Choices of the Heart

Chapter 4

Harry Apparated onto the top step at number twelve Grimmauld Place. Both of the Aurors on guard had their wands drawn in an instant. They nodded at Harry, and kept their wands drawn, on alert until he and Draco could get inside.

Harry turned to Draco and drew his wand. "There are a couple of traps inside the door," he explained. "Nothing will hurt you, just bear with it for a moment, and we'll be through." Then he tapped the door twice with his wand and took Draco in.

"Bloody hell," said Draco, coughing and owl-eyed by the time they'd reached the door to the dining room. "You have to go through all that every time you come in?"

"I'm used to it," said Harry, grateful that Mrs Black's portrait had remained behind its drapes this time. "But I need to find someone to break those spells. Mad-Eye Moody set them up to keep Snape out, so they're completely useless now."

"I don't even know what happened to Professor Snape," said Draco frowning, "except that the Dark Lord boasted that he'd killed him to be master of the Elder Wand."

"Voldemort had Nagini kill him," said Harry bluntly. "Bit clear through his neck. I saw it happen."

Draco inhaled in a sharp breath and clutched the collar of his jumper. His face paled. "That might have been me," he said, "if the Dark Lord had known the truth."

"Yes," said Harry. "Lucky for you he was blinded by his own arrogance. Thought he knew everything, but he didn't. Not by a long shot."

Draco nodded, but he looked shaken. Neither of them said what they were both thinking, that Draco would have been the next to die, if Harry had not won the duel. "I loathed that snake," Draco said in a low voice.

"Me, too," said Harry, remembering that terrifying encounter at Godric's Hollow. "I barely got away from it once myself," he said, as he walked into the dining room and began to gather up the items he'd bought for himself earlier that morning. "It bit my arm. I still have a scar." It was too late now to visit Teddy, so he left those packages on the table.

Draco was looking at him from the doorway, his grey eyes wide with both horror and surprise, and something Harry had never seen in them before. It looked suspiciously like respect, or even admiration. Harry smiled a little to himself, feeling gratified. Maybe having Malfoy here would not be all that bad.

"Who is this for?" asked Draco, coming to stand beside Harry and picking up the toy broom. "I hate to tell you, Potter, but you're too old for the Tiny Tots Quidditch League. Your abilities would suit, but you've missed your chance by a good twelve years."

"That's for Teddy, you git," said Harry. "My godson." And then Harry had a moment of realisation. "Your cousin," he added.

For a moment, Draco looked confused, then he frowned. "You mean that werewolf baby?"

"He's not a werewolf," said Harry, turning on Draco. "He's a Metamorphmagus. And his grandmother is your mother's sister. I doubt she's been told what's happened to your mum, and I think she should know. She's lost all her other family." Harry paused, then added firmly, "I was going to visit them tomorrow. I think you should come with me."

Draco set the toy broom back on the table. "I'll think about it," he said.

Harry finished gathering up all the packages he wanted to take upstairs. "C'mon," he said. "I want to show you something."

They went back to the stairs in the entrance hall. "That's just revolting, Potter," said Draco with disgust when he saw the house-elf heads mounted on the wall.

"Not my idea, believe me," said Harry, starting up the stairs. He got half-way up before he realised that Draco was still standing at the bottom, seemingly frozen in place, an expression of dawning comprehension on his face. "What?" said Harry.