Mutare

Title: Mutare
Author: selene
Rating: will be NC-17, R for one scene
Pairings: Harry Potter/Dudley Dursley (Don’t freak! It’s just at the start!), Harry Potter/ OMC, Draco Malfoy/OMC, Harry Potter/Lucius Malfoy, Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy/OMC, Harry Potter/Lucius Malfoy/Draco Malfoy
Category: angst, romance, drama
Disclaimer: If they were mine, Harry wouldn’t even PRETEND to be straight.
Summary: After doing something both irreparable and irreversible, Harry finds himself on the run. He finds safety and understanding in the most unlikely of places. After all, when the world as you know it changes, all you can do is to change as well. Mutare…to change.
Archiving: AdultFanFiction.Net
Warning: Directly after OotP… I don’t know if anyone actually hasn’t read the fifth book yet, but hey, to each his own. Also, heterosexual rape, even if it is a flashback.
A/N: Anyway, this chapter is the much-awaited “telling” of Magnum’s past. However, before that is interaction bet Dra Draco and Lucius. Tried to make it light since the part after is so heavy. Hope Magnum’s story doesn’t seem so farfetched. I spent a lot of time and effort making it.
Feedback: I’d really like to know what you think of Magnum now. Is he still a Mary Sue? Lord, I don’t know what to do if he still is. Please email me!!! You know I love that…very, very much. Please! *On my knees now…begging. Get your minds out of the gutter, please. :p*
Dedications: Once agato tto the reviewers who make writing this so much fun. I love your emails; they make me smile so much!

“speech”
‘thoughts’
{setting}
::visuals/visions during the storytelling::

Chapter Five: Mala Fide ~ In Bad Faith

{Malfoy Manor, after Draco’s Apparition}

Draco Apparated into Malfoy Manor and he immediately set off towards the library, knowing that his father would still be holed up in his “kingdom.”

A house-elf appeared beside him. “Welcome back, young Master Mal---” It was cut off as Draco threw his cloak in its direction. The heavy fabric drowned the creature for a moment. It finally resurfaced and was about to say something when it realized that the young Master was no longer where he was a moment ago; he was in fact heading quickly down the hall. The house-elf hurried to catch up to Draco.

“Young Master, would you be liking to eat supper?” it asked, moving much more quickly since its legs were shorter than Draco’s.

“Has Father eaten?” Draco asked.

“Not yet, young Master. We be asking if Master Malfoy wished to eat but Master kept saying later,” the house-elf answered.

“Well, bring supper for the both of us to the library. Sandwiches and light soup. Nothing heavy,” Draco instructed.

The house-elf nodded and disappeared with a crack.

Draco reached the library doors and walked in, not bothering to knock. He spied his Father sitting at his desk, writing on a long piece of parchment already full of words. He was so caught up in whatever he was doing that he never noticed his son’s entrance. Draco surreptitiously crept up behind his Father and looked over his shoulder.

“Father, you’re writing to Mother?” he asked.

Lucius jerked, taken by surprise. He made as if to reach for his wand but realized that it was only Draco.

“Draco, how many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that,” Lucius scolded his son. “My instincts tell me to hex first and ask whom I hexed later. I would never forgive myself if I hurt you and knowing which curses I’d probably use, I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t like what happened to you.”

Draco ducked his head and sheepishly said, “I’m sorry, Father. I just didn’t want to disturb you. You looked…so peaceful.”

Lucius smiled exasperatedly, “Alright, I forgive you but make sure you don’t do that again.”

Draco nodded. “Father, why are you writing to Mother?”

“Just because your great-grandmother made us separate, it doesn’t mean that we’ll stop talking to each other. I may have never loved your mother romantically, Draco, but I do care for her and she’s the only one I trust enough to talk to. Aside from you, of course.”

“Oh,” Draco said. “What are you telling her?”

“This and that. The latest news at the Ministry. The book I’m currently reading. The way I never seem to see my son anymore because he’s always at Cervello.” At this statement, Lucius raised an eyebrow at Draco and Draco had the grace to blush and look sheepish.

“Father, I told you that I’d be willing to stay if you wanted me to. All you had to do was tell me,” Draco said.

“Well, yes, but I couldn’t have you spontaneously combust on me, could I? After all, I’ve already gone through the entire “pregnancy a.k.a. the truest form of torture the higher powers could ever gift us with” with your mother. I’d rather kiss Dumbledore’s bare bottom than go through that hellish experience again,” Lucius said, grimacing in distaste.

“Father! That was not the mental image I needed to see right now!” Draco protested, making a face as he tried to block out the images his father’s comment had brought around.

Lucius let out a rich chuckle at the face his son had on at the moment.

“Ahhh…how good it feels to know that I’ve still got it,” Lucius said cockily. He rubbed his fingernails on his shirt, as if shining them, and blew on them.

Draco rolled his eyes, “Ahhh…how great it feels to know that my father can be even more juvenile than me.”

Lucius narrowed his eyes in mock irritation, “Be careful, I might just ‘remember’ who stole his mother’s earrings and decided to wear them. I might even remember where the pictures of that incident were placed.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“Yes, I would!”

Draco let out a sound of indignation before sticking out his tongue.

“Yes, and that is quite mature!”

Draco crossed his arms and turned up his nose. Lucius rolled his eyes. They both dissolved into gales of laughter. They laughed freely for several moments before Lucius stopped first, wiping the corner of his eyes with a silk handkerchief.

“I needed that,” Lucius commented, smiling at his son.

“I think we both did,” Draco answered, smiling in return.

They basked in the comfortable silence. Lucius sat back down behind his desk and finished up his letter to Narcissa. Draco sat in armchair by the roaring fireplace that one of the house-elves recently lighted. He nodded at the house-elf that appeared. It placed the tray of food on the table in front of him before disappearing with a crack. He picked up a sandwich and began to eat it.

Draco looked at his father out of the corner of his eye and observed that while the serenity he had noticed earlier when he had come in had indeed returned, the mood was lighter and nearly not as forlorn.

Lucius finished his letter and signed it without the intimidating yet graceful flourish he always used when ending his correspondences. He merely wrote, “Your dearest friend, Lucius.” Once finished, he folded it and placed it in an envelope. He reached for the green sealing wax and placed it over the flames of the candle. He dripped the molten wax over the flap and stamped the Malfoy crest over it. He set the letter aside, resolving to send it before he went to bed.

Lucius looked over at Draco and suddenly remembered that Draco was supposed to be at Cervello at the moment. “Draco, aren’t you supposed to be at Cervello? What are you doing home?” he asked.

Draco was shaken from his musings and he looked at his father. “You’re never going to believe who I saw while I was there,” he said.

Lucius rolled his eyes, “Despite what you believe, Severus does have a life outside Hogwarts and people do find him attractive in a…brooding, mysterious sort of way. As I recall, he accompanied me to Cervello quite often. He also stopped going there roughly the same time I did. I didn’t know he started to go back.”

“That’s because he hasn’t, Father,” Draco informed him. “And frankly, that was another mental image I didn’t need. I saw someone else,” Draco trailed off.

“Are you going to make me guess?” Lucius dryly asked.

“No, no. It’s just that…out of all the people I had ever thought to see there, he was the last person on the list.”

“Well, do take me out of my misery,” Lucius sarcastically said but he couldn’t help but feel his curiosity piqued.

“I saw Harry Potter,” Draco said.

Lucius felt his jaw drop and he knew that he should close it but he couldn’t find the strength to get it shut.

“Father, you don’t look very dignified with your jaw hanging open like that,” Draco commented, a half-smile lingering on his lips.

Lucius closed his mouth with a snap and pretended to scowl at his son. He dropped the act and began to ask Draco questions, “You saw Harry Potter? Are you sure it was Harry Potter? You weren’t mistaken? Where exactly did you see him?”

Draco sighed, “Father, one at a time. The answer to your first question is yes. The second is also a yes. Despite the fact he didn’t look as horrible as he did in school, it was still him. Also, I was not mistaken despite the fact I could not see his scar---” Draco held up a hand when his father tried to interrupt. “The reason I didn’t see the scar was because he had somehow covered and hidden it. However, it was him.”

“How did you know?” Lucius asked.

“There was just something about him that I knew, instinctively, was Harry…Potter. I mean, I’ve been his schoolmate for five years and our rivalry on the Quidditch pitch and our enmity off it and classes and…his eyes. They’re this…brilliant green color and people who are stupidly being romantic and idealist would call it emerald green, but it’s not. It’s more of…Lincoln green. Besides, it’s not the color of his eyes that give it life but the feelings behind them. I don’t even understand why he wore those horrid glasses at school. They were like shutters,” Draco grimaced in distaste. “He took them off, you know. Thank goodness.”

Lucius couldn’t help but raise his eyebrow again, “So…we’ve spent a lot of time obsessing over this, haven’t we?”

Draco looked sharply at his father, “Of course not! I just…noticed…now…a minute ago.”

Lucius nodded his head but he continued to look at Draco oddly. “Well, now that we’ve established that it was Harry…Potter you saw at Cervello, where exactly did you see him?”

“Well, my courtesan was still…occupied with another patron when I arrived so I decided to wait in the dining room. I met Argento there and he kept going on and on about this ‘exquisite creature’ who had just arrived that day. He was bemoaning the fact this lovely being was only a server and not a courtesan. I laughed at him and asked him to introduce me to this ethereal mortal of his.” Draco smiled, as if remembering something pleasant.

“What is it?”

“Argento called him… ‘Bello,’” Draco said.

“Oh. Potter must have made an impression on him,” Lucius commented, still curious about his son’s odd behavior.

“Anyway, Har…Potter came over and for an instant I didn’t recognize it was him. Then, he actually said my name and he had this look of utter incredulity and disgust on his face. As offensive at it was, that pretty much confirmed my belief regarding who he was.”

“Hmm…” Lucius said, thinking about all Draco told him.
pitepite common belief, he had nothing against the deceased Potters. It was true that back in school he and James Potter had never been friendly with each other and he felt Lily Evans was below him because she was a Muggleborn but that was it. Even when he was a Death Eater and had been present at totteotter’s demise, he never felt any true antagonism towards the couple. It was strictly…business. The Dark Lord wanted them dead and that was it.

As for their son, he was fascinated with the way his life turned out. After all, in the Wizarding world, who wasn’t? He had instructed Draco to befriend the Boy-who-Lived but when his son had written to him to say that not only had Potter turned down his offer of friendship, he had accepted Weasley’s hand instead…he had been quite displeased. Who turns down a Malfoy? After that incident, he had instructed Draco to antagonize the boy. If Potter did not want a Malfoy as an ally cou could have one as a rival.

Lucius had all but forgotten of the Potter boy’s existence except for Draco’s tales of him in letters and Severus’ stories of him in his letters. He was just about to wash his hands of the whole affair and merely use his son to watch the boy when his “Master” made his “wishes” known. That was the start of a series of brief and detached meetings between the two of them. He had only observed the boy from a distant perspective – and it certainly didn’t help that the Dark Lord was a constant reminder at each one – but he had learned a lot about Harry Potter.

‘Defiant and bold. Courageous and reckless. Noble and self-sacrificing. A Gryffindor to the bone. However, there were these…moments when the Gryffindor had surprised even me. Clever and cunning. Ambitious and ruthless. Shrewd and single-minded. All Slytherin qualities.’

Even when it was the Boy-who-Lived who had practically gotten him sent to Azkaban, Lucius didn’t hate the boy.

He wanted revenge, but so did Draco. It was a Slytherin thing, a Malfoy thing.

‘However, I wonder if Draco knows this,’ Lucius thought to himself, looking at his son.

“Why do you think he was there?” Lucius asked his frowning son.

Draco looked at him, “That’s why I came home. I wanted to know why he was there.”

Lucius nodded, understanding what Draco meant, “You want me to find out.”

“If it’s not a bother,” Draco sarcastically drawled. However, the intent look in his eyes told Lucius how much he wanted to find out why the Saviour of the Wizarding world had been in Cervello of all places.

“I’ll write to my contacts in the Ministry. We’ll know by tomorrow afternoon at the latest,” Lucius said.

Draco nodded but he frowned, “Do you remember what you said about the courtesans of Cervello?”

“That they go there to run away from something they’ve done?”

“Yeah,” Draco said. “I’m just wondering…what could have Potter done that was so horrible that he couldn’t run to any of his ‘chums’ or to Dumbledore?”

Lucius met Draco’s eyes and they thought the same thing.

‘Something that overwhelmed him to the point of no return.’

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

{Cervello, Magnum’s quarters, after Harry’s confession}

Magnum looked at Harry for the longest time, as if deciding what to say. He looked away and took a deep breath.

“Don’t you want to sit?” Magnum asked, stalling for a bit of time.

Harry stubbornly shook his head.

Magnum sighed again and muttered to himself, “If I’m going to be spilling my heart out, I might as well get comfortable, huh?” He moved to the center of the bed, kicking off his boots. He tucked his legs underneath each other, sitting cross-legged.

He looked at Harry again, as if deciding what to say. Harry was no longer looking at him, but staring out the balcony doors once again. Magnum closed his eyes.

‘Well, you already got yourself into this mess. Might as well go out in a blaze of glory. Besides, Harry trusted you enough with his secrets. It would be fair for him if you made it even.’

Magnum opened his eyes and began to speak.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“There was a powerful famihat hat lived in Italy for the longest time. Rumor was that they descended from the Roman patricians. This family had the crest of the wolf; ‘Lupus’ was their name.”

:: A noble family stood on the steps of the Forum, giving an aura of majestic nobility and elegant grace. Their clothes were made of the finest cloths and jewels bedecked them. Servants stood nearby, waiting for orders. A litter awaited its passengers below the steps. A crest embroidered on the curtains caught many eyes. It was of a silver wolf baring its teeth against a black background. Three Latin phrases, the family mottoes, were found underneath the wolf. ::

“Familias Lupus, as they were called, moved to France when the influence of the Romans died during the barbaric invasion. They settled in France and changed their name to ‘du Loup’. The du Loups thought that they could finally settle down – the barbaric invasion having died somewhat. They became a part of the nobility and had great influence in the French Court. Everything was going fine until the French Revolution. As you know, the peasants in France were killing nobility left and right.”

:: An aristocratic family climbed into waiting horse-drawn carriages . The driver cracked his whip and the carriage moved quickly through the crowded streets. Peasant crowds hissed and booed when they caught sight of the carriage but did not do anything to stop their progress. The crof tof the wolf emblazoned on the carriage doors deterred them. Behind them, a once-magnificent house burned. ::

“The du Loups needed to escape and they headed to England, to safety,” Magnum paused and looked at Harry.

Harry had ceased looking out the balcony and was now staring at Magnum. When he realized that he had been caught, he quickly turned his back.

Magnum hid a smile and continued his story, “Now, there was something different with the du Loups. This difference was one of the major reasons that they held such power in whatever country they settled in. They were…wizards. The be tha that Magic started with Merlin, Morgan le Fay, and the rest of the sorcery in Arthurian legend is just that…a legend. Magic is far older. Magic began with the world. And magic was a part of the du Loups.”

:: A dashing gentleman made extravagant hand gestures in the air. Light formed near his hands and followed his movements. A little girl laughed and copied him. She clapped her hands and butterflies flew around the both of them. Under a tree, a lovely lady sat with a little boy in her lap. She told him a story and pictures formed in the air right before their very eyes. ::

Harry was still not looking at Magnum but it was pretty obvious that he was listening with all his might.

“In time, the du Loups became as influential as the other pureblood Wizarding families – the Malfoys, the Blacks, the Snapes, the Celestias, the Potters. Now, there is a reason why so few have heard of their existence. This is because theirs is the existence of the ‘shadow,’ keeping behind the limelight like that of a puppet master pulling strings. The du Loups retained the influence they brought from France and built on from that. They could honestly proclaim that their blood was pure without the inbreeding, that theirs was power without the corruption.”

:: A group of fashionably dressed wizards entered the ballroom, where a celebration was already on the way. Witches and wizards alike stopped their conversations and turned to look at the new arrivals. The wizards exuded magnetism and charisma, finesse and refinement, power and success. However, one of them stood out. In a bouquet of beautiful flowers, it was as if he was the only jeweled one. ::

Magnum paused, as if whatever he had to say next took more of his strength.

“Nearly two centuries after the du Loups fled to England, they were led by their current Lord, Bellum du Loup. The current Lord du Loup was raised by the values of his forefathers: ‘In memorian lupus. Est deus in nobis. Aut vincere aut mori.’ The three values the du Loups held most dear. The first meant, ‘In memory of the wolf.’ They were governed by the laws of Nature – ‘kill or be killed,’ ‘show no mercy for you shall receive none.’ The second meant, ‘There is a god inside of us.’ The purity of blood is that god and it exists only within the greatest. The last meant, ‘Either conquer or die.’ There is no halfway; you must be willing to do anything and everything.”

:: An attractive and refined wizard stood in the center of a group of fawning and simpering witches. They talked to him, giggled at his comments and batted their eyelashes. However, there was an underlying aura of danger and power about him. There was a sense of ruthlessness and cruelty. As alluring as he was, one could not shake off the feeling that he would do all it took to survive and succeed in this world. ::

Harry turned to Magnum, becoming drawn into the story.

“Bellum married a beautiful woman named Beatae. Her family was pureblood as well and Bellum thought that this marriage would work out, despite the fact he held no attraction towards her. After all, all he needed was an heir. Of course, he was delighted when Beatae became pregnant. She gave a birth to a beautiful baby boy but the birth was complicated and being too weak, she passed away. Now, Bellum did not mind, as callous as it seems – he already had his son.”

:: The very same wizard held a crying baby boy in his arms. He did not look at his child with love or affection, but with a calculating and assessing gaze. He turned to look at his still wife on the bed and tersely ordered their servants to do away with the body. The baby continued to scream but he paid it no heed. ::

Harry frowned, finding that he did not like this Bellum character.

“However, there was something wrong with the child. He was a Squib.”

Harry’s eyes widened. He wasn’t able to stop a gasp from escaping.

Magnum continued on as if he had not heard anything, “Bellum was furious. Not only had he a lost a perfect wife, his heir was a Squib. Enraged, he sent the child away from his sight.”

:: The wizard had a look of absolute fury on his face. He thrust the child in the arms of an elderly serving woman and instructed her to get the child out of his sight. He did not even spare chilchild a second glance as it was taken out of the room. ::

“Bellum married soon afterwards and he had another son with this wife, named Maximus.”

:: The wizard held another baby boy in his arms. A witch ran a wand over the child and a silver light issued from the child. The witch nodded at the wizard and he smiled coldly in response. ::

“What happened to the baby? The one that was a Squib?” Harry asked, impatience showing itself. He sat down beside Magnum, abandoning his post by the balcony doors.

“Just a minute,” Magnum admonished. “Now, Maximus was the perfect heir. Even as a child, he was handsome, intelligent, confident and most especially…powerful.”

:: A blonde boy stood in the center of a group of witches. They fawned over him, saying how handsome and how intelligent he was, just like his father. His mother nodded at him and he held out his hands. A silver orb appeared in his hands before zooming into the air and exploding into silver iridescent sparkles. The women applauded and smiled at him. In the distance, his father smirked and nodded. ::

“When Maximus turned eight, Bellum felt that he should have a personal servant. Bellum went to the servants’ quarters and chose a servant boy that was roughly the age of his son. Maximus loved his present and thanked his father profusely – he always wanted a slave of his own.”

:: The blonde boy grinned as his father shoved a delicate servant boy with light blonde hair in his direction. He nearly hugged his father, before realizing that this would be a breach of dem. Hm. He merely nodded and thanked him. His father nodded back. The little boy grabbed his servant by the wrist and dragged him out of the room. ::

Harry grimaced, “Ugh! How barbaric! We don’t have…slaves nowadays.”

Magnum smiled sadly, “Anyway, this slave was treated very badly because Maximus got him into so much trouble. He’d break things or hide the possessions of his father and he’d blame it on the servant. Of course, the servant boy was punished, even though he was innocent. Perhaps Maximus never felt guilty because that was his upbringing. He thought that if you had power over someone, you could treat him any way you wanted to.”

:: The servant boy twisted and writhed on the floor. The wizard pointed his wand at him, a look of bored detachment on his face. His son stood beside him, a look of utter glee and mirth on his face. Tears slid down the servant boy’s face. ::

Harry frowned and leaned his head on Magnum’s shoulder, “I feel for the servant. I truly do.”

Magnum caressed Harry’s face before returning to his story, “Now, this awful treatment of the servant carried on until they were both well into their teens. Maximus, as ‘perfect’ as he was, grew up to be cruel and harsh, especially towards his servant. Everyone knew of the du Loup heir’s treatment of his servant but they never intervened, not wanting to anger Maximus.”

:: The blonde boy, now a charming young wizard, threw his smaller servant down the stairs. He descended slowly, purposely stepping on the servant’s injured wrist as he reached the bottom of the stairs. In the kitchens, a group of servants ignored the boy’s screams. ::

Harry practically growled out, “Cowards.”

“When Maximus turned sixteen, Bellum engaged him to a French beauty named Gaiete. Maximus agreed to the marriaecauecause he found his soon-to-be-wife quite alluring, and frankly, he couldn’t wait to get her into bed. Gaiete, however, was in love with someone else, a childhood sweetheart, and she made this quite clear. Her refusal sent shockwaves throughout the entire European Wizarding world.”

:: A pretty young witch shunned the hand that was extended towards her. She glared at her parents before storming into their home. The young wizard stared at his empty hand for a moment before placing it at his side. He smiled charmingly and instructed everyone present at the party to forget about it. Only his servant saw the look of utter revenge enter his eyes. ::

“Maximus, who did not like being shunned, went to her home one day to make this quite clear. It was just to his luck that she was home alone. He crept to her room and saw her all spread out in a satin nightdress, in her bed fast asleep. Maximus had gone to her house with the intention of ‘persuading’ her to marry him but when he saw Gaiete spread out like a lavish feast, he felt a stirring in his loins. He crept over to her and proceeded to rape her.”

:: The young wizard crept over to where the young witch lay fast asleep. He pounced on her, overpowering her with his superior strength. She kicked and clawed at him but he subdued her easily. He tore of her clothes and entered her in one vicious thrust. He slammed into her again and again, unmindful of the blood that seeped into the bedcovers and her shrill screams of protest. ::

Harry’s eyes widened and he sat up. “Oh God!”

“Now, Maximus had brought his servant to Gaiete’s home that night so naturally the servant heard her screams. He rushed up to the girl’s bedroom, only to see his master raping Gaiete. He stood there, shocked. Maximus noticed his entrance but thought that his servant would let him continue ‘making love’ with his fiancée. He was quite surprised when his servant bashim him over the head with a vase.”

:: The servant burst into the room, taking into account the scene that lay before him. He grabbed a vase off the dresser and slammed it over his master’s head. ::

Harry smiled and cheered, “Good for him!”

“Maximus wasn’t so easily deterred though and they struggled for quite a while. They rolled on the floor for several moments, with Gaiete watching fearfully on the bed. The servant grabbed Maximus’ wand and threw it out of an open window. Furious, Maximus managed to get away from his servant and grab a shard of pottery from the broken vase. He lunged towards his servant, intending to drive it through his heart, when the servant dodged. It missed him.”

:: The wizard shook it off and got up from where he had fallen on the floor. They struggled and the wizard reached for his wand. The servwas was quicker and was able to grab it and throw it out of an open window. The wizard saw this and pounced on his servant. He viciously knocked his servant on the back of his head. He grabbed a sharp piece of broken pottery. He stabbed at his servant but the servant was able to get away. ::

Harry let out the breath he had been holding.

“It hit Gaiete instead.”

:: The shard of pottery stuck out of the pretty witch’s chest with blood seeping from the fatal wound. She stared at it disbelievingly before collapsing. ::

Harry felt his stomach plummet to his feet, “Oh no!”

“Maximus just stared at his bloody hands and his servant stared at him. He threw the bloody pottery shard down and ran to the Floo. He Flooed home and left his servant to desperately try to revive Gaiete. This was of no use because she died a few moments later.”

:: The young wizard ran from the room just as the servant scooped up the girl into his arms. He held her when she said that she began to feel cold. Just before slipping away, she whispered in a soft voice that she would regret not being able to see her beloved anymore. ::

Harry couldn’t help but feel such sadness for the lovely girl in Magnum’s story.

“The servant may have been a hero in Gaiete’s eyes but at du Loup Manor, Maximus was painting him in a bad light. He told everyone there that he had gone to visit his darling fiancée when his servant totally lost his senses and knocked him out. The servant was the one who raped Gaiete and killed her, intending to leave no witnesses. He told Bellum that he would have been next if he had not had the presence of mind to Floo home immediately.”

:: The young wizard told his tale with exaggerated hand movements and panting breaths. When he was done, his mother gathered him into her arms and placated him. His father had a murderous look in his eyes. ::

“What happened? Did they punish the servant?” Harry asked, wanting to know what had happened the unfortunate servant.

“Well, the servant knew that Maximus didn’t go back to call for help, that was for certain. He also knew that it would be a white day in Hell wherein Satan would be making snow angels that Maximus would take the blame for this one. He was sure that the blame would be placed on him, as always. So, he laid Gaiete’s cold body on the floor and Flooed to the servant’s quarters of du Loup Manor. He then set off towards the sitting room.”

:: The servant laid the lifeless body on the floor next to him. He got up and strode towards the Floo. He called out for the servants’ quarters of the Manor he lived in and he was away. He landed a few moments later, covered in blood and soot. The servants stared in varying degrees of shock and terror as he made his way to the sitting room where the du Loup family was. ::

“What did he do? What happened? What happened?” Harry feverishly asked, clinging on to Magnum’s arm as if it was a lifeline.

“The servant burst into the sitting room with a flourish. He made quite an impression on the du Loups. Bellum immediately stood up from where he was seated and stood in front of his family. He told the servant that he would not harm a single strand of hair on his family’s head if he could do anything about it.”

:: The older wizard stood up at the entrance of the servant and stood in front of his wife and son. He would not be letting this wretch of a creature take his wife and heir from him. ::

“Ugh! He shows gallantry now??” Harry disbelievingly yelled.

“The servant strode towards Bellum, head held high and with the bearing of an utter nobleman. Bellum, who was about to speak, looked at the servant and saw for the first time someone entirely different. Someone worthy of recognition. After all, to have gone through such degradation and still look so…dignified is quite a feat. Someone worthy enough to have been…his son.”

Harry’s jaw dropped, not expecting that twist.

“Yes. Apparently, the servant was Bellum’s first son. The one who was born a Squib. Bellum had treated him as a servant all those years and Maximus, who knew this ‘shameful’ family secret, decided to torture the servant while he was at it. However, the servant had had enough. He would no longer allow them, his ‘family, treat him as if he were less than they were when all along, the same blood flowed through their veins.”

:: The servant stood in front of them, mouth twisted in a grim smile.

“This is it…Father,” he paused when he heard the shocked gasps of the people he stood in front of. “Ha! I bet you didn’t know that I knew I was the true du Loup heir.”

“You are not the du Loup heir! You’re nothing but a Squib! An aberration to centuries of perfect breeding!” Bellum yelled.

“Perfect breeding? Have you seen your precious Maximus? If he isn’t a sign of inbreeding then I don’t know what is!” the servant yelled right back. He calmed down, “But that’s not the point. The point is I’m tired of you treating me like I’m nothing. I’m tired of you treating me as if I’m below you. I am your equal, greater even because I tolerated years of abuse from your own hands. But it stops here. I refuse to be your scapegoat any longer.”

“That’s all you’re good for,” Maximus snarled.

“I think not,” the servant countered, standing straighter and giving off an aura of dignity and esteem.

“You are nng. ng. Even your own family didn’t want you. Why? Because…You. Are. Nothing. And you shall stay as nothing,” Maximus said, sneering at his servant, at his brother.

“You underestimate me too much.”

“I don’t think so,” Maximus said. He grabbed a dagger off a table and lunged at him.

They struggled and grappled on the floor, knocking vases and breakables in tiny pieces. Maximus’ mother shrieked and Bellum muttered curses under his breath, not being able to hex the servant boyauseause he might hit his heir instead.

The two young men rolled around a bit more before Maximus ended on top. He yelled in triumph but stiffened when his servant stabbed him with his own dagger. He stared at the dagger that was sticking out of his chest in disbelief. Maximus collapsed, blood pooling around him, and the servant shakily stood up.

Bellum stood frozen, staring at his heir’s corpse. He was roused from his thoughts when he heard the balcony doors open. He looked up just to see the servant run out of the house and into the forest. He ran to the open balcony doors and stared out. All he saw was darkness. ::

There was utter silence broken only by their breathing.

Harry stared disbelievingly at Magnum and Magnum just smiled sadly at Harry.

Harry licked his lips “Right. That was…one hell of a story. But, what does it have to do with you?” Harry asked, brows wrinkling in confusion.

Magnum removed Harry’s hand from his arm and got up. He walked over to his dresser and opened the bottom drawer. He took out a small rectangular wooden box and brought it over to the bed. He placed it beside Harry and he sat down again.

Harry stared at the box. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Open it.”

Harry put the box in his lap and carefully opened it. What he saw inside made him gasp.

A silver dagger with a hilt made of obsidian. However, what drew Harry’s eyes was the crest of the wolf that decorated the hilt!

He looked up into Magnum’s violet eyes.

“You? You were the servant in your story?” Harry choked out.

Magnum nodded sadly.

Harry stared at Magnum and understanding dawned on him.

‘That’s why he accepted me so readily. That’s why he understood exactly what was happening with me, even if I never told him the entire story. That’s why… Everything makes sense. But something doesn’t.’

Harrt hit his lip and looked at Magnum, trying to figure out where they now stood.

“Why did you tell me all of that? Why did you trust me?” Harry asked.

“Because, more or less, you’re going through the same thing and I know how it feels like. You think you’re all alone and nobody can ever understand what you’re going through. It’s like you’re in a dark tunnel and there’s no end in sight. I just want you to know that you’re not alone and someone does understand you,” Magnum said softly, a smiling curling his lips just a little.

Harry’s eyes widened, comprehending what Magnum was silently telling him.

‘I might not know you but I do and I’m here for you because of that. You’re not alone as long as I’m here.’

“Why me? Why help at all?” Harry all but whispered.

“Because it’s far worse to go through it alone. I should know,” Magnum whispered back. “We both went through the same thing, more or less, and we both know how it feels like…to be belittled and thought of as inferior because of whom we were born to be. We both know how it feels like to be…‘casualties’ of fate. And we both know how it feels like to do something because of these circumstances and this leaves us totally on our own, with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. But I know how it feels like to have no one there for you when you need it and…it doesn’t feel good. I didn’t want you to go through the same thing. No one deserves that.”

“Then why did you go through it?” Harry asked. He couldn’t help but feel angry at Magnum’s…family.

‘The Dursleys may hate me and my “abnormality” but I was never treated that…bad. And besides, why do I deserve help when Magnum never received any? It’s not fair! He deserves, deserved it more than me!’

“So I could help you,” Magnum simply said.

Harry’s tirade of self-loathing stopped mid-rant. He looked into Magnum’s eyes and noticed that the boy…no, the man, meant every word he said.

“If I hadn’t met you, I would have never realized or found out,” Harry blurted out.

“Found out what?” Magnum asked, confusion plain on his face.

“I would have never found out that there are people in this world that make it a better place to live in,” Harry said, sincerity clear in his voice and eyes.

Magnum wryly grinned, “You’re having me on.”

“No, I’m not. I stopped believing a long time ago that there were people like you. I mean, I have my friends and all and they make me happy…but they never really knew what was going on. And since they didn’t know, they couldn’t help me. It’s not their fault they didn’t know,” Harry hastily added, “but they wouldn’t have understood even if they did. And to be honest, that hurt. I thought for a really long time that I’d keep this ‘shameful family secret’ all to myself and I’d never find true understanding in anyone’s eyes. That hurt, too. That’s why when you said what you just said right now you made me believe.”

Harry took a deep breath and smiled a blindingly beautiful smile, “You made me believe that there are such things as miracles.”

Magnum looked at Harry, surprise in his eyes. “You know what, that’s what I thought. I always told myself never to trust anyone with my…‘shameful family secret,’” Magnum said, purposely copying the phrase Harry used. “r alr all, they would never understand. But…when I saw you in that alley…it was like…”

“A connection,” Harry breathed.

“Exactly,” Magnum said, smiling at him in return. “There’s such a thing as love at first sight. Well, I think ours is ‘understanding at first sight’ and maybe that’s better.”

“I know. I never trusted anyone because I thought they’d never understand me and maybe that’s bad faith…but what can you do? Sure, Anne Frank says she stills believes in the ‘goodness of man’ and that’s saying a lot but she was never alone. We were,” Harry said, sadness dimming his smiling face.

“Yeah…but not anymore,” Magnum promised.

“Not anymore,” Harry promised as well.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yes, fifth chapter done! Well, Magnum’s “story” took me a while. It was pretty complicated and getting it on my laptop – long story – was also a nightmare.

Next chap: Voldemort is up! Have to research on how he behaves. Draco and Luc find ouout out Harry’s predicament.

Okay, explanations. I think I cleared up Magnum’s history pretty well. Email me if you don’t understand something. Please don’t think Magnum is Mary Sue! You’re gonna see his more human characteristics…like jealousy and arrogance in a bit. Harry will be a courtesan soon, not the next chapter though. In a few. He might sing, too.

Anyway, love you all! Mwah! Ciao, il mio amore!