The Truth Is Things Change

Hi everyone! Shiny-Chan is back! For anyone who doesn’t know, working two jobs and going to school part-time really plays havoc



with my sleep patterns. Not to mention it really puts a dent in the time I need to write. I have received some inspiration due to



one of my best friends. She is an excellent writer and she is going through the process of getting a book published. I am so



excited for her! So this chapter is dedicated to CP, my tenacious and courageous best friend.





Paigeey07: Thanks for reviewing again! I’m really glad that you missed my story and I’m sorry that I don’t update all that often.



Thing definitely start getting serious and we begin to learn what happened to Harry.





Thrnbrooke: So good to hear from you again!





Hieisdragoness18: I love your penname by the way! Have you read one of my other stories? It is called What’s Protection Got to Do



With It? and it is a HP/YYH crossover. Hiei is my favorite character cause he’s just so cool!





Rebbie13: I’m so glad that you thought my fic was good enough to review! I’ll do my best to keep them coming as I have so many



Ideas of where I wanna take this.





Now this humble authoress has a message from Draco Malfoy!



Draco: You are just pathetic Shiny-Chan! Just drag your loyal readers around and make them wait why don’t you?



Shiny-Chan: . . . . The other message Draco.



Draco: Shiny-Chan doesn’t own anything but what she does with us, the sadistic tosser.



Shiny-Chan: That’s it! I’m getting out the duct tape!

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“He was watching me today.” Pansy looked up from the bottle of green polish she was using on her toenails. She raised an eyebrow



at the agitated blonde.



“That’s what you invited me to your room to discuss?” Draco sent her a mild glare and paced faster, running his hands through



his hair.



“I caught him staring at me in potions class. Do you think that means he is interested in me?” Pansy smiled slowly, a dry smirk



that put him on edge.



“You’re his friend Draco, and he stared at you anyway.” Draco stopped pacing, mouth open wide in astonishment. The firelight



glinted in his Frisbee sized eyes. Pansy chuckled at him and began a second coat on her nails.



“Well Drakie-poo, let me make it clear, you have always stared at him, and he has always stared at you.” Draco snorted and



plopped himself down on the bed. His voice, when he spoke was slightly muffled.



“That’s different,” He stated irritably, “We were rivals then.” Pansy capped the green polish and untwisted the cap on a bottle



of silver glitter polish.



“How exactly is it different?” Draco sighed in exasperation. His best friend was either really stupid or she was purposefully



acting dense.



“Pansy, it’s perfectly natural to watch rivals for weaknesses. It is not normal to stare at friends like that unless you’ve had a



row and want to make it up. Which we haven’t” He muttered. Pansy was busily decorating her nails in a diamond like pattern



strangely reminiscent of a rattlesnake’s. She finished one hand and dangled it in his face. He grimaced at the tart smell the



wet polish was emitting.



“Do you think it looks okay Drake? I wanted it to look like that one snake we saw in the zoo.”



Draco scowled at her and launched himself off the bed.



“Dammit Pansy! I don’t give a bloody damn about the state of your nail polish! I need to know what’s going on with Harry! He’s



been acting really strange!” The content in Pansy’s eyes melted into ire that she directed at Draco. She flashed him a



withering death glare that almost made him shudder, and her voice was so filled with fury that it gave him the chills.



“Fuck you Draco! If you want to know so damned badly go ask him your fucking self and don’t take your worries out on me, are we



clear? Because I found a new hex I’ve been itching to try out!” Draco sighed and gave her an apologetic hug.



“I’m sorry Pansy. You’re right as usual. I guess I am really concerned so I should go talk to him myself. The polish does look



cool by the way. You should try it on all your fingers.” Pansy relaxed and sighed before stepping away from the hug and waving



him to the door.



“Just go. I’m sure everything will turn out alright. I’ll be here when you get back.” Draco nodded and opened the door to



leave.



“And bring me back some chocolate truffles!” Draco allowed the door to close behind him and he shivered as the chills of the



dungeons reached him. It was a few hours after diner and the occasional student passed him as he ascended the stairs to



Gryffindor tower. The steps got more and more crowded the further he went up but a remarkable lack of students were outside past



the fifth floor. He finally stopped in front of the fat lady’s portrait and knocked to get her attention. The midevel woman



looked down her nose at him.



“You are not in my house boy! Whatever are you doing?” Draco smiled charmingly at her.



“I’m looking to speak with Harry Potter Ma’am. I know he lives in this house.” She shook her head slowly.



“He hasn’t yet returned dearie.” Draco lowered his head for a minute and thought. If he couldn’t talk to Harry, then the only



other person that might know what was going on was Hermione.



“What about Hermione Granger? Is she in?” The woman nodded at him before falling silent.



“She’ll be out in a moment dear, you may as well make yourself comfortable.”



Draco cast a cleaning charm on the floor and wall beside the portrait and inspected it closely before sitting with his back



against the wall. Several silent moments passed before the portrait creaked open and Hermione stuck her head out and looked



around. The confusion surrounding her was palpable as he looked at the quizzical expression on her face.



“Draco? What are you doing here?” He got up from the floor and brushed his trousers off before turning to her.



“I’d like to talk with you about Harry, if I may. Can I come in?” Hermione nodded briskly before holding the portrait open far



enough for him to enter.



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Up in Hermione’s room, Draco was almost disgusted by the blatant girlishness of the room Hermione shared with Lavender and



Parvati.



“I take it that you had no input in the furnishings in this room?” The grimace she wore on her face answered for him. Her



roommates were sitting on Lavender’s bed pouring over a Witch Weekly issue and obviously trying to listen to their conversation.



Hermione pointed her wand to the floor and walked a slow rectangle around her bed. A shimmering barrier appeared for a moment



before disappearing.





“What was that?” Hermione grinned.



“It is a free standing Imperturbable Charm. It should keep the nosey ones from hearing our conversation. So what did you want



to talk about?” Hermione sat on her bed and patted a space beside her. Draco gingerly sat next to her and sighed.



“I’m worried about Harry. He is acting strangely, and I figured if anyone would know what’s going on that you would. Do you



know?” Hermione’s face fell and she shook her head sadly.



“No. I know that there’s something wrong, but he hasn’t told me yet. What I’m really afraid of is that those muggles did



something to him.”



“What muggles?” Hermione sighed.



“When Harry’s parents were murdered, he was sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle who are muggles. They have always hated Harry



simply because he is magical and they hate magic. He has told me that they starved him and tried to verbally and physically beat



the magic out of him, but they never succeeded. I think that they may have done something even worse than that.” Draco jumped



up and clenched his fists so tightly his nails begun to break through his skin, his face red with fury.



“How DARE they! Those muggles should worship the ground he walks on not hurt him! I’ll kill them. I swear to the gods I’ll kill



them!” Hermione touched him on the arm and most of the tension and fury flowed out of him. He forcibly unclenched his hand and



winced at the scratch marks on his palms before running a hand lightly through his hair, before lying down on Hermione’s bed. He



sat up and smiled at her ruefully.



“I’m sorry but it ticks me off royally that anyone would dare do that to him! No one wants to see the one they love hurt, and I



especially won’t . . .” Hermione launched herself at him and hugged him fiercely. Draco flushed in confusion and froze in her



embrace. Parvati wasn’t even pretending to ignore them anymore as her jaw dropped in astonishment, ironically ignoring the glare



Draco sent her. Draco extricated himself from the hug.



“What was that for!?” Hermione dragged him off of her bed and out the door, breaking the privacy charm as she went.



“Come on! We have to find Harry!” She dragged him through the common room and up to Harry’s room, ignoring his protests on the



way. She took a folded piece of parchment out of Harry’s trunk and dragged Draco through the common room and out the portrait



hole.





“Hermione, you are aware that your roommates will have the whole school thinking that we are dating by tomorrow morning right?”



Hermione shrugged dismissively and opened the parchment.



“I don’t care about that. I solemnly swear I am up to no good.” Draco raised an eyebrow.



“You, Hermione, who never breaks a rule?” She huffed and held out the map.



“I have broken plenty of rules helping Harry but that is beside the point. That is the password to activate Harry’s map. Didn’t



you ever wonder how Harry always knew where to find you last year?” Draco’s eyes widened as he watched all the labeled feet move



around what was clearly a map of the castle.



“This thing is brilliant but Harry’s name isn’t here.”



“What?” Hermione scoured the map and discovered that Harry’s name was indeed missing.



“Okay there is only one place he can be then. Follow me.



“I’ve been doing entirely too much of that tonight!” He protested, but he reluctantly followed her to the corridor next to the



tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Draco gave the pacing girl a pointed look just as a door appeared in the wall.



“Oh I know what this is! It’s the Room of Hidden Things!”



“Room of Requirement actually. You needed it to hide something for you and it did. I needed to find Harry. Let’s be quiet as we



go in.” Draco opened the door slowly and Hermione entered, Draco closing the door gingerly behind them both. Harry was sitting



in a plush rocking chair with his back to the door, and he was speaking to a portrait of a man with long black wavy hair and blue



eyes. He saw Hermione stiffen beside him and Draco strained to listen to the conversation.



“Sirius, I wish I didn’t have to go to the Dursley’s every summer.” The portrait growled in fury.



“What did those scum do now Harry? I swear if I wasn’t dead I’d torture them myself!”



“This summer, Uncle Vernon raped me.”