DNA Mishap

Silence once again filled the room, almost deafening. A startling sniffle disrupted it and everyone turned towards the source.

 

Harry was sitting in his chair again, head down. A sudden shudder shook his whole body and he sobbed quietly. Immediately, Ron and Hermione rushed forward to pat on his back and whisper reassuring nonsense in his ear.

 

Both Narcissa and Malfoy looked impossibly paler than usual. Snape, stoic as usual, was also sitting; eyes closed, lips a tight thin line. McGonagall face had fallen and she seemed deep in thought.

 

Harry looked up, tear streaks on his face and eyes red, "She loved him, then? Malfoy?"

 

Griphook hesitantly nodded. Harry mimicked the movement, accepting his mother's decision without fuss. His friends looked at him cautiously, trying to figure out whether or not he'll break down again.

 

He waved them away. "I'm fine guys. I've died and came back, then defeated Voldemort. This is nothing." It was a lie and they all knew it but chose to ignore it.

 

Malfoy finally spoke after all this time, his voice a bit wobbly but strong. "Well, it seems that we must get over our differences, Pot-." His body stilled and his face grew even paler, almost transparent. "I mean, Ha-Harry." The name sounded weird, coming from Malfoy's tongue, almost foreign.

 

Harry looked at Malfoy. Then looked some more. Finally, as Malfoy began squirming under his gaze, Harry slowly gave Malfoy a sad smile. "Yeah, you're probably right…Draco."

 

Malfoy (a/n: oh, excuse me) Draco gave Harry a haughty glare, his relief shining underneath, "Oh, please. Lesson one, boy, Malfoys are always right. Even if they are obviously wrong. And straighten up. How dare you sit so sloppily? Every dead Malfoy in existence must be turning in their graves at your improper stance."

 

Harry, smirking, sat up straighter. "Well, every dead Malfoy in existence needs to mind their own business." He said, playfully.

 

"Touché."

 

Everyone looked at this in silence, many eyebrows rising past hairlines. The bantering was indeed strange in the somber mood, especially between the two ex-nemeses. That is, until Ron interrupted.

 

"So what, you two are suddenly okay with each other? Eight years of hate and resent just disappears?" he said, a confused look on his face.

 

"As much as I loathe to say it, but yes Weasel. Po-…Harry and I are brothers now and I will treat him accordingly." Malfoy said, with a glance at his mother. Narcissa Malfoy remained silent, an unreadable expression on her face.

 

"Yeah, Ron. 'S kind of different now. I'm sure even if we weren't brothers, we would have worked out our differences eventually." Harry said, sending a grin at Malfoy, who returned it with a lighthearted sneer.

 

Ron looked stricken, "Harry, its bad enough being a Malfoy. You don't have to pretend to like one. Especially that git."

 

Malfoy (a/n: god, I keep forgetting) Draco stood quickly, glaring down at Ron. "What's wrong with being a Malfoy, Weasel? It's not like your rodent family could compare to us."

 

Ron stood, forcing Malfoy (sorry) Draco to look up-while Draco was tall, Ron nearly dwarfed him-and pushed Draco back, the element of surprise and his slight build providing no resistance; he fell on his ass. "Don't. Ever. Insult. My family. Again."Ron shouted, red faced.

 

Malfoy looked up at Ron incredulously. Slowly, his face began to flush in dark anger and he stood quick and graceful, pulling out his wand in one single fluid motion; pointing it at Ron. "You will regret ever doing that, Weasel."

 

Harry jumped up, worried about his friend. "Wait, Draco. Don't hurt him." Harry knew better than anyone how powerful his brother was. Years of flying hexes and trips to the infirmary made sure of that.

 

Ron had not pulled out his wand; from his expression it was most likely because he was afraid of what Draco would do if he did. Draco still had his wand pointed at Ron.

 

Harry tried again. "Draco, please."

 

Slowly, Draco's wand lowered until it pointed at the floor. He sighed and sent a weak glare at Harry. With the wand lowered, Ron's confidence (**Cough cough arrogance cough cough**) returned.

 

"Giving up, Malfoy? Cowardly as always, all you Slytherins are-." Draco's fist connected with Ron's nose in a punch so fast, no one but Harry-with his seeker eyes-could see it.

 

A collective gasp went throughout the room as blood spurted from Ron's nose and this time it was he who fell on his ass. Ron looked up at Draco disbelievingly and Harry felt a sudden sense of pride swell up for his brother-it was not easy knocking over Ron with one punch. Then Ron turned to Harry.

 

"Harry! This git just pushed me!" he said, waving about one hand as the other one gripped his nose.

 

"So I have seen." Harry said, raising one eyebrow.

 

Ron just stared at him. So did everyone else. "Mate, do you know what you just said?"

 

Harry shrugged a shoulder, "Yeah, well. You kind of did deserve it."

 

Ron gaped at him. Suddenly, he snapped his mouth shut and scrabbled up, face clouded with anger. "Harry, this git punched me and you tell me I deserved it? What's happened to you? You're becoming more like them already!"

 

"What? Ron, everyone in this room knows you deserved it! Firstly, you insult the Malfoy name for no reason. Then, after Draco already spared you from a hex that would have sent you to hell and back, and then right back to hell again, you insult him straight in the face. Technically, you deserve more than a punch to the face! And what do you mean I'm becoming more like them? Like who? All I know is that I'm no one but Harry. James. Pot-." Suddenly, Harry's face crumpled and he sagged back into his chair. A sob escaped his throat and his body shook violently.

 

Ron stared at him for a moment before muttering 'wimp' and running out. Malfoy sent a hex after him-smirking slightly as he heard a yelp-and hurried over to Harry. (sigh..Trying to not call him Malfoy is hard) Staring hesitantly down at his brother, Draco did not know what to do. His hands hovered anxiously over Harry's back. Growing up in a very emotionless household left Draco a not very consoling type person.

 

He jumped slightly as warm hands laid over his; gently pushing them down out Harry's back. He looked up into the understanding, warm brown eyes of Hermione Granger. She smiled at Draco encouragingly and he began to tentatively rub soothing circles in Harry's back. Hermione's smile grew and she bent over to speak softly to the melancholy man.

 

All of a sudden, Narcissa cleared her throat loudly; effectively catching the attention of everyone but Harry, who was still unresponsive. She sniffed daintily at him and then turned to Griphook. "I do not believe words on a silly paper. Is there a way to prove these claims?"

 

"Actually, I was just about to get to that. Mrs. Potter asked me beforehand to prepare a Blood Tree parchment for those exact reasons." He turned to Harry, who looked dully at the goblin, apparently revived from Draco and Hermione's efforts. Griphook hesitantly pushed a parchment towards him.

 

The parchment itself was unusual. Deep black in color, it curled slightly at the edges; giving an almost sinister look to it. But what surprised most was not the parchment but the blood quill that lay atop it. Blood quills were very rare and forbidden unless in ultimately necessary circumstances.

 

Griphook spoke carefully, "Mr. Potter. If you would please sign your name on the parchment with the blood quill. At the bottom, please"

 

Nodding mechanically, Harry reached for the quill, gripping it tightly. He was not unfamiliar with blood quills. Umbridge, the evil bitch, forced it on him as punishment years ago. Harry looked down at the black paper, suddenly dreading the results. It's not that he didn't believe his mother, but to see it, for there to be valid proof. Harry didn't think he could do it.

 

Snape opened his eyes, sending a half-hearted glare at the boy, "Just do it already, dammit." He snapped wearily.

 

Harry stared at his old professor in amazement. He never cursed unless pushed to the edge, preferring to insult others using big words that nearly meant the same thing. Feeling a sudden bond with the distressed Potions Master, Harry hurriedly wrote his name across the bottom of the parchment.

 

Slight pain shot through Harry as his name appeared on his hand, exactly as he wrote it on the parchment. But the pain was disregarded as flowing red lines appeared on the parchment above Harry's name.

 

The lines began to form words, a separate line connecting Harry's name to them. Faster and faster, the words-no, names-appeared till the whole page was filled. Indeed, Harry's blood line was extensive, but it was only two names, ones above Harry's own, that everyone could not tear their eyes from.

 

Below it read: (a/n: the middle names popped out of nowhere as I wrote so don't blame me)

 

James Remulus Potter (pureblood) =Lily Rose Potter (squib-born)-Lucius Scorpius Malfoy (veela descent)

 

                 (Imagine a line right here going down)

 

                 Harry James Potter (veela descent)

 

The slightly lighter colored names of Lily and James indicated that they were dead, since Lucius' and Harry's were darker. Between James and Lily's names was a double hash mark, representing their marriage. Between Lily and Lucius' names was a single hash mark…their affair. And straight under it, a single red line led to Harry's name.

 

Malfoy broke the stunned silence. "Well, that solves it. You are my brother...Harry." He said in a bewildered voice.