Mythas Lester hovered over his cauldron, adding his catalyst. Without it, Polyjuice would take months to brew, now it would only take a few days. He grinned, the sooner he got the potion done, the sooner he'd be able to find out about the mysterious "Tom Riddle".

He brushed the sweat off his forehead, a side effect of staring down at the bubbling liquid for over an hour. He pulled out his long pale wand, 14 ½", birch, unicorn hair. He tapped it on the side of the cauldron, casting a Tempus charm.

He'd have to head in to the Ministry soon, facing another day of the infernal propaganda it spewed. The Ministry had taken a new approach to the Wizarding World, spouting shit about "Equality" and "Light". The Dark was shunned as it never had been before. Those with Dark affinities we're forced into learning damaging Light spells that mangled their natural magic. Light wasn't a symbol of hope and purity anymore, it was a new Order, one not as "good" as it claimed to be.

Mythas growled, letting his brew stew and grabbing his robes. In only a few days, he'd find his way to expose Potter for the snake he was underneath all the layers of "goodness" and "light".

And once he got Potter with him, the whole Wizarding World would follow. Mythas chuckled, dropping another ingredient into his caldron. He glanced up at the picture of the missing Malfoy heir. He had a strong suspicion that Malfoy held the key to getting Potter on his side.

Mythas went back to stirring his caldron, pulling off his thick robes from the heat emanating from his potion. It revealed his forearm.

Emblazoned on his tan skin was the something that could make children tremble at the very sight of it. Or make Light wizards shake with terror at the mere thought.

It was the Dark Mark.

-_-_-_-_-

Hermione patted the seat next to her, summoning a blushing Harry Potter to sit down. "What is it?" she asked, straightening her blazer, "you look like you just fell in love."

Harry chuckled, face reddening even more. "I don't know, maybe... I just, found someone I really like and I don't want to mess it up."

Grinning, Hermione patted Harry's knee, "I'm sure you won't. It's not Ginny again, is it? Last I heard she ran off with Dean Thomas, only to have Dean run off with Seamus. She was quite I mess from what Ron's told me."

Harry laughed, "Yeah, she came crawling to my door a few weeks ago thinking she could convince me to go out with her again. But um, so, what do you think about Dean and Seamus, I mean... they're lovers."

Hermione could sense Harry's uneasiness. She smiled, squeezing his knee, something that always calmed him down. "If that's what they like, the who am I to stop them? Besides, I'm the one shooting for a more equal wizarding world, that includes homosexuals and the like."

Harry couldn't help but grin, hugging Hermione, "Great, because I may or may not have the hots, well we're not dating or anything, but I want us to be but I'm taking slow and we haven't even kissed but uhm...it's...it's a bloke."

Hermione broke into a smile, wrapping an arm around her best friend and giving him a hug, "That's great Harry! Do I know him? Does he work at the Ministry, what House is he in?"

Harry bit his lower lip, fiddling with the cuff of his robe before answering. "Uhm, yes, no, and Slytherin."

He watched as her brows furrowed at the last line. She recovered quickly however, smiling at Harry. "Slytherin?"

Harry nodded, fiddling with his Auror robes. "He's different. I don't know why but, he's not like the Ministry says Dark wizards are supposed to be."

Hermione nodded, running a hand through her thick hair. "Don't tell Ron. Who is it?"

This was it, the moment of truth. Harry opened his mouth to speak, taking a deep breath before saying the words - or trying to at least. The very moment he meant to utter the two words, someone barged into the room, ruining his chance. "Potter!" Mythas Lester stormed into the room.

They both turned to face him, eyes wide with surprise. Mythas smoothed his robes, "We need you, in boss' office, right now, new investigation."

Harry turned to his best friend, "I'll talk to you later."

"Wait!" she cried, standing in a hurry, "who is it?"

"Tom Riddle!" he called, already walking away, catching a glimpse of her face as it contorted in horror. Harry forgot she'd know Tom Riddle as Voldemort, not Draco's alias.

He didn't have time to tell her who it really was. Gulping, he followed Lester through the pale halls of the Ministry of Magic, crossing his fingers in the folds of his robes.

Neither spoke until they reached the Head Auror's office. Mythas roughly opened the door, "Go," he said harshly, Harry evidently taking too long for him.

Harry took a seat, staring at the thin woman sitting behind the desk. Auror Melody Loch was probably the oldest wizard employed at the Ministry, she held the same old ideals that had been established hundreds of years ago. She looked older than Dumbledore and her entire body shook with a steady breeze blowing through the office. Loch nodded at the pair, white hair in her face.

Her gnarled hands sat folded on the hard wood of her desk. She nodded at Harry, wrinkles jiggling as she did so. "Auror Potter," she rasped, "so good of you to grace us with your presence."

Mythas Lester hissed with laughter, stopping as soon as Harry shot him a glare. Murmured snickers twittered around the room until Loch held up her hand, singling silence. "It was brought to my attention, that a wizard previously thought dead has been spotted at a local park."

She glanced at Harry, "Auror Lester brought this to my attention, and it appears that all recent sightings of the man have happened in the area you, Auror Potter live in. In light of this, I am pairing you and Auror Lester to work together on this case. Auror Lester in the lead as he is your senior."

She took a breath that sounded more like a gasp, pulling out a thin file. "The wizard I want you to investigate is named Draco Malfoy, though we believe he is living under alias, possibly using glamours from a stolen wand. He is considered highly dangerous and should be brought in for questioning if found. After that... Azkaban."

Loch coughed into her hand, "He's Marked and one of those Dark scum still running around as if You-Know-Who is still out there."

Lester laughed nervously and Harry did the same, sweat trickling down his face. He kept telling himself no one knew about Draco. No one knew.

"Find him," was all Loch finished with before dismissing them.

Lester grabbed Harry's arm as he headed for the exit of the Ministry. "We begin this tomorrow Potter and you will not be late."

"Mmhm," Harry waves him off, "don't worry about me, if I can take out the Dark Lord, I can find some blonde pureblooded prat."

When he returned to his flat, Draco was gone. A moment of panic rushed over him before he remembered how Draco liked to hang around the park and play chess. "Doesn't he remember I told him not to leave?" Harry muttered, picking up the small piece of paper on the kitchen island that simply read: "out. Chess."

Grumbling, Harry removed his robes and put on Muggle clothing, Disapparating to the park. He knew that wasn't allowed in a Muggle area, but he needed to get Draco as soon as possible.

Said Draco sat by an old lady, back facing Harry as he slowly approached them.

"I think," said Draco to the woman, Fiona if Harry remembered properly, "I might like it far more than I should."

"There's nothing wrong with that," said the woman.

"I hated him in school. He hated me. So why would he invite me in? Why would he be nice?"

Harry realized Draco was talking about him. Heart beginning to race, Harry leaned in to hear more.

"He was such an evil bastard in school, now all of a sudden he thinks I'm some sort of charity project. He's nice to me! No one is ever nice to me. My own parents weren't nice to me."

The woman nodded and gave him a pat on the knee, "Maybe you're afraid to let someone in. You like him more than you want to admit to yourself and you're afraid to let someone care for you. Don't make that mistake. Not everyone is a bad person."

Harry decided to make himself known, walking around the stone to face Draco whose expression stayed blank. "Potter."

The way he said it made Harry angry with him all over again. "You weren't supposed to leave."

"I'm not your pet, I am free to do as I wish," Draco stood and waved to Fiona, "good day."

Harry grabbed his arm and glared at him with as much malice as he could muster. "I made those rules for a reason!" He dragged Draco along until he could find a place to Apparate them home. "You can't run out like that with no glamours on! A beanie won't hide you from an Auror."

"I can't be coped up all day," Draco hissed after Harry Apparated them to his flat.

"Well it'll have to be that way for a while!" Harry slammed his wand down on the counter and turned on Draco, "I can't let you get hurt!"

"Why?" Draco stormed toward Harry, glad he was taller than him, "why do you care so much? Aren't I just Dark scum to you? An evil bastard? A Death Eater. Why don't you lock me up in Azkaban!

"I don't know why!" Harry yelled back, grabbing Draco's shoulders, "I honestly don't know why but I don't want to see you get hurt. I, I can't."

Draco pushed Harry in the chest with a single finger. "Why?"

Harry shook his head, moving his hands from Draco's shoulder to around his neck, "Because you're not the person I thought you were, Dray."

Draco blinked and Harry smiled weakly at him, leaning towards him. He closed his eyes, but Draco pulled him out of his moment. "You don't want me Potter," he said, too quietly.

He pushed Harry away and took a step back, pulling up his sleeve and showing Harry his Dark Mark. "No one can ever want this!"

"Well maybe I do!" Harry said without thinking, yanking on Draco's arm and pulling him back.

He grabbed Draco's face and smashed their lips together. Draco stood frozen in place but felt himself kissing back. Finally Draco recovered and pushed Harry away. "Get away from me! You can't, you can't possibly want me!"

Draco ran into Harry's bedroom and slammed the door shut, wishing more than anything he had a wand to keep Harry out.

He sat on the center of the bed, running a finger over his lips. And he did what a Malfoy should never, ever do.

He started crying.

---

Two chapters in one day? Who even am I? I mean, I've been on an editing marathon lol. At this rate, this story will be done in no time!

Let me know if you like the direction it's going in. I know I kind of started the romance part early, but I usually always do that for impatient bastards, the real tea is in the struggle in the relationship because some people don't care about plot and just want some fun sexy times lmao.

So I try to give everyone what they want.

Anyways, bye fishies (don't ask).