One's True Nature

One’s True Nature


Chapter 8

Harry found himself unable to deal with his emotions properly, despite having let himself cry twice in the last two and a half days. He didn't understand these feelings at all and why Draco seemed to be at the center of them. He wanted to logic his way out of these thoughts, but nothing made him feel any better. He hadn't slept well in nearly four days. He cursed and stuffed a shaking hand into his robes and drew out a potion to help with sleep deprivation. He'd pay for it later, but such a minor concern couldn't be afforded worry as Harry knew they were close to their goal.

Harry waited until dawn had sufficiently passed before waking Ron and Draco. He still found it shocking that they had not killed each other, never mind the fact that they were sleeping in close proximity to each other. He coughed and was rewarded with Ron's immediate stirring.

"We need to start out." Harry said simply.

Ron looked at Harry, he could tell from his face that the man hadn't slept properly. He never liked it when Harry let himself descend into this deep and unkempt state. Ron simply nodded and then with his hand indicated in the direction of Draco's still sleeping form.

"I'll wake him up. I need to check his injuries and make sure he can continue." Ron stated. Harry nodded and began gathering his things together and left them in the cave.

Ron had an ulterior motive for helping Draco. He knew the man's admissions were big and he didn't want him to have to face the source of those admissions right when he woke up. He had stayed up most of the night putting the pieces of their time at school into something that explained Draco's attraction to Harry. He had run himself almost dumb with thought about it, but still it hadn't made much sense. Ron might consider Draco a friend now, simply in an effort to solve him, like some great puzzle. Words that Ginny had spoken to Ron about six months ago had also surfaced.

"Harry isn't happy." Ginny had said.

It had something to do with this, he knew it did. Hermione would know, Ron rolled his eyes as she entered his thoughts. She always knew everything well before he put it together.

"Draco." Ron called in a moderate and forceful tone.

Draco stirred and groaned as he looked at Ron. "What?" He said with a wince.

"We're gonna be going soon, I suggest testing out Hermione's patchwork." Ron said as he stood up and swung a bag over his left shoulder.

Draco was impressed when he got to his feet and found that, despite a few irritating aches and pains, his body moved quite freely. He found himself fishing through his pack as Harry and Ron began a quiet conversation. He didn't try to listen in and found that he was oddly terrified of looking at Harry. He cursed as he remembered what he had told Weasley last night. He was mortified, he thought he could go to his grave now and avoid even worrying about the consequences. He wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

He had never even thought of these 'love' feelings for years. The worst part of it now, was the fact that the two men he had ever loved in his life were at the center of this kidnapping. Harry Potter and Blaise Zabini. He had all the luck. Blaise, of course, was a boy of great distinction and Draco had found that irresistible. Blaise was handsome, strong, charming, but he wasn't Harry. It had taken him from fourth to his seventh year to admit that Blaise had only been a substitute for Harry. He wanted him, he wanted him like fire craved air. He hadn't ever hated Harry as a person, he had only felt slighted, no, bitter that he couldn't share his feelings with Harry, but Harry was too good, far too good to love him.

Draco swallowed the pain in his throat.

Draco didn't meet either man's eyes as he walked out of the cave and pulled his broom out of his pack. The two other men followed suit and soon they were airborne. Ron shouted some kind of direction as frost bit at their ears about where the group had headed. With no further words spoken, they took off in that direction. All three with determined looks on their faces.

Ron knew his contact would be waiting to take them to the place the needed to get to, that was, if he was still alive. He had dispatched the man right after he had talked with Malfoy. Seamus always had a knack for attracting trouble and those that brought it. At the time, he was still worried that Malfoy might be involved with this somehow, but he knew that that wasn't the case. He waved them all down as he prepared to land next to a tree that looked oddly like a seven-fingered hand. This was the signal that he'd asked Seamus to make when he had located the place where they were keeping the boy.

"Seamus." Ron whispered as he set his broom down, soon joined by his two companions.

"Another fine job Weasley." Seamus said smiling. "I owe you big for this one."

Harry would have drawn his wand, but he was too confused by Seamus' attitude. He was sure he'd heard the man talking with the Death Eaters, the man's calm demeanor as he approached them didn't speak like an enemy at all. Ron shook his hand.

"It's a good thing you were still in town." Ron smiled happily. "You've found him?"

"Yes, the boy is unharmed, though I can't say much for his keepers." Seamus grinned. "Seems this Malfoy makes a lot of trouble." His eyes looked at the shocked gaze of Harry Potter and Draco's eyes of relief mixed with a warm memory of some kind.

"Is he alright?" Draco's tone was serious and almost too pained to hear.

"I am certain Malfoy." Seamus words were coaxing.

"Excuse me, but what in the hell is going on here?" Harry finally asked, overwhelmed by confusion.

Ron kicked himself, partly because he never wanted Seamus to be discovered as a secret auror who did odd police jobs. The thing was, Ron needed someone that could truly go undercover without fear of them being discovered. Seamus was gifted in many charms of memory, but Legilemens was not an easy magic to fight, it gave Seamus Plausible deniability if Harry never knew directly of his involvement with the office. He of course tried to tell this all to Harry who seemed still upset by the fact that he, as head of the auror office had never known of the man who helped crack some of his biggest cases.

"So anyway," Ron turned away from a confused Harry back to Seamus. "How do we get in to this place?"

Seamus grinned so brightly that Draco feared he might go blind with anxiety. "We walk in Ron, I am secret keeper."

"Blimey, how in the bloody fuck did you manage that?" Ron's shock all over his face.

"Thanks to Draco," he turned and gave the blonde a small nod. "It was necessary to give it to someone who could stay with the group so that no one else got killed." He smirked in pure satisfaction. "Naturally, I volunteered."

"Brilliant." Ron exclaimed in amazement.

"We have to hurry though, it won't be long before they make a guess as to why I am gone." Said Seamus now looking deathly serious. "It's not more than an hour from here."

Draco leaned into Harry's ear before he grabbed his broom and spoke.

"Something is off Potter. I don't trust him." Draco's words might have annoyed him at any other point, Seamus was a friend of his, he should trust him. However, something inside him told him Draco was right.

They flew for just over an hour and Harry was glad that the only thing on his mind was the coming fight that was likely. He watched as Seamus lead them to a worn down castle, which Harry assumed was used just over two hundred years ago. It was very bitter and cold as they landed near it. Harry's thoughts could at least be stifled by the battle for now. He was tired of the confusing emotions and the overwhelming sense that he was missing the key to something. He didn't feel like an older man, he felt like his young, undisciplined self. Draco had made everything complicated. He was so handsome and his figure, though feminine was graceful and powerful. Harry fought these thoughts as he felt himself grow hard.

"Listen, I need to talk with Potter alone for a few minutes." Draco said to the other two men and they departed without further conversation.

Harry was mortified now, he didn't want Draco coming over here now after those thoughts had been in his head. He got lost in the man's walk and then, they traveled up his legs, to his waist, to his chest, then his face as the distance closed and then, those silver orbs. Harry was lost.

"Are you alright?" Draco's voice was calm and wrapped around him like gentle warmth.

"Huh?" Harry shook his head. "Yeah, sorry, a lot on my mind." His voice was excited. Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Listen, there's something I have to tell you." Draco sighed and then looked down at his toes. "I was in love with Blaise."

"I don't see what that has to do with-" Harry's words were tense and confused, but not about what Draco said.

"It has everything to do with it Potter!" Draco sneered. "He's doing this for revenge after all these years, he wants to hurt me for leaving him." Draco sighed. "Yes, they want you out of the way, but this was about him and me from the start, I bet Goyle never even realized that." Draco's eye's returned to Harry's

"Why did you leave him?" Harry's voice was a little shaky, but not enough to raise any awareness of distress by Draco.

Draco tried desperately to think of a lie, but before he could look away, it was Harry's green eyes and their soft gaze that acted as a truth potion of the strongest kind. "He just reminded me of you. I felt too dirty an ashamed of that."

Harry's mouth fell open. He didn't expect that at all. He felt like he'd been slapped in the face and then kicked in the gut. "That's not true, that's a lie." Harry was trying desperately to find a reason why Draco would say something like that. Then he saw a brief second of Draco's eyes when he had said that, the deep sadness and longing, but it disappeared too quickly to be sure that it was true.

"Think what you want Potter." Draco said with cold accuracy. "I don't care." And with that, he turned and walked away.

Harry sighed in anguish. Things just got more complicated.