bottom_draco

Title: The Stranger in the Mirror
Author:

elfflame
Prompt: #238 by

madame_dauphine
Pairing(s): Remus/Draco (Regulus)
Summary: A face appears in the remaining fragment of the mirror Sirius gave Harry, and he sets out to find out who it was.
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Remus Lupin et al do not belong to me, but to the very rich lady who lives up in Scotland. No infringement intended, no money is being made on this story.
Warning(s): None
Word Count: 4543
Author's Notes: This is a distinct takeoff of part of the original prompt. The prompter requested it be his 17th birthday, but I made it 18th instead, and only went a little bit AU. I hope that otherwise, this story will please. I absolutely loved the idea of Draco and Regulus being the same person, and couldn’t resist this.

The mirror had been sitting there since Harry had moved back into the old Black house. Despite everything, it was the closest thing to a home that he had. He'd taken to looking into it when he thought about Sirius. The mirror and the house were all he had left of him, after all.

But until that night, Harry'd never seen anyone but Aberforth in the mirror. So it sat on the mantle of the fireplace, still and quiet as the day Harry had first unwrapped it.

Of course, when something happened, it wasn't what Harry saw. He only heard something—a voice. "Sirius?" Harry's eyes went wide at the call, and he looked around, trying to figure out where it had come from. Who had said that? Did he have a ghost who had only just now managed to materialize?

It was only when the voice called out again that Harry realized it came from the mantle. "Sirius, please…"

That was when Harry realized where the sound was coming from. He looked toward the mantle and could make out the flash of silver-grey eyes. He stood and went to the mantle, frowning and tilting his head, trying to make out the face. "Who is this? Who are you?" Was it someone who hadn't heard that Sirius was dead?

The grey eyes in the mirror fragment grew wide, and Harry frowned, sure there was something familiar about them. "Do I know you…?"

The mirror drew away from the face for a second, and a thrill of shock went through Harry. "Malfoy?" And then the mirror went black, then blank, finally reflecting the room around it once more. What the hell was going on here? How had Draco Malfoy been able to speak through Sirius's mirror?

It was confusing and disconcerting. And enough to keep Harry from sleeping that night. By the time the sun was up, he'd decided that the only way to find out what was going on was to confront Malfoy at the Manor. They still weren't even close to being friends, but after helping Draco and his parents with the Ministry, he felt some sense of obligation to them.

Lucius, though he'd not done much in that final year of the war, had still basically escaped Azkaban, and the Wizengamot had chosen to send him back to finish his sentence there, but Narcissa's help in the forest and the fact that none of them had participated in that last battle had saved her and their son from the same fate. A few fines later and she and Draco had returned to their Manor. How they'd managed to keep hold of it, Harry wasn't sure. Let alone why they would want to. He doubted he could live where Voldemort had set up his home for the past year…

But since that was where Draco was, that was where Harry would go.

A quick shower and a bacon sandwich later, Harry was at the gates of the Manor. He hadn't been back since their escape the year before, and even only seeing it from the outside didn't make it easier. All he could remember were Hermione's screams and Dobby's last sighed breath.

Still, he could do this. He wasn't planning on staying long. Just a simple question. And this time, he wasn't a prisoner. He took a deep breath and walked up to the front door and knocked, trying to ignore the nerves that made him jump as the door scraped open.

A house-elf peered out at him. When it recognized him, its eyes grew even more comically huge than Harry was even sure was possible. "Mister Harry Potter, sir!"

He caught it before it could prostrate itself. "Yes…is…M-er…Draco here?"

"Master Draco sir is out for the day," it squeaked, its whole body shivering.

Harry hadn't expected that, but hopefully he hadn't gone too far. "Do you know where he is?" Harry asked the elf.

The elf nodded vigorously. "Yes, Mister Potter, sir. Master Draco is has gone to his Auntie's house."

Harry frowned. Hadn't Bellatrix been living here with the Malfoys? Besides. She was dead now. Surely any place she'd been living would have been confiscated by the Ministry by now, right? "The Lestrange home? Why?"

The elf squeaked in fright at the name. "Not Lestrange. Mistress Tonks." It nodded its head, ears flapping.

Frowning again, it took Harry a moment to realize what the elf meant. "Andromeda?" A sliver of worry sliced through his thoughts. "Why?"

"Master Draco is not sharing this with Mippy, Mister Potter, sir," the elf told him, ears drooping.

"Right…it's…all right, Mippy. Thank you." It wasn't all right. But that was hardly Mippy's fault. He wasn't about to take his temper and worry out on the creature just because Malfoy was causing havoc once more. Harry turned around and made for the front gate once more. Whatever Malfoy was up to, it couldn't be good, could it? He had to get there before he caused whatever mayhem he was intending to cause…

When he appeared outside Andromeda's home, everything was quiet. Almost too quiet. What if Malfoy had hurt them? The thought of his godson—bright hair, quick smile and all—hurt by Malfoy had Harry rushing into the home without knocking, and he stopped abruptly at the sight he found himself confronted with.

Draco Malfoy, who had had fits at school when the wrong person brushed past him, reacting as though they had mussed his clothes with mud, was laying on the floor, gabbling at Teddy as though they were fast friends. And Teddy was laughing. And Teddy's hair…was blond.

Harry blinked at the sight. "Malfoy?" Maybe he'd gotten it wrong? It didn't look as though he were hurting Teddy…

Draco sat up, looking up at him, horrified. "P-potter? What are you…doing here?"

"I think that's my line, Malfoy…" He smiled as Teddy gave a happy shriek and got to his feet, running to curl his arms around Harry's legs, his hair shifting for a moment to Harry's jet black. "Hey, Teddy." Harry picked him up, setting him on his hip, giving him a squeeze, then glancing once more at Draco.

Malfoy looked ready to run, then glanced at Teddy, whose hair had gone back to blond and sighed. "Just…visiting."

"Visiting? I didn't know you spent time here."

"Not…usually. But I wanted to see Teddy, and…it's easier here than…" He looked down and away, his cheeks going pink.

"Than having to face a werewolf?"

Draco's expression didn't look like disgust, but Harry wasn't sure what it did mean. "No…not that." He sighed. "He just…doesn't want to see me."

Confused, Harry frowned. "Why would he? I mean…without your family, Teddy'd still have a mother…"

Draco glared at him. "We didn't hurt her! I would never…"

"Right. Like any of us are supposed to believe that."

"Believe what you will, Potter…"

This wasn't getting anywhere, and Harry decided it was time to change the subject. Maybe Andromeda could clear things up a little—like why Draco was here at all. "Is Andromeda upstairs?"

"No."

"No? Outside, then?"

"No. She went to see mother."

Harry frowned. That wasn't normal, surely? Were they on speaking terms as well now? "She left you alone with Teddy?"

Draco glowered at him. "It's not like I was hurting him, Potter. For your information, Teddy and I get on quite well. Don't we, Teddy?" he asked the boy with a smile.

Teddy nodded and held his arms out to Draco. "'P, Daco!"

Shooting a look at Harry, Draco took him into his arms, and Harry frowned. This obviously wasn't the first time Draco'd visited, then. Teddy was far too comfortable with him for him to be a stranger to the boy.

"I don't think you should be alone with him. If Remus knew…"

"I already told you…I haven't hurt him. And I wouldn't. And it's none of your business if I'm alone with him or not."

"Wrong, Malfoy. He's my godson. I'd say I have far more right to be here with him than you do."

"Yes, well…Andromeda put me in charge of him, Potter, so until she returns, I think you'll find I have more right to be here than you do." His arms tightened around Teddy, who began to fuss to be let down. "Yes, all right…" Draco set him on the floor, and then looked up once more, obviously about to tell Harry off when something over Harry's shoulder made him pale.

Harry turned. Remus was standing just inside the doorway, looking furious. "I thought I told you to stay away from us." His voice was a low growl that sent a shiver down Harry's spine. He couldn't ever remember feeling afraid of Remus before. Excluding, of course, the time he'd turned into a werewolf in third year.

Draco's voice had taken on a tone Harry recognized from their school days that usually meant he was about to back off. "Andromeda just…"

"Andromeda has no right leaving my son with you." Remus moved into the room and picked up his son. "I'll say this one last time, Malfoy. Stay away from me, and stay away from my son." He turned, finally seeming to notice Harry for the first time.

"Remus…what…"

"Not now, Harry…" He glanced over his shoulder at Draco, then back at Harry. "And definitely not here."

Instead of the outburst Harry expected, Draco seemed to curl in on himself, and looked away. Teddy was whining and reaching out to Draco, but Remus seemed intent on ignoring that. "If you'd like, you can come home with us…"

Harry looked between his remaining link to his past and his former school foe, then shook his head. "No…whatever's going on…"

Remus scowled, and Harry was forcibly reminded of the night that Remus had appeared in Grimmauld Place. How he'd offered his help in what Harry was doing, but that he'd only done it to escape his marriage. Harry looked at the boy in Remus's arms, and knew this had to stop now, whatever was going on. And obviously, Remus wasn't going to be the one to stop it.

"Look…avoiding him obviously isn't going to make this go away…whatever it is. But…maybe if we all talk this out…"

"There is nothing to talk about. I don't want him near me or my son. That should be simple enough for anyone to understand."

"He wasn't hurting him, Remus." Harry couldn't believe he was defending Draco Malfoy, of all people, but he'd seen Remus like this before, and it was never a good thing.

"I don't need your help, Potter," Harry heard Draco say in an acidic voice behind him, and he turned to look at the other young man.

"Right. Because you're obviously doing so well on your own, Malfoy. Now sit."

Draco glowered at him for a moment, then sank down onto the couch he'd been standing by and looked away from them, scowling. Harry turned to Remus, who was holding Teddy tighter than was really necessary. "You too. You might be my elder…but you said once that you were glad I yelled at you when you tried to come with us. Well, consider this another of those times. Maybe what he has to say isn't worth listening to, but how can you know until you really listen?"

He could feel Remus's anger simmering under the surface, but unlike the time in Grimmauld Place, this time his wand stayed sheathed. "You don't know, Harry. He says…well, it doesn't matter, but it's obviously a lie. I've never heard of magic like that. It can't possibly be true."

Harry looked between them again, but neither looked willing to expand on the topic. "What magic?"

Draco shifted on the sofa, then looked up at Remus. "Just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it's not real. You know what Severus was like, Remus…"

"Don't you dare," Remus growled at him. "Severus died a hero, unlike your deadbeat father…"

Draco jumped up, eyes flashing. "I told you! He isn't my father!"

Before the two could come to blows, Harry stepped between them. "Here. Give me Teddy before you strangle him, Remus." Teddy clung to Harry, whimpering, and Harry did his best to calm the toddler. "Now, either one of you explain what it is you're referring to, or…"

Harry's threat was interrupted by a growl from Remus. "He says he's not Draco Malfoy."

The words made less sense than if Remus had said Voldemort was standing behind him. "What?" Harry glanced at Draco, who didn't seem to be denying the words, and looked even more miserable now than before his outburst. "Malfoy?"

Draco turned away and moved to put the sofa between Remus and himself. "It doesn't matter. No matter what I say, he refuses to believe."

"That is because the idea is absolutely ridiculous. Whatever reasons you have for wanting to be near me and my son, I refuse to believe they are anything but made up excuses. I won't let your family have him, so if that's your game…"

"It's not." How Draco's voice could be so soft, and yet carry so well, Harry didn't know. But he could see how this was affecting him, and something in him told him to trust that what Draco was saying was true.

"What is, then?" he asked softly. Teddy wiggled in Harry's arms, and he knew he wanted down, but right now, he'd likely go straight to Draco, and Harry didn't think that was a good idea just yet. He shushed the boy, summoning a truck for him to play with, and the boy quieted on his lap, driving the wheels over Harry's leg.

"I just…" Draco looked between the two men watching him, then focused on Harry, a touch of hope in his eyes. "I want to regain what I lost…twenty years ago."

The statement was as ridiculous as Remus's had been moments ago. "Malfoy…you're…eighteen. Aren't you?"

Draco shifted in place, and Harry saw him glance once at Remus before shaking his head. "No." He looked like he wanted to say more, but then decided better of it.

"But…we were in school together. In the same year. How can you be older? And how can you remember something that…well, you couldn't even have been an infant."

This time, Draco did look at Remus. "I wasn't. I was…fifteen."

"I don't care what lies you've managed to come up with, Malfoy. Did your mother tell you…?"

"Cissa didn't tell me anything! She didn't have to! I remembered! How could she tell me what it felt like? To have you kiss me? Or the feeling of how much it hurt when you left with him that day? Or how you never spoke to me again?"

"She probably found a journal, then. I know how your family works, and I won't let you fool me. I've already lost both of them. And Tonks. I'm not going to let you take Teddy, too."

"I wouldn't! He belongs with you…just like I do…" Draco's voice had softened, and he looked close to tears. "Please…I'm not lying. Ask me anything, Remus! I swear to you!"

"Regulus Black died before you were born. And there is nothing you can do to convince me that you are somehow him."

Harry's mind was reeling. "What?" He looked between the two, shocked. "Regulus…? But…"

"I swear it's true. Why would I make up such a ridiculous story? It gains me nothing."

"Because you're Malfoys, and he's related to you, and you think…"

The fighting had Teddy whimpering again, and Harry had had enough. He set the boy on the edge of the couch and cast a light sleeping charm on him. He shouldn't have to hear this.

Once the boy was asleep, he turned to glower at the other two men. "Damn it, stop it, both of you!" He was fed up with both of their circular arguments. "Remus, sit down." Remus looked as though he was going to refuse, but at Harry's glare, he settled, then glowered at Draco. Harry turned to Draco. "Regulus…Black?"

Draco—or was it Regulus?—looked as though he'd swallowed a lemon. He certainly didn't look forthcoming about this. But before Harry could say anything more, he nodded.

"How? I mean…Regulus Black died before either of us were born…"

Draco (for Harry still couldn't think of him any other way—not until he was sure, anyway), looked down at his hand for a moment, then up at Remus, who was avoiding his gaze. But Harry could see the hope in the other young man's eyes. Whatever he was saying, he obviously believed it. "I…didn't know. Not until my birthday last year. Cissa…she and Sev…saved me."

Remus turned to glower at him at that. "Saved you? Like any magic could have hidden someone from Voldemort."

Draco winced, then shook his head. "It…couldn't disguise my…blood. But by making me an infant…" Draco sighed. "He questioned it less. Likely thought Cissa'd gotten pregnant by a cousin she didn't want to admit to, and Lucius either accepted it—or didn't know." Draco sneered his father's name, and it was such a sharp contrast to the boy Harry remembered from school who had revered his father that he began to wonder if maybe Draco was telling the truth after all. His being Regulus Black would at least explain how he could have had a copy of Sirius's mirror…

"It's not even believable. I don't know why you're bothering…"

"Because I love you. And I missed you. And damn it, Remus, I made a mistake! But I tried to fix it! When I realized what he was doing…" Draco glanced at Harry, looking worried.

"The horcrux?" Harry asked him softly.

Draco nodded, hope flaring in his eyes. "You found the note?"

"Yeah." There were only a few ways Draco could know about that, and only one that truly made sense. "It's gone. He's gone." He smiled. There had been a part of him that had always wanted to thank Regulus for his sacrifice. And now he could. "Thank you."

"Oh, honestly, Harry…you can't believe his story, can you?" Remus sounded more annoyed than horrified, and Harry met his eyes.

"I do. There aren't a whole lot of people who knew about that locket, Remus."

Remus frowned, confused. "What locket?"

"The one he put the note in to thumb his nose at Voldemort." Before Remus could question him more, Harry turned back to Draco. Or rather, Regulus. "How did you figure it out?"

"Whatever he was up to, I knew it must mean something. He wasn't telling any of us what he wanted—just that he needed an elf to help him. I thought…if I offered him Kreacher…just maybe I might be able to find a way to…stop him." He shrugged. "And it worked. Even if it did take a bit longer than I planned."

Remus was still frowning now, but the look of annoyance was fading to one of confusion as the two talked.

"But how did you escape? I mean…Dumbledore and I barely did ourselves. Kreacher said he left you there by yourself…"

"Portkey. Though I was out of my mind for so long…it was almost too late when I finally thought to use it. I…don't remember much after that…" He glanced at Remus. "Or…I'd have tried to see you, Remus."

Remus's frown deepened into a scowl once more. "Whatever you're saying…" He looked at Harry. "I don't understand how it is he's convinced you, Harry, but it can't be true. He's not Regulus, whatever he's done…he's just trying to get us to let our guard down, that's all."

"I don't think he is, Remus. He knows too much not to be telling the truth."

"It can't be true. He's just guessing, Harry. Maybe using legilimancy."

Harry shook his head, but kept his eyes on Remus. "Where was the locket?" he asked softly, knowing that if this was truly Regulus, he'd seize the opportunity to prove who he was.

"A cave. A cave in sea just off the coast," he answered softly.

Harry nodded at Remus. "And what was in the cave?"

"A lake. With an island in the centre. And a little boat made for one."

"This is ridiculous, Harry!" Remus protested. "He's probably already planned this all out."

Regulus's voice was sharp when he answered this time. "Well, he bloody well can't tell me about our first kiss. How I stole it from you. And you're too good at occlumency for me to have read that from you."

Remus scowled, turning the words over in his mind. "Where were we?" he asked Draco slowly. Harry bit his lip. While he was fairly sure Draco was telling the truth, having Remus believe seemed somehow more solid. After all, he'd known Regulus. Harry hadn't.

Draco met his eyes. "Outside the Slytherin entrance. Because it was after curfew, and you'd escorted me there after finding me out on the grounds," he said, hope bright in his eyes.

The words seemed to strike Remus dumb for a moment, and Harry could feel the difference in his attitude when he spoke again. "And our second?"

"Library," Regulus responded. For if Remus believed now, Harry wasn't sure he could ever call him Draco again. "I found you…working on Potions work." He smiled. "You looked like a frightened animal when I settled on your lap…"

Perhaps it was time for Harry to let the two of them sort out the rest on their own?

Even as Harry had the thought, Remus was crossing to the sofa Regulus was on, and kneeled down in front of him. "I…but…"

Regulus cupped his cheek. "I know. I didn't blame you. It was…unbelievable." He looked up at Harry. "Why did you believe me? You hate me."

"The Draco Malfoy I remember from school would never have stooped to watching over Teddy. Let alone get distracted enough that I was able to sneak up on him." He paused, then smiled. "And the locket."

Regulus smiled, then glanced at the boy now curled up on the end of the sofa next to Harry. "He's Remus's son…" His gaze turned to Remus, who was looking as though he were scared to look away. "How could I not love him?"

Remus still looked a bit shell-shocked. "Severus…? Really?"

Regulus tugged him up onto the couch. "Cissa says he tried to find something to stop whatever it was the potion had done to me, but he had no luck. So they had to find a way to give me time. Cissa says that Severus decided the best course would be to turn me into a child. Her child. No one would question it. Or her need to protect me."

The idea made a little sense when thought of like that, but it was still shocking. Remus seemed to think the same. He had another question for Regulus, though. "So…Lucius doesn't know, then?"

Scowling, Draco shook his head. "No, he knows. He knew from the first moment. Mother—Cissa—could never have fooled him that long."

"Lucius…allowed you to be passed off as his son?" Harry had thought Remus couldn't get more shocked, but the tone of his voice was near-awed. Really, Harry couldn't blame him. It certainly didn't sound like something Lucius would do.

Regulus scowled deeper. "Oh, he thought it was great…of course, I never understood why he was so intent on me following only the Malfoy way…" He closed his eyes. "Or why he was so pleased that Christmas when Kreacher found us," he whispered. He looked up at Harry. "I wish I'd found a way to stop him then, but…"

"But you didn't know Sirius would die," Harry reassured him. "What Lucius did wasn't your fault."

"Perhaps not. But he did it because of me. To…keep a tighter hold of me. When Lucius warned me about Sirius in third year, I didn't understand why he was so concerned. After all, why would Sirius care about me if he was supposedly a supporter of…Him? But now I know…Lucius was just worried he'd see me and…recognize me somehow."

Remus frowned. "Don't, Regulus. You couldn't have known. Lucius never does anything for just one reason. Even if you'd known who you were, and who Sirius was to you, there was no way you could know that he was going to die as a result of what Lucius did. It was just…a string of bad decisions and choices."

The look on Regulus's face echoed the one in Harry's heart. He still hadn't given up hope of finding a way to get Sirius back, but Hermione was the only one who knew about that search. But maybe someday, he would be able to reunite the brothers. He pushed that and more personal thoughts away at the sound of the two talking quietly, and watched them for a moment. This wasn't going to be easy for either of them to come to terms with. Perhaps he could help with that.

Harry rose to his feet. "You two should talk, I think. Why don't I take Teddy for tonight, Remus?"

The two looked up, surprised. "Are you sure, Harry?" Remus asked. "You don't have to."

He smiled and nodded. "I know Draco and I never got on, but…" He glanced at Regulus. "I hope that maybe…we can try." He looked back at Remus. "And I hope…you give him…and yourself…a chance." He could already hear Remus thinking up excuses not to see Regulus: his age, Draco's behaviour, his connection to the Malfoys… But Harry wasn't going to let him. Not if he could help it. "Teddy and I will have a great time. And Kreacher will love having him to take care of."

Regulus looked as though he wanted to ask something, then smiled and nodded. "I…hope so, too." He glanced at Remus, and Harry could see fear in his expression. Would Remus back off again, now that he knew?

Remus glanced at his son, still asleep on the sofa, then at Regulus, then Harry. It was several minutes before he spoke. "All right," he said softly. "I'll come get him in the morning."

Harry smiled. "Take as long as you need. I've got nothing planned tomorrow. I'm sure Teddy can keep me entertained." He winked at both of them, then glanced around. "Is there a changing bag?"

"Oh…" Regulus stood and moved to the far side of the room, picking up a bag, then bringing it to Harry. Harry put it over his shoulder, then gently picked up Teddy. He settled the boy on his shoulder, then turned to smile at them. "Good luck."

He smiled when Regulus moved a step closer to Remus, and Remus slid an arm around him, still tentative, but Harry could see the hope there. "I think we'll be just fine, Harry," Remus assured him.

"I think you will be, too," Harry said with a smile. "See you tomorrow, then." He turned to go at that, only glancing over his shoulder once, and smiled wider when he saw that Remus hadn't moved his arm—and that Regulus was much closer now—because they were kissing. Yes, everything would be just fine, he thought, then apparated away with Teddy.