One's True Nature

27

Draco tried to keep the feelings of dispair at bay as he walked with his son into a small church to his wife's funeral. He also had the deepest sense of Deja vu as he took in the enviroment walking inside the threshold. He felt like somehow he knew this place. Draco looked around and noticed that his wife's family was here for her funeral and though they had been supportive of their wedding. Draco could not meet their eyes. Harry and his family with some of Harry's friends were there. Ginny was home with Albus, she didn't do funerals. Draco didn't really have any relatives left to consider.

"We are here today to honor..." And that's as far as Draco got before he realized exactly where this was. A wave of pure dread swept him, he wanted to be sick, he wanted to die. The pain that seized his chest convinced him that he may die. He quietly slipped out of the sanctuary.

Draco did not get more than half way across a path from the building before he felt a rough hand on his shoulder. He turned around and was surprised to find Ronald Weasely there to meet his gaze. He looked down at his feet, he wanted to shove Ron and run, but he had no resolve to do so. He breathed out a heavy breath. The tingle of horror he was feeling was getting worse and he knew his skin must be getting more pale because of the horrible pain he felt in his chest. He felt a bead of sweat drip off his temple and all of the sudden he mustered all of his strength and shoved Ron away as hard as he could. Ron didn't lose his balance but was sufficiently forced back that Malfoy turned and ran instantly.

"What the hell was that all about?" Ron said to himself straightening himself and staring at the retreating Draco Malfoy. He found it strange to watch as the man cleared the limits of his vision. Draco had a great terrified look on his face and looked to be very ill just before that. Ron wondered a bit about it but passed it off as just Draco being overwhelmed by his circumstances.

The emotion Harry felt when Ron spoke was one of instant need to go comfort his lover, but the smaller version of Draco, Scorpious, was fastened forcefully around his middle. Draco's outburst had clearly frightened him and he latched onto Harrry probably because he wasn't very familiar with anyone else. Harry hugged the boy firmly to make sure that Scorpious new he wasn't going anywhere. The truth of the matter was when he thought about it, Scorpious had not had a moments sanity since this had all happened and the incident with Albus was more disturbing because he had no one to confide in. Harry knelt down and looked Scorpious in the eye.


"He'll be alight, I promise." Harry tried to put on a calming face. "I won't leave you, alright? I'm staying right here." And Harry watched in heartache as Scorpious' face screwed up, in pain and confusion. Harry stood up and allowed the boy to hug him again, the shakes from the boy's silent cries, tore at Harry's heart strings. "Draco just where in the hell are you going?" He whispered.

Acrossed the grass and deep into the cemetary. Draco Malfoy slid down a tree and curled himself up his head leaned against the tree, the bark scratching at his head. The place had changed in 20 years, but he recognized the area none the less. He'd been here as a frightened boy and helped cause the death of two innocent children. Draco managed after a moments time to pick himself up and limp over to a spot, a spot he saw in his nightmares. He drew his wand and began to move pieces of earth with a simple matter pushing spell his sanity slipping with each determined slash of his wand. When he felt a hand grip him from behind he spun angrily hunched and unbalanced to find Weasely there to greet his twisted and insane expression.

"Just what in the bloody fuck are you doing, what's wrong with you?" his Wife looked purely enraged and didn't care to hear any of Draco's excuses about this situation. Draco sank to his knees once he turned back to face the rest of his work.

"I buried them, I buried them, they're so small and frightened. I have to help them." Draco felt himself as though he was no longer incharge of his mind but perfectly capable of understanding his actions, his words were no longer his own and as he went about trying to gather what remained of his inner strength and sanity. He could not hear his wife's words as the woman knelt beside him afraid.

When he felt he could manage it he gripped his wand tightly and apparated away. Despite his weakened state he arrived unharmed. The rage and depression was a battle of wills he'd fought for the last 20 years. He was determined to finally face these demons or die in the attempt. The time to contain and live with them had passed he was no longer a young man with the endless spirit to fight off his own private horrors. As he looked around the shattered remains of an old light house on the nothern Scotland coast he'd once seen with his wife before Scorpious was born. Draco let out the most painful howl no silence could ever hope to repel.


To say that Harry was distressed by Ron's news was to put it lightly. He went into a panic and Scorpious had to be ushered away to prevent the poor boy from becoming more upset than he already was. Harry fought the guilt that ate at him for literally just breaking a promise he made not more than ten minutes ago. He had to find Draco without question he had to. He didn't know where to start and that's what bothered him the most.


Draco began to break down with his voice unable to vocalize his anguish any longer a magical rainstorm soaked him thanks to the now pulsing flames of magic that erupted from his flesh. He clossed his eyes and threw his head up to the sky the rain mixing with a few tears. 'Stop this, it's alright.' A voice swept across his whole front, calm as a breeze calming his fire. He opened his eyes. Draco brought his face down from the sky to face a man he knew a long time ago, someone who's death had changed his life.

"Draco, I am actually here" Said the man. Draco blinked sure he'd gonna full on bonkers. There before him stood Albus Dumbledore. Draco's confusion calmed his senses and allowed him to take control of himself fully again. "This is where it has to stop, all of it Draco. If the world is to find peace, you and you alone must find the strength within yourself to fight and win, whatever the battle may be. You are rare Draco. My brother Aberforth watched over you at my request, teaching you about your rare magical gifts, but he told me many times that you didn't have the talent for battle. He's right, but need is a great replacement for talent. As you matured after the war, myself and Aberforth had many disagreements about what I saw in you."

Draco shook his head, surely he was psychotic. Dumbledore his old Headmaster was in front of him trying to convince him of something that didn't matter at all.

"They're dead because I killed them." Draco said solemnly. Albus' face transparent as it may be took on a caring look.

"Your demons are self inflicted I assure you. No one haunts your spirit those who you hurt have long since forgiven you Draco. Your sanity is your own to claim, as a sword in a stone. Whatever your destiny is my boy, you are much more if you just look at the right things." Draco bowed his head. Albus' voice washed over him like a tide.

"I can't let go of them." Draco said.

"Then don't." said the ghost of Albus Dumbledore, "But don't let those memories stop you from making things right for others in your life. Let go of your fear and self hatred they aren't doing you any good." Draco meant to respond but before he could he felt his body lose feeling and his vision faded before he ever felt his body hit the stone floor softly.


Children laughing, Draco distinctly heard the sounds of children laughing and he stepped into the blackness knowing what must await him. A little girl ran towards him and Draco froze with fear. A younger boy slightly trailed the sister, Draco knew they must be them. He didn't remember their faces well enough to be sure. The girl stopped about two steps outside of Draco's feet. The man knelt in from of them and started to cry. The next moment both children clapped their hands around him and hugged him tight.

"Mister Dumbledore said we should say hi, he didn't say you were so sad." The younger brother stated directly the girl sighed. "Mister you shouldn't be sad okay?" She took his face in her small hands and forced him to look at here eyes and then he looked at her bother's face and eyes. "My name is Mordra, my brother's name is Alexi, he's only 8, but he's really smart for 8. I'm 9, but sometimes people think I'm younger than him."

Draco knowing their names seemed to make it less painful seeing them. The kids he'd had a hand in killing. He felt obligated to know this, their names and it haunted him that he did not.

"I'm Draco." He said shyly.

"Hi." The two said in unision making Draco smile involuntarily.


Draco awoke some days later in a large bed, a fire burning wonderfuly in a fireplace and realizing he was in pajamas he found Harry next the bed, standing facing the window unaware yet of Draco's state of awake. Draco closed his eyes. He wondered what happened. He opened his eyes again and found his voice lacking strength as he called to his lover. The squeal breath pitch whistle that were the collections of sounds he made as he spoke Harry turned instantly and it took a moment for the reality to fight through the jolt of surprise written on the man's face. Draco smirked. He honestly felt better.


Harry spent the next few hours nursing Draco, but Draco hadn't really been on his mind much the last few days. He was thinking about a whole lifestyle change he felt tired and worn and just plain didn't appriciate where he was with his life. It was very complicated now. Ron had helped him locate Draco using a surprising amount of deductive reasoning on Ron's part and after they found the man they brought him back and let Scorpious know his father was ok. It was the stresses on his and Draco's family in the last five weeks that had Harry stretched to the limit and concerned about everyone's future. He had to make a call to someone and he couldn't tell Draco, not now, he wouldn't believe it until he saw it.

Harry left Draco's room and suddenly felt himself at peace with his next steps. He was surprised when he was undetoured by anyone as he walked into his office to firecall the only man that could help him set his plan into motion. He stuck his head into the flames.

"Lucius Malfoy please." Harry said.

"Yes, this is him." Draco's father answered confused not in his usual state of upitiness.

"May I have a few moments of your time?" Harry asked politely.

"What is it?" Lucius voice seemed a bit disinterested.

"I need a huge favor and you're the only one that can help." Harry said directly.

"I'm listening." Lucius Malfoy said softly.

Harry took the longest breath he ever remembered and struggled to find the right words to explain everything that had happened.

End of Chapter 27

A/N: The return of this story is a blessing to me because it's been almost 2 years since I really sat down and wrote. This is not the end, the shortness is more because the next chapter has some big final things going on and a lot of plot to fold out. This was the way to get there. I hope people still like this story as much as I liked writing it in my head right after I finished the final Harry Potter book.