spending what felt like an eternity in the bathroom, trying to flatten his spiked blond hair down, Draco emerged and opened the door to the bedroom.

"I told you, no," Harry said.

"As if I wanted to," Draco sneered as he threw his dirty, seared clothes at Harry, and closed the bedroom door.

Draco walked into the living room, looking around for the blue-eyed Siamese cat. "Good, he's nowhere to be found," Draco muttered as he sat on the sofa. "How does Potter expect me to sleep on something like this? No telling how long it has been since this thing was cleaned, or how many times that bloody cat has slept on it." He reached for the small, hard pillow that barely fit the back of his head, and he sighed deeply as his feet dangled over the other arm of the sofa. "Some way to sleep."

Sleep did not come to Draco very easily as the young wizard never could get comfortable on the sofa. He tossed and turned, swapped ends of the sofa, and even tried to sleep with the uncomfortable pillow. Each time his mind felt like it was close to drifting into that sweet and relaxing darkness, Draco would hear a voice whispering into his consciousness.

With a temper like that, you should be a ginger.

Draco opened his eyes, expecting to see Janus standing over him, smiling with those bloodshot eyes, and that ridiculous floppy hat. He rolled over onto his right side, his head resting on his wrist and right arm. The darkness began to flow into his mind as the small white dots began to mix into the nothingness.

Think you have me pegged?

Draco's eyes flashed open as his brain jumped into overdrive. The imagined voice seemed to come from directly behind his left ear. Quickly, Draco turned over and caught himself on the dark floor before crashing onto it. "Damn it. It's all Potter's fault. If he wasn't so much of a prat..."

Draco's mind quickly went back to the memory of himself and Harry in the Muggle washroom, and how intoxicating it felt to be so close to him like that. Draco felt a dull ache below his abdomen and could feel heat and life gaining strength down there. "No!" Draco whispered as he grabbed himself through his sleepwear. "No, not now." In hopes of stopping the rush of blood, Draco closed his eyes and flipped himself over onto his stomach, slamming his crotch into the sofa cushions.

I prefer the term "leverage".

Once more, the voice came from the darkness as if Janus were kneeling right beside the sofa. Draco stormed off the couch and fumbled for the light switch on the wall. His fingertips found the switch as he flicked it up, bathing the room in an electrical glow.

Draco squinted at the brightness and searched the room for the source of the voice. "Janus?" The only sound in the room was the large clock that ticked away each second of every minute. Draco sat back down on the sofa, and glared at the closed bedroom door. "I hope you can't sleep tonight, Potter, without me in there beside you," Draco sneered. "It's the least of what you deserve."

Quickly the words came back to Draco as an idea formed in his mind. "Janus! I can't get away from you, I might as well get to know you." Draco crept down the hallway and turned the knob to the bedroom that Janus slept in. The door swung open with a high-pitched creak. "I want to know everything about you."
- 27
- 28
- 29
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Darkness Within The Light