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Practicing Liars	By : Lomonaaeren Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 63257 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I am not making any money from this story.

Chapter List
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Thank you again for all the reviews!

Chapter Forty-One�Driving
Purpose

�� We should
take her to Dumbledore.�

�� Minerva
stood in the center of Severus�s chambers, her hands on her hips, her face hard
and cold with less compassion than Severus would have thought she would possess
for any student. Of course, the moment Miss Cravens had attacked him, she had
crossed the line from being a student to being an enemy. Perhaps that was the
way Minerva saw the matter as well.

�� Severus sipped
from the glass of brandy Minerva had insisted he have and watched Harry face
his Head of House down.

�� No,� Harry
said. �I don�t trust him anymore.� He shook his head when Minerva gave him a
stern glance. �And no, Professor McGonagall, I can�t tell you why. But I think
it would probably come out that she was a Slytherin before anything else, and
then things would be worse for the other Slytherin students. She has to be
taken away, I know that. But I want to control the way everyone finds out.�

�� That was
entirely Harry�s strategy. There were words in that speech which made Severus
wince. He would have spoken a bit more softly, and he would have given a few
convincing half-hints which would make Minerva less likely to question his suspicions
of the Headmaster.

�� On the other
hand, Minerva had a fondness for Harry that was on his side in any argument he
might have with the old lioness. Though she was fairer to Severus than most of
his colleagues, Severus could not fool himself into thinking that Minerva liked him. She sighed now, and softened,
and she would never have done that for a Slytherin.

�� You�re
sure, Harry?� she asked, with one more distrustful glance at Severus, as if she
suspected him of influencing the boy against the Headmaster. Severus sneered at
her and nodded to Harry, bidding her look where her eyes would be most useful.

�� Yes, ma�am,�
Harry said, perhaps wanting to show that he could respect adults who did
something to deserve that respect. �I�ve
thought about it. Can you contact the Aurors, please? Tell them that a
professor was attacked, but he managed to stop the student responsible. And
then the other details can come out slowly.�

�� That
leaves out anything about you,� Minerva said slowly.

�� Yes,�
Harry replied. His face was stubborn, those green eyes squinted in a way
Severus knew well. �The papers would just want to report that if they heard about me. I don�t care to have my story take
over a page that should be about Death Eaters in the school and someone
arrested because she tried to hurt someone else. So I want to stay out of it.�

�� Permanently?�
Minerva asked, peering over her glasses as if she were trying to tell who this
child was and what he had done with Harry Potter.

�� Not that his name is Potter, if you knew the
truth. Severus contented himself with another sip of brandy rather than
speaking, though. Harry would hardly thank him if he did.

�� Yeah,�
Harry said. �Like I said, I thought about it. I don�t want everyone to fuss
over me. I wasn�t hurt.�

�� Minerva
sighed, but the sound was proud rather than incredulous. For a moment, she let
her hand drop on Harry�s shoulder, and then she turned and nodded to Severus. �I
will contact the Aurors,� she said. Monica Cravens was already drifting in the
air in front of her, still bound in the ropes that Harry had conjured, and still
thoroughly asleep. �If they want to contact you, what should I say?�

�� That I am
resting,� Severus said, having thought about what part he would play in this
deception already. �If they need me to make a statement, I will. But I imagine
they will be little interested,� he added. �I have dealt with the Aurors before,
and they were not much interested then.� He sneered.

�� That
situation was different,� Minerva said.

�� Aurors
have long memories, and so do I,� Severus said coldly.

�� Harry
looked thoughtfully at him for some moments. Minerva rolled her eyes and appeared
to give in, though Severus suspected that had only happened because Harry had specifically
asked. �As you will. If you change your mind, tell me.� She hesitated, then
added, �And I still think that Albus should hear of this. He probably will
anyway, you realize. He has ways of learning what goes on in this school.�

�� You sound
desperately like someone trying to warn us of an evil Dark Lord�s powers,�
Severus drawled. �Go away, will you?�

�� That was
enough to make Minerva depart through the Floo connection, and Cravens went
with her. Severus was just as pleased to see the last of the girl. He was
curious about the spell she had cast on him, but he would as soon research that
on his own, rather than ask her questions. The idea that she would tell the
truth was preposterous in any case, and he already knew that Legilimency was
difficult when employed against her.

�� Do you
mind?�

�� Severus turned
and stared at Harry. He had been so deep in his thoughts that he owned he might
have accidentally ignored a question, but he had not thought there was any
reason for Harry to use that tone.

�� Then he
realized that Harry�s eyes were anxious, along with his voice, and not annoyed.
Severus shook his head, certain he had missed something. �Do I mind what?�

�� Do you
mind that I�m probably going to be an Auror?� Harry watched him, measuring
slight movements and sounds and other metrics invisible to Severus. While he
had been a wary child and served a master who repaid cautious attention, he
still did not know exactly what abuse Harry had endured. �Since you hate them,
and everything.�

�� Severus met
his son�s eyes and sat there for a moment until the shock of finding himself in
this position wore off. He sometimes had to lie awake in bed for several
minutes each morning before he remembered that it was not a dream that he had a
son. �Of course not.�

�� Harry
frowned at him. �Why not?�

�� Because you
are my son,� Severus said. He wondered how he was to explain anything to that uncomprehending
stare. Harry had never learned that people might make differences and exceptions
to their usual prejudices because he was family. Because he was the Boy-Who-Lived,
yes, but Severus hoped that he knew better than to compare the two situations. �Because
I know that you will not resemble the other Aurors. If I had been tortured by a
Potions master, and was not one myself, I would still accept it if you desired
to become one. Your ambitions do not align you with them in my mind.�

�� Harry
nodded slowly, peering at him all the while, as if he thought Severus would
change his mind in a few minutes and he didn�t want to miss it when it
happened. Then he shook his head and said, �There was another reason I didn�t
want McGonagall to contact Dumbledore.� He reached into a pocket and pulled out
a crumpled-looking bit of paper, which he held out to Severus.

�� Severus read
the note quietly, and then looked up at Harry. His face must have held
something he would have preferred to subdue, because Harry flinched and took a
step back. Severus shook his head at himself in irritation and kept his voice
as quiet as possible. �How did you get this? Did you show it to anyone else?�

�� It came in
my food,� Harry said. �Part of a piece of bread. And I brought it to you because
I thought Draco would probably tell me I was right no matter what, but you
would tell me whether it was stupid not to go to Dumbledore�s office.� He was
twisting his hands together, and Severus had a sudden strong flash of what he
would have looked like when he was younger and made the same gesture. �I mean�he
does have valuable information. Maybe I�m resenting what he did too much.�

�� No,�
Severus said, and at least he thought his voice was not a bark, because it
produced no flinch in Harry this time. �You did exactly right.�

�� Harry took
a deep breath, and a flush colored his cheeks. Severus also did not think it
was his imagination that Harry stood a little taller.

�� Are compliments that rare in his world? Severus
thought, and then answered himself out of the knowledge he possessed of his
son, which was still far too scanty. Sincere
ones are.

�� Good,�
Harry said. �But�well, I don�t know if I trust anything he says, but he seemed
pretty serious about luring Voldemort in to attack the school. That means that
we have to be ready to face him when he comes.� He hesitated again, bracing his
shoulders as if to push against an immovable wall, and then said in almost a
whisper, �That means we have to finish the Entwining Potion, sir, doesn�t it?�

�� Yes,�
Severus said, and if Harry frowned at him curiously, Severus himself knew the
emotions weighing his voice down were affection and grief. He set the glass of
brandy aside and leaned forwards. �Choose the time.�

�� Harry
half-shut his eyes, a gesture that made Severus wonder if he would have
preferred to have the time fixed for him. But control over the date was the
only control Severus could offer him in this situation. He waited, and Harry
finally whispered, �Saturday. Saturday evening. No one will notice if I look
sleepy during the evening and say I�m going up to my room after I get out of�out
of it.�

�� Very well,�
Severus said, simultaneously proud and saddened. �It will be your privilege to
choose who is in attendance. I believe you will wish Draco, but what about
Weasley and Granger?�

�� Harry
swallowed. �I�d like them to, but if you think they�d interfere��

�� I will put
them behind a barrier, if necessary,� Severus said. �I think you need their
presence.�

�� Harry
nodded, and then put his head in his arms. Severus hesitated, wondering if he
needed the touch of a friendly hand. There was no doubt that Draco would
embrace him if he was here.

�� But Severus
was not Draco, and Draco was not his son. Before he had made up his mind about
touching Harry, Harry had lifted his head, nodded to him, and gone to the door.
His steps were a little unsteady, but they became firmer as Severus watched him,
and he opened the door and shut it quietly behind him.

�� Severus
shut his eyes tightly and leaned his head against the back of the chair. There
were many things he could do. He could check on the dose of the Entwining
Potion that would have to work, because
Severus couldn�t stand to put Harry through the pain a third time. He could
read up on spells similar to the one that Cravens had used on him and try to
figure out which it had been. He could take a pain potion and go to bed, which
perhaps would be the most sensible course.

�� Instead, he
sat there, unmoving.

*

�� Harry
curled up. He was in a little room off the main second floor corridor, which he
thought one of the caretakers who was better than Filch must have kept cleaning
supplies in once. There was still a faint smell of something strong and acid.

�� He
concentrated on that, or tried to, and not on the fate he would be walking down
to the dungeons on Saturday to meet.

�� Of course,
his mind looped right back to the subject he most wanted to discourage it from
thinking of.

�� Harry
uttered a breathless whimper, and then told himself he was being an idiot. Why
should he be so afraid of this? It
wasn�t as though he would die. He would come out on the other side of the pain,
and then the Horcrux would be gone, and he could finally fight Voldemort with a
clear conscience and have a chance of winning.

�� Everything
was going to be wonderful.

After
Saturday.

Harry tried to slow his breathing.
If he couldn�t think about something else, at least he could face this without
panicking. What kind of hero would he be if he panicked? Or what kind of
person, he amended, remembering that he had decided he wanted to do more than
play the hero now. There were plenty of people who had to go through worse
things every day. Dumbledore had probably felt worse when he thought that he
would have to kill Harry.

Then Harry laughed in spite of
himself. He knew by the violent resentment that flared to life in his heart
like an ember in open air that he still wasn�t ready to forgive Dumbledore for
that, or even joke about it.

��

�� I�m glad
to hear you laugh. But I would have felt better if I could have found you
earlier.�

�� Harry
looked up with a start. Draco stood in front of him, shaking his head. His eyes
were bright, and so was his smile, in the same way a steel trap was bright.
Harry cleared his throat and shifted uneasily.

�� Sorry,� he
said. �But something happened.�

�� I know
that,� Draco said, stepping up to Harry with a quick motion, as if he was
afraid that Harry would vanish again, and wrapping his arms around him. �Something
always happens to you when I�m not
around to watch you. What was it this time?�

�� Harry
leaned his head on Draco�s shoulder and told him about Monica Cravens and
Dumbledore�s note and the way that he�d had to help save Snape. As he spoke,
the fear and the pain seemed to run out of him as if he�d dumped a heavy cup of
water he was holding. When he finished, he blinked in wonder. �I feel a lot
better now,� he said.

�� Of course
you do,� Draco said, voice tight with something that might have been fury or
exasperation. His arms closed around Harry even harder, until Harry squeaked
and pushed at them so he could breathe, and his voice was harsh. �You should
have told me all your troubles in the first place, instead of waiting.�

�� I didn�t
know where you were.� Harry sniffed the back of Draco�s neck and then licked
it.

�� Draco
squeaked in turn. �Harry, we are trying to have a serious conversation,� he said. �Don�t do things like that.�

�� But I
already know everything you�re going to say,� Harry said innocently, lifting
Draco�s hair out of the way so he could reach his skin better. �And I�ll agree
and look at you with a mournful expression. But really, it�s much better to let
me feel how happy I am now that I�ve told you the truth instead of making me
feel bitter because you gave me a scolding. Don�t you agree?� he added, and
tried another lick.

�� Someone
has to be the adult here,� Draco said, struggling to keep his eyes open and his
voice stern. Since he broke into a moan on the last word, that didn�t sound as
mature and stern as he probably meant to be.

�� This is
very adult,� Harry said, and licked again.

�� They didn�t
get much done that night, unless Harry going back to Gryffindor Tower and
sleeping several restful hours, unbroken by nightmares, counted as �doing
something.� But he enjoyed it all the same.

*

�� What�s Malfoy doing here?�

�� Draco kept
a distrustful eye on Weasley and Granger as they walked into Professor Snape�s
office, but he said nothing. It would make him look like the better person if
he didn�t, and anyway, Harry was already snapping, his voice husky with
irritation. Irritation might keep his mind off what was coming.

�� He�s here
because I�m dating him, and I love him, and I trust him,� Harry said. �Really,
I don�t know why this is so hard for you to grasp.�

�� Granger put
a hand on Weasley�s arm, but Draco knew her expression. She was about to try
her own �reasonable� form of argument and see if it made a dent in Harry�s
determination. Draco didn�t know if he would be able to keep silent under words
that he found more lacerating because they weren�t emerging from someone so
obviously inferior as a Weasley.

�� Luckily,
Professor Snape interfered by that point.

�� I will
have no quarreling,� he snapped, as he pointed his wand at a chair and
Transfigured several of its cushion into thicker and softer ones. �Anyone who
wishes can leave. Anyone who wishes to support my son can stay.� He whirled
around and stared at Granger and Weasley with a hostility that left Draco
breathless.

�� Granger
switched her gaze to him instead, and looked the way Draco had sometimes seen
her look when she was intently reading a book about a subject new to her. Most
likely, she was trying to envision the professor as Harry�s father. Weasley opened
his mouth, closed it again, and muttered something sullen. That left Harry and
Draco able to get further into the office and Draco to take up the best
position next to the chair.

�� Harry stood
in front of the chair for long moments. He was staring steadily at it, and to
see him from the back, you would think he wasn�t afraid at all. But Draco could
see the pale sheen to his skin and the glazed expression in his eyes.

�� It�s all
right,� Draco said, under his breath, leaning forwards until his eyes were an
inch from Harry�s. He let his breath travel across Harry�s lips in a reminder
of kisses they couldn�t share in front of other people. �I�m right here.�

�� Harry
reached out and squeezed his wrist tightly enough to make Draco wince. But at
least his eyes were sane again. He climbed into the chair and settled himself
with his arms resting on the chair�s arms. He almost looked as if he would have
preferred to be chained down, but he sat still.

�� Weasley and
Granger came towards them. Granger bit her lip and looked back and forth between
Harry and the vial that Professor Snape held. Weasley was trying to push his
chin into the air, but he wasn�t very successful. Draco hoped for the sake of
the entire wizarding world that Weasley wouldn�t become an Auror the way he
seemed to plan on; Aurors occasionally had to be able to lie.

�� You�ll be
fine, mate,� Weasley said quietly. Draco was surprised and impressed in spite
of himself. He hadn�t thought Weasley would be able to lay his prejudice
against Slytherins aside long enough to encourage Harry.

�� I hope so,�
Harry said, and then turned to Snape as if he had forgotten the rest of them
existed. Draco took his hand again. Harry squeezed back and opened his mouth to
swallow the potion. Draco wondered why Professor Snape was pouring it into his
mouth instead of giving Harry the vial, but then thought about the temptation
for Harry to smash the vial on the ground, and decided that Snape was probably
wise.

�� Harry
stiffened and shut his eyes. A low whine worked its way out of his throat.
Draco swallowed and tried to remain calm.

�� What does
the potion do?� Granger asked.

�� Draco shot
her an angry glance, but didn�t say anything when he realized that her fingers
were locked in the sleeves of her robe. Asking for information was one way for
her to survive stressful situations, he supposed.

�� It removes
the shard of soul that makes him a Horcrux from his soul,� Snape said. His
voice was low and calm. Draco could only tell what he felt from the fixed way
that his eyes stayed on Harry. �I have tested it once, and the first dose
shifted the Horcrux slightly and proved that Harry had no specific allergies to
the ingredients of the potion. Now the second dose will close on the piece of
the Dark Lord�s soul and move it further to the side and out, helped by the way
the first dose functioned.�

�� It isn�t only Granger who gets comfort from
talking about facts and potions, Draco thought, with a quick flash of
amusement.

�� Harry
howled.

�� That was
what it reminded Draco of: not a scream of pain, but the howl a werewolf would
make as it went through its transformation. He had once heard that the pain of
the change was so intense that werewolves survived it only because it was
condensed into a single moment, not spread out over several.

�� But from
the sounds Harry was making, this pain was continuous. Draco thought Harry
would break his wrist from the way he was pressing down. That was almost the
only movement Harry made, though. He sat still in the chair, not even turning
his head from side to side. Draco looked into his eyes, which were open, and
then away again.

�� Professor Snape
dropped to one knee and began to murmur something. Draco had no idea if it was
comforting words or some spell that was meant to ease the pain, if it could be
eased; the professor kept his voice too low for Draco to hear.

�� A
startling, unnatural light flared around Harry�s body. Draco caught his breath
and stared at Professor Snape. �That didn�t happen the first time,� he said. �Did
it?� He had to admit, the time with the first Entwining Potion was filled with
so many wishes that Harry�s torment would stop
that he couldn�t be sure he remembered it accurately.

�� No,� Snape
said, his voice strained. �Harry�s magic is fighting the assault on his soul
that the potion makes.�

�� The assault
on his soul?� Weasley snapped, and
started to draw his wand with an unfortunately heroic movement. �What did you do to him?�

�� Granger
moved in front of him, tears so brilliant in her eyes that they never seemed to
actually fall. �It�s the only way, Ron!� she shouted, over the sound of Harry�s
screams. �This has to work, or else
Harry will never be able to face Voldemort!�

�� In the
midst of everything, Draco found room for a spark of hilarity that the name
made Weasley, and Professor Snape, and Draco himself, flinch.

�� Harry�s
voice died into a high, shrill sob of despair. Draco heard something pop in his
arm where Harry held it, but he didn�t feel it. His attention was split between
the way Harry sat stiff and quiet in the chair and the expression on Professor
Snape�s face, as though he were watching all his Potions books being destroyed
before his eyes.

�� Then a
black mist obscured Harry�s head.

�� Draco
flinched back in revulsion at the vision he saw, which he never knew the source
of, or even whether or not it was real. He saw a red-golden snake wrapped
around a black one, eating it alive. The black snake tried frantically to
escape, but the red-golden one swallowed it relentlessly, shining like fire all
the while. When the tail of the black one vanished, the red-golden one shone in
the air for a moment before it melted.

�� Harry
opened his mouth and vomited up a sticky, emerald-green mass of potion. Snape
snatched him up and held him close, not minding the shining stain on his robe
at all. He closed his eyes, and Draco had to turn away from the expression of
profound relief on his face.

�� Granger
surged forwards and did what she could to hug Harry�s foot around Snape�s body.
Weasley came up behind her, pale and solemn. Draco rearranged himself so that
he could reach one of Harry�s dangling arms.

�� Professor
Snape turned away from them all, sheltering Harry with his body. Granger and
Weasley recoiled from what they saw in his face; Draco didn�t, but he did put
his hands behind his back. He thought touching Harry might not be a good idea
right now.

�� The
Horcrux is gone,� Professor Snape said. Draco thought he would add something
about how they could defeat the Dark Lord now, but instead his words were
little different from a snarl when he continued, �And he is hurt. I am taking him with me.�

�� He opened
the office door and disappeared down the corridor in what Draco knew would be
the direction of his private quarters. Weasley and Granger showed more sense
than he�d dreamed they had and didn�t try to follow. Instead, they looked at
each other, and then Granger leaned on Weasley and Weasley put his arm around
her.

�� He really
is Harry�s dad,� Weasley muttered.

�� Any moment,
Draco told himself, he would laugh at Weasley�s tone of disbelief.

�� Any moment
now.

�� Really.

�� Maybe when I can forget what Harry looked
like as he suffered.

*

�� polka dot:
Snape probably would if not for their trying to kill him, and all.

�� DTDY: Thank
you!

�� anciie:
Yes, I�m planning to work Blaise in in a few chapters.

�� Snape was
mostly relieved that Harry was there, along with worried that Cravens would get
the best of him.

�� k lave
demo: Yes, Dumbledore has lost all power to make Harry do as he asks. If he
were more open and not full of secrets, then maybe Harry would be more willing to
trust him.

�� koki: Thank
you!

�� Sneakyfox:
No problem. Glad you got to read more.

�� Yagami
Raito: Thank you!

�� Putting
characters in situations like this, situations that would never happen in
canon, is always a bit tricky. I did wonder if Snape became too close to Harry
too soon, though I tried to explain that a bit with his obsession about
protecting others of his blood. But in general, I�m pleased with the way the
story�s turned out.

�� SP777:
Thanks! Since Snape was a spy, I think it�s not impossible he would have
learned some investigatory tricks as well.

�� Betas have
helped me with a few longer stories, but not with most of them.
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Practicing Liars