Hidden Inheritance

Chapter 1: Chronicles

The war was over, and many were dead. For Harry, it seemed as if it were yesterday that he was out on Hogwarts grounds, battling Voldemort, with the Order of the Phoenix, the DA and Ministry Officials fighting the Death Eaters all around him. The Light had been victorious that day, as Harry had successfully defeated Voldemort and the others had captured and killed every single one of the Death Eaters that were loyal to Voldemort. The final battle had taken place on December 23^rd, two days before Christmas, in Harry's sixth-year, on Hogwarts grounds.

Several things had come to light for Harry and many others that year. Harry had been shocked to find out that Lucius and Draco Malfoy, along with Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, Andros Avery, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, and Millicent Bulstrode. He had already known about Severus Snape, as did the rest of the Order, but nobody else did so it was also a surprise, as Snape was still a bastard in class - war or no war.

Nobody that Harry cherished had died, much to his relief, though he felt bad for the families of those who had perished in the war, even the families of the Death Eaters, as he knew most of them were not as horrid as their rogue relative. While he did feel somewhat guilty for the losses of the war, he knew, internally, that he was not to blame.

The mourning for the loss lasted two week, and in those two weeks, school was canceled, and there were several burials and memorials, not to mention a celebration for the end of the war for those who had little to non-to mourn. Harry and his friends did both, out of respect for both the mourners and the celebrators.

Once school started back up, life in the wizarding world slowly picked back up, and everyone went about like normal once again - well, as normal as one lived before war. Harry and his friends finished their sixth-year of school with little to no surprise events, and that, to him, Ron and Hermione, was rather boring, given the adventures they had encountered with Voldemort and so forth, in the past. However, they couldn't complain, especially Harry, as he didn't end his sixth year with the memories of the hospital wing.

There was only one surprise that revealed itself to Harry, who in turn said nothing to any of his friends or anyone else. This surprise was that he had somehow formed a crush on Draco Malfoy - his formal archrival. How, or when it happened, he had no idea, but it did happen.

All Harry remembered was when he noticed his revolved feelings for Draco. It was the night of the celebration, at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

Flashback

There were people everywhere, chatting and drinking merrily with smiles and grateful tears being shed. Everyone was happy, something had had been nearly non-existing in the last year and a half. Now that Voldemort was gone for good, there was reason to celebrate and be merry.

All of Harry's friends and the Order of the Phoenix were there at Headquarters, celebrating the victory of the Light. Along with them, were several Slytherins, all of who had proved themselves loyal over and over again in the past year, and even longer of some, risking their lives to gather information for the Order and Dumbledore.

Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape were sitting in the kitchen with Arthur Weasley, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, having a rather civil conversation, one of their very first. It must have been the alcohol, Harry thought, rather amusedly, as he sat on the couch with Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott and Ron, while he watched the five grown men gulping down their fire whiskey, while laughing drunkenly at each other's every word.

Beside him, Ron, Blaise and Theo were discussing the latest Quidditch gear, and who was going to buy what, and when they were going to do it. Typical Ron, Harry chuckled slightly to himself. With Ron, it was always Quidditch this, or Quidditch that, never anything else, but that was what made Ron, well, Ron.

Over in one of the corners in the living room, sat Molly Weasley, Minerva McGonagall, and Amelia Bones, talking quietly while sipping their small glasses of wine. And close by them sat Hermione, Ginny, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass and Millicent Bulstrode, as well as Nymphadora Tonks, giggling like the girls that they were, while snacking at the vegetable and dip tray before them.

Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were standing at the food-covered table in the living room, eating everything they could get their hands on, not bothering with anything else. Several other Order members were seen coming and going between the kitchen, the living room and the many other rooms at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, sipping their beverages, and talking cheerfully with one another.

Harry took a sip of his own bottle of butterbeer, and was in the process of swallowing when he noticed the lone figure, sitting on the loveseat beside the piano, sipping a glass of what looked to be brandy, with a look of unease on his moderately handsome face.

Harry stared at the figure for what seemed like forever, unaware of the lustful expression on his own face, only aware of his thoughts. He couldn't remember when Draco Malfoy looked so good, which he found to be odd, seeing as he's known Draco for six years, and he's never looked...okay, that was a lie, and he knew it. Draco's always been handsome - in fact, it was well known that Draco Malfoy was the Adonis of the school, and that all of the female and about half of the male population, admired him and wanted a piece of him.

Shit! Harry's mind screamed. Was he now one of them? Did he want Draco Malfoy? No way! However, considering his thoughts at that moment on said Adonis, it was quite obvious that he did, indeed, want Draco. When the hell did that happen?

As Harry sat there, mulling over his feelings for the blonde, he decided that he would go over and try to have a conversation with him. Try, was the key word, as it was known that Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy do not do civil.

Getting up, he excused himself from the Quidditch talk, and made his way over toward Draco, looking as casual as possible, under the new circumstances. He noticed Draco had raised his head to stare straight at him, and as Harry neared the blonde, he was unaware of Draco's building unease.

"What do you want, Potter?" Draco grumble with displeasure, though he did move aside to make room for Harry, who sat down beside him and turned his body to face him.

"Malfoy...I noticed you were over here by yourself and I thought that I'd come over and see what's up, and maybe talk with you a little. We haven't really spoken since last year, you realize..."

"And maybe there is a reason for that, Potter," Draco snapped in annoyance, a little too aggressively. Harry's eyes widened slightly, a look of hurt shining in his eyes.

"You don't have to be so rude, Malfoy. I was trying to be polite, if you hadn't noticed...What's your reason, then?"

Draco's agitated expression softened for a second, before it hardened once again as he replied. "I don't have to have a liable reason. We don't have to talk, Potter, and I prefer it if we don't. Just because we're on the same side, doesn't mean that we're friends, or ever will be."

Harry glared at him in rage. "How dare you...Who said anything about being friends, Malfoy? I just wanted to talk! Even though we are not friends, we could still have a civil conversation. Just look at your father, Snape, my godfather, Remus and Mr. Weasley. They're all sitting in the damn kitchen, getting drunk with one another, and having a jolly time, but they have never been friends." Harry huffed out his rage, not realizing exactly what he was doing to the blonde beside him. "You're such an ass - I don't even know why I'm bothering."

Harry made to stand, but was stopped by Draco, who grabbed his wrist and tugged him back down onto the loveseat. Harry looked over at Draco, his glare still in place.

"What now?" he hissed, yanking his arm away.

Draco growled, and Harry thought he had seen a flash of sapphire in the depths of Draco's silver-blue eyes, but blamed it on his imagination, as when he looked back, it was gone.

"I'm...I'm sorry," Draco said with difficulty, much to Harry's surprise. "Its just that, well, I'm struggling with a few things, and you're really just making them worse...and I mean that as nicely as possible."

"Which is saying something, coming from you," Harry muttered sarcastically, which caused Draco to snort.

"You better believe it, Potter."

Harry sighed, and relaxed back into his previous position. He folded his arms and looked at Draco, expectantly. "Well? Aren't you going to tell me what you're struggling with?"

"No," the blonde said forcefully. "I'll have a civil talk with you, Potter, but if you start asking me personal questions then you can forget it...I don't even know why you're even trying, or rather wanting, to talk with me."

"I...er, well, I have my reasons, is all," said Harry quickly, before changing the subject. "Okay, you pick the topic of conversation, one that will not lead to a personal discussion on either of us."

Draco gave him a look, as if Harry was growing two heads, before he asked, "What do you think the Wizarding World is going to be like, now that it doesn't have Voldemort and his Death Eaters to terrorize it?"

"Good choice...To answer the question, I think that the Wizarding World will pick itself up nicely. It may take a few months, but it has a great future. What about you?"

Draco shrugged, and took a sip of his brandy. "I don't think it will be any different than before, except nobody will have to live in fear of being one of Voldemort victims."

Harry nodded his head in agreement, and sipped his butterbeer.

Their conversation continued for a good hour, until Hermione came over and drug Harry away, much to both his and Draco's disappointment.

End Flashback

Since that day, Harry had noticed that whenever he was around Draco, Draco would start acting weird, before he'd excuse himself and exit the room. However, Harry thought nothing of it, and ignored it for the most part, though it did annoy him whenever he tried speaking with Draco.

Once sixth-year was over, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Draco, Blaise, Theo and Daphne, all returned to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, where they would be spending their summer, along with Lucius Malfoy, Professor Snape, Remus, Sirius and Tonks.