Apocrypha

Apocrypha

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Disclaimers: Harry Potter and characters are sole property of J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended in this fiction, as it is merely the author's desire to write something for the sake of entertainment.

Warnings: This fiction contains slash (male to male relationships) and some disturbing language. If by some chance you find this revolting, please be responsible enough to leave immediately. The author will not condone any flames relative to the content of this fiction for such is a blatant indication that the warnings were not heeded accordingly. Comments, criticisms and the like are always welcomed.

A/N: This is my first attempt at fiction writing at this particular fandom so I hope this will turn out to be pleasant and read-worthy.

*****

Prologue

The Mirror of Desire

Harry trudged at the dimmed hallway of Hogwarts, his soft footsteps the only giveaway of his presence as the invisibility cloak concealed him. Every movement, guarded, careful not to cross the path of Filch and Mrs. Norris.

Here he is, in the middle of the night, in one of his nighttime escapades. A free moment that was his alone.

Of course, being invisible opened a door to a world of tempting opportunities- things that he wouldn't even dare venture in the scrutiny of the people who expected better of him. After all, he was Harry Potter.

Being the Boy Who Lived had its price to pay after all; and the foremost of those that he lost was the value of solitude.

So many expectations and pressures burdened him, that for once, he despised all the attention. He may never voice that out, perhaps he never could, because after all, he was Harry Potter.

He wanted to be normal.

If Voldemort didn't kill his parents, then he would be living a normal, yet happy life with them. Then he wouldn't earn the famed scar -- the mark that sealed his fate at that precise moment. It may have been glamorous at first, being the one who lived through the Dark Lord's assault, but behind of it all was the fact that he was alone. An orphan.

How many times did he put all those that he cared for in danger just because of him? He'd lost count and there's more to come.

And so, with the Invisibility Cloak, he can finally have what he wanted: to disappear for a while, to hide from all the judging eyes and to be just by himself. He wanted to lay back and observe people without them noticing him and most of all, he wanted to just slip away without anyone following him in fear of his safety.

A sudden flurry of movement alerted him, pulling him out of his thoughts. Heartbeat quickening, Harry quickly sought the confines of a darkened corner, listening as the muffled footsteps heralded the coming of the intruder. Cloaked or not, he knew better.

He wouldn't put it past Filch or Mrs. Norris's weird intuition to discover his presence.

As the soft footsteps neared his place, he was surprised to see that the intruder was neither of the two that he expected earlier. The cloak-clad figure, warily looking around as he neared Harry's corner, was someone he never expected.

It wasn't Filch or some professor. It was worse than all combined--

It was Draco Malfoy.

~~~~

The air hung heavy with excitement as everyone practically held their breaths in anticipation. Tense silence wrapped around the room, unsettling and heart pounding at the same time.

"Scared, Potter?" Draco jeered maliciously at his opponent, holding his wand in a preparatory stance for their duel. Stormy gray orbs met calm green in a battle of wills.

Harry raised his wand in the same manner, unwavering in the eyes of Draco. "You wish."

~~~~

His nemesis and rival in every sense of the word. The insufferable git who always went out of his way just to give trouble. The cold, calculating Slytherin who vowed to make Harry's life a living hell since the first year at Hogwarts.

The same person who sneered, ridiculed , humiliated and possibly hated him with a passion that could rival the Dark Lord's hatred towards the Boy Who Lived.

Life is sometimes so unfair.

The ebony colour of his cloak bore a startling contrast against the platinum locks, further accentuated by the soft glow of his wand. Harry barely stifled a sharp intake of breath as the blonde paused just right in front of him.

Leaving a relief black and white in his wake, Draco continued walking along the dimmed hall. For a few moments, the dark-haired boy just stood still, releasing his breath in relief.

Just where is he going?

Verdant eyes squinting, Harry just looked at the disappearing figure of his rival. Confusing etched on his face as the glow of the wand disappeared, indicating that the Slytherin turned in a familiar corner of Hogwarts. A corner only a few students knew.

Dismissing the thoughts that the blonde wasn't that half-brained to perpetrate pranks at such an ungodly hour of the night, it slowly occurred to him just where Draco was headed to.

The Mirror of Erised.

Back in his first year, the enchanted mirror had been one of Harry's revered places. For at that time, the mirror showed him what he yearns the most- his parents. A family that he never had a chance to have. After that, the place had become one of his cherished places, a place of comfort at times when he needed to see his 'family.'

Soon, Harry found himself threading the familiar hallway, being extra cautious lest be caught by Draco. He knew he was being voyeuristic, and the blonde would certainly knock the daylights out of him once he discovered Harry spying.

A part of him told him that he had no right to delve into Draco's business -- whatever that may be. He should just turn around, go back to his room, and forget that he saw Draco sneaking towards the mirror of Erised.

But then again, curiosity killed the cat.

*****

Perhaps he shouldn't have come here.

For the ninth time that night, Draco found himself torn between looking at the enchanted mirror or not. He could just turn around in his heels, walk away and return to his room. Shrug the prospect of seeing his desire in the mirror and act as if the though never happened.

Unfortunately for him, he can't.

Looking at the short inscription just along the frame, he began to ponder its implications.

'Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.'

He knew what the mirror was -- in fact, he had learned about it since his first year. He also knew what the small inversely scribbled phrase means, and most of all, just what the mirror can do.

I show not your face but your heart's desire.

A flash of hesitancy flashed through him, like the abruptness of a strike of lightning. Is this really worth the trouble? Did he really want this? Is he willing to accept the consequences and face whatever the mirror shows him?

The power of the mirror was to show a person's deepest yearnings. No matter how one will try to deny it, the mirror will show it with startling precision. For a reflection never deceives the eye.

Knowing such power scared him. Yes, uncanny as it may sound, Draco Malfoy felt fear of the unknown. It is of the exact reason that he never dared to go near the mirror all those years.

He feared what the mirror will show him.

Draco's life was a play; his father, the director and he as the actor who does the role exactly what the script says. He wanted to be a Death Eater- because his father wants him to be one. Anything to make his parents proud. And since that's what he wanted, then perhaps that's what he really desires.

But what if the mirror shows him otherwise? Will that change everything? What if after all those years of believing that he was destined to be a Death Eater, he never wanted to be one in the first place?

Heaving a deep breath, Draco finally gave in to temptation. Eyes closed, he faced the mirror, heartbeat pounding furiously he can almost hear it.

Counting mentally from one to three, he slowly opened his eyes bracing himself for the inevitable.

His eyes widened, gasping in shock. What he saw was the least of the things that he expected to see.

He saw a toddler, perched across a blonde man's lap, laughing as the man ruffled the boy's tuft of platinum locks. Beside them sat a beautiful woman, watching her family affectionately. It was the picture of a happy family.

Tears threatened to burn in his eyes, yet they never fell. He can never allow that to happen -- ever. He couldn't, shouldn't and wouldn't allow himself to shed tears over something that wasn't tangible. He learned that from his father -- never show vulnerability and weakness or suffer the consequences.

The mirror showed him something he wished to have a long time ago. A wish that he almost forgot because it will never come true.

The childhood he never had.

As a child, he never had the chance to be normal. He was tutored at such a tender age that he never discovered the joys of being a child: to play mindlessly with his friends, to appreciate the simplicities of life, and most of all, to be free.

The scenario pained, yet enticed him; so deplorable that he wanted to deny it yet so beautiful that he wished he can have it like some tangible object that was his to keep.

Lithe fingers reached out, touching the enchanted mirror with the softest of touch. Strangely enough, the moment his fingers made contact with the surface, the scenario blurred as it rippled like still waters disturbed by a foreign object.

It was fascinating.

He never heard the soft scuffle, which resembled footsteps behind him as he brought another finger towards the mirror for a touch. Neither did he hear the voice that seemed to call his name repeatedly.

The air become thick with magical energy, so heady and archaic that it made the invisible watcher's hair rise in fear.

A flash of blinding light slowly pilfered inside the mirror akin to lights reflected in different directions. Soon, the entire hall was bathed by the spectacle of lights.

The illumination resembled the killing curse itself -- bright green lights so extravagant yet dangerous at the same time.

For what seemed like minutes, yet only seconds, the blinding light subsided. Silence overcame as if nothing happened. The mirror was still in its place, nothing seemed to have changed, and Draco...

The blonde was lying unconscious in front of the mirror.

"What in Merlin's beard just happened?" Exclaimed a voice that appeared to come out of nowhere until the owner removed his invisibility cloak and came to help his unconscious rival.

*****

Sybil Trelawney's eyes widened as she tried to flip the cards anew. She shuffled the cards thoroughly, then took one out and laid it on the browned desk. She frowned. For the third time that night, she kept on coming up with the same combinations- the same predictions.

Something told her that the combinations were not brought merely by a stroke of luck or just plain coincidence.

An omen.

Pain... death...

Destruction.

Stacking the cards neatly on top of the oak table, she stood up and went to the glass-paneled windows. An eerie calm washed over the surroundings, save for the chirping of the insects outside. So calm and quiet almost deafening in intensity.

Like a moment's respite of calm as a storm brews.

Gazing towards the velvety night, she examined the heavenly bodies. Stars twinkled luminously like small jewels in their place- so beautiful that one may not notice their exact implications.

And then she frowned.

"It's coming," the Divination professor muttered, itching to tell the headmaster about her latest vision.