Icarus Syndrome

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Warnings: Talk of the War, the Acier-Glace-Version! Monologues! Subterfuge! Details behind Alcyone. Draco does something stupid! Alternate Realities! Demons!

A/N – I know there have been some inquiries about the actual effects of the curse. I am sorry to say that the pace of the story has already been set and these chapters have been fleshed out in advance. There is very little about the actual curse and what it does because it is a still developing process. My plans for the curse have not changed, but some other plot lines have begun to develop under the surface. I am tying this entire string of random events into something coherent. Please, be patient and try to search for the bigger picture. Look underneath the underneath.

I may post a time line sometime soon that will place major events into a clear line, as I know the blurring between canon and AU is difficult. Remember, it's only canon through the 5th book's ending, and then we deviate into my regularly scheduled program.

Thank you, dear readers, for the hits, reviews, alerts and favorites. I am very humbled to know that so many people enjoy reading what I am writing.

-X-

“You are not sleeping in here again.” Draco said as he sat on the bed. Potter rolled his eyes and dropped into a chair.

“Where else would I go? I'm your guardian Draco. Someone has to make sure you don't vanish in the night.” Draco snarled softly and glared at him.

“I suppose you enjoyed someone hovering around you, shuffling you off for your own good, and breathing on your neck before the Dark Lord died? Tell me that you loved someone always following you about.” Potter had stiffened and glared.

“That's different. I had a job to fucking do. Everyone was worried.”

“That's not an answer.” Draco hissed. “Don't fucking tell me you believe that shit you're spitting. Tell me the fucking truth, Harry Potter.”

“I hated it but it was for my own good. It was necessary.” Potter said, staunchly defending his claims. “I'm bound to you. You know me. I'm not some well-meaning adult.”

“You're unwanted. I survived the War with my own protections. I don't need you to survive the night.” Draco said nastily.

“From what I understood about your involvement and from what you've told the Wizengamot, you would never have survived if not for Snape. You didn't have to fight the battles I have, so shut up about your great involvement.”

“Oh yes, the Great Savior. Fought and killed the Dark Lord. Tell me Potter, did you have to bow your head and watch a torture so that you wouldn't be tortured, so you could actually report to someone who could stop further torture? Did you ever have to make a choice between saving a child from a werewolf's gluttony or saving hundreds of similar fates? Have you ever mercy-killed? Healed Death Eaters so they could cause further destruction so you yourself weren't killed?

Tell me that you've done these things, Potter. Tell me that you have known that exact same suffering. What if not my own protection has kept me alive? Did you think I spent the War trapped in a Potions Lab? I'm a fucking Malfoy, Potter, and we lead. Even when we serve, we lead.” Draco snarled at him. Potter's eyes were distant and his face blank. He wanted to make Potter hurt as much as this was hurting him. He didn't need Potter's stupid comfort! He didn't need him to hover around him, telling him it would all be okay! He survived just fine on his own!

“I'm surprised I'm as well-adjusted as I am. I thought I'd be forever haunted by what I've done. I am, oh there's no doubt there, but I accepted it. I didn't try to wash away the blood on my hands in that pool of redemption that the Light claims. Have you done the same, Potter? Do you know, the night that I knew this curse would strike me I went up to the Astronomy Tower. I stood there for hours, staring at the ground. I thought about how easy it would have been to jump, to let go of it all. I stood in the Tower and contemplated my suicide.”

Draco was laughing now, bitterly. Potter hadn't even moved yet. Not even a crack in his mask. He needed to break that self-righteous mask. He wanted to see all of Potter's emotions on his face.

“Have you ever made the decision to live under something you know cannot be broken, delivered out of hate, forever shunned by all, and left with nothing? Have you ever made the choice to live when everything and everyone is telling you that you should die?”

Draco swallowed thickly. He hadn't exactly meant to tell Potter all of those things, but it wasn't anything less than what he spoke of at his trial. There was a lot of blood on his hands, so many people he had hurt because he wasn't strong enough. But, it wasn't a life he had chosen or agreed to. He was under the constant threat of death, a single wrong expression or one small flinch and it would have been himself dead at the feet of the halfbreed monster. How many people had his father let loose? How many lives did his information, passed through Severus, save?

“During Sixth Year, Dumbledore approached me. He had finally decided to tell me the truth behind Voldemort's magic. Voldemort had created these objects that housed pieces of his soul and scattered them. So long as they existed, he could not die. I spent Sixth Year searching for these pieces with Dumbledore. I spent my Sixth Year knowing that I was getting closer and closer to killing that monster. But just because I was getting closer didn't mean the War was slowing or stopping. I was destroying the last object with Dumbledore that night the Death Eaters finally assaulted the castle. It was December, very near the holiday break, when the students would have been home. I wish every day that He had waited until the students were gone, that they were not caught between.

I had no idea who had made it through, who had died, who was captured. Dumbledore and I returned to Hogwarts and we landed in a pile of mutilated corpses, people from Hogsmede who had fought the Death Eaters so the students could have time to get to safety. I had never felt less like a hero than at that time. Everyone who had died there was a fucking hero. I was just some puny kid with a great responsibility thrust upon him. Nothing ever prepares you for death or war. Part of me died with those people. But, Voldemort was weak finally and this was the chance I had waited for.

I don't remember all of the curses I cast as Dumbledore and I fought our way to the castle. I know that the people I struck down never rose again. I couldn't spend my time regretting it and mourning each time I found a classmate dead. Everything becomes a blur until we were in the castle and with everyone else. Dumbledore knew that I was going to finish it that night. He even pretended to be oblivious when I snuck out. I made it to Voldemort with nothing more than my Invisibility Cloak and the Map created by my father and his friends.

I've never felt more satisfaction casting the Killing Curse as I had when I struck down Voldemort. Our curses struck one another and refracted on us both. I always thought that my mother's love and Voldemort's curse had created this link between us. It wasn't. Voldemort's last spell destroyed the last part of his soul. He'd sealed it inside me, hoping that as long as I lived, so would he. Sacrifice has always been a powerful part of my life. I wouldn't be alive without it. His soul connected us and his magic flooded into me. The backlash killed the surrounding Death Eaters.”

Draco exhaled softly. No one...No one had ever known how the Savior had defeated the Dark Lord. Potter had always refused to speak of it. Draco looked up and Potter was staring at his hands.

“So, I guess I have as much blood on my hands as you do. I can't say I know exactly what you went through but you weren't the only one with hard choices. I thought about it, when Sirius died and everything was falling apart. I just lost an entire future. But I knew that I was the only one who could stop other people from making those choices and from viewing death as the only alternative. It was my life or his and I couldn't be selfish.”

“I guess that's the difference, Potter. You couldn't be selfish and that's the only reason I never jumped.” Draco laughed. “God, we're pathetic. All I wanted was for you to sleep in another room and we get this. Fucking pity party.”

Harry nodded, eyes turning a little brighter and losing the deep haunted sadness.

“I just wanted some space, Potter. I feel smothered sometimes. I know it's not intentional, but you're always there and it doesn't vanish. I just wanted some time that's my own. When you're here that's all I think about. My father's going to die and it feels like it's all my fault. I don't want to think about it. I don't. If I do, I'll never stop. I just want some time all alone to not think about anything. I just want to be alone.” Draco's head bowed and he fought to hold back a few tears but they slipped past.

“If that's what you want...” Potter began and Draco looked up. Potter was staring firmly at his clasped hands. Draco broke them apart and emerald eyes jumped up towards his.

“Please?” He whispered, nodding. Potter sighed and stood.

“I'll find Pomfrey and get a bed out in the main room. I'll be close enough to come help you if you need anything and I'll be the first and last obstacle anyone who wants to bother you meets. Stay here and sleep, Draco. Good night.” Potter stood and gave him a gentle, pained smile, reaching out to wipe away his tears. The contact made his skin sizzle and sent his heart pounding, but Draco just nodded in reply and Potter's hand fell away. The lion followed him to the door and Potter held it open to let the creature out.

“Good night, Harry.” Draco whispered, voice even lower than a whisper. The door shut gently and Draco fell back against the pillows, feeling like he was driving away the only good thing that had happened to him since the war.

-X-

Harry slumped against the door, feeling like every emotion he had had just been wrung out of his body. It strained at his nerves to be so close to Draco, but to be so bloody far away. He liked sleeping on Draco earlier, knowing that the other boy was there. He didn't want to wake up frightened and nervous, feeling Draco's pain and fear pulsating through his body like it was his own.

“He is afraid of becoming dependent on you. I do not believe he has ever had much of a stable life. He is being pulled in many ways. First, he believed his father hated him and he has hurt him far more than he will admit but now he knows his father loves him. Draco is fragile. He doesn't want to trust you because he doesn't want hurt.”

“I don't want to hurt him. I just want him safe.” Harry said as the lion led him to the bed.

“Too much safety and you'll smother him. Let him breathe. Though the two of you were a bit crueler and nasty about it, it was blindingly clear that the two of you can care for yourselves. If you want to be his friend, trust him to take care of himself.”

“I trust him.” Harry said as he stripped off the robe and went to grab spare pajamas out of the cabinet. “I do. I just don't trust everything else. I don't trust what he thinks he has to do. I mean, what if he cooks up another hare-brained scheme to get out and ends up somewhere I can't follow? What if someone attacks him? What if he attacks someone? I can't stand that. I just want to be there to keep him safe from everything. Even himself.”

“You are very stubborn.” The lion yawned and settled into an ungainly heap under the bed.

“Very funny.” Harry said as he climbed into the bed.

“You can't protect him from everything. He will hate you as long as you try. You want to be his friend or his lover, you'll show him you have respect, faith and unwavering trust in him to be able to care for himself. I don't believe that Guardians exist to be only shield and sword. Be his source of strength. Just relax. This will be one night. Soon, you will be in his room with him. Patience is key.”

“I have no idea how something representative of me can sound so much like Hermione.” Harry complained. The lion just purred and Harry closed his eyes and tried to sleep, finding comfort in the steady beat of Draco's magical core against his.

-X-

“You're not staying here, are you?”

Draco gave the ferret a fond smirk and shook his head.

“No. I'm not. You're going to lead me back to that Mirror Room. I've got something to do.” Draco said, moving the stone creature to his shoulder.

“That is why you are driving away your Guardian?” It asked.

“Potter would interfere. I can't chance it. The only reason he showed up the first time was because I was scared. I know what I'm doing now and I'm not going to act so helpless again.”

“How do you plan to leave this place? Harry will hear you leave. He'll know if you're gone.” Draco scowled and bit his lip in contemplation.

“Then I'll have to move quickly.” He said finally, shrugging off the robes and and knotting his hair firmly. His heeled boots were silenced with a charm so they would not echo in the halls and he glamored his hair a muted grey. He couldn't take any chances that someone was in the halls or that he was being checked on through the night. “You can lead me there, can't you?”

“If we had not followed you, you would never be able to find the room again. As it is, we are still tied to the Mirror of Truth and can lead you back to it.”

“Good. Alright. Let's go.”

Draco slipped out of his room and darted toward the door, casting a wary look at Potter sleeping on the bed. He turned away and steeled his expression. He vanished out of the hospital ward like a ghost, and he was traveling swiftly through corridors and stairwells, relying on the whispered instructions to guide him.

-X-

“Well, well. This is quite the prize.” She smiled as she ruffled through the various pages, seeing the photos and eying them with deep interest. “All of this information is completely accurate? None of it is false?”

“Would that matter even if it wasn't true?” She smiled and agreed.

“When would you like this done?”

“As soon as possible. Your payment will be sent when the article is published.”

“The agreed upon amount and no less or I'll find some new article to smear the Minister with.” Rita threatened, shifting her gaudy eyeglasses and making them flash warningly in the light.

“The agreed upon amount.” He nodded and left her house. She heard the whip-crack of apparation and smiled at her sudden windfall of good luck. She ran a finger over the moonlight-colored hair and the nasty sneer. This would cause one of the biggest stirs since her last articles of the Death Eater trials. This would be...fun.

-X-

Lucius sat in the pale moonlight, hearing Narcissa turn about in her sleep on the bed nearby. The lounge seat he was resting in overlooked the estate gardens and he was watching the clear sky reflected in the large fountain. He was sleepless, mind anxious about the days to come. Death would be coming for him soon and already he could hear the echoing steps. Had he done the right thing? Had he made the right choices?

He loved his son, more than he loved his wife and as much as he loved the Malfoy traditions. Draco had been a blessing. Narcissa was a strong woman but they both knew that another child could spell her death and not even another child could fill the void she would leave behind. Draco was the legacy he was leaving the world, a testament of what Lucius Malfoy had been and as long as Draco lived his son would honor him.

Of all the possible solutions, this was the only one that could guarantee that neither his son nor the Malfoy legacy could be lost. Scrimgeour was essentially killing Draco the moment he stripped him of magic and sent him to Azkaban. The known and inexcusable Death Eaters had been stripped down to squibs and left to rot in that island prison. It couldn't happen to Draco. Death would be better than seeing his child murdered before him and the magic and power that made the Malfoys strong forever denied to them and in the hands of his murderer. Lucius would have taken his own life before he lived in that shame and pain.

This was the only way. Sacrifice was one of the most ancient and honorable powers of magic. Most purebloods were intimately familiar with sacrificial magic and Lucius himself had an ancestor who sacrificed herself to end a great famine. Draco understood. He still loved him so he must understand. He must know that this would be the only way.

-X-

Draco looked at the portrait with mild interest and gave a discreet cough to catch her interest.

“Oh, hello. You're the boy from earlier. The Professor and that horrid boy carried you away from the room.” She said, turning away from the distance to look down at him.

“Yes, that was me. I am Draco Mal-Black. Draco Black, if I may.” He said politely, biting his lip at his slip. He couldn't make slips like that.

“A pleasure, Draco Black. I am Queen Alcyone, wife of Ceyx and daughter of Aeolus.” She smiled kindly at him, eyes tugged toward the sea. Draco immediately swept her a bow and grinned at her bell-like laughter. Alcyone. Alcyone. He knew that name. It was another mythological tale...

“He's consulting an oracle...isn't he?” He asked carefully. She blinked and then smiled softly.

“You're a good boy. Yes, my husband is on a journey far across the sea. I'm waiting for his return.” She smiled again and sighed at the crashing waves on the shore. “It feels like I have waited eternity so far but I will be patient. He loves me as I love him. I will see him again.”

Draco kept silent. Ceyx was dead in the sea, his ship destroyed by a storm. In the tale, Alcyone's praying had been heard by the gods and they sent Morpheus to take the shape of her dead husband and the god visited her dreams. When roused from sleep, she had fled to the shore and saw a dead body in the distance. It was her husband, drifting dead in the sea and she had ran out into the water. But instead of sinking in, she grew wings and feathers, changing until she was a bird and her husband changed to a live bird as well. The gods had granted their love kindness and they flew together forever. Halcyon days, seven days where all is calm and still, when Alcyone broods over her floating nest in the sea and broken when the young birds hatch. Someone had done a terrible misfortune to this woman and painted her before she learned of her husband's death and never knew the truth.

“The wall will part. Walk forward.” The ferret urged and Draco obeyed, the stones sliding aside like the bricks outside the Leaky. The long hallway and staircase were familiar and easily navigated. The room itself, though, had changed rather drastically. The statuary was gone, along with the circle of mirrors and stone benches. The walls were all clear, solid glass and the roof was still gone, but the willow tree dominated the room with its size. In the center of it all, innocent as water could look, was the Mirror of Truth. The ferret chattered anxiously over his shoulder.

“This has never happened before. There are always others mirrors that must be used. Even for the Founders, the pool never appeared alone. Be cautious.” The ferret whispered, curling his tail about his neck. Draco raised his chin and stepped onto the soft grass. The willow rustled in the breeze.

-X-

The lion lifted its head, watching the bond-mate and the other incarnation slip out of the door. It rose up and stalked forward, tipping its had back and catching the scent of the bond-mate. It growled softly, the heavy sound pulling Harry from his sleep.

He sat up and blearily looked around, hand searching for his glasses. He slipped them on with a wide yawn and stared blankly at the stone lion where it stood thrashing its tail by the door.

“What's up? Did someone try to sneak in?” He asked, eyes heavy with sleep. The lion tilted its head up to meet his eyes with blank stone. Harry was too tired to ponder how a lion saw with sightless eyes.

“No. No one tried to sneak in.” It said finally.

“Well. That's good then.” He sank back down to fall back into his dreams. Draco's magical core was farther away than before and he had to reach for it. He tried to hold it close but it kept getting further and further away and his eyes snapped open with a wordless snarl. “That snake's gone, isn't he?”

The lion nodded and Harry jumped out of the bed, striding over to Draco's room and kicking the door open. It was glaringly empty. Harry's lips pulled back in an angry smile.

“I'm going to kick his arse.” He hissed. He grabbed his clothes from earlier and pulled everything on hastily.

“I think I know where they're going.” The lion said and Harry nodded.

“Good.” He cast a hand out and the lion became jet black, he himself he disillusioned and they left the hospital ward. At least if the lion was spotted, it couldn't be linked back to him. Harry cast another silencing spell on the lion and his own shoes as they ran. He was going to wring that serpent's neck as soon as he got his hands on him again. Making them both angry and guilty, making him feel like absolute shit, just so he could have the privacy to slip away into the night yet again. All he seemed to be doing lately was chasing down that Slytherin.

-X-

Draco stared at the moon reflected in the pool of water. The ferret assured him that only activation words could make the pool respond and he wasn't sure he was truly ready for this.

“Mirror, show me the ways to break my curse.” The pool rippled and a myriad of morbid images filled the waters. All involved death of himself, his father or Potter. “Mirror.” The pool stilled, showing the moon. “Show me the ways to break the curse that do not involve death.”

Nothing. The pool did not even ripple. Not the slightest stir. He slowed down his breathing before he could panic.

“Show me...Show me...Show me the way to remove Harry Potter from the curse without involving death.”

The moon gleamed in the glassy surface. Not even the wind disturbing the willow bothered the pool. Draco once again tried to calm his breathing. He turned away from the pool, sinking to his knees close to the base of the willow.

“That's it then. I'm truly stuck with it, with him. I don't want him there. I hate it. I hate all of this. I can't stand it. I should have jumped. I shouldn't be alive right now. Merlin, I can't stand this! Everything is so wrong! Why is my life turning out this way?” He stood up and looked up at the moon, where it hung above him. That smiling face trapped in its groves seemed to laugh at his fate. “What can I do to make it better? What can I do to make my life mine?” He shouted at the laughing face.

“Draco, back away. Do not glance at the water or touch it. Do not ask questions so close to the mirror.” The ferret warned, looking about nervously. They were so close to the water, a single glance in his periphery would spell doom for Draco.

“No! Why is my life turning out this way?! Everything's over! The War, the punishments! I spent the second term of my Sixth Year trapped in legal battles, house arrests and assessment tests! This year, Seventh Year was supposed to be different! Everything was going to be different! I'm not supposed to be living a life of fear any longer! I'm terrified that every time I close my eyes I'll see my father's face and can't stand never seeing it again! That I'll lose more of myself! I wanted it so badly! A life that was mine! Of acceptance, love, peace. It was all going to be so easy. Now, everything's gone to hell and I can't do anything! I just want my life back!” He ignored the tears that were pouring down his pale cheeks, dripping off his chin. He stared at the moon, seeing its twin in the still waters. “What do I do to make my life mine again?”

The water suddenly sloshed, swirling like a vacuum. The ferret stared down in horror as did Draco once he realized his folly. Water was lapping at his heels and Draco backed away quickly, back hitting the willow's trunk. The water pursued him, searching him out like a serpent scenting a rat. Draco pushed off the tree and began to run toward the exit. It sounded like a thunderstorm in the room and the water spilled out of the pond as if it were overflowing.

“Draco!”

Harry was running toward him but the grass itself rose and twined about him, dragging him to the ground. His magic burned the air about them as it fought against the room. Draco cried out as he felt a vine catch his wrist and he looked in disbelief at the willow branch restraining him.

“Harry!”

The water was a vortex now and Draco was helpless as the tree held him still long enough for the water to wrap around him. He stared at Harry's wide green eyes and frustrated and frightened tears slid down both their faces. The ferret was chewing at the willow but the stone creature fell to the ground motionless. The lion assisting Harry suffered a similar fate, freezing mid roar. Draco barely caught a breath before he felt water up to his neck and then the pool swallowed him.

-X-

“Draco!” The grass and the willow stilled suddenly. Not even the water moved. It was like...Draco had never been there. He ran forward, treading into the water. Moonlight made the pool seem near black and silver. He reached as far as he could before he took a breath and plunged in. It was deep, so deep that he couldn't see anything, couldn't even see light. Blackness surrounded him and he quickly cast a bubblehead charm and exhaled. He couldn't even see the bottom. It was as if the center was a bottomless pit. The charm was starting to fail so he swam back up and broke the surface with a gasp. He pulled himself onto the shore and began to pull off the heavy, wet clothes. He had to try again.

He carried his wand with him now, not trusting wandless magic to guide him this time. He couldn't feel Draco's magic anymore. The entire space he had recognized as Draco's magical core, his mind, was gone. It felt like his torso had been hollowed out. He lit the tip with the brightest light he could and cast another wandless bubblehead charm and plunged back into the water. He clutched the wand tightly and swam, trying to see Draco or feel his magical core. Panic was pushed back, mind slipping into the same intense concentration of the Final Battle that helped push aside death to focus on his destiny. He would save Draco. He would.

-X-

“Draco? Are you alright? You've been staring out the window for hours.”

Draco jumped, hearing his mother's voice and looking around frantically. She raised her brow and swept toward him, ice white robes flowing around her. Her golden hair was long and curled gently, pulled toward the side. She had on a necklace he had never seen before but he didn't care. Right then, she was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen in his life.

“Mother.” He said, moving to envelope her in a hug. She stiffened but wrapped her arms around him. Her perfume still smelled the same. Jasmine.

“Draco. Not that I am offended, but why the display? You act as if you have not seen me in forever.” She said, letting him break the hug and smooth the lapels of his robes.

“I feel as if I haven't.” He answered. She laughed and threaded her arm through his.

“Come along. Your father is ready to leave. We must get to the party before the ceremony begins.” She said, leading him into the foyer. Lucius was in a deep grey set of dress robes and he was missing his snake-head cane. Instead, he stood tall and proud, eyes softening as he saw them approach.

“Come. The portkey is about to take us.” Lucius held out a tightly bound scroll and they placed hands on it. The familiar tug behind his navel alerted him of the travel and he closed his eyes to reorient himself as they arrived. The Ministry official collected the invitation and held open the doors, revealing a large party.

Witches and wizards twirled across the dance floor, the music light and modern. Tables were arranged around the dance floor, a single large platform with dining table and podium towered over the lot. Draco followed his parents, standing quietly as they exchanged pleasantries. Lucius pulled out Narcissa's chair and gave Draco an odd look when he made to sit on her other side.

“Have you and your expected had a tiff, Draco?” He asked. Draco's browns went down.

“Expected?”

“Draco! I told you earlier, we have seats up at the Head Table. Are you angry that I left last night? I told you I couldn't stay.” Harry Potter came up, Slytherin green robes looking very well cared for. He gave a small nod to Lucius and they shook hands. “Good evening, Lord Malfoy.”

“Good evening, Lord Potter. May I offer my congratulations on your new position.” He said, lips curling into a smirk. “Minister at such a young age.”

Potter blushed and looked at Draco pleadingly. Draco gave him a confused stare back.

“Draco had a lot to do with it. Without him running the campaign, I would never have captured the office.” Potter smiled, threading an arm around his waist and tucking him into his side. Draco couldn't say anything, mind racing as he tried to make sense of this. It was a very convincing dream.

“Yes, Draco was very motivated.” Narcissa agreed. Potter smiled, kissing her hand when it was offered.

“Very motivated.” He echoed, giving Draco a very suggestive look. Draco paled. “Draco? Are you okay? If you'll excuse us, Lord and Lady Malfoy, I think I'll take Draco out for some air.”

Draco let Potter pull him onto some dimly lit terrace outside and he felt himself shepherded to a stone bench. He sat and tried to calm down, searching through his mind. Everything from before his mother called him was blank. He couldn't remember anything. He knew people and terms, but nothing more. He could feel the memories hovering distantly, out of reach. What was going on?

“Draco? Are you okay? You've been quiet and distant.” Potter asked, hand covering his forehead. “Are you sick? You feel warm.”

“I don't...”

“Draco? Look at me.”

He raised his eyes and met Potter's green eyes but they weren't green. Instead, they were white, empty and when Potter spoke again, it wasn't his voice.

“Draco. This is the life you have searched for, one of acceptance, one of peace. You were never a Death Eater here. Your father was never a slave. There has only been peace here. I can make it so that you can live here forever, your mind locked in the body of this world's Draco Malfoy. He is lover to Harry Potter, soon to be married, and Head of the Unspeakable Department. I can seal you here. In your own world, you will never know peace, never know acceptance. You will live miserably. Surely, here is far more gratifying. Stay here, Draco. Where you belong.”

Draco was silent.

“Who are you?” He asked finally.

“The Mirror of Truth is a sentient being. I am its voice and tool when it cannot act.”

“I don't remember what that is. I can't remember anything from before. Was my life really that terrible? Is there no hope?”

The being was silent and shrugged.

“Who can say? You can be happy here. You can live here. It's so peaceful. Don't you want to stay?” It asked, gesturing toward the ballroom. “In there are people who love and respect you. A man who loves and worships you. Your father is proud of you. You have honored your name.”

“But-”

“Stay, Draco.”

The being extended a hand.

-X-

He recast the charm just as it started to falter. His wand light just barely split the darkness. It felt like he would be forever lost down here, searching forever with nothing to show for it. Draco...What if the pool really had swallowed Draco? What if it had taken him away, too far away for him to ever reach?

No! He couldn't think like that. He would find Draco. That stupid blond git was going to get such a thrashing as soon as he got him out of the hellish watery pit. Chilliness that had nothing to do with the water reached him down to his bones and he shivered. Something bad was happening. He was sure of it.

-X-

“Why can't I remember this other world?” Draco asked, looking at the extended hand carefully. He didn't want to take it, not when he wasn't sure about everything. Not while he was still a Slytherin at heart.

“It's the only way.” The being said flatly. “I brought you to this world, a paradise. Your memories of your life in the other world were the sacrifice.”

“But I do remember some things. I remember my mother and father and I know people. I just don't remember...why my life was so terrible, like you said it was. If you truly wanted me to stay here, if my life was as terrible as you say, I would remember that. I would want to stay here if I knew how terrible my life was.”

“That is the price paid to bring you here. Now, make your decision.” The being said forcefully. Draco glared at it.

“I didn't ask to be brought here! At least...I don't think...”

“Exactly. You haven't thought. You asked a question and this was the answer. Your memories paid for existing here. If you go back, you go to a world of misery, pain and fear. You belong here, Draco. A world of peace and acceptance. You belong in this body.”

Draco bit his lip and looked at his hands. No calluses, no odd mark or scars. What couldn't he remember about the other world? Did he belong there instead?

“Why are you doing this? Why would you care if I was happy or not?”

“Draco. Draco. Draco.” The being said, smiling in a certain way and shaking its head from side to side. “Why shouldn't you be happy? Does not everyone deserve happiness? Does not everyone deserve love and peace?”

“Why are you doing it? What do you get out of it?” Draco demanded, refusing to be swayed or sidetracked. His lack of memories was more frightening than anything. This offer was too good to be true. Something was wrong. He knew it.

Slowly, the being smiled, lips drew back into a pleasant grin.

“I get out.” The white teeth shone in the dim light. The being looked less and less like Harry Potter and more like an unformed dark shape with white eyes and rows of sharp white teeth. “And you get to stay.”

-X-

Harry gasped as he finally saw something. It was ghostly white, scaly like a serpent. He cast his wand light brighter, until it shone like a star. Amid the black water, a large white serpent was curled around Draco, squeezing and tasting. A thin pink tongue darted out between sharp teeth, lapping at pale flesh. Draco's silver-grey eyes were glassy and dark, unfocused. It was like his mind wasn't even there. The serpent was staring at Draco with black slitted white eyes.

Harry threw out a hand and struck a cutting spell at the serpent, spilling crimson red blood into the water. The serpent ignored him but the water didn't. The water began to churn and spin, catching him in its tide. He lost sight of Draco as the water carried him away.