Legacy

Chapter Nine

There I am in younger days, star gazing
Painting picture perfect maps
Of how my life and love would be
Not counting the unmarked paths of misdirection
My compass, faith in love's perfection
I missed ten million miles of road I should have seen

Love's Recovery, Indigo Girls

************************

December 27, 1997

"Harry, could you come down here for a minute."

Mr. Weasley's was calling up to the top room that Harry shared with Ron during his visits to the Burrow. They had been playing one of the new games Ron had received for Christmas, from Bill, when they were interrupted.

"Be right back," he said.

Harry walked downstairs, and was surprised to see Professor Dumbledore in the kitchen.

"Professor," he said, walking over and shaking his hand.

"Harry, might I have a word with you?" Dumbledore asked.

Arthur looked visibly upset. Had something happened to Remus, or another member of the order?

"Is something wrong?" asked Harry.

"Yes, Harry. No, no, it's not like that," he added, when Harry began to look panicked. "We do have a crisis, and I'm here to ask for your help to dealing with it."

Arthur still did not say anything, but continued to look apprehensively at Dumbledore.

"There is a situation that has developed, involving Voldemort," Dumbledore continued. Mr. Weasley cringed at this. "And I believe that the most direct method of resolving it involves your being part of the plan." He paused, and looked into Harry's eyes. "I have no intention of letting you be injured, or even participate in the rescue..."

"Rescue?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Harry, this is a rescue mission. However, your... connection to Voldemort could help us tremendously."

"Harry," said Mr. Weasley, looking at him now, "I want you to understand that I am uneasy about this, and if you don't want to participate, you don't have to. It is completely up to you." Harry looked over at Dumbledore, who nodded.

"That is true, Harry, and I would not think any less of you if you decided not to assist us. However, I do want to reiterate that you will not be in any danger, rather, not in any more danger than you usually are," he said sadly. "You will most likely be back here in time for bed tonight."

Harry looked over at Mr. Weasley. He looked at Dumbledore.

"I'll go. Let me get my cloak." He went upstairs to tell Ron that he would be back.

As he walked downstairs, he heard Mrs. Weasley arguing. "No, use someone else. Not Harry."

"At least let me go with you, then, Albus," said Mr. Weasley, protesting.

"No, Arthur, you must stay here and watch your family. I will take care of Harry, please trust me," Dumbledore said gravely.

Harry walked into the room, and gave Molly a hug. "I'll be back tonight," he whispered in her ear.

She squeezed him, kissed his cheek, and said, "I'll have some dinner waiting for you, then." There were bright tears still in her eyes.

Arthur still looked angry, but nodded at Harry. "We'll see you later," he said, as he clapped his hands on Harry's back.

It wasn't until they were outside, as Dumbledore set the Portkey on the ground, that Harry asked whom they were going to rescue.

"Draco Malfoy," said Dumbledore, and Harry felt the world begin to spin around him.

A few seconds later, he was on the side of a hill, being helped to his feet by two old friends. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks. Dumbledore was nowhere in sight. They greeted Harry, and then the three of them set off jogging toward a large Manor house about half a mile away.

"What..." Harry began, but a look from Kingsley silenced him.

Tonks squeezed his hand, and mouthed, "In a minute, Harry."

They stopped in a grove of trees about a quarter mile away from the house. It looked like someone had been here already, scouting the house. Harry felt some magical enchantments around him.

"Harry," said Tonks, "we need you to let Voldemort know that you are here. Dumbledore says that you can... you can let him into your mind. We just need him to be distracted for a few minutes."

"But how?"

"Just sit down here, Harry," said Dumbledore, appearing from behind a tree as if he had been there the whole time. "Sit here, and open your mind. It doesn't matter what you think of, it's your proximity that will interest him."

Harry looked worried.

"You are protected here, Harry, as protected as you would be at Hogwarts," said Dumbledore. "We just need to wait until we get our signal."

An hour passed. No one spoke much; Kingsley and Tonks took turn watching the surrounding lands and sky. Dumbledore came and went from inside the grove of trees as if there were a doorway in there to another place. Harry sat and watched.

The first stars began to shine, when Dumbledore finally said, "Something is not right. We should have seen it by now."

Tonks looked at Harry. "Should we send him home?" she asked.

"No, we might yet need him," said Dumbledore. "Harry, I think its time. Come sit here," he said, leading him to a blanket on the ground. "Sit here."

Harry sat down, Dumbledore arranging himself on the ground next to him.

"You need to open your mind. Allow him to see you. Allow him to see me," Dumbledore said. Harry looked into the Headmaster's eyes, and felt his mind go blank. All his concerns, his worries, all rushed out of his head, and he was left with a feeling of euphoria.

"Yes, Harry, let him feel you happy." Harry closed his eyes and thought of his friends, Ron and Hermione, his parents, Sirius, Lupin, Hagrid, Dobby... a series of pictures ran through his mind, happy times, laughing with his friends. Harry couldn't believe there were so many good memories he had forgotten. He had been so worried recently about the present problems. But now, he was remembering - the Polyjuice potion, the snowball fights, catching the Snitch, his Firebolt, his Dad's cloak...Seamus and Dean and Neville and Ginny and...

Harry opened his eyes. It was very dark now. Dumbledore was gone. Kingsley was gone, but Tonks was still there, wand out, as if protecting Harry.

"Where did they go?" he asked.

She turned her face, indicated the castle. "You okay?" she said.

"Yeah," he replied. "I can't tell if it worked."

Tonks nodded, still looking out at the Manor house. "I think it did. Dumbledore said it did, right before they went in, and... oh-" she said, "oh Harry, get up!"

A figure was running towards them.

Kingsley was carrying something, no, someone in his arms. Malfoy. The boy's blond hair streaked with blood, and he was even more pale than usual. Tonks and Harry ran after them, back to the point from which Harry had been brought.

Kingsley finally set Malfoy down, still looking over his shoulder. Tonks was desperately trying to bandage his arms, blood seeming through the cloths. Harry looked over, and saw that the word TRAITOR had been cut, no, almost carved into his right arm, which was trembling.

Draco moaned. Harry stood, looking horror struck at him. What on earth had happened to him? Was his father in there? Had he allowed that to happen, to his son?

"Let's go!" Kingsley whispered quickly.

Harry looked over, as Tonks set down another Portkey, this one a pencil, and tuned it to Harry. "One minute, and then you're off, okay, Harry? Dumbledore will meet you back at the Burrow," she said quickly. "He might be there already."

"Where are you going? What about..."

"We're taking him straight to Hogwarts. He'll be safe there. Dumbledore has taken care of that," she said, her eyes drawn to the bleeding blond boy. "Damn it," she said, getting to her feet. "Inhuman, they are. Brutal, ugly killers. They would have killed him, you know. Another hour, and..."

"Tonks, let's go. I think he's..." started Kingsley. But at that, Draco started to convulse.

Tonks swore again, loudly, and gave Harry a quick hug. "Talk to you soon. Thanks for your help, Harry. Tell Dumbledore we're on our way," she said quickly. The three of them Apparated out of site.

Harry looked back at the Manor, wondering what had happened there. Frightened beyond all belief, looked down at the Portkey in his hand and felt the familiar pull.

He hit the ground on his feet. Maybe he was getting better at this, he thought, briefly. He saw Dumbledore and Molly, coming out of the kitchen. She ran to Harry, pulling at his arm, "Oh Harry, are you okay?"

He looked down, saw the left side of his shirt was covered in blood. He hadn't noticed that before. Draco's blood.

"It's not mine, I'm okay," he said, as she threw her arms around him again. Arthur was joining them now, trying to keep Ron and Ginny inside.

"Harry," he said, relieved. "It's good to see you back."

Dumbledore looked at Harry. "Thank you for your assistance, Harry. As always, you have performed spectacularly. You have my eternal gratitude."

"Professor, they said to tell you..."

"Oh, yes, they have arrived. He is being looked after now. He is safe."

"Uh, okay," said Harry, feeling exhausted and confused.

"Goodnight, Harry, my dear boy."

"Goodnight, Professor."

Although he had not been charged with silence, Harry thought that it was probably not a good idea to talk about what happened. As if to agree with him, both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley did not ask any questions, and had apparently admonished Ron and Ginny, as they were silent on the fact that Harry had been gone all evening.

Harry didn't see Draco again until after classes had started. He had remained in the Hospital wing for the first two weeks of school, and even when he was released, his right arm remained heavily bandaged, and in a sling. Harry had wanted to go see if he was okay, but was unsure whether that was a good idea.

It was Draco who approached Harry first.

"Harry," said Draco as he approached the nearly empty Gryffindor table at breakfast one morning. It was the first time Harry could recall Draco using his first name. It sounded strange.

"Draco," Harry said, feeling the need to return the familiarity. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine," he said, his voice softer than Harry remembered. "I wanted to thank you. I was told that you were... instrumental, in my release. I am in your debt."

"It's nothing," Harry said, embarrassed. He did not want Draco's gratitude.

"It is. I will remember this," Malfoy said, his eyes looking a thousand years old.

*****************************

Saturday evening

Standing outside Malfoy Manor, Harry recalled Draco's words. "I am in your debt." He suspected that to someone with Draco's upbringing, that was not a superficial remark, but a solemn vow.

Okay, Malfoy, he said to himself. It's time...

Harry walked up to the front door, Ron and Neville behind him. He rapped on the doorknocker, a silver serpent. An older man opened the door. "I need to speak with Mr. Malfoy, please. My name is Harry Potter."

"Come in, gentlemen," he said, quietly, and led them into the foyer of a large hall, and walked into a room down the hall. A moment later Draco came out of that room, looking curious.

"Potter," he said, quietly. He looked over at the others. "Weasley, Longbottom." They nodded. He turned back to Harry. "What can I do for you?"

Harry hesitated. "I need your help," he said.

Draco looked at him, nodded his head. "Yes, yes. Come this way," he said, leading them into the room he had just come from. Ron and Neville looked at each other warily, as Harry followed Draco.

It was a library, dark wood with book-lined shelves and an enormous desk in the corner. An older woman was sitting in a chair, reading. She looked up, stood when the men approached.

"This is my mother, Narcissa Malfoy," he said, as she took each of their hands.

"Gentlemen," she said, her voice gracious. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Mother, we need to discuss some business. Would you mind giving us a moment?" Draco asked.

"Not at all, I need to go check on dinner," she answered. She turned again to Harry, Ron, and Neville. "Will you gentlemen be joining us?"

"No, thank you," said Harry, his mind boggling at the fact that he was inside this house, declining a dinner invitation. "We need to be getting back as soon as possible." She nodded and left.

Draco led them to some chairs around his desk. "So," he said to Harry, "what happened?"

Harry looked at Ron.

"Someone has kidnapped our kids," Ron said, passing over the note and photograph to Draco.

He read it quietly, exhaling loudly through his nose. "Bastards," he said quietly. He looked closely at the paper, turned it over several times, and scratched at it with his fingernail. "It's not charmed, but there are traces of magic left on it. It's not anyone I recognize."

"Those are your friends, right?" Ron said, accusingly.

"They are not my friends. Not all wizards who belong to our party feel the exact same way about every issue. We are individuals, not some mindless army like Voldemort had," Draco said vehemently. "I have worked too hard to keep that element out, to make this a legitimate political organization, to have some renegade whack job come and destroy everything I have spent the last ten years creating," he finished, a scowl on his face.

Draco turned to Harry. "I will find out who did this," he said, taking out a clean piece of parchment. "Tell me who is missing."

Harry looked at Ron and Neville. Ron spoke first. "My son, Jack. We call him Jack. His full name is John Harry Weasley."

Harry swore he saw Draco roll his eyes.

"How old is he?" Draco continued.

"Thirteen years old," said Ron, in a voice barely above a whisper.

Draco wrote both these names down. He looked up at Neville. "Nigel Owen Longbottom," said Neville. "He's, ah, he's twelve."

Draco looked over at Harry. "There are three boys here," he said, tapping the photograph.

Harry nodded. "Renato de Cassini. Damn, I don't even know his whole bloody name," he said to Ron, becoming nervous. "There are about five or six of them."

Harry breathed deeply a couple of times before continuing. "I don't know his full name. He's thirteen, too. Almost fourteen, next week." The full realization of his son being gone hit him like a punch in the stomach. Someone had taken his child. For the first time Harry looked like he might lose it.

Draco looked at him. "Aurelia de Cassini's son?" he asked. Harry nodded.

Draco looked over at Harry, and raised an eyebrow. Harry stared back at Draco, not saying anything.

"Right, then. Okay, give me a few hours to do some digging," Draco said. He walked over to the fireplace, tossed some powder in, and called out, "Greg, could I see you please?"

Within a moment, a large man was setting through the fireplace. He looked at Draco, saw the men sitting at the desk. "Anything wrong?" he asked, protectively.

"I need you to come with me tonight. We're going hunting," said Draco, a vicious tone to his voice.

A smile. "Good. Let me tell them where I'm going, I'll be right back." He nodded his overly large head at the group of men, grunted, and stepped back into the fireplace and with a 'pop' was gone.

"Hunting?" Ron asked.

Draco smirked. "You think I hate Death Eaters. Greg Goyle is a hundred times more vengeful than I am. You can't imagine what they did to his family, his parents, after he ...followed my lead and went to Dumbledore."

Suddenly the quiet was broken by the sound of laughter coming from the hallway. It sounded like someone was being chased, and someone was chasing, and both were having fun.

Draco smiled at the sound of the children. His eyes moved to a picture on his desk, a lovely blonde woman sitting in a high backed chair, smiling, trying to look at the camera, but her attention being pulled away by the antics of two small children sitting on the floor, not listening to the photographer's instructions.

"Malfoy..." Everyone turned to Neville, who had not said much up to this point. "I was very sorry to hear about your wife. You have both my and Luna's deepest sympathies."

Harry looked over from Neville to Draco, whose face had clouded over. "Thank you, Longbottom. I appreciate that," he said, politely.

Harry looked over at Ron, who looked back, equally hesitant. Neither one knew what to say, so they both remained silent.

"And your children?" Neville continued, in the same polite tone.

Draco smiled. "They're much better," he said. "My mother's been here, for the last year, and that's helped tremendously. I think they're going to be okay."

Neville nodded his head. "I remember after my parents..." he paused, "well, after that, my Gran, she was everything to me. I wouldn't have made it without her."

Draco looked uncomfortable for a moment, then stood up, called out to his valet. "My mother, please," he said. She entered the room a moment later.

"I need to go out for a few hours. Unexpected," he said, walking over to her, kissing her on the cheek. "I need - " he stopped, then said, "something might be happening tonight. I need you to make sure the children are safe. I'll have Reynolds double the security."

She looked frightened, but did not say anything. "I just have a bad feeling. It's probably nothing, but..."

"We'll be okay," she said. She looked over at Harry, Ron and Neville, at their pale faces and wrung out hands.

"Be careful, dear," she said to Draco, her hand touching his shoulder. He put his hand on top of hers and held it.

Pop. Goyle walked out of the fireplace, shaking the soot off of him. "I'm ready."

Draco's valet was standing at the door with a warm cloak, and helped him into it. A few words from Draco, and he closed the door behind them as they all walked outside.

"Where will I be able to find you later?" Draco asked.

"No, we're coming with you," said Harry.

Draco and Greg looked at each other. "What kind of information am I going to get with you sitting there? And him?" Malfoy said, pointing at Weasley. "They'll have him spotted a mile away."

Ron looked like he was going to say something, but Neville put his hand on his arm. "He's right, Ron. Lets go back." Neville turned to Draco. "We're at Hogwarts for the next several hours. I'm not sure how long we'll be there, but there is always someone there you can talk to. Minerva, or Snape, he is in on this, too," he added.

Draco nodded at him.

"I'm there, always," Harry said.

"I'll be there later tonight then, with any news," said Draco. "We should be able to get something."

Draco and Goyle Apparated and were gone. Harry, Ron and Neville followed suit, and a few minutes later were slowly walking up the path to Hogwarts.

It was after midnight when Draco arrived. Harry and Ron were in Harry's suite of rooms, Hermione finally resting on their bed with Ginny watching her. Luna and Neville were given some guest quarters. Aurelia went home to make telephone calls, and check for any news. Harry had asked her to stay, but she wanted to be alone. He didn't think this was at all a good idea.

"I have some news," Draco said, to Ron and Harry. "An old friend from the past. Karkaroff."

Ron closed his eyes. "Not him again," he said, turning to Harry.

"Is this more personal than just a Ministry investigation?" Draco asked.

"Yes," Harry said, bitterly. "He has it in for them, Ron and Hermione."

"Well, he's got some well placed friends on this one. Our guy thinks that Ludo Bagman is in on this, as well." Harry looked shocked. Ludo Bagman had re-emerged after the war with Voldemort. Part showman, part speculator, he had been instrumental in revitalizing the international leagues, creating new interest and new teams, and had been rewarded with his old position in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Harry had worked with him often over the last few years.

"Damn," Ron said. "Bagman is set to be indicted soon," he told Harry and Draco. "He's dug another hole for himself, been taking bribes, fixing sports competitions. What's he doing messing with Karkaroff?"

Draco shook his head. "I've no idea. But I've got one of his lackeys over at my place, downstairs," he said, lifting an eyebrow. Harry understood. Lucius' old playrooms.

"What did he tell you?" Harry asked.

Draco paused. "Not much, really. Just who was behind it all, and what he thought was the game plan," he said. "I don't think he was told the whole story, just his part. He was responsible for getting them out of the castle. Apart from that, he handed them over to the next group and collected his money."

"I want to see him," Harry said.

"He's not conscious right now," Draco said coolly.

Harry looked agitated, while Ron continued pacing the floor.

"You can come in the morning, if I haven't gotten it out of him by then," said Draco. "However, I think he'll break before then. His mind is weak, and he has no real loyalty to Karkaroff. This was just for money."

Ron and Harry both nodded, and then silently walked Draco back out of the castle. Once at the door, Ron was able to speak.

"Thank you for your assistance," he said. "I don't know how to repay you for your help."

Draco shook his head. "Not necessary. I owe Potter," he said calmly, "and I hate Death Eaters." He exposed just enough of his right arm to Ron to get his point across.

Ron stared at the scars etched across his skin. They looked like webs now, still dark, still legible. In the moonlight, they glowed, ominous.

"Well, goodnight, then," he said, as they reached the front gates, and Apparated. Harry and Ron walked quietly back up the path to the castle.

Ron turned to Harry. "I don't understand him," he said as they walked. "The Heritage Party, they've always just seemed to me to be Death Eaters in sheep's clothing. Is there a difference?"

Harry shrugged. He avoided politics, and Malfoy's motivations were the last thing he was thinking of. He ran his hands through his hair, yawning.

Ron understood. "I'll go talk to Neville and Luna, tell them what he said. See you in a few minutes," he said, and turning away from Harry, he walked toward the guest rooms where the Longbottoms were staying.

Harry made it back to his room, and found Ginny and Hermione sleeping in the bedroom. He was so tired. His body felt weary, and his spirit was bruised. Everything hurt. He didn't care about anything anymore, just that Renato and the others got home, safe.

He sat down on the couch, and closed his eyes, waiting for Ron to return. He was still there, fast asleep, his glasses still on his face, when Ron arrived, equally exhausted. He gently lifted the glasses off his best friend's face, like he had so many times in the past twenty years, and sat down on the couch, next to Harry. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, and was sleeping a minute later.

*******************************

Sunday morning

Neville knocked on the door to Harry's room. "Harry, Malfoy's back," he said. "He's with Minerva in her office. She wants us there as soon as possible."

Harry and Ron had been up most of the night, sleeping erratically. Hermione did not look much better, but she had some sleep (thanks to a draught that Ginny snuck into her water) and was feeling more like her usual self.

The four of them quickly made their way to the Headmistress' office. Luna and Neville were talking to Minerva. Snape looked like he was reading the maps of Hogwarts grounds.

Draco and Aurelia were sitting on one of the small sofas, talking quietly. She didn't look like she has slept much either. Her eyes were red, like she had been crying recently. Draco was holding one of her hands with both of his.

Harry looked at them curiously. "You two friends?" he said, trying to sound uninterested as he walked over to greet her.

"We're on the board of a couple of foundations together," Draco said, absently, not looking at Harry. "We're probably related, too, right?" he asked, smiling.

She nodded. "Third cousins? Once removed? Something like that," she said, looking over at Harry, who seemed interested. "My great grandmother," she explained, "from England. Part of his family."

"She was a Malfoy?" Harry whispered.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Again with the Malfoys... but rest assured, Potter, nothing that bad," he said, sneering. "Well, depending on how you look at things."

Aurelia cut him off, with a menacing look. "No, it was on his maternal side," she told Harry. "She was a Black."

Harry felt his head swimming. He would have to sit and think about this when there was more time. A Black, part of Sirius' family. Oh, Ren, where are you, he thought. I have to talk to you, tell you so much.

It was all too much.

Ron interrupted them. "Do you have news?" he asked.

Draco stood up. "Yes, I was able to get more information out of him than I previously thought. This is what I know so far," he said, pulling a sheet of paper out.

The plan had been simple enough. Rogers, the man in Draco's dungeons, was paid to send a package from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts, ensuring perfect timing. Once the package was delivered, the boys were 'disabled' somehow, he wasn't sure exactly. There was something in the package that acted as a Portkey, low level enough to be bypass the wards at Hogwarts, taking them just outside Hogsmeade.

"His instructions were to take Weasley, but when he saw that two additional boys had Portkeyed with him, he decided to take all of them," Draco added.

Draco looked up at Harry, whose face was white with anger. "Once they were out of the castle, he took them to a house outside of London. Rogers turned them over to two men, was given a bag of coins, and his memory was erased."

"If he was Obliviated, then how..." Neville asked.

"There are ways," Snape said quietly. "Nothing is ever really forgotten, it's simply 'moved' to a different location of your mind."

"Draco, how are you getting this information?" Hermione asked quietly. She hadn't said anything up to this moment.

"Does it matter," Luna said, fiercely. "As long as he got it, I don't care what he did."

"Do you really want to know?" Draco asked, turning to Hermione. She closed her eyes, and shook her head. "Okay then," he said, continuing.

"He thinks that they were taking a Muggle automobile, driving south into France, and maybe beyond. The trip was supposed to take two days. They spoke of a place to stay last night, and that they had to make a decision about the extra boys. That was all they said in front of him."

Harry's stomach tightened at the phrase 'the extra boys'. He heard the words 'Kill the spare' in his head, again and again. He sat down, feeling sick.

Minerva and Snape looked at each other, worry evident on both their faces. The wards had been breached. The school was vulnerable. Minerva sighed. "How on earth did they take them from Hogwarts?" she said quietly to herself, before turning to Draco. "Thank you very much, Mr. Malfoy. Your assistance has once more been invaluable," she said.

"Malfoy," Ron said, "could you hold onto Mr. Rogers for us for a few days? I think the Aurors would like to collect him, once we get situation straightened out."

Draco understood - no one had contacted the authorities yet. Interesting. They were operating outside the law. "Of course, I would be happy to," he said. "Oh, one more thing," he added, looking down at his paper as he was folding it and putting it inside his robes. "The men he was with, they spoke Spanish. Not sure if that means anything. Might be a clue to their final destination."

He picked up his cloak from the chair next to where Aurelia was sitting, where it was draped over. "Please contact me if I can be of any further assistance," he said. "I'll let you know if I get any more useful information."

Snape stood up. "Let me walk you out, Draco," he said, and they left the room together.

Minerva looked at them with a grim expression on her face. "What do you want to do next?" she asked.

Hermione spoke first. She straightened up in her chair, and for the first time since yesterday, sounded like herself. "We need to locate Karkaroff. That's where they're going." She turned to her husband. "Ron, can you get us all the information you have on his last whereabouts?"

Ron nodded, looking back at her. "I'll need to get into the office. I'd have to go now, there are probably only a few people there right now," he said, standing up.

"I'll walk you out, Ron," Harry said. It was more comfortable moving around, even if it was just outside and back again. Minerva's office was becoming more oppressive, the mood more desperate. He decided if he never had to be in that room again, it would be all right with him.

Snape and Malfoy were still talking when Harry and Ron made it to the Apparition point. Snape shook Draco's hand, and turned to go back inside.

"Malfoy," said Harry, "could I have a word?" He turned to Ron. "You go on, find out what you can."

"I'll be back soon," he said, and disappeared.

Harry walked over to where Draco was standing. "I wanted to thank you, again, for all your help. I don't know where we'd be, what would have happened, if it were not for your assistance."

Draco didn't say anything. After a moment, he said, "I am grateful for the opportunity to repay you for your..." he said, smiling grimly, "for saving my life."

"I didn't save your life, Dumbledore did. And Kingsley, and Tonks."

"Yes, but I've already settled up with each them," he said, laughing at the shocked look on Harry's face. "You were the one who's been so difficult to...deal with. You've never needed me for anything."

Harry got quiet. "We could have used you during the Battle. That would have been enough for me, settled out account up."

Draco tossed his head back, looking proud. "I helped Dumbledore. I told what I knew, everything I knew."

"You didn't join us."

Draco looked at Harry, his eyes strangely sad.

Harry kept going. "We could have used you," he said.

"Not in the shape I was in. I couldn't hold a wand in this hand, much less fight anyone. Besides, it wasn't my fight," Draco said, scowling. "I know this sounds absurd to you, Potter, but Voldemort wasn't my fight, he was yours. My fight came later. It's still going on with these son of a bitch Death Eaters today."

"If you didn't want to fight Voldemort, then why..."

"It wasn't that I didn't want to fight him. I didn't really care about him," said Draco. "But I wasn't going to go out there and fight them, fight my father, maybe kill my father."

Harry paused, looking down at Draco's arm. "Even after all he did to you?" Harry asked softly.

Draco looked at his arm, then back up at Harry. "He was my father, Potter."

"But Malfoy," he reasoned.

Draco shook his head. "You have to understand, Potter. He was my father. I just couldn't disappoint him more than I already had." He snickered. "You see, fathers and sons... it's an old story, but a true one. Fathers, they want so much for their sons, they make plans, they have dreams... and inevitably the son chooses a different path." He looked at Harry, shrewdly. "You'll see soon enough, I imagine."

Harry didn't respond. His mind turned back to Renato. Had to get his son back.

Draco continued speaking. "Potter, I could have cared less about Voldemort and his plans. He represented everything bad about the Wizarding World - a half blood pretender with grandiose ideas. A direct result of too much interbreeding with Muggles."

Draco stopped and brushed some dirt off his cloak, before turning back to face Harry. "I didn't believe in your side. I believed in me. And I believed in this," he said, pointing at Hogwarts. "I just want to protect my children's future. Their magical birthright."

Harry shook his head. "Malfoy," he said, "if I live to be two hundred, I'll never understand you."

Malfoy grinned evilly. "I'm complicated."

Harry stood, looking at him, feeling a sense of amity. "Mal...Draco," he said. "I, em, I was sorry to hear about your wife."

Draco took a deep breath and exhaled. "It's been almost two years, now," he said, quietly. "Funny, she used to babble on about much she loved this place. I enjoyed it here, my time at Hogwarts, but she really, really loved it."

Draco looked at the castle for another minute, and then held his hand out to Harry.

"Potter," he said.

Harry took the hand and shook it firmly.

"Malfoy," he said, before letting go.

Draco smiled at him, and said, "I'll be back later with more information."

He Apparated, and Harry returned to Hogwarts to await Ron's arrival.