SECRET ( Drarry fanfiction)

Chapter 3

"Why haven't you gone to Snape?" Harry asked warily. They hadn't gotten to that topic before Draco had to leave the previous day.

"He's a bloody Death Eater, Potter!" Draco exclaimed. "How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"But hasn't he been helping you all year?" Harry questioned.

Draco snorted. "No. He's been on my bloody back all year. I reckon he was trying to make sure I was getting the job done right," he said bitterly. "I was under strict orders to do it myself. You don't break orders unless you want to be killed."

Harry's eyes widened at what Draco was unintentionally revealing to him and he ducked his head to hide his surprise. Harry felt his heart beating faster in hope. Maybe there was a chance that his suspicions were correct.

"The man killed Dumbledore for you and saved your arse," Harry forced himself to spit out, feeling sick at the memory, but refusing to dwell on it. He needed to gather this information.

Draco exhaled heavily. "I know he saved my arse," he said wearily. "Honestly? He's been a huge support. Unfortunately, it's been support for the Dark side."

His gaze grew distant as he continued. "He was forced into an Unbreakable Vow last summer. My mother went to him, pleading with him to help me. Aunt Bella has never quite trusted him and made him actually take a vow that he would help protect me. I didn't learn about it until after . . . after all that happened. When I was able to go home again, my mother told me about it."

Harry was listening intently and tensed at the mention of Bellatrix. His mind was swirling, trying to figure out what this meant regarding Snape's loyalties. Draco seemed to firmly believe Snape was on the Dark side. Bellatrix doubted that, though.

As Harry listened to Draco describe the terms of the Unbreakable Vow, he realized that Snape was magically bound to kill Dumbledore under those circumstances. Would Dumbledore have known about the vow?

Dumbledore said he had known about Draco's attempts to murder him. The old man had known about the task that Draco had been assigned by Voldemort. How else would he have known unless Snape told him? Dumbledore always seemed to know everything. Well, not everything. He hadn't known about the Vanishing Cabinets.

"Did Snape know what you were doing with the Vanishing Cabinets?" Harry asked suddenly.

Draco blinked in surprise at Harry's outburst, before shaking his head. "I refused to tell him what I was doing. I needed to prove to the Dark Lord that I was worthy."

"So he wouldn't kill you," Harry said absently.

"Yes," Draco admitted, but he frowned at Harry's attitude. "What's with you all of a sudden?"

Harry looked at him and realized Draco was getting suspicious. "I'm just trying to make sense of everything you're telling me."

Draco's features relaxed and Harry breathed an inward sigh of relief. He didn't think it was a smart idea to let Draco in on his suspicions. Because he was coming to believe that Snape really was still on the Light side, despite outward appearances.

Harry was the only one who knew what had happened to Dumbledore that night. He'd known, whether he wanted to admit it or not at the time, that Dumbledore had been dying. As much as it pained him, he was fairly certain the old man would've died, even if Snape hadn't killed him. He was forced to wonder if that was why Dumbledore had said Snape was the only one who could actually help him at that point.

"I know you don't like Snape, and with good reason," Draco said quietly. "But he does have a good side. He may be on the wrong side, but he's been doing his best to take care of me."