Not Your Usual Veela Mate

Enemies Galore

Thursday, Sep. 19

Harry swiftly made his way into the sitting room and over to his special trunk, not wanting the others to come with him. Not this time. He might be opening up to the three Slytherins, but he wasn't willing to give away all his secrets. Not yet, anyway.

He was about to climb inside when Harry came to an abrupt halt. Groaning in frustration he suddenly remembered his promise to the others. He had promised not to get into the trunk on his own, but to retrieve the item he needed he had to get into the trunk. Glowering darkly, Harry came to the conclusion that there was only one thing he could do. Turning around abruptly, Harry stomped back to the others and with forced calm asked, "Lucius, could you come with me while I get something from the bedroom?"

Lucius looked startled for a moment at the request, but then he understood and with a slight nod he followed the Elf over to the trunk.

Climbing inside, Harry hurried to the bedroom, reluctantly leaving the door behind him open after asking that Lucius wait for him outside, putting up a silencing charm to give himself some privacy. Walking over to the bed Harry placed his hand on one of the carved figures decorating the bedposts and murmured a spell in Parseltongue.

For a moment nothing happened, and then there was a soft click and part of the footboard fell away, revealing a secret compartment. Inside was several books, and Harry carefully picked one of them up, making sure it was the correct one. Holding it close to his chest, Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Was he doing the right thing? Did he truly want to share the secrets hidden in this innocent looking old journal?

Reopening his eyes, Harry closed the secret safe, not paying any attention to the other things stored inside. Walking over to the bed the youth sank down onto the mattress, his mind a whirl of emotions, yet he never fully forgot about the blond waiting patiently for him. So much had happened. In three short weeks - not counting the time he had just spent at Black Manor recuperating - his entire world had been turned upside down, and it was enough to leave his mind spinning.

Who would have thought that the two people he once called his best friends would turn out to be such backstabbers? Who would have thought that Blaise and Theo were shaping up to become good friends of the Boy Who Lived? Who would have thought that Albus Dumbledore of all people would completely lose his mind, using underhanded threats and tactics to get his way?

And who would have thought that Draco, Lucius, and Severus would be the ones to stand by him unconditionally, no matter what shit was hitting the fan at the time.

Harry looked down at the journal in his lap. Slowly, he ran his fingers over the cover, taking in each crack, each imperfection in the old leather, as he pondered the secrets hidden within. He supposed that he could continue to keep the journal secret. Harry was sure he could make up some cockamamie story that would pass muster, fooling the three Slytherins.

But if he did that something would change, and it was a change he could not undo. The other three might not know that he'd lied to them, but Harry would know. And considering how much he hated it when others lied to him...

"I guess it all comes down to trust," Harry said musingly, testing the words as he spoke them. "Do I trust Draco to always love and support me? Do I trust Lucius and Severus to always be there for me, no matter what my needs are? Do I trust myself to always be there for them?

Unable to remain seated, Harry jumped to his feet and began to pace around the bedroom. "That is the real question, isn't it? What I had before, with Ron and Hermione, it was all one-way. I gave, they took, and they didn't bother much to give anything back. I guess they got so used to me always being there for them that they couldn't comprehend what happened when I no longer had anything to give them.