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Harry Potter and the Unusual Alliance	By : RikuRocks Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 5752 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Harry Potter, nor am I making any money from this work of fiction.

Chapter List
- 8
- 9
- 10
Chapter 9: Hidden Truths and Revealed Trusts.

The walk to the bedrooms was even longer than the one to Narcissa�s sitting room. The two teens had to travel down the hall and up a winding stairway to the third floor, then cross into a different corridor with several doors. Draco stopped in the middle of this large corridor and turned to Harry; �Which room did you want check first?�

�Well, you know where the hidden compartment in your room is, and how to open it, so let�s get it out of the way so we can work on your parents� room.� Harry felt a little guilty about searching the blonde�s room at all. The wan Slytherin had been true to his word, and had showed no ill intent during the few days that they had spent together.

As the raven-haired Gryffindor followed the pale Slytherin down a hall, he realized with some surprise that it had indeed only been a few days since their encounter in the dungeon.

�This is it,� Draco drawled as he unceremoniously opened a plain, if expensive, wooden door with a simple silver knob. The silver-eyed teen entered first, with Harry directly behind him.

The green-eyed boy looked around and felt his surprise increase. �This is your room?� When the other boy nodded silently, Harry decided to expand the question, �Your only room?�

Draco arched a single eyebrow. �Yes�why? How many bedrooms do you have?�

�Just one, it used to be my cousin�s second bedroom before it was mine though, so some people do have more then one.� Harry answered a little defensively. In truth, he was actually feeling worse that he had assumed so much about the other boy. He continued in a gentler tone, �It�s just that, well, I guess I expected something a little more�extravagant from your family.�

�Oh�I see.� Draco answered quietly and steadily. There was no telling what he thought of this statement.

Harry nervously pulled his gaze away from the fair boy and looked around the room again. It was smaller then he had expected; about the size of his cousin�s room, which was fairly large on Privet Drive, but seemed small when put to scale with the rest of Malfoy Manor. The furniture -which consisted of a full sized bed, a nightstand, an armoire, a small writing desk with a chair, and some bookshelves- was tasteful and elegant, but simple. It was a rich, warm coloured wood, which was polished, but not actually shiny.

There was a small fireplace in the corner by the bookshelves, and a large window over the desk. The hearthrug, a throw rug in the middle of the room, the drapes, and the bedspread were crimson. The walls and ceiling were a very light grey that was almost white, and the floor appeared to be the same wood as the furniture. There was a small bronze chest on the floor at the foot of the bed, a few trinkets on the bookshelves, and some photos around the room; two were on the nightstand by a bronze alarm clock, three were on top of the bookshelves, and there were a few on the walls.

Harry thought, with some amusement, that it could easily be mistaken for a Gryffindor�s room. He decided not to voice this thought however, as he was not sure how the pale Slytherin would react.

As the bespectacled teen was gazing around the room, Draco turned his head towards the armoire and said, �Y Gwir Yn Erbyn Byd� abstractedly. The armoire slid to the left, exposing an area like a small cabinet.

�What was that?� Harry asked as he approached the blonde. �The password, I mean.�

�It was the Druids� most sacred pledge. It means the truth against the world.�

Harry blinked and looked at the other boy in shock. �You chose that as your password?�

�Yes, but try not to make too much out of it,� drawled the blonde. �What are we looking for anyway?�

�I don�t know; I didn�t exactly expect to find an unknown Horcrux in your father�s study or a museum of the Black family in your mother�s sitting room,� the bespectacled teen admitted, �So now I think we ought to just keep our eyes open.�

�Planning on walking around with your eyes closed, were you?� asked Draco dryly.

Harry shot the pale boy a irked look, but his surprise at the blonde�s choice of room décor and password, along with his mild amusement at the other�s dry humour (which he found quite entertaining now that it lacked it�s former spite), caused it to look far less serious then he had aimed for. Turning his attention to the hidden nook, he asked, �So what do you have in here anyway?�

There did not seem to be anything particularly important in the cabinet�just a few trinkets and items that would only be considered treasures to the owner, to whom they no doubt represented something meaningful or held some amount of sentimental value. Harry picked up an old shoebox, which was too large to have held Draco�s shoes. The raven-haired boy assumed it had belonged to the pallid boy�s father.

The green-eyed teen pulled out the small box and then looked at the blonde. �Err�do you mind if I�?� he trailed off hesitantly.

Draco shook his head. �It�s fine; it�s just mementos and some childhood�things.�

�Treasures...?� Harry offered as he lifted the lid from the shoebox with more care then was probably necessary.

�Yes,� the other boy responded quietly with a nod.

Harry looked into the small box. There were some photos and news clippings; four envelopes, two of which bore the Hogwarts seal; a few Muggle coins; a dragon figurine; a seashell; eight strange cards that were slightly smaller then average playing cards and bound together by a rubber band; and several small, smooth stones, some with symbols carved into them.

The top photo was of Narcissa Malfoy at a relatively small party, which appeared to have been taken shortly after she left Hogwarts. The next photo was of both of Draco�s parents at their engagement party. The waving occupants of the other photographs were identified by names scrawled onto the backs: Abraxas Malfoy, Cygnus Black, Druella Rosier, Severus Snape, and one of a very young Draco with a man named Tarquin Assiduvil, whom Harry did not recognize. Next were a few clippings about the Triwizard Tournament, of Sirius Black and Bellatrix Lestrange�s separate escapes from Azkaban, and some on various events regarding the Malfoys or the Blacks.

�I think you�ve inherited your mother�s sentimental side,� Harry commented and hoped that it did not sound like a gibe, considering their past rivalry.

Then Draco did something that surprised Harry more then anything he�d witnessed since meeting him in that dungeon: he chortled and then held an actual, albeit small, smile as he nodded and cast a sideways glance at Harry, his eyes shining. �Father loathes it. He thinks it makes me weak. Ergo, all of this stays hidden in here.�

The smile faded into nothing as Draco returned to rummaging through his own belongings.

The green-eyed teen continued to stare at the other boy for a moment before chortling himself. �You know, in the entire time that we�ve gone to school together, that is the first time you�ve laughed and smiled for real.�

��And why is that so funny?� Draco asked sounding slightly amused already.

Harry looked the other boy straight in the eye; �Because, you chose now to finally be happy and comfortable enough to laugh and smile for the first time -as far as I know- in over six years. Now, when your with me, sneaking through your parents house, looking for information on the darkest and most vile objects known to wizard kind -and have already found one of those objects here mind you- and Voldemort and his followers want to kill us both in the most horrible way they can possibly imagine.�

�I�m not sure if �ironic� or �insane� is a more appropriate word for that, but you have a point. Of course, that sentence was still far too long,� answered Draco mildly as he pulled a Muggle book on old magic from one of the shelves in his hidden space. Suddenly the light atmosphere between them changed as silver eyes shifted in a manner that Harry had already figured out meant that the blonde was no longer aware of anything but his thoughts.

�What?� the raven-haired teen asked, his previous mirth forgotten.

The blonde returned his attention to Harry. �What if V-Voldemort decided to look into some of the older magical theories; ones that aren�t used or accepted any longer...?�

�I don�t know-� the bespectacled boy began, but then realized that Draco had only asked that question as an attempt to shift Harry�s thoughts in the right direction, and he would not be able to catch up with the blonde that way. �What if he did?�

The pale Slytherin explained in a slightly agitated tone, �Seven being considered the most powerfully magical number is a more recent theory than three. Some of the most ancient and powerful magical cultures of Brittan, ones we don�t even know that much about anymore, had an affinity for the number three and it�s derivatives. Therefore, nine was the most powerful number, as it was the result of three threes. They only used it rarely because they believed it was too powerful for standard use.�

Harry took a moment to register all of this new information, vaguely marvelling at the way Draco�s mind could retain and suddenly connect such facts, and then he tried to connect the new information to Voldemort, since that was obviously why the silver-eyed boy was concerned about this finding. Then it hit him. Voldemort would not consider anything too powerful for his purposes. �You think there are nine Horcruxes?�

�No,� Draco answered more calmly then he had spoken before. �I think that there are eight Horcruxes because V-Voldemort split his soul into nine parts.�

�Then there�s still one more that we don�t know about,� Harry stated in irritation. �It all fits though.� The bespectacled boy released a heavy sigh. It always got more complicated whenever he thought things were turning up again.

The raven-haired boy placed the lid back on the box as Draco shoved the book in his soon-to-be-over-filled bag. Harry put the box into his own bag, which earned him a perplexed look from the blonde. �It may be awhile before you can come back here; I figured you might want it.�

Draco blinked a couple times before his expression took on a slightly appraising quality to it. However, that quality, as well as his obvious bewilderment, was gone before Harry could comment. �Thank you. So does that mean that we�re done in here?�

Harry nodded, �Yeah, unless there�s something else you want to grab before we try the secret chamber.�

Once they backed up, the armoire moved back into place. Draco opened it, pulled out a small cedar box, and stuffed into his bag as well. �All right; I�m done in here.�

Harry decided not to question the thin boy about it; he thought that hat he had asked enough of the blonde already.

However, it seemed that he had not hidden his curiosity as well as he thought, and Draco decided to extend a similar measure of trust. �My bank vault key, some money, and a few valuable trinkets,� he drawled nonchalantly.

�Oh,� was the only thing Harry could think of to say to that.

�After you, then...?� Draco asked with a mock flourish of his arm, and Harry suddenly understood how Lupin could find a resemblance between the boy before him and the boy�s second cousin.

Therefore, the two teens left Draco�s room and moved into yet another corridor before approaching a rather ominous set of French doors of an oiled dark mahogany with embossed silver doorknobs and matching knockers. Draco cast Specialis Revelio, which revealed that the doors had a locking spell cast on them as well as a ward.

�So, how do we get in?� Harry asked the blonde beside him without any sign of reserve or embarrassment.

�Back up a step, please.� Draco responded as he raised his wand to the doors once more. �Alohomora;� The doors unlocked, but the wards remained intact. However, Draco still gripped one of the knobs and made to turn it before Harry stepped forward and gripped one of the pale boy�s thin wrists.

�What are you doing? The wards are still up!� The green-eyed boy hissed.

The blonde quirked a brow at the bespectacled teen, �The wards alert the family if someone else tries to pass. As long as I�m the one opening them, they won�t be affected.�

�Oh,� Harry answered again, and was starting to feel foolish at how little he knew of these kinds of things. �Okay then, go ahead.�

With a quiet sound that might have represented amusement, the silver-eyed boy turned his now freed wrist and opened the door. Nothing seemed to happen, so Harry decided that the other boy had been correct.

This room, Harry decided, was more of what he had expected from the Malfoys. It was far larger then any bedroom needed to be, and was decorated lavishly.

There were thick rugs around the room on the heavily polished marble floor. All of the furniture -made from the same highly polished dark mahogany as the doors- was larger then necessary as well. The headboard and footboard of the bed, as well as the front of the drawers on the nightstands and armoire had an intricate pattern carved into them, and the duvet and curtains were of expensive velvet.

The wall sconces, drawer pulls, window latches, photo frames, a few other trinkets, and the knob on the door to the adjacent bathroom were all sterling silver. Assortments of antique vases filled with enchanted flowers were placed tastefully around the room.

Despite how long it had been since the manor had any occupants, there was not a speck of dust to be found. Harry guessed that the Malfoys had obtained another house elf after the loss of Dobby, or perhaps they had more then one to begin with. In either case, the room had a discomforting cleanliness that would impress Harry�s Aunt Petunia.

�I have no idea where the hidden cabinet in here is located,� Draco stated from somewhere behind Harry, as he too, took in their surroundings.

�Do you know if it�s the same size as the one in your room?� Harry glanced at the blonde, who shook his head to indicate that he did not. �Well, it�s probably hidden behind something, right?�

�I suppose that stands to reason,� the silver-eyed boy replied. He began inspecting a portrait on the wall, and then moved on to a chest of drawers.

Harry approached the armoire; he could not find anything odd about the piece of furniture or bit of wall behind it, so he moved on to the mantelpiece. Finally, both boys met again in the middle of the room, neither having found anything that resembled a hidden door.

�Well, I didn�t think it would be obvious,� Draco said, sounding a little disappointed, as though he had hoped to be proven wrong. �Did you check the bathroom?�

�No, do you think we should?� Harry asked, not sure why that, of all the things they had done, sounded like an invasion of privacy.

�It�s either in there, or we missed it,� the blonde said with a glance toward the door. With a collective breath, both boys entered the adjoining room.

The room was larger than Draco�s bedroom. With impeccably clean grey marble everywhere; a bathtub that could have been mistaken for a Jacuzzi; dual sinks and vanity tables; sterling silver knobs, towel-hooks, faucets, and brushes; and another door that lead to the loo, it was just as cold, elegant, and over-done as the rest of the manor.

Green and silver eyes focused on a floor to ceiling mirror on the other side of the room. After they approached it, Harry cast Specialis Revelio to discover that the mirror had a locking spell cast on it, like a door. Green and silver eyes now left the mirror to lock onto each other. �Any guesses as to what the password to this one is?� Harry asked the boy beside him.

Draco shook his head slightly. �I presume it would be something that holds significance to both of them, but I can�t think of anything that fits that criterion offhand. Well, aside from things like pure blood, but they wouldn�t use something that cliché.�

�So I suppose things like their anniversary date, your birth date, or your middle name are out of the running then?� the raven-haired boy asked dryly as those were his first considerations when Draco said it had to be significant to both of the elder Malfoys.

The pallid Slytherin scoffed. �Does anyone actually use those sorts of things as passwords?�

�You�d be surprised how many people do�at least in the Muggle world,� Harry added when he realized that he did not know about any wizard chosen passwords aside from the ones used for the house common rooms in Hogwarts. �So what is your middle name, then?�

Draco raised a single eyebrow as he continued to look at the raven-haired boy. �Promise not to tell Weasley.� Harry was not sure whether this was a request or a demand, so he decided just to nod at the pale boy. �It�s Vermithrax.� Silver eyes dropped to the floor as the blonde obviously waited for Harry to laugh.

The bespectacled teen shrugged and grinned. �At least your parents were original when they chose your names. Does it mean anything?�

�It was the secret name of Draco, the dragon�is this important right now?� the blonde asked and then he turned his eyes back to the other boy.

The raven-haired teen shook his head. �I�m not even sure why I chose to ask that right now. But since I know,� he turned to the mirror, �Vermithrax.� Nothing happened. �It was worth a try,� he mumbled with another shrug, his only response was the roll of a pair of silver eyes.

�Well since you have that idea out of your head now, why don�t you try to come up with a useful one?� Draco said dryly, with no hint of animosity.

�Hey, they�re your parents,� Harry retorted, also without any true antagonism, �Don�t you have any ideas?�

�I can�t even recall having been in this room before, and you expect me to just figure out their password?� Draco stated incredulously. �All right, well Mother is not a Death Eater, so that rules out some ideas.�

�She isn�t?� Harry asked sceptically.

�No,� the blonde answered and was obviously straining to control some unknown emotion, �She supports V-Voldemort, but not like Father does.�

�What about common interest?� asked the bespectacled teen. �They must have some if they got married.�

�As I said before, blood purity, then there�s grandeur and elegance, as you have no doubt noticed.� Draco looked thoughtful as he spoke. �They�re both cunning, ambitious, regal...but that�s also obvious, they were both in Slytherin. Although Mother did say the hat considered her for Ravenclaw briefly, but��

�But what?� asked Harry, noticing that the other boy�s thoughts seemed to be drifting. �What are you thinking?�

�Well, Mother once told me,� Draco looked uncharacteristically timid for the moment, �That she knew she would marry Father when he recognized a story about an enchanted portrait, or something of that sort, which she made reference to in his company.�

�You�re serious�?� Seeing that the blonde clearly was serious, Harry quickly asked, �So, what was the story, or whatever it was?�

�A Muggle book called The Picture of Dorian Gray,� answered Draco, who seemed to be deep in thought again. �It was something the main character kept repeating in one scene�I haven�t read it in a long time�Devant une façade rose, Surle marbre d�un escalier.�

Unlike the other hidden entrances, the mirror seemed to fade away, revealing a closet-like space that was twice the dimension of the cupboard-sized one in Draco�s room.

�How do you do that?� Harry asked in something close to wonderment. The blonde eyebrow arced questioningly in his direction was enough to get him to elaborate; �You realise that you have figured out three secret passwords with less than ten minutes of thought for each one? Even taking into consideration the fact that your parents set the passwords, it�s still not an easy feat, and it�s not like these are phrases that someone just realises offhand.�

�I told you earlier, I tend to notice and recall details�and these aren�t random passwords like they use at school. Therefore, it�s actually easier to guess,� Draco pointed out with a humility that surprised Harry. The pale boy seemed to think Harry�s questioning expression was in response to what he said as opposed to how he said it, so he added, �My parents are by no means open people, not even to me, but I do have a lifetime�s worth of observations at my disposal.�

Draco then turned to Harry, �Besides, I wouldn�t have thought of the book if you had not prompted that line of thinking, and you did the same thing, in a fashion, at the door in my father�s study. Granger tried my grandfather�s name at the first entrance, which turned my thoughts to the correct path.�

�Speaking of correct paths,� the bespectacled teen said with a thoughtful expression. �You�ve only called Ron and Hermione by their surnames; which is rather polite coming from you. Why haven�t you used the word �mud blood�?� Harry realised that his tone had changed from thoughtful to demanding sometime during his statement, he also noticed that was looming over the other boy as much as their heights and current posture would allow.

�I haven�t used that word since�Dumbledore corrected me�that night on the tower.� Draco answered in barely a whisper and suddenly he seemed to be very interested in the floor. �It was just- Never mind.� The blonde stepped forward and started looking over the items in his parents� hidden cabinet.

�It was just what?� Harry asked, and mentally cursed himself for his callousness. He had that same feeling that he got in the park a few days prior, the one that told him that he needed to hear the fair boy�s answer.

Draco answered compliantly. �It was just a word before, but for Dumbledore to actually care that I used it, especially that night� It means something now; something that I don�t want to be any more.�

Harry found himself, once again, at a loss for words. He thought of the boggart that Lupin had arranged for Draco to face. It was then that the bespectacled teen realised that he wanted the other boy to have really changed. Although he had no idea why that should be important, the fact remained that it was, at least to him.

�This could be useful,� commented the silver-eyed boy as he flipped through an old tome that Harry had not noticed he was reading before. �I�m not sure why it�s in here though. Maybe my father didn�t want Greyback to see it.�

�What is it?� The raven-haired boy asked now that his thoughts had finally returned to the present situation.

�It�s a book on, well�old, odd, and unknown magical theories,� Draco answered with his eyes still on the pages in front of him. �Like the types of magic that various magical creatures use; ones that wizards and witches cannot.�

�Is that why Dobby could disappear at Hogwarts and all that?� Harry asked, a little amused by the memory.

�Yes, I�m actually a little surprised that you noticed that was unusual,� Draco commented lightly. �I wouldn�t have expected you to read Hogwarts; A History� or did Granger fill you in?�

�She did, a few times actually. Ron and I tend to forget that kind of stuff from time to time. Why would your father want to stop Greyback from reading that?� Harry asked in a more serious tone.

�Werewolves are magical creatures,� Draco answered simply, and then noticed that he needed to elaborate by Harry�s expression. �Greyback and most of his kind don�t use magic at all, at least, not knowingly. Werewolves are not taught magic -with very few exceptions- and now it�s technically illegal for them to be. Although, in all honesty, most wouldn�t be able to anyway.

�However, they do have access to the same natural magic that all magical creatures do; it is a little more difficult for them to use, since they think more cognitively then most other magical creatures. But if they ever learned? Assuming that one can learn this sort of thing, of course...just think about it: wandless, wordless, and practically thoughtless magic; They wouldn�t use the same spells as we do, but they could achieve many of the same results, and our counter spells might not work as well.�

Harry was thinking; of the first time he met Professor Lupin, when he had summoned flames in his hand; wandless, silent, and without time for thought. The bespectacled teen had yet to see anything like that again.

In addition, Lupin had come out of both the battle at the Ministry and the one at Hogwarts unscathed. The only others who had managed that were Voldemort and Dumbledore, and even that was only in the first case. The thought of a monster like Greyback having such power sent a rather unpleasant shiver down Harry�s spine.

�I guess the Death Eaters� disdain for half-breeds actually came in handy in this instance,� Draco said dryly. �If it weren�t for that, they would have used this as an advantage. I wonder if your Order lot are still using Lupin an ambassador of sorts for other dark- er, magical creatures. If they are, maybe he could use this.�

�I don�t know if I like the idea of any dark creatures knowing this kind of magic,� Harry answered, �But I�m definitely not leaving that here.� Draco handed him the book, which Harry placed into his own bag.

There were more books, each covering subjects that Lucius Malfoy intended to keep from one or more of the other Death Eaters. The cabinet also held some expensive jewellery, an empty journal that neither boy could get any revelation from, a strange music box that Draco refused to let Harry open, a few large keys, and some figurines that neither boy was very keen on touching for reasons they could not explain.

�Well, there doesn�t seem to be anything else of interest in here,� Harry said as they stepped back and watched the mirror return to its place. �Let�s get Ron and Hermione and then check out the hidden chamber. I�m assuming it�s large enough to warrant all of us searching.�

�It�s probably not necessary, but definitely not unwarranted,� Draco replied as they exited his parents� room. Harry noticed the blonde took one last, long glance before he closed the door, as if he didn�t think he would be seeing it again. Without a word, they walked side by side through the silent halls.

The walk was quiet, which should have seemed normal to Harry, as his companion was normally quiet as of late. However, this quiet felt strange, as if the silence was trying to communicate something. The boy next to him did not even raise his head to see where he was going as he walked. Finally, Harry could not stand it anymore. �Are you all right?�

The blonde did not seem to have heard him. �Draco?�

Silver eyes suddenly shot up to look at him. �I�m sorry, what did you say?�

Harry stopped walking; he thought he might have even stopped breathing for a moment. He never thought that the boy he was looking at would politely apologise to him without giving it a second thought. He was beginning to wonder if he�d actually seen the other boy when he�d looked at him in the past. �I asked if you were all right.�

�Yes.� There was a distant look in the blonde�s eyes for a moment and then he seemed to be seeing Harry again. �It�s only that�I don�t know what I meant to them anymore. I can�t even begin to speculate�I didn�t realise that would bother me so much.�

Harry wished he could say something consoling or supportive, but he thought it would only be insulting to lie to the ashen boy, whom he had no doubt would spot the lie immediately. He suffered no delusions that Lucius Malfoy cared about Draco. In fact, everything he had ever seen or heard from the man suggested that he did not care about anyone other than himself. He doubted that the elder Malfoy had ever spared a thought for his child�s happiness or well being. Everything that Lucius Malfoy did was for himself, his image, and his family name.

Harry did not know enough about Narcissa Malfoy to make any presumptions about her feelings towards her son. Except for� �That room, hidden past your mother�s sitting room. Why would she keep all those mementos of her family if she didn�t hold any affection for them? �And she asked Snape to make that vow to protect you last term. That has to mean something, right?�

Draco nodded vaguely. �I suppose�� He suddenly blinked, and then looked at the green-eyed teen with an odd mixture of wonder and assessment, but it was a brief, vague look, and then the blonde was wearing that faint smile again. �Thanks, Harry, but let�s just leave well enough alone.�

With that, he continued walking, and Harry did as well. A companionable silence fell over them, and they reached the study to find Ron pacing, looking slightly bored, oddly thoughtful, and a little on edge. Hermione was sitting in one of the chairs by the unlit fireplace, reading a large book about magical artefacts. Both stopped when they noticed Harry and Draco�s return.

As Hermione cast Reducio on her book and placed it in her bag, Ron approached Harry. �Everything go all right, mate?� He shot a pointed look at Malfoy, which the fair Slytherin ignored completely.

�Yeah, we really didn�t find much of use, but we�re pretty sure we figured out how many Horcruxes there are.� Harry noticed that Hermione had joined them, and was looking over them with that thoughtful, I�m-one-step-ahead-of-something-you-can�t-fathom look that always preceded annoyance in his near future. �Are you guys done in here? We haven�t checked out the hidden chamber yet.�

�Well let�s check it so we can get out of here,� Ron said irritably. �This place is creepy.�

Hermione cast a warning glare at the redhead, but Draco spoke first. �I agree. Shall we, then?�

Harry nodded and turned to the door with the blonde. Hermione brought her eyebrows together perplexedly for a second and then followed. Ron blinked a few times in surprise, before the bushy-haired girl reached back and grabbed his forearm with an exasperated sigh, �Honestly, Ron.�

They walked through the dark halls the same way they had moved through the hidden tunnel that brought them into the manor. When they reached the drawing room, Draco led them to a large tapestry embroidered with the Malfoy family tree. It seemed to be attached to the wall with a similar spell that held the portrait of Sirius� mother at Grimmauld Place.

�This is the entrance,� Draco said quietly, �But if Snape and Aunt Bellatrix couldn�t open it, then Mother must have changed the password before they�broke her.� He lowered his head, whether from dejection, embarrassment, thought, or reverence, the others were not sure.

Hermione worried her lower lip, Ron looked away from the blonde, and Harry kept a concerned gaze on the pale Slytherin.

After a moment, Ron looked at the others in turn before clearing his throat and addressing Draco. �What was the old one?�

�Solitude vivifie; mises à mort d'isolement,� Draco murmured. The tapestry dutifully revealed nothing.

�Solitude vivifies; isolation kills?� asked Hermione, clearly interested in testing her French. Draco nodded.

Harry turned his head to take in the rest of the room. Even with a large fireplace, comfortable couches facing each other, book shelves filled with volumes on a large variety of subjects, and a very ornate antique chess set on the coffee table, the room still held the same cold, lonely quality as the rest of the manor. Harry found that he felt small and insignificant in the grand rooms of this house, which he could not fathom anyone calling home.

He had hated growing up at number four Privet Drive, and number twelve Grimmauld Place sounded even worse, the way Sirius spoke of it. However, Harry thought that this would have bee an even worse place to grow up, especially under the spiteful, superior glares of the portraits, the cruel, dominating hand of Lucius Malfoy, and the cool, calculating indifference of Narcissa Malfoy.

Then something caught Harry�s attention, effectively pulling him out of his musings. There was something tucked behind a photo on the mantle over the fireplace. He stepped over and removed it, to find himself holding a small scroll, held closed by a small silver ring with a rune symbol of some sort delicately carved into it.

The bespectacled teen returned to Draco�s side and held the scroll out to the blonde, �Any idea what this is?�

�Harry, you should have asked him about it before you picked it up,� Ron stated in a rather Hermione-like tone, �What if it was cursed or a trap of some kind?�

Harry gave Ron an admonitory look as the blonde took the scroll from him and removed the ring. Silver eyes looked over the silver band for a moment before Draco commented; �This is my mother�s.� The ashen boy released a small sigh and slipped the ring onto the little finger of his right hand.

Then, the pallid teen unrolled the scroll as he turned so that Harry could see it as well. The green-eyed boy took a step closer the blonde and read what appeared to be a page torn from an old book, with a small portrait rolled in as well. They focused on the old page first.

�The Rite of Dragoncall� � Harry read aloud, as Ron and Hermione had kept a polite distance, but were still watching curiously, �To increase confidence, bravery, endurance, and spiritual fortitude in times of great need.�

�It�s an ancient protective spell, used to call the spirit of Draco, a dragon who aided mankind in the time before the Pryllyt, to protect or aide you for a brief time,� Draco explained.

�Isn�t that the one the constellation is named after?� Ron asked. �Something about him watching over us from the heavens?� Harry and Hermione stared at Ron in surprise. �Well I was bound to pick up something from all that time faking star premonitions,� the read head stated with a shrug.

�Maybe the Invocation of the Dragon contains the password,� Harry said and the started reading the incantation aloud, until he had said all of the words as best he could considering that he didn�t know the old tongue it claimed to be written in. �Well, I suppose it was worth a shot,� he mumbled after nothing happened.

Ron nodded reassuringly. �Does it say anything else?�

�It has some sort of list underneath the rite,� Harry responded, and then began to read again. �Name: Draco; element: fire; alignment: solar; planet: Mars; secret name: Vermithrax; number: two; gender: male; weapon: sword; colour: blood-red; symbol: dragon�s eye; threshold: high noon; incense; dragon�s blood-�

�Not to be rude, but I doubt my mother went to all the trouble of changing the password only to leave it written in front of an entrance that has always remained locked and hidden,� Draco stated quietly and patiently, as if explaining to a group of small children.

Ron scowled, Harry frowned in embarrassment, and Hermione simply nodded as the blonde held up the small portrait. It was a worn depiction of Malfoy manor, which someone had darkened out, causing the house to look dead and menacing. Draco appeared pensive for a moment, and then his pale eyes shifted as if he were reading an invisible passage. He stepped up to the tapestry, eyes closed and head bowed, and began to whisper, clearly reciting something from a far-off memory.

�Dark house your hours have never known the hurry and the passion of our days. Within that heart of stone love never beat nor hate could live. Nothing at all is left, unless in that damp cell the dead may have a dream he cannot tell��

The tapestry suddenly rose, as an old theatre curtain would, pulled by invisible ropes and hands. Behind it was a dark stone passageway that led to a stairwell�
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Harry Potter and the Unusual Alliance