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Welcome, The Darkness Infused	By : Prophecies Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 5135 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Author's
Sticky:

Haven't heard from my beta yet. Don't
know whats up with her, so this is yet again unbeta'd. Will update with beta'd
version. *Shrug*.

Chapter 6: New Old and Grim
place

Harry wrenched his arm loose as soon as his bare
feet touched the ground, spun around so fast that he almost crashed drunkenly to
the stone pavement like plummeting hail and stalked off, uncaring where he was
or where he was going.

He couldn�t find himself to care; anywhere that
would assure Snape�s presence out of
his immediate vicinity would do just fine.

He could not believe McGonagall had actually sent
him off with Snape on the ridiculously delusional, not to mention
highly improbable task that
constituted of extracting his wand from beyond the afterlife.

He couldn�t believe it.

Voldemort had ordered Malfoy dead. And when
Voldemort ordered you dead you were
dead.

It was that simple.

He exempted himself of course, but that
could hardly be considered the same. He was after all The Chosen One, he thought snidely.

He very much doubted Malfoy had been blessed with
the same �luck� that would enable him to miraculously escape the wrath of the
most fearsome wizard of all time, in some extravagant, dramatic way that would
have left anyone dubious for months, wondering if they truly weren�t dead after
all. Not him though. He had become used to it�

For him, it just about had been a fixed
requirement on each school years curriculum.

He snorted out loud as Snape fell into step beside
him, pointedly not looking at Harry, but Harry noted with satisfaction that his
face was darkened with an icy stare focussed on the cobbled pathway stretched
before them; surely, he could not be too delighted with the arrangement either.

He was on the point of turning around; he�d hoped
he had stormed off in the direction Snape had not intended to go, when he
finally became aware of his surroundings.

They were walking in a cramped alleyway that
looked decidedly worse for wear; the stone dour walls loomed and were covered
with grime and a sort of eerie yellowish substance Harry wouldn�t mind not ever
finding the source of, the cobblestones were a dark brown which he doubted had
been their original colour, and so severely cracked that at first glance it
looked to be dried fractured manure.

He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the smell that
protruded and found his nose on a gust of wind. Why had Snape brought him here
of all places? He refused to believe that in the unlikely event that Malfoy was alive, he would be hiding in a place
not even dogs would linger.

He opened his mouth to demand their immediate
departure; he didn�t care what Snape wanted, he was not going to spend his first
conscious afternoon in a week prancing around in nightclothes without slippers
that still hadn�t imagined themselves around his feet, just so that Snape could
preen in what was unquestionably his natural habitat, when he noticed the alley
was about to end in an abrupt halt and stopped.

Snape on the other hand wasn�t slowing down in the
least; in fact he marched right through the filthy yellow-goo streaked wall. His
body seemed to consolidate with it before he vanished from view.

Harry stood gaping at the barrier and only started
forward when Snape�s impatient �Magic, Potter it�s magic!� startled him
out of his stupor.

It was very much like stepping through the barrier
at platform 9 and �. His face burned when he found Snape waiting with a sneer on
the other side of the wall, arms crossed and tapping his foot irately. �One
would think,� he started contemptuously, �that with six years of attendance to a
magical school occupied with magic and magical people and you being a wizard, an however ignorantly
substandard one, you would manage not to shriek like a Muggle at every magical incident!�

�I did not shriek!� Harry snapped indignantly,
but Snape had already turned his back on him dismissively and was walking to a
derelict shed that slanted hazardously to one side as if some enormous weight
pulled it down. Harry peered around and became aware that the shed and they were
standing in what appeared to be a small, ominous courtyard in front of what had
to be the back of a shady looking building that looked strangely familiar�

The courtyard amounted to a small patch of thick
knee-high weed in which various exotic looking plants and flowers; he vaguely
recalled from one of his Herbology textbooks and was sure if Nevile were to see
would have a fit, towered as tall as he. Leaving a small path that in his
opinion did not deserve that title; it was mostly a row of mismatched stones
variable in sizes some big the majority as small as his fist with large gaps of
mud in between, to lead from the wall to the shed.

�What is this place?� Harry demanded waspishly.

Snape who had reached the little shed did not
answer but started rummaging and prodding his wand at the many locks, chains and
padlocks spread more or less across the entire door.

Harry scowled darkly at Snape�s back and muttered
under his breath, �See that you return,
Severus,� in a high-pitched singsong voice.

This place certainly didn�t look so dangerous. Why
in Merlin�s name, would Snape not return? And why for that matter had McGonagall
not included him he thought petulantly; he was after all the one who had
basically been forced to go along!
No� kidnapped!

A purplish looking flower dotted with orange and
gold near him started to open, the Stigma clearly visible through hundreds of
sharp tiny teeth hidden within the petals. It snapped for his head and almost
caught his ear before he could manage to squeak and awkwardly hop from stone to
stone as fast as he could hop not wanting to get his feet any muddier than was
necessary, into the shed Snape had just managed to open.

He almost toppled right down the stairs that
immediately started following the threshold; but found his footing just in time
to descend the rickety stairs in a much undignified manner.

So it wasn�t a shed, he thought grumpily not
waiting on Snape to make some snarky comment about his �ineptness�. The steps
creaked loudly underneath him, as he wobbled down and he grimaced as his left
foot stepped into something squishy and hurried on.

He heard the door rattle shut and locks click back
into place above him followed by echoing footsteps and a muttered Lumos that
swept a pale glow over the staircase as the light outside was cut off.

He wasn�t able to see very far ahead, not even
when he squinted his eyes, but he did notice that the stairway looked to become
narrower the farther they descended.

They walked in silence. Walls kept on creeping
closer and closer as they went lower and eventually he cast a doubtful glance
over his shoulder at Snape who was now close behind him, his sallow face the
essence of dissatisfaction as he barked, �Keep moving!� as if Harry had been the
one to suggest they�d go wherever they were going!

He kept his mouth shut and gritted his
teeth, not wanting to embarrass himself any further then he already had.

Soon they had to turn their bodies sideways to be
able to proceed down, and he looked at Snape incredulously as he glowered at him
threateningly, but kept shuffling forward regardless.

�Turn around, this is ridiculous!� Harry said
finally, ignoring Snape�s grim expression as the walls pressed down on him from
both sides. �These stairs are obviously leading to nowhere! I can�t believe I actually followed-�

Snape shoved him hard with his shoulder, pushing him down the remaining steps of
the tapered stairs.

Harry�s eyes widened as he saw the walls that
connected before him in a solid corner through the flimsy light that shone from
Snape�s wand, and for a second his stomach tightened and he feared his scalp was
going to be split open on the impact that never actually came because he went
right through the corner and into a linking wall, hands and arms flailing.

Then he thought he was going to be stuck inside that wall, but he kept on
flailing and falling until he fell through the end of the wall, through what appeared to be a cabinet
that was standing against it and on a
wooden pallet on which an assembly of pointy objects stood that pierced his side
as he crashed on to them with a loud groan.

He rolled over slowly just as Snape calmly walked
through the cabinet, stepped over him and what he now recognised to be an
assortment of canned food and tins, then stooped over him indifferently.

�You� utter� bastard!� Harry growled, between
gasps of pain, trying to scramble onto his hands and knees without causing his
stomach to twinge too much.

�I had no idea you were so fragile, Potter,� started Snape, his
dark eyes glinting sardonically, he shook his head in forged wonder before he
continued, �particularly after the terrible tribulations you went through with
the Dark Lord all these years.� He straightened and smoothed his robes with long
delicate fingers.

�If I had known�had expected for only a second I
would never have been so careless as to �brush� your shoulder ever so lightly
going down a flight of stairs.

�My heart weeps, I�m terribly sorry,� he said
tonelessly. �Will you ever find it in your heart to forgive me?� finished Snape
as insincerely as humanly possible rolling his eyes, lips curling in utmost
disgust and without waiting for an answer he swept out of the small pantry
leaving Harry spluttering and seething with rage on the
pallet.

Who did the man think he was, pushing people down
stairs! He could have been killed, fallen and broken his neck!

For some odd reason he did not precisely
understand, he found that notable thought unequivocally worse than getting his
head sliced off by Voldemort.

He also found himself desperately wishing to find
Malfoy here, wherever here was, so that he could have is wand and hex Snape into
oblivion!

He got up on to his feet and tried to storm
after Snape intimidatedly but the effect was ruined by his right leg that limped
pathetically, giving him the look of a deranged giraffe. A deranged giraffe
missing a leg he amended sullenly.

But he really did not care; he could not allow
Snape to treat him like this. It was conclusive that Snape would never stop out
of his own accord, if Harry did not put an end to it now, did not show the man
that he was not going to put up with his sadistic behaviour he would find
himself dragged into another dispute very soon.

He limped out of the pantry for which he barely
spared a glance, his face set into a scowl he wished he had practiced beforehand
in a mirror, slammed the door open that had drifted shut after Snape�s departure
and almost fell flat on his face as he took in the familiar rough-hewn walls,
the dresser, the large stone fireplace, the table framed by many chairs and the
heavy set of iron pots and pans that hung from the dark ceiling
above.

But there was something decidedly different about
the kitchen of number twelve
Grimmauld Place. There were house-elves, a lot of
them, bustling in or out, sweeping the floor, cleaning the table, straightening
this or that, carrying arm loads full of bundles and preparing meals.

Harry goggled with his mouth hanging open, the
initial shock of having been brought into Sirius�s home through some shady back
entrance he hadn�t been aware of replaced itself with the occurring commotion
that was playing itself out in front of him, that soon transformed itself into
outrage at the intrusion of the house that was now his which switched back into the wrath
he had been about to unleash on Snape before he had hobbled into the kitchen,
but now for entire different reasons.

He had never wanted to see the inside of this
house again. This house that had oppressed his godfather, this house that had
driven him away. He blamed this house as much for Sirius his death as he did
himself. He realised it was irrational, knew it was outright ridiculous but that
did not change how he felt.

The house-elves had now all stopped and turned to
look at him wide-eyed. One skimpy looking elf yelped nervously and vanished with
a soft pop which subsequently led to
a succession of pops and before he could form the words to demand an explanation
he was left standing in the kitchen alone.

He pushed his jaws together loudly and was about
to stomp across the kitchen to the stairs that would bring him to the entrance
hall when he changed his mind.

He was not going to run after Snape like some pet! He would
stay right here until Snape would come to him, and when Snape did, he would ignore
him. Yes, Harry would give Snape a taste of his own medicine; see how he would
like it.

Instead of the stairs, he started for the table
and sat down on one of the many chairs situated around it. He peered around
silently. The kitchen was absolutely spotless. It was true that he, Hermione and
the Weasleys had attempted to clean up the whole house two years ago and he had
to admit that it had looked a lot better when they had finished.

But this was something else; everything and every
surface gleamed and twinkled in the light of the hearth that was burning
contentedly. The wooden floor was polished and shone like a beacon, the
cupboards and drawers looked as if new and the table was an appealing dark oak
and it was stainless.

His stomach grumbled loudly as his eyes
caught sight of a plate that held a casserole of meat and vegetables topped with
sliced potatoes and he realised that he was absolutely famished, which of course
was to be expected after not eating solids for a week and not having eaten
anything all day.

In no time he retrieved utensils from the dresser
in the corner and dug in wholeheartedly, licking his fingers and lips and not
intending to leave a single crumb on his plate when he was finished.

He was savouring the taste of the delicate food in
his mouth when he heard angry footsteps coming down the stairs. He didn�t look
up; instead he smoothed his face off all expression and kept on eating as if he
hadn�t a care in the world, just someone sitting in his own house enjoying his
food.

The footsteps stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
Refusing to acknowledge Snape in anyway, he pushed a carrot in his mouth and
made a show of gnawing away blissfully.

But there was only silence.

He skewered a bit of potato onto his fork
next and shovelled it in and chewed slowly. He listened to the fire sputter and
crackle as the flames danced amongst the logs and rapped his foot against the
base of the leg of his chair in a steady �tap� �tap�.

This food was really good he thought
absent-mindedly, he had eaten something like this before of course but something
about the taste was different, although he couldn�t put his finger on
it.

The fire kept on crackling and he tapping his foot
and eating. He was almost half way through when the footsteps tentatively came
closer.

Slim fingers attached to a fair and soft
looking hand crossed his line of vision and placed a wand in front of his plate.
He froze in the motion of cutting a piece of casserole and stared at his wand
lying before him. He had not missed his wand. Not up on till now. He could not
explain it but seeing his wand lying there so close before him, it was as if
someone had returned one of his organs he had not been aware he was missing, but
now that he had it back he felt a bit more complete, a bit more whole.

He dropped his knife and fork with a clatter and
snatched his wand from the tabletop and as he slid his fingers over the smooth
and supple surface of eleven inches of Holly, he promised himself that he would
never let it out of his sight ever
again.

After everything that had occurred since their
arrival in London, Harry could not muster any surprise
when he turned in his chair and looked into cool slate coloured
eyes.

�You�re welcome Potter, no need to thank me for
returning your wand,� came the lazy drawl of Draco Malfoy as he leaned idly
against the side of the table.

A week�s time had done Malfoy good. He looked as
immaculate as ever, his perfect robes pressed perfectly, his perfect boots shone
perfectly and his perfect blond hair fell around his face in perfect blond
tresses. Only a faint trace of a shadow underneath his eyes, and his cheeks that
were still slightly hollow showed any sign that Malfoy had not lived his best
week.

It made Harry very self conscious about the fact
that he was smudged with dirt and still
wearing his pyjamas.

�I wasn�t planning on it,� he snapped at
Malfoy.

�No need to be so tetchy, a little gratitude would
not be misplaced,�

�Maybe if you hadn�t tried to trade my life for
your Death Eater father,� Harry spat, �I would not have lost it in the first
place!�

Malfoy had the audacity to roll his eyes and
sneer, �You�re still alive, aren�t you.�

�Not thanks to you,� he bit out.

Malfoy shrugged and smirked, �That�s not the point
is it?� as he walked around the table to take a seat at the other end far away
from him. �The point is that you are
still alive, and the fact that you are still alive means that I haven�t killed you,� he stated,
pausing to study his nails. �And because I haven�t killed you, you have no reason whatsoever to be
upset. I�ve returned your wand, you should be grateful,� he finished
matter-of-factly.

�Grateful? You stole it from me!�

�Borrowed,
Potter, I borrowed it from you,�
he corrected pleasantly with a scornful smile fixed on his face. �I lost mine at
the time and was in desperate need for another. Besides, if I had stolen it from
you I wouldn�t have given it back now, would I?�

Harry did not answer instead he tried to count to
ten in his head but only got to four before he started smashing his potatoes and
vegetables with his fork viciously.

�You�re eating my Lancashire Hotpot, why?�

�You�re in my house, why?� Harry retorted coldly.

�This is you�re house?� asked Malfoy
incredulously.

�Yes,� he answered irately. �And I want you and your ridiculous house-elves to get
out! I know they�re yours; only you
would bring a dozen house elves to cater to your pathetic little needs when everybody
else has far more significant things to worry about!� he shouted, losing his
temper anyway.

He could not believe Malfoy had asked him to be
grateful, grateful! That pompous git
had nearly got himself and him killed
by Voldemort and acted like he had done nothing, nothing whatsoever wrong! Coming into
Sirius�s home acting like he owns the place with his army of
elves!

�You�ve lost your purpose; you�ve given me back my
wand. I don�t give a damn if you have no place to go, you can curl up and die
for all I care. As long as you do it some place far away from
me!�

He was breathing heavily and he became aware that
he was now on his feet and pointing his wand directly at Malfoy. That wall that
guarded his emotions seemed to throb in tune with his heartbeat and he felt the
trickle of dark magic the Releaser had left in him blaze
furiously.

Malfoy�s face had gone deathly pale as he stared
at Harry in shock and had scrambled as far away from him as possible. Harry was
reminded of the way Hermione and Ron had looked at him, but he couldn�t bring
himself to care if Malfoy saw him like they had, it didn�t concern him the least
if he frightened Malfoy with his appearance.

He showed his teeth in an unfriendly grin and
opened his eyes wide; hoping they were still black and very
disturbing.

He remembered what had happened when he had showed
Malfoy a little compassion, a little understanding. He would not make the same
mistake again.

He hated Malfoy and everything he had done in his
short life. He wanted him to be gone.

�Get. Out!� he hissed dangerously, lashing out
with his wand. It wasn�t even a spell, just some sparks and bangs, but it was
enough to send Malfoy fleeing up the stairs.

�And take Snape with you while you�re at it!� he
called after him.

Slowly walking back to his chair he dropped
himself on to it in an attempt to calm down.

He shoved his plate away roughly. His
appetite had left.

Staring into wavering flames with both hands in
his hair and elbows on the table, he wished Ron and Hermione were here with him.
They would have helped him. Hermione would have known what to do; she always
knew what to do.

He sighed loudly into the deserted kitchen; he
knew he couldn�t ask them to come even if he wanted them to. He was not going to
get them killed merely for his own benefit. He already had gotten enough people
killed at the wedding.

Just like he had gotten Ginny killed�

He felt that stoic wall deep inside him shift, but
he steeled himself and the feeling was gone before he could figure out what it
was.

He held no illusions to who was to blame. Those
Death Eaters hadn�t come to kill the Weasleys. They had come because he had been there. The people they had
managed to murder on the path towards him had all just been a good laugh to
them.

Scrimgeour. He needed to have a good chat with the
minister. The protection shield that had been cast over The Burrow could not
have been breached without the Ministry knowing. What had gone wrong? However
much he disliked Scrimgeour and his politics, he could not believe the minister
had been in league with Voldemort and his Death Eaters, but someone inside the
Ministry obviously was and he intended to find out exactly
who.

He was going to go to the Ministry and then
he was going to go to Godrics Hollow.

He looked down at himself and grimaced; he
couldn�t go to the Ministry of Magic looking like he had just tumbled out of bed
and expect to be taken seriously.

He looked around the kitchen, but other than his
half eaten plate of food and an assortment of kitchen appliances nothing could
be found that would be of any help to him.

Then something clicked in his head and he shouted,
�Kreacher!�

A dingy looking door opened across from the pantry
and an ancient looking elf whose skin appeared to be several sizes too large
slinked out of the cupboard with his shoulders hunched. The rag he had tied
around his middle left his chest bare; it looked even filthier than when Harry
had last seen him.

��filthy half-blood, but Kreacher has to obey,
poor mistress, if she could see Kreacher now, oh the shame�� the elf muttered
under its breath in a deep scratchy voice.

Harry gave the elf a disgusted look, he did not
have time for Kreacher�s gibberish, and he did not wish to spend any more time
than was necessary in its company. �Shut up I can hear you Kreacher,� he
snapped. Why hadn�t he been in Hogwarts like Harry had told him to? He would ask
him later.

Kreacher froze, stopped his muttering and bowed
ridiculously low so that his snout-like nose touched the floor.

�Master called Kreacher?� he said before adding in
undertones ��oh how he had hoped Master would never return, Kreacher would have
been oh so pleased if Master had died like that blood traitor, Kreacher could go
live with his real family and-�

�I said shut up!� roared Harry; he had gone cold
as ice when Kreacher started about Sirius. His wand twitched and he would have
liked nothing better than to hex Kreacher into next week.

�Don�t talk, don�t even think!� he ordered the elf angrily. �I
want you to go upstairs and get me some of Malfoy�s clothes and robes.�

Kreacher looked as if he were about to have a
seizure, his wrinkled face widened and his eyes wanted to pop out of his head,
his mouth opened and closed but miraculously nothing came out. When he realised
he could not utter a single word and not even his thoughts would come out he
directed the most venomous look he could achieve at Harry and
scowled.

�Oh, and some socks and shoes and underwear, I
need a cloak as well,� added Harry with satisfaction. �Malfoy must have brought
plenty, he won�t even miss them. Besides, I�m just borrowing them,� he added bitterly.
�Clean ones, no dirty Malfoy underwear mind you Kreacher, ones without holes and
tears, and if I find even one maggot
or slug inside my pants, shirt or any other thing you�re to bring me, I will order you to boil your own head,�
he added amiably.

Kreacher bowed one last time and gave Harry one
last nasty look; to which Harry only smiled, before he vanished with a popping
noise.

Harry went to the sink, found a piece of cloth in
one of the cupboards and a bar of soap and started washing his face. He took off
his shirt and pants and started scrubbing gently; wincing every so often when he
pressed his bruises too firmly, and was soon clean. Well as clean as he could be
without taking a shower.

He didn�t want to go upstairs and risk running
into Snape. Snape would not let him leave. They could figure out what exactly
the pendant had done to him, when he
had time for it. He was not going to be bossed around by anyone any longer.
Everyone else always pretended they knew better, knew what was best for him and
ordered him about. He was tired of it, very tired.

He told Kreacher to go back to his filthy
niche in the cupboard and stay there until he told him to come out as soon as
the elf had returned with a bundle of clothes that he seemed to want to throw in
Harry�s face.

Harry inspected the bundle and glowered at the
clothes within. Kreacher had done exactly as he had asked; the clothes were
striking and looked more expensive then his entire wardrobe put together, but
what annoyed him was the theme of silver and green that dominated the fabrics.
He hadn�t thought of colours, he should have.

He was certain Kreacher had chosen Slytherin
colours just to spite him.

There was nothing for it now; he didn�t want to
waste anymore time by ordering Kreacher to get different clothes. At least the
velvet cloak looked thin and comfortable, he thought irritably; it was a dark
soft sparkling grey that looked almost black when the light caught it from
different angles.

Once he had finished dressing he had to admit that
the silk boxers felt quite nice, and the black trousers that weren�t too bad
either, covered the lurid green.

The satin silver shirt that bore green embroidered
dragons around the cuffs and neck he didn�t like so much; it was too shimmery
and extravagant for his liking, and exactly the sort of thing he imagined Malfoy
to wear in his free time.

Luckily, the black robes that unluckily had a big
silver dragon slashed across the back that was luckily hidden by the velvet grey
cloak, hid most of it.

The black dragon hide boots that had lots of
silver buckles and ended just below the knee were a bit cramped around his toes,
but he didn�t complain since the alternative would be far less
comfortable.

He didn�t wear the green leather belt that had a
huge buckle shaped in the form of unsurprisingly yet another dragon, because he didn�t need
to and was thankful for it.

Everything fit, for which he was also
thankful.

He wet his hands with water and raked his fingers
through his hair in an attempt to tame it, which turned out to be not such a
grand idea as it instantly became clear that his hair instead of lying flat now
all stood up instead of just partly
up. He really did not know why he continued to bother.

He was glad there was no mirror present. He bet he
looked like a real ponce; if Fred and George ever were to see him like this they
would never let him live it down.

Pleased that he was finally wearing clothes even
if they were Malfoy�s; his pleasure growing when it occurred to him that Malfoy
would be mortified if he knew what Harry was wearing, he took his wand from the
counter where he had placed it before washing his face and intended to Apparate
near the visitors entrance of the Ministry when Snape thundered down the stairs
with great menacing strides.

�What have you done!� Snape demanded at
once.

�You mean after you manhandled me and nearly broke
my ribs?� he asked coolly, Snape had not even the decency to look even a little
ashamed, instead his face darkened. �I had a late brunch,� he answered; he was
not going to let Snape get to him.

�What did you do to him?� hissed Snape as he
stalked closer and stopped a few paces away.

�To who?� asked Harry innocently, as if there
could be any question to who Snape meant.

Snape glared at him. �You know very well who!� he
shouted. �Draco. What did you say to him? I told him to return your wand and
shortly after he came running up as if he had seen a ghost. I didn�t think
anything of it, the boy has just lost his mother, but he has barricaded himself
up in his room and refuses to come out!� he finished angrily shooting Harry
accusing stares.

Harry shrugged. �I told him to get out of my
house, but it appears he couldn�t even get that right.�

He would have thought Snape would hit him or
something after that admission, you never knew with Snape; he had after all
pushed him off the stairs, so he was quite taken aback when Snape merely closed
his eyes, pinched his nose and exhaled despairingly.

�Potter,� he started slowly. �You do realise Draco
has no where else to go?� he asked calmly.

�How is that my problem?� inquired Harry
coldly. �He tried to kill me. Sorry
if I�m not jumping through hoops to help my would-be murderer.�

Snape only nodded.

�Do you also realise,� he said levelly, �that if
the Dark Lord becomes aware of the fact that Malfoy isn�t truly dead, he would
know that it had been my doing? It
would only take a little prodding after that for him to conclude that it also
had been me who snatched The Boy Who
Lived from his grasp,� he informed him, staring intently with dark searching
eyes.

�I don�t see how anything of that-� Harry
began.

�Bellatrix,� Snape interrupted a lot less patient,
�would leap on the slightest suggestion that I had been involved in either case, and
I don�t suppose I ought to expect Voldemort to be as sympathetic as� lets say
Albus Dumbledore,� he finished acerbically.

His eyes then spotted the trousers and shirt on
the floor and his gaze narrowed; he turned to look Harry up and
down.

�For that matter, I already have more explaining
to do than I had wished without concerning myself with things I needn�t worry
about if could be avoided.�

Harry scowled. The Order needed Snape. He needed Snape; his inside information
could be just what he needed to find the Horcruxes. But that didn�t mean he had
to like it.

�Can�t he stay some place else?� he asked Snape
sullenly.

�This place is protected by a Secret Keeper. The
Fidilius Charm transported over to me with Albus his death. Anyone who already
knows the secret will of course still be able to find it, but I have locked the
house down; no one will be able to enter except us. It�s the safest
place.�

�For both of you,� he added after a
while.

�I�m not staying! I need to do what Dumbledore
asked me to do. I can�t-�

�Yes I know, hero business,� sneered Snape.
�Top-secret I�m sure. I don�t wish to know if you�re not going to enlighten me.
Albus told me it was your secret to tell.� He sighed again, more wearily this
time, rubbing a hand over his face dejectedly.

�I�m here to aid you Potter, whether you and your
obdurate-self realise this or not. I am trying to have a decent conversation
with you as an equal,� he said
disgustedly, his mouth curling around the last word.

�Salazar knows I�m trying,� he muttered before
clearing his throat and continuing, �Minerva has� suggested that I�should be civil� if we are to work together to
�save the world�,� Snape ridiculed. �However I loath to admit that she�s right,
the simple crux of the matter is that she is. Today cleared me of any delusions I
had of ignoring her advice,� he added with a frown.

Harry gawked at Snape as if he had grown an extra
head. �You can�t possibly be serious,� he asked horror-struck.

Snape sneered at him. �Oh I certainly am Harry,� he purred, his eyes glinting
with mordant amusement.

Harry tried to back away from Snape who obviously
had gone mad, but his legs didn�t cooperate with him as he stood
horrified.

�Don�t be such a child Potter. I don�t like you, I wont
ever like you,� announced Snape coolly. �But I will try to be civil, If you will
try not to be such an immature, thick-headed, troublesome, mule-headed�� he
cleared his throat again when he noticed Harry�s glare.

�Here.� He held up a small potions vial that held
a thick brown liquid.

Harry twisted his mouth at the vial and said
disgustedly, �First you befriend them and then you hand them poison? You need to
think of another plan of action, this is far too conspicuous.�

Snape glared murder at him and pressed his thin
lips into a white line as his long nose flared angrily but did not retract his
hand.

�This,� began Snape in a tight strained voice, �is
for your bruises, it will also make you feel more energised. I recalled I had
left an assortment of potion ingredients on one of my earlier visits here and
prepared this for you. I did not mean for you to fall� on a pallet with sharp
objects,� he concluded sourly as if conceding the fact brought a foul taste to
his mouth.

Harry stared at Snape in disbelieve. This was
Snape�s way of apologising?

�So you admit you did mean for me to fall,� he accused.

Snape did not answer, but just leered at him in a
very scathing way.

He had made this for him as a peace offering. For
Snape this was probably the first sincere apology he had attempted in his life.
Harry wished he had a camera so he could capture the moment; he was sure Snape
would deny it had ever happened if he relayed this to Ron and Hermione without
hard evidence. Or they might just not
believe him if he told them.

Cautiously he took the vial from Snape and
unstopped it with his thumbs; he sniffed it warily but was pleasantly surprised
when the emitted scent did not sear his nose off.

�I added some mint to take the bite off,� Snape
snapped impatiently.

Harry smiled and drank the mixture down in one
gulp, to which Snape gave him a disgusted look.

Clearly, it had cost Snape dearly to do something
nice for a change.

.�Thanks,� he said earnestly as he felt the potion
work; he felt rejuvenated and his bruises and aches seemed to have melted out of
him instantly.

�Those clothes suit you well,� Snape spoke, and
immediately wished he hadn�t when he saw the smile on Harry�s face turn into a
triumphant beam.

Snape promptly glowered and turned his back on him
stiffly, but not before Harry saw the sickened expression on his face. He looked
as if he wanted to swallow his tongue.

�This had better work Minerva,� Harry heard Snape mutter under his
breath.

The next half hour had evolved into a heated
discussion between him, Malfoy and Snape.

Snape had managed to lure Malfoy out of his room
by saying Harry had gone away. Malfoy curtly had thrown his door open and
proclaimed loudly, �That boy is mad! Did you see his eyes Severus? I always knew
there was something wrong with that shifty Gryffindor. He nearly killed me in
the kitchen; I thought he was going to stab me with his wand. He and his creepy
little friends should be locked-�

Suddenly his face went as white as snow and he had
tried to slam the door back closed when he spotted Harry behind Snape, but Snape
had already put his foot in between and quickly marched him and Harry into the
drawing room after confiscating both of their wands to violent protestations,
claiming it was a precaution.

The drawing room was located on the same floor as
the room Malfoy had taken for himself. Malfoy had chosen a seat across the room
as far away from Harry as humanly possible, muttering something along the lines
of not wanting to sit near an �unhinged lunatic�. Which meant their initial
conversation began as a shouting match from the start.

�What do you mean I have to go with Potter!� Malfoy had
cried in panic at the same time Harry had shouted incredulously, �I�m not taking Malfoy with
me!�

Snape pinched his nose and a vein near his temple
seemed to pulsate alarmingly. �It would make sense-� he began but was cut off by
Harry�s piercing voice.

�Sense? Nothing about Malfoy makes any sense
whatsoever and I refuse to take that slimy, foul, almost-murdering git with
me!�

�Potter is deranged,� Malfoy piped in, �he is a
very dangerous man, can�t you see the way he looks at me, as soon as my back is
turned he will have that filthy house-elf of his assassin me, did you know that
it stole my clothes and-�

His eyes widened as he noticed the clothes Harry
was wearing. Harry leered at him maliciously and Malfoy snarled and launched
himself at him in a frenzy but because he had to come from far, Snape easily
blocked his way, which Harry found decidedly disappointing.

�I can�t and will not thrust Malfoy!� continued Harry angrily while
glaring at Malfoy and Snape. �He will try to hand me back over to Voldemort for
all I know. I don�t care what you say Snape, I�m not taking him
anywhere.�

Malfoy�s face had gone whiter and whiter and
Harry�s face had gone redder and redder while Snape�s face went darker and
darker as they continued to shout at each other.

To be fair, it had mostly been Harry and Malfoy
who had done the shouting, Snape had continuously tried to edge a word in until
he finally had heard enough and roared, �Silence!� which did nothing, so he
swiftly silenced them both with his wand.

�I will explain this only once, so listen
closely,� he growled, sharing his glare between the two of them.

�Draco you can�t stay in this house all day,
brooding and wallowing in your grief.
You need something to occupy yourself with. I know you miss your mother.�
He paused then when Malfoy stiffened at the mention of his mother.

�The manor elves have cleaned this house quite
sufficiently, but you will eventually
feel enclosed.� Snape continued with a voice that Harry could only describe as
kind in comparison with Snape�s usual icy tone.

Harry stood stock-still and stared at Snape�s back
with silent fury.

Enclosed. Just like Sirius had felt enclosed.

Malfoy should be thankful Harry was not going to
kill him for what he had done. He is the one who should be grateful Harry was not going to kick him
out of the house and into the gutter where, Harry thought, he belonged quite
well.

�I�ve taught you some Concealment Charms; you will
be able to find a valuable use for them now,� he heard Snape
say.

Malfoy was shaking his head wildly and tried to
communicate with Snape by making gestures with his hands.

Snape ignored him and rounded on Harry next. �And
you Potter, however much you wish to go out on your mission alone, it is not
safe, not even for the Chosen One!�
he said nastily, Malfoy smirked at that and stopped trying to catch Snape�s
eye..

�The Dark Lord is investing all his precious time in looking for you ever
since your miraculous escape, he is furious to put it lightly. Death Eaters are
constantly searching. I have not risked my life to save you so that you could throw it away with your
inevitable ignorance,� he continued, which wiped the smirk right off Malfoy�s
face, �If something were to happen to you, no one would know. I will not break
my promise to Albus,� finished Snape fiercely.

Harry scowled at him and shook his head
furiously.

�I see both of you are too dim-witted to listen to
sense!� Snape said finally when it became clear neither of them was going to
budge.

Malfoy shot Snape a very betrayed look and crossed
his arms in a show of defiance while Harry glared daggers at Snape and tried to
look around for something to throw at him.

Snape did not seem to notice. He had paced a few
steps away as if deep in thought. Nodded to himself with obvious satisfaction as
he looked back at both of them and
said, �You give me no other choice.�

He raised his wand and started some weird chant
Harry had never heard before. Malfoy obviously recognised some of it because his
face looked at Snape pleadingly as he dropped to his knees with a horrified
expression and shook his head. Harry could clearly read the words �no� and
�please� on his lips.

Harry didn�t know what Snape was doing, but
whatever it was that made Malfoy behave like a starved beggar should be
something marvellous in the making, so he just sat back and enjoyed the view of
Malfoy on his knees whimpering silently.

He really should buy that camera soon.

Two identical metal loops seemed to appear out of
thin air, both as big as the outline of a tea mug and shimmered in front of
Snape, who was still chanting in that unfamiliar low deep throated
hymn.

Malfoy had stopped his pitiful begging and looked
resigned.

Harry just looked confused.

With a sharp flick of Snape�s wand the rings
drifted apart, one floated before Harry�s nose and he frowned at it with a
raised eyebrow. Without warning it soared down and snapped closed around his
wrist snugly.

Harry jumped up and shouted a soundless �Hey!�

He looked at Snape who was looking at Malfoy, who
in turn was looking at his own pale wrist around which the other bracelet had
closed, with a miserable drooping face worthy of a bullfrog.

�This will allow you to stray from each other up
to thirty-two feet but no further, unless you wish to experience excruciating
pain. It is up to you,� Snape informed them coolly.

�Even though I�d much rather spend the rest
of the day observing and being entertained by this new startling development.
With my utmost regret I must inform you both that I have to attend a meeting
with the Dark Lord.�

Snape smirked at them both, his black eyes gleamed
before he bowed mockingly and Apparated away.

Harry stared at his wrist aghast as the meaning of
Snape�s words seeped into his brains, turned his gaze over to Malfoy who had
dropped down onto the floor entirely and gazed at the matching bracelet that
decorated Malfoy�s arm.

He let out a dismayed �No!� as he stared from his
wrist to Malfoy�s wrist and back, and was startled when his voice echoed
despairingly through the Drawing room of number twelve Grimmauld
Place.

-----------------------------------

Oh oh oh oh.. stuck together !
;)

Watch out for Chapter 7 of
course.

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