Take me Home

Chap. 1 - EMPTY

***The Past***

To James Potter, one of the greatest things in life was to be able to fly on a broom. He loved the sky more than anything in the world. This is where he found himself on a cool night in December, during his seventh year, trying hard to calm his heart from the hideous feelings that it held for Lucius Malfoy.

He didn't know what drew him to the guy. Lucius was charming when he wasn't bragging about his fortune but other than that, he couldn't possibly understand why he liked him so much. It was lust. An animal lust that he was trying hard to suppress but was failing miserably. What had he been thinking about, kissing Lucius like that after their race?

And if that moment of stupidity wasn't enough, ever since that episode, he couldn't take his eyes off Lucius. He was so confused about his feelings. He loved Lily. She was soft and delicate. Lucius was rough and nasty. She was like a summer breeze; he was like a stormy night. But still... James liked Lily and he lusted for her, but not in the same way that he lusted for Lucius. With Lucius it seemed so intense and irresistible.

But he wouldn't surrender. He couldn't. He had Lily. He'd rather die than hurt Lily. To give in to those nasty emotions that he felt for Lucius wasn't a good thing. For one thing, everybody knew that Lucius was the son of a cruel man, a man that knew no mercy or honesty. A man that people used to say was connected with the powerful and even more cruel Lord Voldemort. To let himself become involved with Lucius was almost the same as signing his death warranty.

He was determined not to give in, and with that in mind, he went to the Gryffindor locker room to take a shower. What he didn't know was that as he took off his clothes he wasn't alone. Someone else was there already, waiting for him, watching his every move. And as he was about to take off his trousers, he sensed someone behind him and turned around to face whomever it was. To his surprise, it was the same person that he wished to avoid.

"Potter," Lucius said.

"Jesus, Malfoy! Don't scare me like that ever again! What are you doing here anyway?"

"I had to see you. This is the only place that we can talk without being interrupted."

"We don't have anything to talk about," James said dryly.

Lucius smirked, "You're so funny, Potter. You haven't been able to stop smiling at me ever since you kissed me, you-"

"Don't!" James cut him off. "I don't know what happened that day, all right? Let's just forget about the whole thing and call it a day."

James tried to put his shirt on, the idea of taking a bath long forgotten from his mind, but Lucius stopped him.

"You're going nowhere, Potter! Not until you hear me out!"

"I don't want to listen!"

"But you will! Imperio!" Lucius shouted before James could react properly.

James froze and his mind seemed to fly away.

"I'm sorry for this," Lucius said, his face contracted. "You gave me no choice. All I want is for you to hear me out, and also for you to tell me why the bloody hell you kissed me that day. You left me on the pitch all alone and confused. Why did you do that? Why did you kiss me? Answer me!"

"I kissed you because I wanted to," James answered, his eyes lost somewhere else.

"That's not enough. I want details."

"I kissed you because I'm attracted to you and you make me burn. Every time I look at you, it's like being caught by a tornado. It's dangerous and exciting. I'd been wondering for a while what would be like to touch and kiss you. I just wanted to know."

Lucius's jaw fell open.

"Do you still feel that way?" he asked in a whisper.

"Yes."

Lucius breathed soundly and sat on the floor. "I... I feel the same way."

There was no response from James, who kept staring straight ahead with an empty expression.

"Listen, Potter, and listen carefully. I need you to help me. I know your father is very important and he practically runs the Ministry all by himself. I'm thinking about running away. I'll tell all about my father and Voldemort's plans. But I need a place to hide! I have nowhere to go." Lucius sighed. "You're not listening, are you? I guess I should release you from the control curse. But please tell me you're going to help me."

"I will help you."

Lucius stood up and stopped a few inches away from James.

"Before I release you from the curse, maybe I should enjoy just a little." Lucius brushed his lips on James'. "Kiss me, James," he whispered.

And James did. Lucius got lost in the kiss but he still managed to mutter 'Finite Incantatem' before letting his wand drop on the floor. To James, it didn't make a difference. The kiss and the curse had the same effect on him. He deepened the kiss, thirsty for more. He needed to feel more of Lucius so he started to unbutton the blonde's shirt. He'd yearned for this moment for so long that now that he had Lucius in his arms, he didn't want to pull away. His hunger for Lucius was so ravenous and he wasted no time taking off their clothes and extracting all the pleasure that he could from the situation.

They touched, kissed and held each other with passion.

"Let me take you," whispered Lucius.

"Yes."

"Lie down on your stomach," Lucius murmured to James, who promptly obeyed.

What happened next was a sequence of low moans and guttural sounds that sent both of them to the stars and back to earth again. James gripped Lucius' hand in his own as they got closer to climax and when the ecstasy finally arrived, Lucius disentangled his hand of James' to stroke the other's face.

"I never thought that sex could be so good," Lucius confessed.

He tried to cuddle against James, who pulled him away and stood up looking very lost.

"What have you done?" James asked, his face contorted with confusion and pain.

"What are you talking about?"

"You raped me!"

"What?" Lucius stood up to face him. "What we did was totally consensual, Potter!"

"You had me under Imperius, you sick bastard! I didn't know what I was doing!" James shouted.

"Don't give me that shit, Potter! You weren't under the curse anymore!" Lucius shouted back.

"You're lying!"

James quickly got dressed and tried to leave as fast as he could but Lucius' firm grip stopped him.

"You're not going anywhere, Potter. Not until we talk about this."

"Let go of me!"

"NO!"

Lucius anger increased to a dangerous level. He pushed James against one of the lockers.

"You liked it, Potter. It's useless to deny it!"

"It was the curse, it wasn't me! And how dare you cast an unforgivable curse on me! Everybody told me you were evil but did I listen to them? No. Somehow I thought you were a nice guy under the cool exterior but I was so wrong! Look what you did to me! Look what you make me do! You're sick."

Lucius was too outraged to say anything. He clutched his fists and punched the locker, purposely missing James' head by an inch. He knew he shouldn't lose his temper but he couldn't get a hold of himself. His face started to redden and he felt short of breath. Soon, he was breathing with difficulty and he fell on the floor. James knelt beside him with a panicked expression.

"What's going on? Talk to me!"

Lucius pointed his index finger at his robe and muttered with extreme difficulty, "Robe... please... help... Jimmy... look... left pocket..."

James got Lucius' robe and looked for whatever it was that he was supposed to find in the left pocket. He found a small device of some sort and he handled it to Lucius, asking himself what it was for. Lucius put the device in his mouth and pressed the button three times with James' help. Then, as his breath went back to normal, the device slipped out of his hand and he leaned his head on James' leg.

"Are you ok?" James asked. "Should I call someone?"

"Don't panic, Potter. I'm better now."

"You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were dying."

With his eyes closed, Lucius smiled bitterly. "You would like that, wouldn't you?"

"No! Of course not."

James was still confused about the whole episode, and he was disgusted not only with what Lucius had done but also with himself, but he didn't want Lucius to die.

"What happened?"

"I'm asthmatic, Potter. Funny, huh? The great Lucius Malfoy has asthma." Lucius put his clothes on when he was fully recovered, not wanting to look into James' eyes after the show he had put on in front of the Gryffindor. "Don't say a word about this to anyone, Potter." He took two steps forward but turned around to face James once more. "I really hate you, now more than ever. But I have to know if you will help me. You remember what I said to you, don't you?" James nodded and Lucius went on, "I hate to depend on you but I have no choice. What will it be, Potter?"

"I'll see what I can do."

Lucius shook his head and smirked, "Not good enough, but I guess it will have to do for now."

He walked towards the door but stopped with his hand on the knob when he heard James' voice.

"I promise to talk to my father, even though I don't believe your intentions are noble."

Lucius didn't answer back. He had a harsh comment right on the tip of his tongue but he didn't say anything. He just opened up the door and left.

"Lucius... I hate you so much," James muttered in tears.

----------

***The Present***

"Lucius..." James muttered before waking up entirely.

It took a while for him to notice that once again he had dreamt about the past. A past that he wished to bury forever into the depths of his subconscious, but that had been brought back thanks to Snape and his memory potion.

For sixteen years everybody had believed that James Potter was dead, only to find out that he wasn't. He'd been kept hidden on an island in the Pacific by a woman named Vivienne Grosford - Lily's best friend in the past - a woman who had loved James in an obsessive way. Her love for him had been so deep that she had taken him away and erased his memory the moment she realised that Voldemort had vanished from the earth but James was alive.

Vivienne had been the first one to get to the Potter's house right after the tragedy with her partner by her side. Thinking that Lily and Harry were dead, Vivienne had killed her partner and placed an illusion charm on him so that for the next twenty-four hours he would look like James. Then she had taken James away and in spite of the fact that he had tried to struggle the moment he had been conscious again, she persuaded him to leave everything and start over with a new life and a new identity.

"Your family is all dead, James. There's nothing left for you here," she had whispered to him while he cried over the loss of his wife and son. "Let me take your memory away. Let me take you away. I can end your misery, James. Please, let me do this for you."

Desperate, James had agreed. And for sixteen years he had no knowledge of what had happened in the wizarding world. He knew all about magic, but nothing about Hogwarts or Voldemort. But then Vivienne had developed cancer, and she had found out by chance that Harry Potter hadn't died that day. She had wept for him, and in her madness, she had told James everything.

James had stayed by her side until the day she had died, and even at the end he hadn't hated her. He felt pity for her. Vivienne had always been a troubled woman. Later on, when James had arrived at Hogwarts, he had found out that Vivienne had been a Death Eater, and a dangerous one, but that she had never really understood what she had done. In her mind, she thought she was helping James. It had been all Voldemort's fault, as usual. He had taken advantage of her unstable mind.

'Poor tormented soul,' thought James. 'May she rest in peace.'

Now James was back at Hogwarts and he wished he was back on the island. Just a few people knew that he was there and no one would say a word about it until James recovered all of his strength.

The process to get James' memories back had been long and painful. Vivienne had erased too many of them, so they'd come back to him in stages. It took him a month to remember everything. In the mean time, he created a new bond with Remus and Sirius but not with Harry. His son... He still hadn't gotten used to the fact that he had a son. He didn't know what to say or how to behave when Harry was around. In fact, James didn't like to have Harry around. Those moments were always awkward and disturbing. Harry also didn't know how to act around him, so they just avoided each other.

The night James had finally remembered it all, things had gotten even worse between him and Harry. It didn't make any sense to him why he wasn't able to talk to his son or even hold him, so he had cried. It wasn't like he didn't want to do any of those things. He just couldn't do it. Harry reminded him too much of Lily and all he had lost. Lily... the only woman he had ever loved.

After getting back his memories, James had gone into a state of shock for two weeks. He'd spent most of the day and night in the Hospital Wing under the cares of Madam Pomfrey. Every now and then he was assaulted with terrible headaches. The medication helped him to a point, but in the potions and tonics he drank there wasn't a cure for his disturbed soul or his depression. Once Sirius tried to cast him a Cheering charm but the effect went off fast, leaving him even more depressed than before.

The only nights that he'd slept well was when Harry'd spent the night beside him. He didn't know about it though. He had said to Madam Pomfrey that he didn't want Harry around because he didn't want his son to see his father breaking down. But Harry, the famous rule-breaker, slipped in under the Invisibility cloak almost every night.

And then there was Lucius Malfoy... The only person who had made him burn from the inside out. He wondered what had happened to Lucius. Was he still alive? Was he still married to Narcissa? He remembered that Narcissa had given birth to a boy a little before Lily had had Harry. Did the boy go to Hogwarts? Was he Harry's enemy as well? So many questions... his head started aching again.

He reached for the tonic that Madam Pomfrey had left on the bedside table and touched a soft hand. He instantly grabbed the hand and twisted in self-defence. The person moaned in pain.

'Dad, it's me!"

"Harry?" James let go of him and stared at his son with remorse but also anger. "Harry, didn't I say to you that I didn't want you here?"

Harry's eyes flinched. "Yes."

"How did you..." James stopped talking the moment he saw his old Invisibility cloak spread on the other bed. "Oh, I see. Dumbledore gave it to you." He took the cloak in his hands. "You shouldn't have sneaked out like that, Harry. I could have seriously hurt you!"

"But you didn't."

James sat on his bed and sighed, "Sirius warned me about you. He said you're a Marauder."

Harry smiled weakly. "I guess. I have the cloak and the map."

"The Marauder's map? I thought it had been confiscated years ago."

"It was, but someone stole it from Filch and gave it to me." Harry took the map out of his pocket and handed it to James.

"Oh, my God." James' eyes sparkled as he looked at the map. "This brings back good memories."

"Remus doesn't like to look at it."

"Remus had always been the most pessimistic and the gloomiest of our gang. He wasn't a natural prankster like Sirius and me." James commented and then put the map aside. "Come here, Harry." Harry stopped in front of James, who took his hand in his and stroked it gently. "Did I hurt you?"

"No," Harry muttered. "Does your head hurt?"

James smiled. "A little. That reminds me..." James reached out for the little bottle again and drank its contents. A minute later, he sighed in relief.

"You were having a bad dream."

James tensed. "Sort of."

"You said Lucius Malfoy's name, didn't you?"

Harry had hit a very painful nerve and James snapped, "No, I didn't! Even if I did, this doesn't concern you! You shouldn't be here, Harry! I'm not well yet and your presence disturbs me. Please, leave! Now!"

James regretted the words the instant they left his mouth. He saw the hurt in Harry's eyes and he wanted to hex himself for being responsible for that. Harry took the cloak and turned to leave but James called him back.

"Harry, I'm sorry. I'm still very lost and..." James bit his lower lip. "Can I be brutally honest with you?"

Harry faced his father and nodded.

"It hurts to look at you."

"I'm sorry."

"No, please, don't be. It's not your fault." James sighed uncomfortably. "You can stay here for the night. I promise I won't behave like an asshole."

Father and son lay down on their respective beds.

"Can I say something?" Harry asked.

"Yes, sure."

"You don't have a scar...," Harry said, staring at James intently.

With Harry's eyes watching his every move, James felt like a rat lab.

"Actually, I do. It's only a small scratch on my right shoulder. It's nothing, really," James said. "Go to sleep, Harry."

The silence fell upon the room. There were many things Harry wished to ask James, but his father wasn't ready to answer any of them. Maybe he never would be. Harry was worried about his father. He had heard a conversation between Dumbledore and Remus that had scared him. According to the Headmaster, the fact that James had gotten out of Voldemort's wand was a terrible sign. James would never be the same as he once was not only because of the tragedies of his life, but for a much darker reason.

'I'm afraid that a piece of James' soul got trapped on Voldemort's wand that day. He didn't die but a part of him did.' Harry had heard Dumbledore saying. 'There are no records like his case. No one has ever survived a killing curse before. Not that we know of. Only Harry, but Harry is fine, which is a mystery. And James... I'm afraid that... I'm afraid that now that he's gotten his memory back, he'll become darker. He said to me that he's been feeling very empty ever since he had taken the potion. That worries me.'

'What are you saying, Headmaster?'

'I don't know, Remus. But I think, and this is only rumination of an old man, I think that without a part of his soul, James will die. And I think that by administrating the memory potion on him we might have accelerated the process. If we don't kill Voldemort soon and destroy his wand, James won't survive. The wand will claim the rest of his soul. James had only survived till now because he had been living very far away from here.'

'Far away from the wand, you mean.'

'Not only that but Voldemort wasn't as strong as he is now. It's a mystery how James survived or Harry for that matter. We may never know the real reasons. All I know is that we have to stop Voldemort quickly or I don't know what will happen to James.'

'How do you know about all this, Headmaster?'

''There's a book about it. Of course, all that's in it are only theories. Like I said before, there are no records like Harry's and James' case.'

'James is... empty, then?'

'No. But a part of him is and we must hurry.'

After that day, Harry had been near his father all the time, even though James didn't know about it. He felt hurt by his father's distance but he knew now that it wasn't James' fault entirely. James was only... empty. And lost. But wasn't everybody? Anyway, his father was the main reason why he had to kill Voldemort as soon as possible.

Harry had spent the entire month learning battle skills with Snape, Remus and Erin. All of his anger had been focused on his practices and it made his magic level increase. Snape was impressed with Harry's increased skill both with the wand and without it. He was actually being nice to him; well, as nice as Snape could be. It was probably because of Erin, who was a very loving wife. She had softened Snape's heart a little.

And then there was Draco... Harry sighed. They hadn't talked to each other for a month now. Draco's dream link had always been closed to Harry. No matter how hard he had tried to enter Draco's head, he hadn't succeeded yet. It was just like Draco to shut him out on purpose. Harry was worried sick about him but there wasn't anything he could do at the moment but wait. Tomorrow was his birthday. Who knows? Maybe he would receive some good news for a change...

--------------

"Who would have thought that my link with Harry Potter would actually turn out to be good for something?" Voldemort hissed to Wormtail.

"Indeed, My Lord," said Wormtail with his annoying voice. "My Lord... if I may say so... Why is it a good thing? I mean, last year you discovered that this link was a really bad thing. It means that you can't kill Potter because if you do, it'll kill you, Sir."

Voldemort rolled his eyes. He was glad that Lestrange was coming back that day because the rat was getting on his nerves. He couldn't think of anyone more pathetic, foolish and slow-witted than Wormtail. Perhaps Goyle and Crabbe were dumber, but Goyle's child was turning out to be quite a surprise. He and the Malfoy child had achieved the best grades at the Death Eater's camp so far.

"My Lord? Err... Sir?" Voldemort heard Wormtail calling him.

Voldemort glared at Wormtail, who cowered in fear.

"What I mean, my brainless minion, is that with the proper incantation, I'm able to know what the brat feels. That was how I found out two things that might be of use to me. One, that Harry Potter is in love with the Malfoy child." Voldemort explained and Wormtail squeaked. "And two is that James Potter is still alive, but not for too long."

"WHAT?" Wormtail squeaked even more at the news.

"Oh, don't worry. James Potter is worse than dead. I don't know why he didn't die that day, but the fact remains that if Potter junior is right in his assumptions then his father won't be alive for much longer. My wand will claim his soul." The hideous man stroked his wand gently. "Oh, yes. I can almost feel its desire for the rest of James Potter's soul. It won't be long..."

Wormtail breathed normally again. He didn't want to face James Potter. He got chills just thinking of what his old friend - whom he betrayed - would do to him if they ever met again. He hoped that his Master was right.

"M-my Lord," Wormtail started carefully, "H-how are you going to kill Harry Potter without killing yourself?"

"With the Green Flame." Voldemort stroked Nagini, his Basilisk.

"A-and w-what is it, My L-Lord?"

"The books say it's a myth, Wormtail, the most powerful weapon in the world, that once it is released nothing can stop it. Not even Harry Potter and his damn luck. They say it's a beautiful flame that never fades away. It can heal but it also can destroy. Can you imagine what I can do if I have this weapon? I can rule the world!" Voldemort's red eyes sparkled with evilness.

"A-and w-where can suck a p-powerful device be found?"

"That's the problem, Wormtail. No one knows. The ancients believed that the Flame was just a beautiful myth. But there are at least four books which say that the Flame exists for real. I'll have it. It's just a matter of time. Lestrange will find it for me, I'm sure of it."

Wormtail was jealous about the Dark Lord's preference for Lestrange, but he never complained. He knew Lord Voldemort wouldn't like it if he did.

"Soon Lestrange and Lucius will be back from their encounter with the giants and then we will set our next steps. Get in touch with Ethan as well. I'll need him for a nasty mission. Maybe I'll let you join it this time. He'll hunt down Narcissa Malfoy, the turncoat. I believe she's with an old friend of yours named Sirius Black."

Wormtail nodded. "Yes, my Lord. He used to be my acquaintance. I'd framed him in the past." He smiled evilly. "He's wanted by the Ministry. He's considered a murderer thanks to me!"

"You're not so useless, Wormtail. Sometimes you get things right. Now, get in touch with the camp and bring me the young Malfoy. Then you can bring me Gregory Goyle, too. Make sure that they don't see each other."

Wormtail approached Lord Voldemort. "I-I think that Draco Malfoy likes Harry Potter as well, Sir."

Voldemort hissed something to Nagini and the Basilisk left the room.

"I could finish him off for you, My Lord," Wormtail suggested venomously.

"Do not touch the child, Wormtail or you will regret it. Draco can be a weapon against Potter. A very interesting weapon indeed. Now, bring him to me. I want to have a word with him." Noticing that Wormtail hadn't moved yet, Voldemort raised his wand and pointed at him. "What are you waiting for?"

At a glance, Wormtail vanished from the room.

--------------

Draco had just finished throwing an unforgivable curse on a future Death Eater when he heard one of Voldemort's slaves calling him. To his disgust, it was Wormtail, the rat, and that visit couldn't be a good sign.

That month had been the worst of Draco's life. His father had sent him to that awful place where he had to cohabit with the most evil teenagers on earth. The motto followed there was that only the strong survived. In order to do just that, Draco played the game very well, even if that meant that his soul had to die a little every day.

He hated everything about that place. At Death Eaters' camp, he learned quickly that he should always be prepared for the worst. In order to succeed, he had to be as nasty as his roommates and so far he was doing a great job. But at the end of the day, he always hated himself. Not that he pitied any of the guys that he had duelled with. One of them had tried to take him by force once. No, he didn't pity any of them. But he did worry that he might turn out to be evil just like them.

He tried not to think about Harry but sometimes he just couldn't help it. At least he had closed the link they had acquired when Erin had cast the Daydream Connection spell on Harry so he could save Draco from the Cruciatus curse. He missed his boyfriend a lot. He wished there was a way to get in touch with him.

He sighed and walked towards Wormtail. As he passed by, some guys stared at him with desire. He didn't even pay attention to them. Everybody knew that Draco wasn't interested in any of them. He had made it very clear that he was there only to learn Dark Magic and that was all. The problem was that Draco had very delicate features and he turned more beautiful by the day. He was a few inches taller than before, and his hair had grown a little, constantly covering his eyes and making him very attractive to both genders. Not only that, but he was also part Veela, which made him irresistible. But no matter how much the guys of the camp tried to call his attention, he was never interested in fooling around. He loved Harry and no one else.

"What do you want?" he asked Wormtail.

"Lord Voldemort wants to speak with you, insolent boy."

Draco smirked, "Really? Well, tell him I'm busy. I have a Killing curse lesson in about ten minutes and I don't want to miss it."

Wormtail fumed. "You have to come with me! Lord Voldemort is expecting you. And when he says sit, you have to sit. When he says jump, you have to jump. When he orders you to jump off a cliff, it's exactly what you have to do. Get it, Malfoy?"

"No, not really. I'm not his dog."

Wormtail raised his wand at Draco. "Now listen to me, you piece of shit!"

"NO! You listen to me! Expelliarmus!" Draco shouted, making Wormtail's wand fly to his hand.

Wormtail opened his eyes widely at the sight of that. He was too astonished to say anything. Draco had not only disarmed him, but he had done it without using a wand. How was that possible? Most wizards find it very hard to control their magic without the use of a wand. Draco didn't seem to have that problem though.

"How did you..."

"Cool trick, huh?" Draco sneered. "You would be surprised at how much I've learned this month. But if our Master wants me so much, I guess I should see him. Take me to him, worm."

-------------

As his conference with Voldemort ended, Draco sighed in relief. He loathed Voldemort with all his guts and it was hard to share the same room with the creature. Voldemort was not a nice thing to look at. His face reminded most of a serpent. He didn't have eyelashes and his skin was cold and slimy. There were rumours that Voldemort was planning to get a new body but no one knew exactly how he would do that. Draco prayed that the idea had nothing to do with Harry.

Voldemort hadn't said anything new to him. He'd just praised Draco for his excellent performance on the Dark Wizard Class' training. Then he had sent him home to spend his birthday with his father, which was the most unusual thing for him. For one thing, his father didn't care about his birthday. For another, Voldemort didn't have a heart. Then why did he let Draco go? He was probably up to something.

When Draco arrived at the Manor, he almost shed tears of relief. Not that he liked the house, he just hated the camp more and he was happy to be out of there. He went to his room to take a long bubble bath in his tub and found his father waiting for him.

"Draco. How lovely to see you. I hope you're having fun at the camp," Lucius smirked.

Draco smiled bitterly. "I'm having the time of my life."

"Good. Your fiancée keeps asking about you, but Lord Voldemort has forbidden her to see you. The poor girl is desolate."

Pansy, the bitch, was also Voldemort's granddaughter. Draco had almost forgotten about her. She still thought of them as a couple. She didn't know however that Draco had decided to break up with her for good because he wanted to be with Harry. He would have to deal with her later.

"Please, tell me she's not here."

"She's not here, Draco. She wanted to, but I sent her home. I knew you wouldn't like to see her."

His father was being nice to him. That wasn't a good sign.

"What do you want? Why am I here?"

"Tomorrow is your birthday. I thought you'd want to celebrate with me."

Draco almost laughed. "Yeah, right."

"Honestly, Draco. Not everything I do has an ulterior motive. I know how hard those trainings can be. I've been there before. I just thought you needed a rest, that was all. I care about your welfare."

Draco wished that were true. "Cut the bullshit. What do you want?"

"I want nothing. Lord Voldemort wants you to be here and I have no idea why."

"Now we're talking. And what are you doing in my room?"

"No particular reason. I just wanted to have a look at you." Lucius got closer to him and stroked his face slightly. "You've grown and your hair is longer. You look so much like me. I just hope you don't make the same mistakes I once did."

"I won't. That's a promise."

Lucius nodded, his eyes flickering. Suddenly, Draco remembered why he had returned home in the first place. He wanted to help his father. He was convinced that Lucius wasn't as bad as he appeared to be and that he could save him. Since Lucius had sent him to the camp, he'd forgotten about his previous plans. But now that he was back at home, he was willing to put them into practice.

"Father, do you remember what it was like when you were younger?"

Lucius stared at him intently. "What's your point, Draco?"

"You were in love once, right? Have you ever thought what would be like, if things had worked out between you and... him? I mean, what if he hadn't died and..."

Lucius paled. "You don't know what you're talking about. You have no idea, Draco. Don't go there because..."

"I know more than you think. You loved James Potter, didn't you? What went wrong?"

Lucius felt aghast by his son's insolence. "How dare you ask me those things?"

"Snape told me about your father and the things he used to do to you. I'm really sorry, dad. I didn't know. I knew he was a cruel man, but I never knew how much. Snape said that grandfather used to whip you without any mercy when you did something wrong. Is it true?" Draco asked, ignoring Lucius outrage. "Grandfather is dead! You don't have to live under his sick expectations anymore! Why can't you join the Order? I know you don't like Voldemort!"

"Shut up, Draco. Just SHUT UP! You don't know what you're talking about."

"It's not too late for you!"

"Yes, it is!" Lucius' breathing quickened. "Listen to me, Draco, and listen very carefully because this is the only time I'll tell you this. Don't try to save me. You won't succeed. If you still think that the Order of Phoenix is the answer to all the worlds' problems, I'm very sorry for you, because they are not! Voldemort will crush them all! Do you want to be on the losing side? Do you want to be killed?" Lucius shouted. "Get this once and for all, Draco. Love is a sham! Potter was a fake! He was just a bastard. And Harry Potter will break your heart, because that's what Potters do. Do you really think that Harry Potter will choose to be with you? He'll leave you for the first red-haired woman that comes along. The Weasley girl seemed fond of him. Just wait and see."

"You're lying. Harry is not like that!"

Lucius sighed, trying to regain his cool posture. "Forget about Harry Potter, Draco. You have a new life now, a new purpose. Harry Potter is not a part of it. And if you insist in this madness, I'll personally take care of him."

Lucius slammed the door shut on his way out.

--------------

"Lucius," hissed Voldemort.

"My Lord." Lucius bowed in front of him and kissed the hem of his robes. "What can I do for you?"

Voldemort sat down on the couch in the Malfoy Manor's living room and stared at Lucius.

"I came here to congratulate you. Your son is showing remarkable skills in the Dark Arts."

Lucius grinned. "I knew he would please you, My Lord."

Voldemort smiled in a horrible way. "So far, he's the only one able to do magic without the use of a wand. That's a very rare gift, and a very dangerous one. I hope you can control him, Lucius. Draco has to be on our side."

Lucius' blood ran cold. "He is, My Lord."

"I hope so, because I wouldn't like to wipe the Malfoys off the face of the earth. Your father was a great man, Lucius, one of the best of my old crew. In fact, he's responsible for one of the cruellest plans on earth. A project that I'm putting on practice again."

"May I ask what it is?"

"Wormtail!" Voldemort shouted and Wormtail quickly ran to his Master's side. "Show Lucius the photographs of the Muggles' Concentration Camp."

Wormtail handled them to Lucius and Voldemort anticipated the pleasure of seeing the true face of Lucius Malfoy. He knew Lucius was just a coward - a useful coward, but a coward nevertheless. It was a well-known fact that Lucius didn't have the same strength of the old Archibald Malfoy. Sure he knew how to play the game very well but that was all. Deep down, if Lucius had a chance, he'd jump the ship and abandon the captain without a second thought.

He waited for Lucius reaction and wasn't disappointed when he saw Lucius shocked face.

"What's that?" Lucius asked feebly.

"That, my dear Lucius, is your father's big creation: zombies. And the raw material to that is the Muggles. Isn't it brilliant?" Voldemort laughed cruelly, followed by the arse licker Wormtail. "I do hope you will help me with it. Your father would appreciate that his son continued his master piece."

As he stared at the photos of the rotten bodies and faces, Lucius felt sick to his stomach but he tried hard not to show just how disturbed he was by those pictures.

"We can turn Muggles against themselves. Ah, the irony of it..." Voldemort seemed delighted by it. "Anyway, I have another mission for you, Lucius. For now at least. I found out that James Potter is alive."

All the pictures slipped through Lucius' hand and fell to the floor.

"What?" Lucius whispered.

"Wormtail, get the pictures," Voldemort ordered, finding Lucius' reaction very interesting. "James Potter is alive. He survived the killing curse somehow. But he will die. He's not strong enough. You see, my wand has a part of his soul and soon it'll claim the rest of it. I'm planning to kidnap Potter senior and I need you keep him here for me. It won't be for long, don't worry. The reason I ask this is because my fortress is not done yet and the dungeons of your house are quite something. You don't seem so pleased, Lucius. Is there a problem?" Voldemort asked coldly.

"No, of course not, my Lord!" Lucius said, hiding his shaking hands. "How are you going to kidnap James Potter?"

"Oh, just leave that to me, Lucius." Voldemort stood up to leave. "Don't screw up, Lucius."

"What about Draco? Is he involved in the plan? Is that why he's here?"

"No. I decided to give Draco the month off."

Voldemort omitted his true reasons for doing that. The fact was that Draco's future was unclear to Voldemort's seers. They didn't know if Draco would turn to the Order's side or not. All they knew was that Draco Malfoy was destined to do something great, for better or worse. Draco had proved to be powerful and Voldemort didn't want him to develop his power to its full potential. He had to keep Draco under strict vigilance. But Lucius didn't have to know that.

---------------------

Draco lay on his bed, thankful that he didn't have to put up with Voldemort at dinner. His presence wasn't necessary, which made Draco very curious about the subject of the conversation. He'd tried to listen behind the door, but his father put a silence spell on the room and he hadn't been able to hear a thing.

He took out Harry's picture from his favourite book and stared at it, wishing that Harry was there with him. He quickly hid it the moment he saw Lucius bursting into his room like a mad man.

"YOU! You knew!" Lucius accused him.

"Knew what?"

"About James Potter! You knew that he was alive! Harry Potter must have said something to you!"

Draco maintained a calm facade but he was a wreck inside. "How do you know?"

"Voldemort's just told!" Lucius was very disturbed. "Is it true? Is he alive?"

"I have no idea."

Lucius quickly shortened the space between them and shook Draco violently. "Don't lie to me!"

"But I really don't know! There were rumours about it when I left Hogwarts, but I never saw him!"

Lucius set Draco loose. "Voldemort wants me to host him."

"What does that mean?"

"Don't be dense, Draco! He'll kidnap James and bring him here!"

"Fuck. But... How is he going to do that? James is probably very well protected, just like Harry."

"I don't know. He didn't want to say."

Draco noticed that his father was starting to breath with difficulty and he worried.

"Dad, are you ok?"

"This... this is a bloody disaster, Draco," Lucius left Draco's room and went to his own.

Draco followed Lucius and helped him lie down on the bed.

"Do you want me to get your medication?" Draco asked.

"No." Lucius gripped Draco's hand until his breathing normalized. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

Lucius let go of his son's hand and asked him to leave. Draco didn't go away though.

"What if it gets worse?"

"It won't, Draco. Just get out!"

"No! If you have another crisis then who will get your nebulizer? I'm staying right here!"

"Isn't it ironic that I have to use a Muggle devise? Life is so damn hilarious sometimes."

Draco knew his father was weak, and that by the morning he would be back to his nasty self, so he decided to take advantage of that fact.

"Father, maybe now you and James can talk things over."

Lucius smiled bitterly. "You don't get it, do you, Draco? I don't give a fuck about Potter. I never did."

"Yeah, right. Just like I didn't give a fuck about Harry."

"You're going to annoy me all night, aren't you?"

"Maybe. You were the one who taught me to be that way. What's your goal, father? I know you're not a murderer like Cyrus Lestrange or Ethan Clamch. What do you want to achieve by staying on Voldemort's side?"

"That is a dumb question, Draco. I think Potter's passed his stupidity on to you. I want power. I want to be the next Minister of Magic. Or maybe the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Dumbledore is too old to be in the position."

"Dumbledore is a good Headmaster."

"Oh, please. Spare me! Unless you want me to have another asthma attack..."

"No, of course not! I'm just saying that..."

"Dumbledore... He's just an opportunist. A very clever opportunist though. He's just using Potter."

"I don't believe that."

"Then you're being naïve, Draco, and I didn't teach you to be that way."

"This is probably the first time we've actually talked in a civilized manner."

"Don't get use to it." Lucius closed his eyes. "You can go, Draco. Is it midnight yet?"

"No."

"Happy birthday anyway. Take the floo powder and go."

Draco stared at him with curiosity. "Go where?"

"Hogwarts."

Draco's jaw fell open. "Why?"

"It's my birthday present to you. Go see Potter."

"But..."

"Don't question me, Draco."

"It doesn't make any sense. What's behind this sudden kindness?"

"Maybe I just want you to leave me alone."

"Do you trust me not to tell them what I know?"

"No, I don't. You can think whatever you want. I don't bloody care."

"Dad..."

"Just go Draco! Fireplace number 5, third floor. Go and see if James Potter is really there. And tell Dumbledore that... tell him that your grandfather's big project has been put into practice. Don't ask me what it is. Just tell him that. He'll know what I'm talking about."

"I... I don't want to leave you here alone."

Lucius smiled feebly. "Who's the father here?"

Draco smiled back. "All right, I'll go. But not now. I'll go there tomorrow. Harry is probably asleep anyway."

"If I wasn't so tired I would hex you, Draco."

"No, you wouldn't. You wouldn't have the courage to do it."

"Don't be so sure. Don't trust me, Draco. I know you have this hope that I'll turn good someday but I won't."

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."

"You're stubborn, I give you that." Without opening his eyes, Lucius went on, "Since you're going to stay here, you might as well sleep on the bed."

Draco opened his eyes wide. "Next to you?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't question me, Draco. You know I don't like it."

"But..."

Draco didn't remember the last time his father had been tender to him. Maybe when he was five and had been very sick. Lucius had spent the day taking care of him.

"If you want to go back to your room, it's fine by me."

Draco held the urge to stick out his tongue at him.

"I'll stay," Draco said, smiling.

"All right. But I'm warning you. If you snore, I'll kick you out."