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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
- 28
- 29
- 30
Author's Note: Good Day to everyone. Here is the next chapter in the story. Eris and I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to read, and comment to the story. All feedback is welcomed. Also, thanks is given out to everyone that adds the story to their favorites list and helps to spread the word to other readers. We truly appreciate the many viewers and hits that this story has received thus far, and look forward to creating more chapters as the story progresses.

Chapter 29: The Price of a Secret

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic, Level Eight, Atrium," the cool voice stated as the payphone doors opened to reveal the expansive atrium.

"Impressive." Janus looked around the floor, admiring the architecture, before spotting the young Auror sitting behind the security desk. "And there you are," he mumbled to himself as the auror yawned and stretched in his chair.

Janus walked past the shimmering fountain, not bothering to give it a moment's look, instead choosing to smile at the Auror as he approached the desk. "I'm really sorry to bother you, but I need to go back to my office. I forgot a very important memo that I need to have," Janus said in his best apologetic tone.

The auror's brow furrowed as he scanned Janus, head to toe. "You? Sorry, but guest hours for the Ministry of Magic ended at six," he said tapping a white sign on the desk that showed the visiting hours.

Janus chuckled. "I know how strange this is, but I'm not a guest. I work on the fifth floor. The Department of International Magical Cooperation. I'm a liaison to the WTF- that's the Wizarding Task Force, or what you all would call the American Ministry of Magic." He reached into the pocket of his robe, pulled out a folding leather case, and flashed the badge inside.

"Double-u tee eff?" the man repeated, blinking at the badge.

"You didn't get the memo?" Janus shook his head. "Obviously an oversight. I told 'em to send it to everyone important."

The young auror behind the desk seemed unconvinced.

"Hang on, I think I have my Ministry papers here somewhere," Janus said as he patted and searched his robe pockets. "Ah, here we are."

The auror scratched at the back of his head as he scanned the documents. Janus watched the man's lips move as he read each word, his brow knit in concentration. "Alright," he said after handing the parchment back to Janus. "This all looks good, but make it fast. Five minutes, maximum."

"Thank you," Janus said as extended a small nod toward the auror. "Pardon my asking…"

"Yes?"

"You're new here aren't you? I mean, I don't recall seeing you at this desk before?"

"Just finished auror training," he said as he stretched again. "My first assignment alone and I don't want some bloody Yank getting me fired on my first night!"

"No, we can't have that. I guess I picked the wrong night to leave the papers on my desk. In that case, I will be back in three." Janus winked.

"Just make sure you do, mate. Now go on!" The young Auror propped his feet up on the edge of the desk and leaned back in the chair, his fingers laced behind his head.

Janus looked over his shoulder as he slowly walked toward the lifts and then stopped as the auror settled in the chair. As he walked back toward the desk he said, "I'm sorry, but I won't bother you again after this."

"What now?" The young man huffed as he got out of the chair and turned around, only to be met with a flash of red light.

He collapsed to the floor. Janus stood over him, shaking his head. "Sorry, kid." He pointed his wand at the unconscious auror. "Obliviate."

Draco stood looking into the dark bedroom. A sudden thought occurred to him, and he glanced over his left shoulder. He walked down the hallway, making sure to avoid the places in the hardwood floor that would creak when stepped upon. Even the soft tap of the soles of his shoes on the floor made him jump, afraid that someone had heard, so he slid them off and left them outside the door of the spare bedroom. Gently easing the bedroom door open, he saw Harry curled on his side, lightly snoring. From the floor, Draco's own face stared back at him, reflected in the larger pieces of the broken mirror. The smaller shards glistened in the hall light, twinkling like winter snow. "Seven years bad luck, Potter," Draco whispered. "Isn't that what the Muggles say?" Giving Harry and the glass one last look, he closed the bedroom door and made his way back to Janus' bedroom.

Draco reached into the dark room, letting his fingers glide over the wall. "Where is it?" Frustrated at not finding the light switch on the wall, Draco strode into the dark bedroom. He swore loudly as a fierce blow to his knee stopped him in his tracks, flaring pain racing up his leg. His left hand grabbed his bruised knee as his right reached upwards toward the wall. When he put his palm against the wall, his fingers found what they had been looking for. A soft light from above the bed came on, filling the room with a warm, electrical glow.

Draco inhaled deeply as he rubbed and flexed his knee. The air smelled strangely sweet, like his mother's garden, which puzzled him. He scanned the room, looking for the source of the scent. Two extinguished candles sat beside the bed on small nightstands, as their fragrance lightly wafted through the room. "What's he covering up?" Draco wondered. He closed his eyes and inhaled again. There was a note of vileness underneath the floral aroma, and it wasn't the old sock smell that Draco would have expected. Acrid and putrescent, it felt oddly familiar.

The walls of the room were wooden brown, like those in the rest of the house. Draco noted the differences between this room and that of the bedroom that he had to sleep in. The bed was not a four-poster bed that Draco was used to seeing, but a simple bed large enough for two people to sleep in, the same size bed that was in the other bedroom. Two blue pillows sat at the head of the bed while the sheets and fittings were solid white. On top of the sheets, perfectly spread across the bed, was a brown blanket that had a crouched tiger sewn into the blanket. Lying on top of the blanket was a large book that had a piece of white parchment sticking out from it. "Julius Caesar? Muggles and their ridiculous stories," Draco snorted as he looked away from the bed.

Draco scanned the pictures upon the wall and noticed that the three were all of large cats. Above the bed was a male lion, proudly displaying its mane. On the opposite wall from the bed was a black leopard. The beast lay coiled under dense jungle foliage. To the right of the bed, beside the only window in the bedroom, hung a picture of a cheetah stalking its prey. "He's completely obsessed with cats," Draco whispered to himself as he took careful note of each stationary picture.

Turning in a slow circle, Draco saw what it was that he had banged his knee on. A small table stood between the doorway and the closet. A boxy object took up most of the table. His eyes wandered over the device as his fingers slid along the edges of the shiny item. "Some kind of a Muggle television set?" Draco whispered as stood in front of the table. "I…B…M," Draco mouthed. "Must be another weird contraption that he brought over from America." His fingers found their way to the table drawer. He pulled it open and saw several small, colored, square objects and round shiny discs. "What are these for?" Draco asked as he held the disc up to the light, and saw his reflection on the back of the item. "Muggles, I'll never understand them!" Whatever the plastic things and the mysterious gadget were, they told him nothing about Janus. He tossed the disc back into the drawer as his eyes fell upon the large dresser that sat under the leopard picture. "Let's see if there's anything useful in there."

Draco pulled out the top drawers and looked through the items that he saw. Rows of socks lined the first drawer that Draco opened, and he noted the precision with which the socks were aligned. The drawer was halved, with one side having dark blue socks, and the other half lined with plain, white socks. He carefully reached below the socks and felt the bottom of the drawer. "Nothing there," he said as he closed the drawer and opened the next one.

This drawer held precisely folded white shirts and several rows of ugly white briefs with wide elastic waist bands. Seeing the garments automatically made Draco think of Janus wearing them, and he wrinkled his nose and shuddered. For some reason, thinking about Janus that way reminded of him of Janus walking in him last night, making his stupid, snide remarks in his horrible accent. Wanting this moment to be over as quickly as possible, he reached into the drawer, trying not to think about the fact that he was touching something that had touched Janus in intimate places. The bottom of the drawer was smooth and clean, with no hidden objects revealing themselves.

Draco closed the drawer after finding nothing to answer his questions. He shook his hand as if trying to shake away his own revulsion, and then wiped his hand on the front of his leg. "No telling what kind of Muggle germs were in those." He opened the next drawer to find it empty. "Odd. Where are the rest of his clothes?" Draco continued to open the remainder of the drawers only to find each of them empty.

The old auror stood guard in front of the stone colored wall, yawning and rubbing his dry eyes with the tip of his fingers, alleviating the gritty feeling that came with taking the late shift these days. "You're getting too old to be pulling these night shift watches, Westbrook," the man whispered to himself. He could think of several aurors who would have been better suited for the job-young, ambitious kids, as he called the new aurors these days, who would have loved the prestige of guarding a notorious prisoner. Westbrook himself would rather be home with his wife, Lena. He smiled as he rubbed his hand through the course stubble on his jaw. He longed for his normal routine, but he hadn't been able to say "no" to a personal request from the Minister of Magic. The notion that Kingsley Shacklebolt trusted old Robert Westbrook over some new whippersnapper made him square his shoulders with pride. Of all the wizards, he had been hand-picked to guard Lucius Malfoy.

"Bloody Lucius Malfoy," the aged Auror muttered as he looked at the handle to the door. It was about time the man got brought in, and this time there would be no Dark Lord to save his neck. Westbrook remembered the first wizarding war like it was yesterday, and he remembered Lucius' first trial with that rubbish defense about the Imperious curse. He scowled at the door handle and felt a surge of temptation. It would be so easy to make the problem go away… He could go in there and just do away with old Lucius. It would be doing the world a favor! Then Shacklebolt could save his energy for rounding up the last of the Malfoys along with their Death Eater friends, and maybe the world could finally move on from the war.

Westbrook's fingers traced the shape of the door handle and began to tighten just as he heard the lift doors clang shut. "Oh now what the bloody hell does Katsarakis want?" His fingers released the handle as he strode down the corridor toward the elevator lift. Quickly rounding the corner, he collided with another body. "Merlin's Beard, Kat, how many bloody times…" his words trailed off as he got his first good look at the person that he had run into.

"I'm sorry," the stranger said as he extended his hand. "I seem to have gotten lost on the elevator."

"I'd say too bloody right, mate," Westbrook said as he backed away from the odd-sounding stranger. "You're lost, or I need a good pint."

The stranger smiled with his hazel eyes, as his voice rang in Westbrook's ears. His mind quickly tried to place the portion of the States where this person was from.

"How the ruddy hell did you get here?" Westbrook asked as his right hand slowly grazed the edge of his wand. His eyes followed those of the stranger as the tall man stepped back and raised his hand in apology.

Westbrook drew his wand but did not point it at the strange man, as he wracked his brains for a reason the man might be here. He raised his left hand, "First off, no one is allowed beyond this point except for the Minister of Magic and any Unspeakables. And you mate, are neither. Second, how did you get past the other Aurors, especially the one at the security desk in the atrium?"

"You mean the gentleman asleep at the desk? I didn't have the heart to wake 'im. Now if you could just point me in the right direction, I'd be ever so much obliged. I'm lookin' fer the office of the DIMC…"

A low growl escaped Westbrook's throat as he glanced past the stranger's shoulder and looked at the elevator lift doors. He wanted to be rid of this strange talking person and to give Katsarakis a thorough flogging for allowing this person to pass by. "Damn, newbie," he muttered, picturing Katsarakis drooling on the sleeve of his newly -acquired Ministry uniform.

"Alright, shut up! Here's what we are going to do, mate." He raised his wand at the stranger and flicked it toward the elevator lift doors. "You are going to go back down the lift and have the auror down there escort you out of the Ministry. Either you do that, or I will do it myself. You understand, mate?"

The stranger leaned to the left, his eyes focused not on Westbrook or the wand he was pointing, but on the door behind him. "Alright now, let's move it," he said prodding the man's chest with the tip of the wand.

What happened next seemed to come in slow motion. He saw the stranger grab his right wrist, twisting it, and causing a starburst of pain to flash before his eyes. A large hand gripped the side of his face with unbelievable strength, forcing his head to smash into something hard. He heard the thud and saw black spots flash into his vision as his body fell backwards onto the floor.

The stranger squatted, bent close to him, and spoke in the same maddening drawl. "First rule of having a wand- never draw it unless you plan on using it." Westbrook's last vision was that of the strange man pointing a wand at his face before a black unconsciousness caused him to remember nothing more.

"Closet." Draco muttered as he looked down the hallway, making sure that Harry hadn't been awakened by the slight noises that he had made as he searched the dresser. He then turned his attention to the closet door. Quickly, he turned the knob, opened the door, and was greeted with a number of shirts, pants, and long sleeved garments.

"This is all Muggle attire," Draco whispered to himself as he looked through the shirts that hung upon the wire hangers. "Where did he get that wizard's robe from?" Draco finished looking through the shirts, noting the bright colors and names on some of the shirts. He looked at one in particular that had a scripted "A" in red lettering, followed by three words. "Alabama Crimson Tide?" Draco muttered to himself. "What the…?" Draco's eyebrow arched as he racked his mind regarding any information about these strange words. "Crimson Tide?" Draco shook his head as he placed the shirt back and continued on. "Bloody Muggles and their ridiculous names!" Draco scoffed as he pushed through the pants, noting that each pair looked identical, except for the color. "Blue and black."

He pushed on through the pants and now scanned through the large winter coats and jackets. "More of this Muggle nonsense. Another Crimson Tide thing on this coat," Draco said, pushing aside the red jacket. His hands found a blue coat with a red, yellow, and blue bird grinning stupidly on the front of it followed by two words under the animal. "Kansas Jayhawks." Draco's nose wrinkled at the sound of the words. "What the hell is a jayhawk?" Draco questioned as he held the jacket at arm's length, taking in the sight of the bird. "Whatever it is, the thing looks uglier than a hippogriff!" Hanging the jacket back in place, he finished going through all of the clothes that were hung on the metal rack and then stepped back to scan the floor. On the floor beneath the hanging garments were several sets of shoes. Draco noted the difference in the shoes as two pairs of them were white, while others looked like the boots. "There has to be something in here!" Draco huffed as he stood in front of the closet, glaring in frustration.

He paused, leaning against the door jam and pondering exactly what it was he was looking for. He hadn't quite expected a literal skeleton in the closet, or even jarred body parts, but no one could be as strange as Janus and not have something more to hide than an obsession with folding laundry. There should at least be some dark magic books- where else would he learn those bloody awful "warding" spells that kept them trapped here?- or maybe a journal filled with lurid confessions. The absence of information was more maddening than any of the particular things Draco could dream up.

He began to rifle through the clothes once again pushing them down the rack, and swearing more with each item. He was about to push past the large "Jawhawk" jacket once again when something behind the item caught his attention. Draco separated the clothes far enough so that he could peer into the back of the closet. Something metallic reflected the light from the bedroom. Eager to see more, he took several jackets down and tossed them onto the bed, leaving the rear wall of the closet bare.

Focusing on the area, Draco spotted what he thought he had seen. "Gotcha." Draco grinned as he placed his fingers on the brass door knob, and turned it to see if the door was locked. The knob slid to the right as Draco pushed forward, opening the small door. "A secret passage." Draco's lips spread into a much larger grin, as a malicious twinkle danced in his eyes. "Clever. But not clever enough for me."

Lucius Malfoy sat on the large stone step in the middle of the circular room, struggling to focus his eyes in the near-darkness. He knew where he was by the arch-shaped veil that hung to his left. He remembered the fight that had occurred in this room as he had tried to retrieve the prophecy for the Dark Lord. He recalled seeing Sirius Black fall back into the veil after being hit with a killing curse. Thinking of the killing curse, part of his mind longed for his wand, while another part of it drifted into another memory.

The final thing that Lucius could remember before waking here was the rage that he felt as he raised his wand at Draco, the uncontrollable urge, inside of him to say the two words that would end Draco's abomination forever and cleanse the Malfoy family name. Yet, what he heard instead was a high-pitched scream of his name, followed by what appeared to be Narcissa cursing him before he hit something hard and lost consciousness.

He pulled on the manacles that bound his wrists and feet. The chains had just enough slack that he could walk with tiny, shuffling steps. Standing at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the veil, he was unable to raise a foot and put it on the next stair. Perhaps he could ascend if he were to crawl like a worm, but then they would laugh at him from the other side.

On a daily basis, Unspeakables had come into the room, under the guard of aurors, and given him food and water. He patiently waited, knowing that soon Kingsley Shacklebolt would have to come into the room, as the trial date neared.

Like fingers probing an open wound, his thoughts dwelled on Kingsley, then Narcissa, and finally Draco's betrayal. His imagination tortured him with images conjured from Draco's confession.

He had his hands in my pants, and I couldn't keep my hands off him…He's willing to do anything for me…

The thought made Lucius wretch as he fell to his knees and dry heaved onto the hard surface. As his diaphragm contracted for the final time, spewing forth the dregs of acrid bile from his stomach, he heard the door unlock somewhere above in the darkness.

As quickly as the tight manacles would allow, Lucius gathered himself back on the large stone perch and awaited his guest. Silhouetted against the light from behind the doorway was a stranger shrouded in a long coat and a wide-brimmed hat. The person descended towards Lucius, the sound of his footfalls echoing off the stone and into the quiet of the chamber.

"Time for my sponge bath, is it?" Lucius sneered into the darkness. The only answer was the sound of the footsteps, which grew louder and closer together.

"Kingsley?" Lucius called. The footsteps stopped briefly before resuming their steady march downward. "No, it wouldn't be him. Potter? Yes, it's about right for you to try and intimidate me like that."

The footsteps stopped. Lucius could hear the faint sound of breathing to his right. "Whoever you are, I am not afraid of you. You cannot scare me, Lucius Malfoy!" Lucius shouted into the darkness as a faint smell of dirt and old clothes reached his nose. "Show yourself!"

"If you insist." The strange, deep voice came from the darkness. "Lumos Maxima."

Draco lowered his head, ducking through the small door frame and peering into complete blackness. "Hmm. There's got to be a light switch around here somewhere," Draco whispered as his left hand felt inside the black space. What his fingers were touching told Draco that it was a rough, wood-like surface, before his hand grazed something smooth. "There it is," he said as his finger flipped the switch up. Hanging above, Draco saw a faint flicker of light as the light bulb charged to life, casting a dim glow. Below this, Draco could now see a set of wooden stairs that led down.

He carefully stepped down each creaky stair until he came to a wooden landing that had three steps going to the left. A wire strung with more dim, dangling bulbs hung from the ceiling of the cellar. The bulbs illuminated the room with overlapping pools of light, leaving patches of darkness that gave the room a spooky look. Draco looked around, expecting the floor to be nothing but dirt, but was surprised to see that it was gray and solid. He stepped down onto it and walked around the room.

A large, black cauldron sat in the middle of room. The harsh, putrid smell was stronger down here, and though the whole room reeked of it, the scent seemed to be wafting from the cauldron. Draco stepped toward it and traced his finger around the inside lip of it. He brought his finger into the light and examined the color of the residue before wiping it away on his pants. Draco noticed several small vents near the top of one wall and glanced back at the cauldron before looking at the closed vents. Draco nodded, as if completing an answer to himself, before walking over to the wide slate bench-top along the north wall of the room.

The bench-top had a small burner with tubing attached to a valve in the wall. Above the burner was a round bottomed flask the size of Draco's head. A glass tube connected to the neck of the flask and slanted downward. Inside the glass tube was another tube, this one crafted in a delicate spiral that wound its way from an opening at the bottom of the tube to one at the top. Both openings had rubber tubes coming off them. One of the tubes connected to a water faucet, and the other drained into a sink. Vapors coming from the round bottom flask would pass through the tube, be cooled by the water in the glass spiral, and drip into the tall, flat-bottomed vessel at the end. Metal scaffolding and several clamps held all of the glass in place, and though the apparatus wasn't in use at the moment, a residue of oily brown goo coated the round bottom flask.

"Interesting," Draco murmured. He considered trying to remove the flask to smell the liquid, but decided against it. One mistake could send the entire apparatus crashing down. Just thinking about such an accident made him look over his shoulder, half-expecting to see Janus watching him.

On the other side of the room was a wooden table and chair. Several potion flasks and vials lined the table, each of them neatly placed into a storage container. Carefully, he picked up one of the small vials and held it up to the dim light. Pulling the stopper out of the vial, Draco sniffed the contents, and almost vomited. "Ugh! That smells horrible!" He gagged as he placed the stopper back, and returned the vial to its location.

Draco noticed a shelf above the different vials and flasks. He scanned the different books, whispering the titles out loud. "Advanced Book of Magic and Spells, Nighttime Potions and Rituals, The Dream Book, The Book of Shadows, Black Magic and its Ceremonial Meaning?" Draco stopped naming the books aloud. Finally, after finishing the rest of the titles to himself Draco sat in the chair and gazed up at the row of books. "Where did he get these books? Father never spoke about any of these books before." Curious, he reached up and selected, The Book of Shadows. Draco scanned and flipped through the chapters of the book, reading the captions of the pictures, and other times reading through portions of each chapter.

A large ball of light ignited from the end of the wand, expanding in all directions and giving the darkened chamber a humble and soft glow.

"Ah, so this is it!" The stranger said as he walked around the veil, the tails of his rumpled coat streaming behind him. He waved his fingers near the fabric of the veil. "Death's a bitch, wouldn't you agree, Lucius?" The man's colonial accent grated on Lucius' ears.

Lucius slid further away from the edge of the large stone, trying to keep as much distance as he could between himself and this unknown wizard.

"You have me at a disadvantage. Are you going to introduce yourself, or do you people lack even the most basic sense of courtesy?" Lucius asked as he stood up, his ankles stinging with pain where the chains cut into his skin.

The man tilted his head, cupped a hand to his ear and looked at Lucius. "Do you hear them? Do you hear the voices?"

Lucius winced. He tried to wave a hand at the very idea, but the manacles pulled tight, biting his wrist. "I've no idea what you mean!"

"Oh, come off it, Luc," the stranger said as he turned his back to Lucius and spoke to the veil. "Dying is easy. As a matter of fact, it's the easiest thing there is in life." The man turned around pointing a finger at Lucius and then back at the veil. "Learning to live with the death inside of us, that's hard, because each day a tiny piece of us dies, and goes in there." He held his palm flat and blew across it.

"So you came here to lecture me on the facts of death?" Lucius spat. His patience with the madman had run its course.

"I know you, Lucius…Malfoy!" The man wagged a finger and clicked his tongue. "I know that you have seen death. Just think of all of the poor souls that you have killed or led to their death. All in the name of your little dark lord, too." He leaped across the short space that separated them and stood close to Lucius. Again, he cupped a hand to his ear. "Do you hear him? Do you hear Voldemort, trying to speak to you from the dead? Or do you instead here your dear sister-in-law, Bellatrix? Do they have something to say, or do you only hear their wails of agony from beyond the veil?"

The man walked over to the dais that the veil sat on and leaned against the edge of it, staring back at Lucius. "My name," he began as he extended his hands outward, "is really not important, but you can call me Janus."

"Janus?" Lucius repeated as he slowly recoiled and sat on his own stone. "What business brings you here?"

Janus pointed over his shoulder at the veil. "You never answered my question. "Do you hear them?"

Lucius shook his head. "No. I am beyond such hysterics."

Janus faintly smiled as he walked over toward Lucius, shaking his head. "You're lying, Luc, and I know it." He turned back toward the veil. "Oh sure, you're an Occlumens. That makes life... more interesting for me, but it doesn't mean that you can lie to me and get away with it."

He softly placed his hands on the stone and leaned forward, his bloodshot hazel eyes meeting Lucius'. "The truth lives in the eyes. There is no hiding place within them." Janus raised his left hand and brushed a lock of hair away from Lucius' face. His fingers clasped around Lucius' chin, tilting it downward and holding it in place so that Lucius had to squeeze his eyes closed in order to avoid the strangely hypnotic stare of those red-veined orbs. "And right now, your eyes are telling me everything that I need," he said as he released Lucius and backed away from the stone.

After a period of time he would close the book that he was reading and toss it to the side of the table, before reaching for another book and doing the same. Finally, after his eyes had started to ache from the reading, Draco looked past the stacked books on the table and saw a large wooden chest sitting in the far corner of the room. The chest looked exactly like many chests that he had seen at Hogwarts. "Now, I'll find out what secrets are hidden."

Draco crossed the room, excited. Examining the front of the chest, Draco saw that it was not locked. "Perfect," Draco sneered as lifted and dragged the chest across the room, noting the weight as he did so. He dropped the chest as it landed with a loud thud on the solid gray floor. Realizing his error, Draco quickly surveyed the wooden beams above, listening for any sign that he had awakened Harry with his blunder. Each tense second that followed seemed like a minute to Draco as he held his breath, straining his ears to catch the faintest of sounds from above. Once his fear had been relieved, Draco opened the chest and gazed at the contents inside.

The first item that he took out was a light blue and white blanket. Draco turned the blanket over in his hands examining every inch of it before he remembered seeing Teddy in a similar blanket. Thinking of Janus as a baby was almost worse than imagining him in those frumpy white briefs. Feeling slightly uneasy at holding such a delicate and innocent item, Draco laid the baby blanket over the stack of books and continued searching through the chest.

He extracted several picture frames from the chest, each of them lined by a brown exterior frame. Like the other pictures that Draco had seen in the bedroom, these pictures did not move. He studied them, noting the family within each one. "This must be Janus, and his parents." The tall man with black, curly hair, stood next to a slender, and attractive woman, who had long flowing brown hair. Sitting atop the man's shoulders was a small child who had brown hair and hazel eyes. Draco noticed the background of the photo, which consisted of heavily forested mountains. A small part of his mind registered how beautifully lush and green the mountainside looked. Also this part of his mind saw the happiness of the family within the photograph. He placed the photograph beside the table and examined a different picture. Within this one, a silver-haired man and woman stood in the photograph, along with a young boy. "His grandparents," Draco softly said.

Draco browsed through more pictures, each of them showing a moment from Janus' childhood; birthday pictures, Christmas pictures, pictures of Janus outside under a large tree, baby pictures of Janus as a newborn being cradled by his mother. Tiring of looking at the pictures, Draco leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. "Who are you?" Draco growled through gritted teeth and massaged his temples. "I need to know more about you than just ridiculous baby pictures." He looked into the chest again and saw a blur of gray scattered below the brown picture frames.

Draco whispered to himself as he pushed the pictures aside to reveal a gray covered book that had the words 'Carpe Diem', written on the front. He opened the book, finding a white envelope which he opened and read.

James,

Your grandfather and I are so proud of you. Your accomplishments have made us both so proud. We love you with all of our hearts, and never forget who you are. We wish you the best in life.

Our fondest love,

Grandma & Grandpa

"You filthy deviant! If I had my wand right now-"

"Save it, Lucius. I'm not some simple Ministry wizard or a little kid that you can bully around. Your threats mean absolutely nothing to me, so save your breath. If I wanted to right now I could kill you, and walk out of this place without anybody ever knowing what happened."

Anger flashed into Lucius' eyes. "Why don't you go ahead and do it? It is why you are here? Save your own breath and see what it feels like to kill! See what it is like to watch death come and take someone away!"

"Been there. Done that." Janus let out a long sigh as he waved his hand at Lucius. "Geez, just like D-just like your usual Death Eater's. Always jumping to conclusions before they hear everything."

"How dare you!" Lucius spat. His hands shook with anger, jingling the links of the manacles.

"Great spooky sound effect there, Luc," Janus rolled his eyes. "Listen, I came here because I think that you and I might be able to do some business together."

Lucius' eyebrow twitched upward. "Oh, and how is that, exactly? The better question is, why would I care to do business with the likes of you?"

As Janus crept around the stone, the light gleamed in his bloodshot hazel eyes, making strange dark patterns that sent a shiver down Lucius' spine. "Because I can give you what you want most. Otherwise, you are facing the dementor's kiss, and leaving all that unfinished business behind you."

Lucius' lips curled into a mixture of a sneer and a grin. "Go on. You have my attention."

Janus reached into the inside pocket of his duster and pulled out a folded piece of paper, which he slowly unfolded and held in front of Lucius' face. "I can give you that," he said, tapping the top of the paper with his finger. "All I ask in return is information about someone." He dropped the paper, and Lucius caught it as it drifted toward the floor.

Lucius held the clipping in his chained hands and stared at the picture. His knuckles whitened as he clenched the paper. The sight of that face brought on a fresh wave of emotion- nostalgia, disappointment, shame, and rage. He closed his eyes until the worst of the feelings had passed. "How do I know that you mean what you say?"

"You don't." Janus shrugged. "A better question is- what do you have to lose, anyway?"

Lucius looked up from the picture, staring at Janus through long, silver strands of hair. "What information do you seek?"

"Do you accept my offer?"

"Not yet. First, I want to know all of the details before we settle on an agreement."

Janus stroked his thumb under his chin. "Alright, I am looking for a man named Phillipe Moreaux," he stated staring down into Lucius' eyes.

Lucius snorted. "Moreaux, Moreaux… How I tire of that name! What is it about this man that everyone is concerned about?"

"Well to begin with, he is not where he is supposed to be, inside Nurmengard. Now, to me, that clearly points the finger back at a select few people. Care to answer the question, Luc? Where is Phillipe Moreaux?"

"Dead, as far as I know!" Lucius hissed.

"Ah, remember Lucius, I know when you are lying to me," Janus smiled as he waved a finger toward Lucius. "I know that he is alive. You see, your name and his have been connected together."

"Heresay." Lucius moistened his lips in contempt. "Do you believe everything you hear?"

Janus grinned. "You're lying again. Look, I really could care less what your personal ambitions are, but you should know what kind of a person Moreaux is. If he were here, do you think he'd bat an eye at selling you out? He and his little merry band of murderers were too much, even by Voldemort's standards. I always wondered why Voldy stopped at kicking Moreaux out of the Death Eaters. Chalk it up to a short attention span, I guess, or the fact that old Tom had more important unfinished business."

"And what's your business with Moreaux, Janus? Why do you need him so badly?"

"You have your own reasons Lucius, and I have mine. We can help each other."

Lucius stared back at the clipping from the Daily Prophet. "Draco… How do I know you can deliver him to me? Anyone could say that."

"Anyone else would be lying." Janus reached into his coat again and pulled out a second wand, jerking it away when Lucius lunged for it. "Ah-ah! Look, but don't touch. Hawthorn, if I'm not mistaken, all ten inches of it. Look familiar to you?"

"How did you get that?" Lucius snarled.

"Handed over by Draco's own free will." Janus put the wand away and raised his right hand with his middle finger crossed over his index finger. "Me and Draco- we're like this! He goes where I say he goes, does what I want him to…it's a very convenient arrangement."

"Then you have him ensorcelled!" Lucius snarled. "That little miscreant obeys no one. You must have used the Imperious curse."

"Something like that, yes. The question is, 'How badly do you really want him?'" Janus rounded the veil once again, stretching his fingers out, letting the tips narrowly touch the fabric. "Or would you rather he continue his little love affair with Potter? I wouldn't care, personally, but you… You've got your pride to think about! Your legacy! If the Malfoy name dies with you, it goes down in a blaze of glory.

Lucius Malfoy-crusader for the sanctity of pure blood, martyr for the cause of all that's good and right-or is it all that's evil and right?" Janus put his chin under his fist and knit his eyebrows in mock confusion. "I don't keep track of these things, you see.

Now, on the other hand, if Draco carries on the family name, he does so as Harry Potter's lov-, I mean his boy-, his 'special friend'."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Lucius shouted. He raised both fists and swung them hard at Janus, but the man evaded him with a few quick steps backwards. Lucius pursued, but tripped over his own shackled feet and fell to his knees.

Janus reached out a hand to help him up, and then shrugged when he ignored it. "Maybe you're right. 'Former Death Eater involved with Boy Who Lived'… That's not the kind of headline you'd see in the Daily Prophet, is it? No one wants to read that kind of smut. Although a fine journalist like Rita Skeeter would love a few juicy, snippets of inside info."

"Enough! You drive a very hard bargain, Janus," Lucius muttered as his hands shook.

"I don't make the rules, Luc, I just bend them. Tell you what I'll do. I can see that you need a bit of time to think things over. However, be aware that time is not on your side. If you still accept my offer I'll be in touch."

"And if I do accept your offer, just how am I supposed to get in touch with you?" Lucius asked raising his chained hands upward.

Janus smiled and he walked toward the long row of stone steps to leave. "You're Lucius Malfoy," Janus said emphasizing both names. "You can figure that one out."

"Who exactly are you, other than this name, Janus?" Lucius asked as Janus stepped up onto the first step.

"Today, Lucius, I am your angel in disguise. Just remember that." He waved his wand, and the lights faded leaving Lucius alone in the darkness, holding the Daily Prophet photo of Draco.

"Never forget who you are?" Draco repeated as he stuffed the folded letter back inside the envelope. He began turning the pages of the book and then turned them back when he noticed handwriting on the inside cover. Several people had scrawled messages. Many of them repeated what other entries had said about "having a great time in school," and "how quickly the school year had passed by." Some people had written about "what a good friend James was," and "how smart and intelligent he was."

"James…James?" Draco repeated as he looked at the book once more. "I knew it all along; Janus is a thief!" Draco nodded his head in approval. "Bloody laundry-folding book thief!" Draco continued to read the other entries before a certain one caught his attention more than the others. "James," Draco began whispering it aloud to himself. "It's been fun. You're a good friend, but too quiet. I bet I read about you and Dovie in the papers in a couple of years when you kill someone. But, stay nice and you might be lucky enough to make it through life. Your friend, Bikia."

None of the messages appeared to be from Janus, Draco observed. He began flipping through the book, which had page after page of still pictures showing vacuous-looking teenagers with stupid Muggle hair styles and clothes. Next to each row of faces was a list of names. Draco continued to scan each page, looking for Janus.

"He couldn't have changed that much," Draco whispered as his finger guided down the list on the page. "After all he's not that old, and these people look to be around my age." He flipped through several more pages before coming to a halt when a smug, familiar face stared out of the page at him.

The picture was that of a young teenage boy, approximately seventeen years of age. Sandy brown hair fell to the top of the teenager's eyes and hung down almost to his ears. His eyes were masked behind a pair of thick glasses, however Draco noted that they were definitely hazel in color. He studied the face, in particular how the cheekbones seemed to sit high upon the face and the jawbones came down to a point on the chin. "It's him, looking like an idiot with those glasses. Just like Potter." What Draco saw next confirmed his guess. The young teenager in the picture wore a red shirt with a white scripted, "A", and the words "Crimson Tide."

Gleefully, Draco scanned the list of names, expecting to learn Janus' surname. Supposedly, the names were listed in order from the leftmost picture to the right. However, although Janus' picture was on the far left of the page, the name at the top of the list for his row was James Ward.

"James Ward," Draco murmured to himself. "Not a book thief- a liar!"

"Found you! Draco sneered. "Now what else can I find out about you in this book." He flipped through every page, reading every caption under each picture, as his mind repeated the name over and over.

"President of the student council." Draco read from the page. "Mu Alpha Theta." He turned the page and saw a large photo of James Ward dressed in a blood-red gown and matching cap with a white and red tassel hanging to one side. "Most likely to succeed." Draco read the words under the picture as many thoughts and ideas circled through his brain.

"Succeed at what? Murder? Why did you change your name?" Draco whispered as he closed the book and tossed it onto the table. "What caused you to be like this?" He drummed his fingers on the table as he glared into the shadowy chest again. Draco dragged it closer to the light, and kneeled down on the floor. He emptied out the remaining pictures that were in the chest and found a red and white coat at the bottom of the chest. He held the coat up at arm's length from his body, looking at the large, red "M" that was sewn on the coat.

"I wonder?" Draco questioned aloud as he searched the exterior pockets, and finding nothing in them. A frustrated grunt escaped his throat as he flung the jacket against his body, disregarding any thoughts of how old the jacket may have been or who had worn it. He slammed his fingers into the interior chest pocket and was relieved to feel some kind of folded parchment. He withdrew his hand, bringing out two separate items.

He gazed at the folded paper items, turning them over in his fingers. "They look like some kind of newspaper clippings," Draco murmured unfolding the first clipping. He sat back in the chair, and opened the clipping full and read the headline. "Tourist family murdered." His eyes narrowed as he read the article.

Southampton authorities are baffled by the discovery of two murdered tourists. The couple's seven year old son was the lone survivor of the grisly ordeal. The young boy was taken to an undisclosed hospital where his injuries will be treated. It is not known at this time if his injuries are life-threatening. Authorities have no leads at this time, and police are withholding all information regarding the family until their next of kin can be located within the United States. The American Embassy, located in London, is launching a full investigation into the case.

"So this must be his 'accident'," Draco said as he read the newspaper clipping once more. He unfolded the other clipping and read the short article.

Sole Survivor Disappears From Hospital

Hospital and police officials are puzzled by the disappearance of the seven year old boy that survived the Southampton murders. The boy's parents were killed last week while they camped in the national park, located just outside of Southampton. Authorities are asking all citizens if you see or have any information regarding the disappearance of James Ward, to please contact the Southampton police department.

"So what exactly caused you to change your identity and become Janus?" Draco folded the clippings and placed them back into the jacket pocket. He tossed the jacket aside as his attention was diverted back into the chest. Pulling out the tie and scarf, Draco scoffed. "I knew he couldn't have been in Slytherin," he said as he flipped the blue and bronze tie and scarf in his hands. "Ravenclaw." Draco's upper lip curled into a defined sneer and his eyebrow arched. "The filthy lot. Just as bad as Gryffindors."

He kneeled down toward the chest to drop the tie and scarf back into it when a low growl came from the darkness of the room. Draco's back stiffened and his eyes widened as the growl became louder. His hands rested on the edge of the open chest, clutching the Ravenclaw scarf. A blood-curdling cry echoed through the room as the sound rushed toward Draco. Socrates jumped on top of the chest lid so that for a few precious seconds he and Draco were nose to nose.

"You bloody-" Draco began before the pain rushed through his body, and registered in his brain. The chest lid had fallen forward, crashing down upon Draco's fingers. The large Siamese hissed and scatted away from the chest as Draco yelled and swore at the cat. Reacting instinctively, he pulled his stinging fingers away from the trunk, dropping the Ravenclaw clothing, and ripping small bits of skin away from his fingers, as he cradled his bleeding hands to his chest.

Anger danced in his eyes as he scanned the room for any traces of the cat. Painfully, he grasped one of the books to use as a weapon against Socrates, as he circled around the room. "Come here, kitty, kitty. So I can beat you to death with this book! If I get a hold of you, you won't have any 'nine lives' left!" The cat hissed loudly as it jumped on top of the bench-top. Draco heaved the book with all of his strength, and watched as it crashed through the apparatus on the slate bench-top. The metal scaffolding teetered, rocking several times before it fell, carrying the glassware with it and making a spectacular noise. Shards flew in all directions, and the odor of whatever had been in the flask made Draco wretch.

Socrates ran past the large cauldron as Draco's foot just missed connecting with the cat's head. "I'll kill you, cat!" Draco screamed as he turned the cauldron over, causing the little bit of potion that was left in it to spill onto the floor. The cat raced away from Draco as he swung wildly with his fist, missing the cat. Furious, he reached for the wooden chair, knocking over the small wooden table in the process. Vials cascaded to the floor, shattering. A choking purple haze rose from the spreading puddle of whatever it was Janus had been collecting. "You're dead, cat!" Draco screamed, swinging the chair as he saw the back legs and tail of the Siamese dash up the stairs. "When I catch you I'll-"

"You'll do what?" Janus' voice boomed from above as he walked down the wooden steps, and surveyed the destruction of the cellar room. Through the dim lighting of the room, Draco could see and even feel the anger emanating from Janus as he came into the room. Draco watched as his gaze went from the cauldron, to the table, to the bench-top, and over to the chest, before settling on Draco's face.

Janus stood at the bottom of the stairs, his hands balled into fists, his arms quivering with rage. Draco began to move toward the stairs before a strong hand viciously dug into his collarbone and lifted him toward the wooden steps. Draco winced as bright flashes of pain sparkled before him in the dim light while he scrambled to break free. "Let go of me, damn it!" Draco yelled as Janus changed his grip on Draco's shoulder to haul him through the small closet door. Janus flung Draco across the corner of the bed, causing the Slytherin to crash shoulder first into the dresser.

"Alright- I'm going!" Draco held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Take me back to the Weasleys', turn me in to the Ministry, I don't care! Just-"

Janus lunged again, clamping one hand over Draco's mouth while the other pinched Draco's left ear in a vice-like grip. He tugged hard on the ear until Draco began moving forward, terrified of where Janus was leading him-to the kitchen, maybe, where there were sharp knives, or to the bathroom, where Janus could drown him and then call it an accident and tell Harry how sorry he was.

His strong grip dragged Draco out of the bedroom and into the hallway while Draco kicked and tried in vain to scream. Janus' hand muffled all of his obscenities, and the fingers clamped on his jaw prevented him from opening his mouth enough to bite. Finally, they reached the door to the spare bedroom. Janus bent down and brought his mouth close to Draco's right ear. "One way or another, Malfoy, after what you done this time, I'm through with you."
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Darkness Within The Light