Growing up Pureblooded

The Truth

Aries and Draco stood on the green banks of the lake, silently counting the bounces as they played ducks and drakes. They had said virtually nothing to each other in days, ever since things had come to a head with the diary and Lucius. They weren't fighting – they still spent practically every waking moment with each other – nor was it simply a matter of their not having anything to say, such as might occur on a pleasant Sunday afternoon in midsummer. Rather, the boys found that they had far too many unpleasant things to tell one another. Their newly-discovered speechlessness came from their being utterly unable to decide how to begin the conversation.

Aries broke the silence first. "It's been a strange week," he said. Draco sighed as his stone sank after skimming twelve times. "It certainly has." Aries gulped hard. "I'm sorry about your dad." Draco's expression turned stone-cold. "That man is not my dad," he spat. Aries nodded. 'Right. I'm sorry about that.' Draco took a deep breath before responding. "Thanks," he said. "I'm sorry about the diary." Aries shrugged, and threw another stone. It bounced ten times. "It's no big deal," he said. "You had good intentions." Draco frowned. "You know what they say about good intentions." Aries laughed humorlessly. "I suppose that's a good lesson for us both to learn."

His cousin skimmed another stone across the water. Seventeen jumps. "I wish you'd told me more about what was going on between you and the diary," he said. "I might have been able to help." Aries sighed. "You're right," he said. "And you ought to have told me that Uncle Lucius asked you to give me the diary. I should have probably taken it straight to Dad if I'd known." Draco nodded sadly, then looked his cousin directly in the eyes. "Aries, do you trust me?" he asked. "Absolutely," Aries replied without hesitation. "Even after all this mess?" Draco questioned. "Of course," Aries said. "You're my best friend. You didn't mean to put me in danger. Do you trust me?" "With my life," Draco replied. "Let's promise each other something, Aries. Let's never have any more secrets from each other."

Aries hesitated. He had some very large secrets that he didn't particularly want to share. On the other hand, he trusted Draco as much as he trusted Sirius, and far more than he trusted anyone else. He nodded reluctantly. "No more secrets," he said quietly. Draco smiled, and skimmed another stone. Fifteen. "I'm glad that's settled. I feel better knowing that we're not hiding anything."

Aries's heart thumped violently within his chest, and he suddenly felt very warm. He didn't want to tell Draco the truth, but he had made a promise, and a wizard always kept his word. "Whilst we're on the subject of secrets...," he began. Draco groaned. "Do you have more to tell me?" "I don't have to say anything, if you don't want me to," Aries said quickly. "No, I want to know," the blond boy replied.

Aries thought for a second. There wasn't anyone nearby, but he thought the side of the lake was still a bit too open for the revelation he had in mind. "Will you come with me for a bit, Draco?" he asked. "Of course, Aries," Draco said, and turned to follow. Aries led him over to the Whomping Willow, where he levitated a twig to bump against the knob Sirius had pressed a few days earlier. The branches stopped instantly. "How did you manage that?" Draco demanded, but Aries only guided the blond boy towards the secret passageway. Moments later, they were in the Shrieking Shack. "My dad showed me this place a few days ago," Aries explained. "I thought it might be a safe place for us to talk." "So what do you want to tell me?" Draco asked.

"Just a second," Aries said. He cast a number of defensive and muffling spells to prevent anyone from eavesdropping, then checked for any hidden wizards or ghosts. If his experience with the diary had taught him anything, it was that one could never be too cautious. Once he felt absolutely certain that no one was listening, he sat down with Draco on the sofa. "I promised not to hide anything from you," he said. "And I meant it." He took a deep breath. "There's one big secret I've been keeping for a long time. It's dangerous, and you could use it to really hurt me, but like I said, I trust you completely."