War for Peace

11

Draco sat in the common rooms with Harry and his friends. It had been two weeks since he'd asked Harry to join the quest. Draco howver, didn't find that it got any easier to spend time with the group. He didn't have any confidence in himself and also didn't know where he might not be welcome. He sat in almost a daze as Harry, Hermione and Ron exchanged ideas and debated what the Dark Lord might do. Draco fought against the feeling of being smothered, it wasn't exactly as if Harry had helped him break the ice. Nearly an hour lost to his angered thoughts, someone looked up and spoke to him.

"So what do you think?" The voice asked. Draco shook the cobwebs from his head. He found his eyes wouldn't exactly focus. He looked blankley around the room as he caught each face looking at him. Draco cursed himself as he felt his chest tighten at the expectant looks on each of their faces. He finally shook his head and stood up. Harry watched him with a degree of concern. Hermione was very confused. Ron's look was a little more unreadable.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here." Draco said and walked out of the room. Harry watched him leave and then looked back at his friends. Ron thought he saw a glint of frustration in his eye. They all looked at eachother as if they might have the explanation for Draco's sudden depature, but none of them did. Harry let out a frustrated breath and leaned back on the couch. Ron laying on the floor, looked up at his friend and spoke what he had been thinking these last two weeks.

"He could be spying on us you know." Ron's logic had not escaped him, but Harry knew that wasn't true. Hermione stayed out of this, she never liked interjecting herself into something when she didn't have all of the facts. Clearly, Draco's situation was one of those times. Ron on the other hand, was not afraid to judge guilt without any real supporting evidence. Harry's eyes met his, understanding, but slight irritation showing Ron he'd been thinking along those lines before Ron had spoken.

"I know why you think that Ron, but trust me, he wouldn't do that. Not, now atleast." Harry said tired.

"Why not?" Ron asked a bit hurt that his line of thought was being dismissed so quickly. Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. As he was placing them back on, he spoke in an agonized tone.

"It's not for me to tell." Harry's words were tired and seemed to show some immense burden on the subject of their school enemy, turned unuseful ally. Harry looked at each of his friends. He knew at some point he would have to give them more than, Draco's parents were both dead. He felt himself cringe as he recounted Draco's words, the scars on his back and all the things that had happened. He couldn't erase the memory of Lucius' hand picked memories showing him key points of the slytherin boy's past. He didn't want to remember, it wasn't his right to know those things. Harry let out a frustrated sight and picked himself up from the couch. "I'd better go find him." Harry said more to himself than to his two friends. Hermione and Ron exchanged deepily worried thoughts.

Draco was alone on the balcony of the tower. He felt relief as the breeze cooled his panicking body. He was angry that this wasn't easier by now. He was so confused, he thought everything would make sense once Harry had agreed to let him join up, but instead, it had only made him feel worse. He hadn't remembered this kind of fear since trying to kill Dumbledore and knowing that each time might be the last time that he would see his parents alive. They were both gone now, Draco found that his purpose of getting revenge wasn't enough to help him overcome his feelings of inadiqeucy. Draco's eyes burned with self-loathing. He didn't know why he couldn't just help and have it be done with.

"Draco, are you alright?" Draco heard that voice and relaxed a little. Harry came up to stand next to him. They both avoided eye contact, looking out over the night covered land. Harry didn't know what to say, he'd exhausted all of his coaxing after these two weeks. Draco always came here after a meeting. He didn't know what else to say to make Draco more comfortable, he hadn't talked to Ron and Hermion on the boy's behalf, mostly because of what he might disclose that was much, much to private. Harry heard Draco let out an agonized breath.

"I don't know what I'm doing here." Draco said, "I feel like, I've lost control." Draco's eyes remained hard and unfocused against the night sky, a moon, almost full, reflected in them. Harry waited a few more moments before he spoke, giving Draco his chance to speak again if he was not finished. When the silence streched out more than thirty-seconds. He decided it was ok to speak.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Harry asked softly. Draco shrugged.

"I just thought, things would make sense, I didn't kn-" He cut himself off with a frustrated groan. "I'm so used to being told what to do. My whole life, I took direction from someone, my parents, the Dark Lord, Snape, anyone." Harry understood now what Draco meant and smiled to himself.

"Freedom sucks doesn't it?" Harry asked with a slight chuckle.

"Is that what this is?" Draco asked almost with a smile of his own, but Harry couldn't be sure. "It's not what I thought." Draco added after a few moments. Sudden realization crep over Harry's features. He didn't know why he'd missed it before.

"You thought I would control you, didn't you?" Harry asked. Draco shrugged, but Harry knew this was the right thought. "You thought I would help you by giving you orders." Harry stated, a bit irritated at the idea that Draco had given him this responsibility. "Look Draco, you'll have to stand on your own two feet, I can't, no, I won't give you orders." Draco shifted his weight and Harry noticed Draco shiver.

"Aren't you cold?" He asked the blonde softly. Draco shrugged. "Listen Mal-Draco, you have to take care of yourself or you'll get sick." Harry had noticed that Draco had the habit of, not creating a situation for himself to come to some harm, but not avoiding it either.

"I bet they are cold too." Draco said, a hint of deep sadness in his words. Harry knew who he meant, with not so much as word exchanged, Harry went over and coaxed Draco into his arms. He was suprised by just how cold Draco was. He hugged the boy gently, neither making a sound. This had also been a part of the past two weeks. Harry didn't realy find it awkward at all, in fact, he found that even though he had meant to calm Draco in those instances, he himself became relaxed and felt his problems disappear. He rubbed his hand up and down the boy's back. Draco had relaxed. He knew Harry was only trying to help, his pride was the least of his worries. For the first time since this had started, these hugging situations, Draco felt himself truly relax in Harry's arms.

"You smell nice." Draco said softy, after taking a deep breath. Harry was suprised, but he did not move as the boy in his arms rested against his chest. He felt his face turn a soft shade of red.

"what?" Harry asked gently. He felt Draco go rigid with sudden fear and then he heard Draco speak in a stammering voice.

"I-I-I just was so r-relaxed, Lupin taught me about m-my-" Harry cut him off with a hush.

"It's ok, I wasn't offended Draco." Harry smiled. He felt Draco relax.

"My senses, I-" Draco sighed in anger at his lack of control of his words. "When you become a wereworlf, your senses are really hieghtend. Lupin taught me how to focus so it wouldn't overwhelm me, but I just was so relaxed th-" Harry thought he could feel Draco blush against his chest. "Oh my g-" Harry felt Draco tense again, then suddenly relax again, like he'd been zapped by lightning. Harry was curious.

"What is it?" Harry whispered gently.

"Your heart, I can hear it. It's so big and warm." Draco said, almost in a child's voice. Draco felt his senses flooding with Harry. He was so embarresed, but on the other hand, as the boy's heart beat against his ear, he found himself unable to stop himself from listening. The gentle thump relaxing him as they stood there. Harry was not uncomfortable, but the blush in his cheeks and the light dizziness he felt left him floating for a moment. Harry grasped on to Draco firmly, afraid he might be seperated from him.

After about five more minutes of this closeness, Harry realized they should head back into the common room. They had left Hermione and Ron there. He smiled, wondering what they would be saying behind Harry's back. Draco didn't say much on the way back, but Harry could tell that he was in much more command of his in thoughts by the way he was walking. They entered the door together. Harry and Draco both felt eyes on them. Draco felt Harry give him a soft pat on the back as he went to go sit in the chair, Harry back to the couch. Ron and Hermione exchanged looks quickly. The room was quiet for maybe twenty some seconds before Draco spoke to the room.

"The plan will never work Granger." He said taking a breath. "It's only a matter of time before he takes over the ministery." Draco steepled his fingers. "When he does that, we won't be able to get in, not without a good deal of trouble." The three friends looked at the slytherin with a deep sense of aprihension. "If he does take it though, soon, we should be able to use that to slip away to find my Aunt Bellatrix." Harry swallowed the fury in his eyes, he noted the equal disgust in the blonde's eyes. "I know she'll lead us to something, The Dark Lord, while powerful, needs his followers."

Hermione looked up from a book she was looking in. "What's his next move after that?" She asked curious and a bit upset that people might die gaurding the wizarding government and Draco didn't seem at all phased. Draco closed his eyes and let out a breath. Then inhaled and let it out again.

"Likely, he'll start recruiting his competition, or killing them if they refuse." Draco's voice was even and cool, as if these were the facts of life. Draco felt weight being lifted, he was atleast talking to them now, despite their looks of horror at him, he felt like he could tell them anything. He would help them, the best he could.

The coversation stopped as a small, wolf like boy came into the room. Harry didn't look frightened, but Ron jumped up off the floor where he had streched out. Hermione held her book as if it were a shield. Harry looked to Draco, who looked just as confused as he did. The creature stood in the middle of the room.

"What are you doing here Joshua?" Draco asked in a demanding tone.

Then, before their eyes, Joshua transformed into an ebony skinned wizard, he black robes a deep dark purple. They all stared in amazement. The man's face was covered in several tatoos and Draco saw that he had to be more than 50 years old. The man surveyed them, deep curious and amazed.

"My name is Calliback." The man said with an extremely deep voice. "There is much I have to tell you." They all stared at him, fearful expressions gone, replaced by a curiosity fit for a ravenclaw. "Your misson for the horcruxes is no longer a priority, you are in far more danger than you realize." The man held his hand up as he saw Draco and felt Harry draw his wand. "Not from me, but from time itself." This caused them all to stop and their jaws to slacken.

End chapter 11
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A/N: Sorry, eventually Harry/Draco, but this is a little bit different idea, so I have to do a lot of editing. Draco's confidence and Harry's life of constant pressure will be how I build them together and as I take the 'time travel route' with my story, we begin to see that perhaps only events and not feelings make us act the way we do.
Please review.