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Trust and secrecy	By : Sakya Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 25047 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
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
- 7
- 8
- 9
Chapter 08

At Hogwarts

Draco spent almost the whole morning talking to Harry via floo at Snape's quarters. It was an annoyance that only the headmaster's fireplace was able to be used as a means to travel. All the other ones were just for talking � security measures or some other lame excuse.

"I wish I was there to see their reactions" laughed Harry while gently rubbing his hand on his round belly. He was beginning to show more and Draco felt his chest tighten thinking how close he had come to losing his husband and his child.

"I wish you were here all the time, love." Draco offered sincerely, "How are you feeling? Is there anything that I can do for you?"

"No, I'm fine." Said Harry laughing softly. "I have never been so pampered my whole life. I don't think there is a single baby item left in any store this side of the pond... or in the continent by that matter. Narcissa is one serious shopper." Harry indicated the double door behind him where the nursery was being set, "Lucius is already starting a trust fund for the baby and he and Sirius got into an argument last week to decide who would buy the baby's first broom. While they were at it, Remus went out and bought this little child's broom that hovers two feet from the ground... it's so cute. Narcissa yelled at the three of them and locked it away and said she won't let us even try anything until the baby is at least three. She is right, I know, but it was the funniest thing seeing Lucius, Sirius and Remus pouting like children."

Draco was laughing by the time Harry had finished the broom tale. He would have to wait a while before showing Harry the gift Severus had got them. A little training broom (probably just like the one Remus had bought), a child's snitch and a small baby size Slytherin Quidditch uniform. Harry would find it adorable and Sirius would go ballistic with that one. Merlin, he missed his family.

----------

Nothing much changed in the next few days. Almost none of Harry's belongings turned up and the staff was seriously worried about being able to fulfill the Ministry's order.

Albus considered this as he sipped his morning tea watching the Great Hall. Things were not going well. He had gone back to the Durleys quite a few times but they never seemed to be home. Damn his decision to relocate Miss Figg after Harry's imprisonment, but he figured she was no longer needed in Surrey and he already had another mission for her, and now, because of this, it had taken him weeks to discover that the Durleys had moved away with no forwarding address. All his efforts to locate them had been fruitless so far. It was time for plan B.

"May I have your attention, please," said Albus getting to his feet at the head table, "The due date for the returning of Mr. Potter's possessions is fast approaching and I noticed that a few items are still missing," he pointed looked at the Gryffindors' table, "in order to speed up the process I decided to bring a trunk, which will be offered to Mr. Potter in replacement of the one damaged last year, and place it at the entrance hall. Any students holding any of Mr. Potter's belongings are urged to deposit the said item in the trunk so it can be returned. No questions will be asked as how the item found its way in to the students hand, as long as it is returned."

A brand new black trunk with HJP engraved in gold was brought up to the entrance hall and all the teachers made a point of reminding their classes about it and in the next few days a few things became apparent:

One of them was that the main item to be delivered was not Harry's lost possessions but letters. Hermione Granger had put on quite a show of returning Harry's cloak in a nicely wrapped package... along with a letter. It took exactly sixteen minutes before another girl from Ravenclaw added her own letter. The rest of the student body thought that was a smashing idea and followed suit. In a matter of hours the trunk was one third filled with letters, a fact that Mr. North made sure to expose in his next article for The Prophet and pretty soon thousands of letters and packages addressed to Harry Potter from all over the UK made their way into the trunk. No mail was able to reach Harry so far and everybody knew that sooner or later whatever was in the trunk would reach him.

Also, many of Harry's things, even if they were not destroyed, would never find their way in to the collection trunk as they were now considered highly valuable collectable items not only by the students but by the whole wizarding world in general. Harry's copy of "Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them" complete with his name and a few hand written notes on the pages had caused quite a stir in a famous magic auction house, some of the patrons were at the point of hexing each other when the aurors arrived and retrieved the book.

Two less known facts were also discovered by the ones trying to make a profit on the 'Harry Potter's collection' in the black market. One was that once an item found its way into the trunk there was no way you could take it out... and that Albus Dumbledore could be quite creative and effective when it came to hexes and protection wards.

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

On the eve of the due date for the return of Harry's belongings, Minerva McGonagall checked everything that had been returned to the trunk. Some of the stuff that once belonged to Harry Potter was fine, but much had been damaged by whoever had been handling the objects. A few items had been destroyed � like his Quidditch uniform after the Gryffindor team had lost rather spectacularly to Ravenclaw, and his photo album, Ronald Weasley and the rest of her lions had been particularly mad at how many points had been taken from them some day because of things they were saying about Harry and 'took matters in to their own hands'.

Minerva set Harry's old school books she had in her hand in the trunk in front of her and checked her list to see what else was missing. Hermione Granger had returned what she had in her possession in a tidy package and surprisingly Filch had some of Harry's books with him. Many items were still missing and they would have to be replaced if possible. The biggest problem was Harry's broom, Weasley simply refused to return it. Minerva sighed, there was only one thing she could do. She had to call Molly.

Thankfully the red haired witch was already at Hogsmeade, Merlin only knew how many more wizards and witches were already there too. For the past three days they came pouring out of the train station and floo network. All of them, men, women and children waiting for a chance to see the hero of the hour, the renewed hope of the wizarding world. Mr. Harry Potter.

Minerva could only hope Harry wouldn't be too crossed at the sight of so many people. Merlin knew how much he hated the spotlight.

----------

That same evening Mrs. Weasley was seen walking the grounds. Her visit to Hogwarts became a very well known fact. Nobody actually heard what was said in the headmaster's office, but a very pale and shaken Ronald Weasley was seen coming out of it and soon after a shiny Firebolt could be seen in the trunk at the entrance hall.

All they needed to do now was to wait twenty four more hours before Harry Potter showed up and collected his stuff.

---------

On the scheduled day every single reporter in the Wizarding World seemed to be hovering around the school grounds, along with half of its population. A person could easily come to the conclusion that a national holiday had been declared and a full blown party was taking place on the streets of Hogsmeade.

A whole line of Harry Potter paraphernalia was being sold on the spot. Lightning bolt candy of every possible flavor, little chocolate Firebolt brooms, sugar white owls, a brand new card with Harry's picture was being sold in a special edition chocolate frog box, Gryffindor cauldron cakes with their icing done in red and gold, posters with Harry's face and every other possible product they could associate with Harry Potter was on display.

Dumbledore was beaming. Harry would certainly be moved by the sheer display of appreciation from his fellow wizards. That would make him see that there was still good people in the British magical community and help him change his mind and stay at Hogwarts. Yes. Everything would go perfectly. The small children added a particularly nice touch to the party.

Precisely at noon, the bright red engine of the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. A big cheerful committee was there waiting for the boy-who-lived.

Dumbledore watched as the passengers began to disembark from the train From a special car, at the end of the train, first came eight aurors, four members of the school board � one of them being Lucius Malfoy, a very somber looking Minister Fudge and a absolutely scowling Sirius Black. No Harry Potter was amongst them, however.

"Sirius, my boy" greeted Dumbledore with his best 'grandfather smile', "I'm so happy to have you here. Did you have a good journey?" (Damn, I forgot about Sirius. Of course the boy got in contact with his godfather. I should have looked him up when his name was cleared, but with this whole mess with Harry I let that one slip.)

"Yes, Albus," greeted Sirius using the headmaster's first name just to show the old man they were on even footing here, "it was very pleasant, but a bit long. Is there something wrong with the floo network around here?"

"No, no," chuckled Dumbledore, pretending not to notice as Sirius made clear he knew Dumbledore had made them take the 'long way around', "I just thought young Harry would enjoy the familiar ride to school. Where is he? He didn't get ill on the train, I hope."

"Of course not," offered Sirius and Dumbledore smiled looking around once more expecting to see Harry amongst the new arrivals. "It's a school day, Albus, I think he is in class as we speak."

"He didn't..." Albus sputtered, that was not in the plans. Harry was supposed to come personally to retrieve his belongings.

"Come? No, it was a consensual decision that this would be too much of an emotional turmoil for him. He is not back to what he was yet, still needs time and all that. As someone who has his best interest in mind, I'm sure you agree."

"As someone who has his best interest in mind I was hoping to see Harry returning to Hogwarts at the earliest date possible. I don't think Harry being away from Hogwarts any longer is actually the best for him, Sirius. Any responsible adult would realize that the safest place for Harry is here and bring him back."

"Harry is perfectly safe, Albus. He is very well protected." Replied Sirius getting annoyed with the older man's attitude, not missing the emphasis on the 'responsible' word.

"Hogwarts has the best and strongest wards, Sirius..." Dumbledore started only to be interrupted by the animagus.

"You're right, of course. I should transfer Harry back immediately. Merlin only knows what kind of dangers he will be exposed to out of here," Sirius spoke almost to himself. Albus smiled knowing he had won the argument, but then Sirius went on, shattering his illusions, "There could be a teacher working undercover for Voldemort... or even possessed by him! There could be some dark monster lurking around the corners to kill the students and he would be forced to face it alone! Trolls could be making their way in as we speak! Some escapee from Azkaban could simply waltz through the wards and stand over his bed with a knife on his hands! Oh, Merlin. He could be portkeyd out of the school while engaged in some extracurricular activity and end up having to face the Dark Lord in a graveyard!!! And on all of those situations the school staff could sit idly by and let him face all those dangers alone!" Sirius made an absolutely horrified face that caused Lucius to almost lose his stoic mask and break in to fits of laughter, "Oh, wait... those things already happened, didn't they? And where exactly did they happen? At your completely safe and well protected school. Face it, Albus, Harry's life was always at risk here. This is the very first year in his magical education that he is having some kind of peace and I intend to make sure it stays that way. Now, I believe you have some things that belong to my godson." He finished with a scowl.

Albus sighed realizing that he wouldn't get any where with Sirius angry as he was. Things were going harder than they should. At least he had placed some tracking charms on Harry's trunk, one way or the other, Harry would be back at Hogwarts before the school year was out.

The group got in to the seemingly horseless carriages and slowly, due to the number of people in the road, made its way to the school. The news about Harry's absence was traveling fast leaving a lot of disappointed people on its wake.

At the school, Minister Fudge brought himself to his full height, which was not very impressive, and with a overblown sense of self importance began to check his list and the trunk to see if everything had been returned. The absence of Harry's photo album was a particular sore spot in the afternoon.

"Now, Sirius, I trust everything will be delivered to Mr. Potter as soon as possible with our sincere apologies for the missing items." Dumbledore stated seriously.

"Not everything, Albus." Answered Sirius producing a piece of parchment from his pockets, "There are a few things Harry wanted me to do with some of his things."

"Oh." Albus was confused, what was this all about?

Sirius went over the trunk and gathered a few of Harry's old school books and uniforms, an odd looking sneakoscope, two sets of wizarding chess and a few more odd items and separating them in four different piles. He turned to the reporters who were writing furiously.

"My godson, Harry, wanted me to give these to the following institutions." He read the note on his hand, "the first pile goes to the Werewolf Support Foundation. He hopes that the money raised with the sale of these items will help to make the lives of those afflicted with lycanthropy a bit easier."

"The second and third piles go to the wizarding orphanages dedicated to children who lost their parents because of the dark lord. The fourth pile goes to the muggle orphanage dedicated to the same cause. Harry heard about the auction where a book of his was found and thought it was a good idea, he hopes that his donations help those in need."

"Mr. Black, where is Harry Potter? Are you keeping him secluded somewhere?" asked Rita Skeeter, rumor had it she was very cross with Rudolf North for getting 'her Harry scopes' all the time and intended to get back in the game anyway she could.

"How is Harry?" another reported shouted and Sirius raised his hands silencing them before all hell broke lose.

"Harry is fine. He is safe, happy and studying at a beautiful location. He's got lots of sunshine and care. His health is improving after such a long exposure to the dementors and well on his way to a full recovery. He won't be coming back any time soon as he now has the peace and quiet he needs. He will be sad to know that some of his most valued possessions are gone forever but he is ready to move on with his life. Thank you for your attention. That will be all." Sirius hastily made his retreat to the headmaster's office where all the official documents would be signed before the reporters were able to launch the next round of questions.

An official list of everything that was in the trunk was drawn and signed by Sirius, Albus and Fudge.

"Harry won't be pleased that you let other people get a hold of his things, Albus. I hope you realize that." Sirius said as he was preparing to leave with Hedwig on his arm.

"Yes, about that. I feel it would be best if I could explain everything to Harry personally. Certainly you won't deny that to an old man." Albus said looking sad.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll tell Harry that you requested a meeting. It won't be possible before the end of the school year, you know. But I'll see if he can drop by after his birthday next year." With that Sirius smiled and left a furious Dumbledore behind him. There was no way he would let the old man get his hands on Harry before he was officially an adult... and even after that he would make sure Harry would not be alone with the man at anytime.

----------

On the darker side of the fence

Later that day Narcisa found Harry sitting by the window at his room. Sirius was looking lost while trying to comfort his godson. Harry was curled up on a couch, clutching the Ministry list in his hand and she could tell he was still crying. It broke her heart. She nodded at Sirius, who got the message and left them alone, there were things only a mother could make better.

"Poor child. Life has been so tough for him." She sat by him and pulled him into her arms holding him tight as she had held Draco when he was younger. "It doesn't matter, love, we will work something out. We'll have new photos, new memories. Everything will work out. You'll see." She rocked him gently and let him cry over this new betrayal: the loss of his possessions that somehow hurt more than what had happened before, maybe because it was the final insult after the loss of innocence, friendship, beloved ones... she let him cry until she felt him relax in her arms. She desperately wanted to make him feel better.

"I'll tell you what. Why don't we write your muggle relatives for a copy of whatever photo they have of your parents? We could even invite them over for tea if you like. I'm sure Lucius will find a way to smuggle them in..." She was cut short by a bitter laugh from Harry.

"Won't that be precious?" he asked softly. The edge of bitterness in his voice told Narcissa that something else was amiss there.

"Why, sweetie? Don't you want them to come?"

"They hate me," Harry stated quietly.

"No, I'm sure they don't. They are your family; they love you," Narcissa reassured him.

"Wouldn't that be something? No, they hate me. I know that, they never bothered to hide it from me. In fact, they were quite vocal about it."

"Harry." Narcissa could feel that this was what she had sensed out of place in Harry and he was finally opening up; the next few minutes would be very important if Harry would ever heal from whatever was hurting inside him. "Why would you say that? How can you be so sure, dear?"

Harry sighed. She could feel him tensing up again. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does. It's the thing that matters the most in the whole world." Narcissa let her hand draw small circles on Harry's back, keeping his head resting against her shoulder. "And I want you to tell me how you know that."

Harry sighed again and remained in silence for a moment. Narcissa let him collect his thoughts, knowing this was important for her son-in-law, and then Harry began to talk. He talked for hours, telling her everything, letting it all from his chest. He cried a lot too, and Narcissa held him tight the whole time. When he was finally done, he thanked her with a soft kiss on her cheek and accepted her help going to bed. She tucked him in, giving him a kiss on his forehead and wishing him pleasant dreams, like a mother would to a small child, then she left the room to let him sleep.

******

Lucius stepped out of the fireplace in the parlor only to find his wife sitting on a chair facing him. All the lights were out and only the fire behind him illuminated the room. He couldn't remember a colder expression on her face.

"Merlin, I hope she is not mad at me," he thought, knowing his wife's temper all too well. "Good evening, darling. May I ask what has kept you up to this hour?"

"Lucius, I have always been a good wife, have I not?" Her tone was ice cold.

"Yes, of course my darling. What brought this up?"

Narcissa held her hand up, indicating for him to hold.

"Ever since before we were married, I followed your lead, supported your decisions and never doubted your word."

"True," Lucius offered, raising an eyebrow. This did not sound very good. He knew that tone all too well. Narcissa was mad at someone or something and she was out for blood. It amused Lucius to no end that people would think him ruthless; they would be in for a rude awakening if they ever came face to face with the true Narcissa Malfoy. She was a pure force of nature. That is what he loved so much about her.

"You decided to follow this Dark Lord and I supported your decision. I never said a single thing. When Draco came home with the news of his bond to none other than the Boy-Who-Lived, I feared for his life; when he told us about the baby, I feared for all their lives. I knew that you could turn them over to the Dark Lord and demand a new heir from me. I truly don't know if I would be able to go through with that, but I never said anything against you or whatever judgment you were to call on that case. I was very pleased when you spared his life, when you decided to support him and help to clear Harry's name. We are a very happy family again and I thank you for that. I am not na�ve, I know we are in danger, but I thank you for taking this chance."

Lucius was getting more and more worried as Narcissa went on. Whatever it was, this was serious.

"But now I must ask for something and I won't take 'no' for an answer--also, it will have to be a secret between us. I don't want Harry to ever dream of my, or your, involvement in what I am about to ask you."

"You have my word, darling." Lucius formally bowed before Narcissa. He had no idea what she would ask of him, but he knew her well enough to know it was important.

"I'm aware that you know the address of Harry's muggle relatives," Narcissa said.

Lucius nodded and started to prepare himself to live in the same house with muggles for a while. She would most certainly want to bring Harry's family to live with him. A lovely thought, he should have considered it earlier. Narcissa's next words however shattered his illusions about future living arrangements.

"I want them dead."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I want them dead. I want their last hours or even their last days to be spent in pain and despair. I want them drowning in their own blood, gasping desperately for air... I want them to be the Death Eaters favorite fuck-toy, punching bag and target for spell practice. I want their bodies to be a road map for pain and torture. I want to hear them scream and beg for death." Narcissa was trembling now; Lucius had never seen her like this.

"Isn't that a bit too much, darling?"

"No, dear, it's not. Let me tell you a thing or two I just discovered about the lovely people that live at that address you protect so much, and then you tell me if it is too much."

The Malfoys sat by the fire for another three hours before Lucius got up to put his cloak back on.

"Don't wait up for me, darling. I believe the Dark Lord would be very pleased to receive this address as soon as I can come up with a plausible excuse as how I got it. He will want to torture the whereabouts of Potter out of these muggles himself. After all, he is desperate to know where Harry is and who better to have that knowledge than his relatives, the only ones he has out of the Wizarding World."

Narcissa smiled and helped her husband to clasp his cloak. "Hurry, my darling, we don't want to keep his lordship waiting."

And Lucius stepped through the floo network.

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Trust and secrecy