The Awakening of a Magus

the-dreamer

Story Summary:
In the summer after the Triwizard Tournament, Harry suddenly awakens to new powers and a new look. However, the powers of a Magus aren't so easy to control, and they don't make life easy. Voldemort is much more powerful than ever. Some new characters come into the picture, some old characters will not survive, and other old characters will learn a new outlook. No slash, O/C but no Mary-Sue, light R/Hr ship, possible other light ships, lite Harry/Tonks

The Awakening of a Magus 25 - 26

Chapter Summary:
In the summer after the Triwizard Tournament, Harry suddenly awakens to new powers and a new look. However, the powers of a Magus aren't so easy to control, and they don't make life easy. Voldemort is much more powerful than ever. Some new characters come into the picture, some old characters will not survive, and other old characters will learn a new outlook. No slash, O/C but no Mary-Sue, light R/Hr ship, possible other light ships. - This file: Chapter 25: ‘Friends and Family’ and Chapter 26: ‘Turning Point’
Posted:
06/18/2003
Hits:
3,822
Author's Note:
Author Notes, Some Answers to Reviewer Questions, Credits and Local Canon (spells and characters of the 'Harry Magus' universe added to the 'Harry Potter' universe) can be found on website helena.whitaker.name . (warning ... local spoilers on website.)

The Awakening of a Magus
Chapter 25 - Sat, Jul 29 - Day 9
Friends and Family

After Draco left, the three friends headed for the swimming area at the Hogwarts lake. A section of the lake had been spelled for swimming. Charms kept fish and other water creatures away, cleaned the water, and kept it at the perfect temperature. In hot weather, it was comfortably cool. In cold weather, it was nice and warm.

"So, was Sirius stuck as you after you switched places?" Ron had to ask.

"No, I was able to neutralize the potion. I didn't have the heart to make him look like me for a whole three hours." Harry grinned.

Hermione was surprised. "Three hours? I thought Polyjuice only lasted an hour."

Harry explained about the Polyserum that Snape had developed ... and that Sirius didn't know it was Snape's formula. They all got a good laugh at that.

When they reached the swimming area, Hermione headed for the girls' bath house to change, while the boys went to their building. Harry was still in his ordinary-student form. Ron was so curious, it was driving him to distraction. "Harry, what do you really look like these days? All I see is this Harry, that you show to Draco, or your Darius form. When you're Harry Magus, you wear those loose clothes that hide everything." Ron was half whining, half angry.

Harry looked a bit sheepish. Even ordinary-Harry was beginning to look much better than he used to. The slow shapeshift had been going on for a week, and he was about a quarter of the way through to his real form. For some reason, he was still a bit embarrassed about his new look. "No, Ron, I'm not going to change. I'm just not comfortable yet," he said as they left the boys' bath house.

Hermione was already outside ... she wasn't your typical 'take forever to get ready' girl, but very efficient with her time. She only heard the last part. "What aren't you comfortable about, Harry?"

Ron tried to get Hermione on his side. "I'm trying to talk him into shifting to his real form. He's got to get used to it. We've got to get used to it. When school starts, at least someone besides the teachers needs to be prepared. Besides, it's driving me bats!"

Hermione smiled. "I agree, Harry. There's no one else around here. No one but your circle can apparate within the wards, so no one who matters can sneak up on us. I want to see Harry Magus! Now!" Hermione pretended to have a temper tantrum, which had both Ron and Harry laughing. It also had both boys noticing that, at 15, especially in a swimsuit, Hermione was getting to be a very attractive young lady. Ahhh, hormones!

Harry finally gave up. If these two couldn't get used to Harry Magus' appearance, he would have to reconsider attending classes. "Ok, you asked for it. Go easy on me, will you?"

Hermione grinned in satisfaction. "Wait. Let me back up a bit. I want to get the whole picture." She held up her hands, thumbs together, like a photographer trying to figure out the best shot. "Come on Ron. Over here. Alright, Harry, go ahead."

Harry sighed, shook his head ruefully, then let his breath out slowly. His mind ordered his body to release the ordinary-Harry shape, and shift slowly into his true form. He shifted relatively slowly, about at the pace that Polyjuice or Polyserum would morph a person, but the change was smooth and elegant. He grew taller, broader. His hair grew to shoulder length, thick and wavy. His lank figure thickened with muscle, well defined, but not bulging as a bodybuilder's muscles would. Even his eyes seemed to change, not in color, but in intensity. His stance shifted unconsciously into that of a man who knew he had little to fear. Tightly-leashed strength and power lent a smooth elegance to every slight movement of his body. Most who saw him like this would liken him to a jungle cat. He wasn't aggressive, but everything about him conveyed the message that this was not someone you wanted to mess with. Except for the time almost a week before, when he had tried to get used to his own appearance, he had never taken his true form in such a revealing manner, since he always wore loose clothing whenever possible.

His friends weren't laughing any longer. They both just stared, their mouths slightly parted as though having difficulty breathing. Several long moments passed as all three just stood there, speechless. Harry was afraid to ask, but softly whispered, "Ron? Hermione?"

Finally, Ron gulped, fighting the jealousy and awe he was feeling. He had resolved not to be such a git as he had been in the past, but it was hard to overcome. "Bloody Hell, Harry! Every blasted female in the school is going to be in love!"

"And every blasted male in the school is going to hate you," Hermione said softly. "God in Heaven, Harry ... you're ..." she couldn't find the words. Finally she whispered, "You're beautiful!"

Both Harry and Ron, in different ways, were disturbed by Hermione's reaction. Ron, because he felt second rate yet again ... there was no competing with Harry, if he ever had a chance before. Harry, because he didn't want to see Hermione change their relationship based on his appearance. He decided to take a chance.

In the blink of an eye, Harry glided forward to stand close to Hermione. Her soft brown eyes looked up into his intensely emerald eyes. He gently stroked her face with his fingers, and then carefully tipped her chin up. His musical baritone voice sensually whispered her name ... "Hermione ..." as he leaned his head slightly forward and down, as though to kiss her. And he saw in her eyes what he hoped to see ... admiration, affection, but not a scrap of infatuation. He suddenly grinned a wicked grin, and before she realized what was happening, he had effortlessly lifted her up and tossed her into the lake ... about 50 feet from the edge of the water! She squealed as she sailed through the air, trying to shift her position, and felt a bubble-head charm surround her just before she awkwardly hit the water.

While she was still underwater, she heard Ron's mindvoice squealing, /* No! No, Harry! Don't! Don't! Ahhh! */ And Ron landed about a yard away from her, sputtering inside a bubble-head charm as well. The two looked at each other under water, and started laughing. They both sent to each other at the same moment, /* He's still Harry ! */

The Magus in question swiftly swam up beside them, broadcasting his relief and affection for both of them.

Hermione sent, half-laughing, half-angry, /* That was *horrid* of you! For a minute there, I was afraid you wanted to ... well, *you* know. You're like my *brother* for heaven's sake. But, blast, you're good at it, as well as being sinfully gorgeous. I hope you don't plan to lead all the girls on, or I'm going to *very* disappointed in you. */

Harry looked over at Ron, and sent him a private message. /* Sorry, pal, but I had to find out for sure. She really *is* like my sister, Ron, and she feels the same way about me. Trying to have her for a girlfriend would be like ... like you and Ginny! */ Ron looked at him, shocked. /* Good luck with her, pal. */ Then Harry grinned. /* You're going to need it, but I think it will be worth it.*/

And for the next hour or two, it was just the three young friends, the water, and the fine summer day.


Draco's mother, Narcissa, had fussed over him for a few minutes when he arrived, but Lucius sent her away. They were to have company for lunch, the Crabbes and Goyles, and another Death Eater family, the Devereauxs, whose daughter, Malvina, was a year younger than Draco. She attended Durmstrang during the school year, and the two families intended that Draco and Malvina would marry after she graduated from school, as an alliance between the pureblood families. Neither cared much for each other, but they expected they would do their duties when the time came. This was another thing that Draco was beginning to question.

However, for now, Draco was dreading the coming interview with his father ... inquisition might be more accurate. He sat stiffly while his father paced back and forth. As the minutes of silence dragged out, Draco knew that he was in big trouble. Could his father have found out he was hiding things? That he had begun 'consorting with the enemy' by treating the Gryffindors with less than contempt?

Lucius suddenly whirled around, stood in front of Draco, looked down at him and hissed, "Well, boy, have you been hiding things from me, or did you lie in your report to try to impress someone?"

Draco wasn't sure at first what his father was referring to, but then realized. "Father, I never knew what a Scanner was, nor that I was doing anything unusual. From what I now understand about Scanners, I've had some of the ability for half my life, though I didn't really understand what I was sensing until about the time I started at Hogwarts. It's why I've always hated touching people for more than a second or two. Since you dislike physical contact, I assumed it was for the same reason. I see now that was incorrect."

Lucius sneered. "So, you claim to be a Scanner, have been for years. Well, then. Tell me about power and who has it."

Draco thought back to people he had sensed, fully or fleetingly, and what might please his father to hear. "Well, it looks like your powers are probably a match for both Mr. Goyle and Mr. Crabbe combined. And when I sensed Professor Snape last year, he was just average."

Lucius seemed pleased at these evaluations, but still unconvinced. "Hmm. How can you prove to me what you sense, since there is no spell to check your results?"

"Well, I couldn't show you right now, in any case. They blocked the Scanning ability so it doesn't get out of control." Draco realized too late that this would likely infuriate the elder Malfoy.

Lucius was enraged. His eyes grew cold and he focused his anger on his son. "They what? How dare they!" He pulled out his wand, and muttered a spell to detect various types of power blocks, something he knew about since his school days, when he participated in the full power block on Severus Snape. "Hell and damnation, that's a powerful block. Dumbledore's work." Draco didn't contradict his father's assumption. Then Lucius whirled about and strode to the fireplace to place a fire-call to the Hogwarts headmaster. "Albus Dumbledore, how dare you place a blocking spell on my son! I demand that you reverse it immediately!"

"Father, please ..." Draco said quietly. Lucius either didn't hear him, or ignored him. However, Dumbledore heard Draco's voice in the background.

"Lucius, Draco gave his consent. The block is for his own good. He has begun sensing living magic without physical contact. It's only a matter of time until he is overwhelmed by the sensations. And a trainer is not yet available." Dumbledore continued, guessing how Lucius had found out ... he wanted Draco to demonstrate. "However, the block only affects his ability to sense power in living beings. He should still be able to detect magic on inanimate objects, if he wants to explore his abilities."

"That's right ... I didn't realize. Snape said that even the weaker Scanners could sense enchanted objects. I had thought that was a common thing." Draco's mind was racing, remembering things he had experienced, trying to recall if others appeared to sense what he did. In hindsight, he didn't think so.

Lucius was still fuming. "That is irrelevant. Draco is a minor and cannot give consent for such a thing."

"Uh, Father? The waiver." Draco said, and Lucius pinned Draco with a shocked, icy gaze. Draco took a deep breath, knowing he would be defying his father, and would eventually pay for it. "The waiver states: 'In any magical matters where his age would be an impediment, Draco Malfoy is exempt from those restrictions.' Which means, I had a right to give legal consent for a partial power block." Draco swallowed and waited for 'the ax to fall'.

Dumbledore was shocked that Draco would stand up to his father in such a way. Shocked, and inordinately proud. It proved that the past week hadn't been wasted on the young man. Also, he suddenly realized that Lucius assumed that he had set up the block ... he didn't know that Severus had done it. Draco had kept his word regarding that secret. "Lucius, I understand your concern, but Draco legally gave consent, and I will not permit an awakening Scanner at Hogwarts without a block or training. It is far too dangerous ... for him. We hope to begin training within a week, so the block won't be in place for long."

Realizing he didn't have any legal leverage at this time, Lucius decided on a strategic withdrawal. "Very well. A week. And if there are any ill effects from that block, I swear you'll pay! Finis!"

Draco stood quietly, waiting, as his father resumed his pacing, raging. "So, you can identify enchanted objects?" Lucius snapped.

"Yes sir. Take a group of ordinary objects, place some kind of charm or hex on one of them, and I can pick it out of the group in a few moments." Draco stated, not arrogantly as he would have in the past, just quietly confident.

Lucius looked across the room at a bookcase. "Those spell texts. Some of them have security charms on them. Show me which ones."

Draco stepped over to the bookcase. He had rarely done this on purpose, it usually just happened. Taking a slow breath, in and out, to focus, he raised his hand to the books on the top shelf, brushing his fingertips across the spines. When he felt magic besides the residual that any spell text would have, he tipped the book out so it lay on it's spine on the shelf. On the six shelves, he eventually identified eleven texts that were charmed. "I don't know how to identify a particular spell, at least not yet, but those all have something extra on them."

Lucius stepped over to check which books Draco had selected. He had put security spells on nine of them. He carefully examined the other two, using various detection charms and finally identified the remains of a disguise charm on one, and a repair charm on another ... the cover had been torn off and then fixed. Lucius looked over at Draco, almost hungrily, at the thought that Draco had such a gift, a power that could improve his standing with Voldemort. Lucius thought to himself, Perhaps the boy wasn't exaggerating his progress in that advanced training after all, though how he could accomplish much with 'average Snape' as instructor ...

Draco didn't quite understand the sly look his father was now giving him. Was he planning punishment, or was something else going on? He knew that eventually, he would be punished for the Scanner business, and especially for his defiance concerning his right to give consent.

"Draco, to the dueling chamber. I want to see what you've learned." Lucius snapped this out, then turned sharply and walked out. Draco followed slowly and heard his father tell his mother to send the guests out to the dueling area when they arrived.

"Bloody Hell, this is going to be a long day," Draco thought in despair.


Chapter 26 - Sat, Jul 29 - Day 9
Turning Point

Draco sat, picking at his lunch. He knew he needed to eat, but he was exhausted. His father had worked him even harder than Snape did, though he had help. The dueling practice had started out rough and gotten worse. It seemed Lucius was bent on humiliating Draco, but the young wizard hadn't survived a week of Severus Snape's intense training for nothing. His offensive spells weren't that much better than before, but his defenses were stronger than he realized.

Lucius had begun by hitting him with the strongest of the spells he had used in past training sessions with his son. Draco trembled, he staggered, but his shields deflected or absorbed whatever his father sent. The Crabbes, Goyles, and Devereauxs had arrived separately over the first half hour. Luckily for Draco, his father hadn't gotten a clear appraisal of his shields until after there were witnesses. Even among Death Eaters, Lucius wouldn't be seen attacking his own son with severely damaging spells without a very serious reason. It would reflect badly on the family.

But his father was going to make him pay for at least one thing he did during that match. At one point, trying to get a break from the relentless onslaught, Draco had slipped an offensive spell through his father's shields. Though it didn't harm him, it staggered him, nearly knocking him down ... in front of all of his guests. At that point, Malfoy had the three men take turns testing Draco's defenses until he was too worn down to block a feather.

During the meal, Malvina was making occasional useless comments, while Crabbe and Goyle the younger were their usual dull, mindless selves. The adults discussed, carefully, the Dark Lord's rising and how they would finally be able to 'purify the wizarding world', especially the three largest schools in Europe: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. Draco finally forced himself to get some nourishment ... the day wasn't over yet. His father was promising everyone a demonstration of Draco's Scanning talent, going on and on about how he always knew Draco was gifted, and his supposed pride at Draco's 'mission for our Dark Lord'. Rubbish. Who would have thought he would look forward to returning to Hogwarts tonight?


It was mid-afternoon when Harry (back in his ordinary form), Hermione and Ron headed back to the castle. "Well, back to business, I guess." Harry sighed as they walked in the front door.

"What business?" Ron asked. "It's Saturday!"

"I need to plan out this whole thing about going back after Wormtail, including a scouting expedition." Harry reached out lightly with his mind to locate the professors in his circle. All three were upstairs in the seventh-year's work room. Snape and Dumbledore were having a practice duel. "Hmm, this should be interesting." Harry said as he apparated the three of them to just outside the doorway, so as not to interrupt the match. Harry carefully sent to Minerva that they were outside the door, and she quietly went to let them in.

Hermione whispered, "What's going on?"

McGonagall smiled. "Don't worry about whispering. They're so involved, it would take much more than simple conversation to distract them." She looked over at the two sparring wizards. "They've been at it for over an hour, and neither one is holding back. I've never seen a match like this. I've never seen anyone who could give Albus such a workout. He doesn't parade his abilities, but he's probably the most powerful wizard in several centuries. If he had chosen to use the Dark Arts, Voldemort wouldn't have stood a chance."

They all watched in silence for several minutes, until Dumbledore signaled an end to the match. Both wizards lowered their wands, nodded in salute, then finally relaxed. "Merlin's Blood, Severus! You are the most infuriating man!" Dumbledore was panting. "You're scarcely winded. Ah, but what a team we'd make!" the headmaster smiled.

As the intensity of the duel faded, Severus realized he hadn't merely been holding his own. By the halfway point, he had been dominating the match. He was fully aware of just how powerful Albus was, and it was frightening to know he clearly outranked the headmaster. Albus sensed his opponent's distress and sent quietly /* I knew days ago that it would come to this, but not *quite* so soon. I dearly wish Harry could adjust to his new powers as well as you have to yours. */

Harry came towards them with tumblers of cool water laced with the standard recovery potion after a hard workout. "That was amazing!" he exclaimed, grinning. "But now I feel bad about lazing around all day." He turned to Ron and Hermione. "I am going to have to get to work planning that scouting expedition I mentioned. So, Darius needs to get you both back to the Burrow." While the teens said their good-byes to the teachers, Harry was just about to shift to Darius when he suddenly felt something was very wrong just outside the school defenses.

"Draco?" And Harry disappeared.


Draco Malfoy was lying unconscious at the gathering point, his broomstick beside him. Though there were no obvious injuries, he appeared totally exhausted and in pain. Harry had taken his Darius form when he reappeared, as a precaution, but there was no sign of anyone else. He carefully lifted the Slytherin and apparated back to the castle. He sent to the others, /* Draco is hurt. I'm taking him to the hospital wing. I wish Madame Pomfrey was back from vacation. Severus? */

/* We're on our way, Harry, */ the Potions Master sent back. Snape made a side trip for supplies in his office, Dumbledore and McGonagall took Ron and Hermione with them as they went directly to the infirmary. Harry had already laid Draco on one of the beds and was performing a thorough Scan on the young man. The Magus was looking angrier by the moment.

"He's either been in a fight or one helluva 'practice' duel. And ... I think ... he's been hit with a Crucio. That he apparated safely is a miracle." His anger could be felt by everyone in the room. "I'm going to read his memories of what's happened since he left this morning." He looked at each person, waiting for someone to challenge his decision. No one did. At mention of the Cruciatus Curse, everyone wanted a piece of whoever was responsible. That it was Draco Malfoy didn't matter. This was a Hogwarts student that had been attacked.

Snape administered a standard restorative potion to his student while Harry prepared to read Draco's memories. He would relay relevant information to the others, then do what he could to heal the young wizard. As his eyes shifted from glowing emerald to Magus purple, he reached out with his mind ...

... arriving to meet with his father's immediate disapproval ... the fire-call from Malfoy to Dumbledore ... Draco stubbornly standing up for his right to consent ... the exercise with the charmed books ... the exhausting duel with his father ... the 'testing' by the other men ... during lunch, the discussions about Draco's mission and the Dark Lord's rising ... after lunch, the repeated demonstrations ... after the guests left, the verbal abuse ... Malfoy accusing Draco of being rebellious ... wondering if he might even be traitorous ... finally Malfoy informing Draco in exquisite detail of the punishments the Dark Lord had inflicted on *him* because *Draco* had been less than informative, both to Malfoy and the Death Eater (meaning Voldemort himself) ... that Draco had *deliberately* hidden his Scanning gift from his father to use as a weapon against the elder Malfoy ... the battle-level spell attack, ending with 'a taste of true pain' in the Cruciatus Curse ... Malfoy leaving the room in anger, as Draco lay on the floor of the study, barely conscious, telling him he had one more chance and to get back to Hogwarts as soon as he 'could apparate his stupid self back there' ... Draco stumbling as he arrived at the gathering point, shakily mounting his broom, then collapsing into blissful darkness and falling off the broomstick before he could rise more than a few feet ...

Harry gently, carefully sent his power through the tortured body, soothing, strengthening, comforting, restraining his fury so he wouldn't accidentally hurt his patient. As he looked up, he found he wasn't the only person in the room barely holding in angry tears.

Ron was staring at Draco, as though seeing him as a person for the first time, instead of the Slytherin bully he had known for four years in school, and had desperately avoided most of his earlier life. "Bloody Hell! His own father ... how ..." He just couldn't find the words to express his outrage. Hermione was gripping Ron's hand tightly, trying to absorb what she had seen through Harry, tears flowing freely.

Just then, Draco began to stir. He looked up, seeing Darius, the professors and his fellow students. He was still too rattled to note that Harry Potter was missing. He did realize that Darius had gone deep into his mind, examining his memories of the day. He didn't know how much the others knew, but he had already made his decision when he left Malfoy Manor. Starting to sit up, he winced. Darius quickly helped him up and sent another touch of healing magic into him. Draco carefully nodded to Darius, looked each person in the eye with his own pained gaze, including Ron and Hermione, then fixed his sights on Dumbledore.

"Headmaster, I need to tell you the real reason I'm here."


It was the end of a long day at the cottage in Salem, Massachusetts. Amelia and Rachel had spent the day at a multi-state martial arts tournament. Rachel had taken a second place in Sparring and a third place in Forms (solo exercises) for her age group and belt rank. "Hey, I may not have made first place, but I beat Tony the Twit!" she said as Amelia checked the mail.

Surprisingly, there was a package from the London-based 'front company' for the Ministry of Magic. Inside was a note from Arthur Weasley, who was sending the package on behalf of 'the Headmaster of the School'. "A package from Albus? Well, most trans-Atlantic magic is rather difficult." Amelia commented. Inside was a small Mundane figurine of a phoenix. Amelia smiled. "It looks exactly like Fawkes!"

"Awesome! But what's it for?" Rachel took the figurine to examine it more closely. It was exquisitely detailed for a non-magical object.

"Don't you feel the dormant spell?" asked Rachel's aunt. "It's a portkey, either to Hogsmeade or Hogwarts itself. If I don't get a call from him in the next few days, I'll have to call Albus to find out the triggering incantation. I can understand why he and Arthur didn't want to put too much information in the package, in case it went to the wrong place."

Rachel started getting excited, bouncing around. "Happy Dance! Happy Dance! Nine more days to Hogwarts!" Then she grinned. "Yeah, I know. I'm getting silly. But I'm really looking forward to meeting all those people you've told me about, like Dumbledore and Harry Potter!"

"I'm counting on you as my assistant coach. Think about it. We're probably going to be dealing with dozens of 11-18 year old White Belts, not to mention any adults that choose to participate." Amelia was an accomplished martial artist and instructor, but this was going to be her toughest assignment ever. "And in this case, lives may depend on the effectiveness of our training. By the way, I talked to Mike Storm at the tournament, when we were both judging the 9-11 year old advanced sparring. He's agreed to test you privately next Saturday morning for your Black Belt and Junior Instructor certification."

Rachel was stunned. She really hadn't expected the owner of the school would agree to an early testing like this. "He will? What did you tell him?"

"Well, I'm going to let you in on a secret. He knows about wizardry." Amelia laughed at the shock on her niece's face. "He isn't a wizard, but he has a small gift of Mundane psychic ability. Enough that he can sometimes spot magic. If he were a wizard, he'd be a weak Scanner, but that's all he can do. He couldn't do a spell to save his life. So ... he knows that you and I and Tony can do magic."

Rachel was thinking back on an incident with Tony the previous year during class. "So that's why he gave Tony hell the night he tried to hex me during Testing. Storm never explained to anyone why Tony had to give him 200 pushups." Rachel then asked, "So, how much of the story did you tell him?"

"That I would be teaching at a wizarding school overseas, you would be attending classes there, and we were going to set up a new martial arts class. I told him I'd like to have a certified assistant before we left. I'm not sure just how much he knows about wizarding society, so I didn't give too much away. I had the feeling he had some knowledge of the Dark Lord, but I didn't dare chance talking about it. He seemed to understand this training would be serious."

Rachel sighed and declared, "Well, I'd better get my tail in gear practicing this week. But for now, after a short video game session, I'm crashing. 'Night, Aunt Amelia."

Hogwarts' new Potions professor watched as her niece headed for her room. And hoping against hope that they all were up to the challenges to come.


At Draco's declaration, Ron and Hermione offered to leave, but he asked them all to stay. As soon as everyone found a place to sit down, Draco quietly began to tell them the real reasons his father insisted he be allowed to attend summer training. "He knew about you, Darius, well, about a Magus being here, even before the Daily Prophet article and Fudge's press conference. He told ... the Dark Lord ... he offered to send me here to spy on you and on the headmaster," he said, looking back at Dumbledore, "and on Harry." At this, Draco wondered where Harry Potter was.

Darius noticed, and quickly said, "We guessed that much, Draco."

Draco looked surprised for a moment, then smiled wryly, nodding his head. "Of course. None of you are stupid. In hindsight, I suppose it was Father and I who were stupid enough to think we fooled you. Do you know where I went last evening?"

Professor Snape just stated, "You and Peter Pettigrew weren't alone in the Forbidden Forest last night."

Draco sighed. He just didn't understand. "You knew, but you didn't stop me. Why?"

Dumbledore answered him. "Though we never would have wished you to go through what you did today, we wanted, we hoped you would come to this decision on your own. We hoped you would see that there was more than one path before you. And you have. We were careful that you didn't learn any information that would truly be harmful if you passed it on. But you told only a fraction of what you could have. I admit, there has been some deception on our side as well as on yours, but we haven't lied to you about anything important. I swear that on my soul."

Draco looked at those around him, at his fellow students, who hesitantly nodded and gave him small smiles. "You really meant that truce? Harry ... where in bloody hell is Potter, anyway?" No one spoke, or even moved. For long moments, Draco thought he would go mad, then began remembering little things he had unconsciously noticed all week. How well Harry did during training (he hadn't been worn out at the end of a session ... not really), the indescribable change in his mannerisms, the hauntingly familiar flicker he sensed when he apparated with ... Darius ... "But I saw you both this morning at breakfast!" He looked accusingly at the Magus, whose eyes flickered to Dumbledore, then blurred and changed to the Harry Potter he had been training with all week. "You tricked me ... you ..." Draco became angry.

Harry quickly said, "I never lied to you about anything, either as Darius or Harry. I misled you on who Darius really was, and hid some things. But I never lied, I swear!" He switched to mindspeech. /* Draco, I meant everything I said, about the truce, about you're being worth the effort. Please, please believe me! */

Draco looked around at everyone again, wanting to believe them, wondering why he did. He carefully got out of bed, wavered a bit, waving Harry back as he tried to help, then quietly said, "I need to be alone for awhile, please. I'm going to bed."

Harry watched Draco carefully leave the hospital wing, saying after him, "When you're ready, we're here."


Darius took Ron and Hermione back to the Burrow. They would explain to Arthur and Molly what had happened. Dumbledore briefed Remus, Sirius, Erasmus and Sylvia. Surprisingly, it was Severus Snape who went to talk quietly with Harry when he returned from the Burrow.

"Actually, he took it much better than I expected, finding out that you are Darius." Snape hesitantly placed his hand on Harry's shoulder in fatherly comfort. "What has crushed him is finally realizing that he is nothing more than his father's tool on an ambitious, dark path. A disposable tool. I don't have your gifts, of course, but I sensed he believed you. He just needs time. And you need a distraction." Snape gave him a slight smile. "You had mentioned a scouting expedition?"

Harry nodded, and they walked slowly to the dining room, where Dumbledore and McGonagall would join them shortly to plan for the capture of the Death Eater known as Wormtail. Suddenly, Snape actually chuckled. "Oh, and it was probably wise you shifted to Harry Potter instead of Harry Magus. That might have been just too much for him to take in one day."


(continued)