Notes:

I apologize for the delay in continuing this story, but I lost my laptop in Liverpool during the Pokémon World event. It was a devastating blow. Life was like whirlwind too boot. It has taken me this long to get back into writing and remake all of my extremely important notes for this story.
Because it's been so long, I apologize for any inconsistencies, plot holes, or other flaws. My writing style may appear to have altered, and it has.
I'm determined to finish this story now, and I will keep at it.
I honestly hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Fear...

Draco was afraid of the potential consequence of seeking answers, but it was like a tick, a frantic need to know. He couldn't ignore it. He would prove that his mind was delusory. There was absolutely no way that Harry Potter was the man behind the parchment.

Padfoot was not Potter!
Absolutely not!

But suppose he was...

"Mr Malfoy? Mr Malfoy?!"

"Yes, Mr. Sayer?" Draco answered his Seventh-year Ravenclaw student, ignoring the looks of confusion and concern the students exchanged.

"It's half-three, sir. Lessons ended ten minutes ago."

Draco glanced at the clock.
It kept ticking.

He'd been distracted all day, his thoughts constantly wandering to black hair, green eyes, and magical parchment...

"So I see," Draco responded, hoping not to lose face and his reputation. "Ladle your finished potions carefully into the vials before – "

"Forgive me, sir!" Mr. Jarran Lenox courageously interrupted him. "However, we have already bottled and labelled our potions, and cleaned our cauldrons."

They had, indeed.
Draco refused to show his humiliation.

"Very well. I apologise for being less observant this afternoon. Twenty points to both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff for maturity and initiative. We will be brewing the antidote to Veritaserum next lesson, so I will only ask that you read up on it and come prepared. You are dismissed."

The majority of the students swiftly exited, eager to begin their lesson-free evening, but Mr. Curtis Sayer paused at the door. Hesitating.

"Yes, Mr. Curtis?" Draco inquired.

"I was just curious, Sir. Well-" Mr Curtis sighed and appeared to gather his courage. "Do you have what Mr Potter has, Sir? Do we need to be aware of that possibility?"

Draco frowned for a moment, confused until it hit him. He wanted to laugh. He was distracted because of Potter, yes, but he wasn't experiencing Potter's mind fuck episodes. Certainly not!

"I assure you, Mr. Curtis, that I simply have a lot on my mind this afternoon. This will never happen again. Go ahead and enjoy your evening."

"Yes, Sir." Mr Curtis nodded, and left Draco alone.

Padfoot was not Potter!
Absolutely not!

But suppose he was....

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Draco finally returned to his private chambers after a very long day of teaching. He was tired, exhausted! He'd not been able to sleep well last night. Potter's words had repeated like a siren, keeping him awake...

"You cannot live in fear, Draco, or else you will not be able to live at all." – "I love you, Draco Malfoy. Always!"

...They had to be a coincidence.

Now that he finally had the opportunity to try and prove that Padfoot was not Potter, he was scared of what he would learn. He wanted to stay ignorant, but it was no longer possible for him. Ignorance had been a defect in his past, but it had been burned away.

Draco was content working at Hogwarts. He didn't want to leave, but it was growing increasingly difficult to work beside Potter, especially after rejecting the man.

It was ridiculous!
Potter should not be in love with him!

Light, joy, and love should not be attracted to corruption and darkness. The darkness would merely suffocate the light, tainting and dulling it.

And suppose the impossible was possible.
Suppose Padfoot was Potter.

What was that muggle proverb: 'Anything that can go wrong will go wrong' - Murphy's Law?
'It Should be titled Potter's law,' Draco grumbled. It made sense given Potter's bad luck and uncanny tendency to be at the core of everything that went wrong.

Draco had a bad feeling churning in his gut, but he had to know!

Draco sat on his bed and pulled out Padfoot's Le'Amortentia profile from the bedside cabinet...

╭─━━━━━━━━━━━━─╮

Thirty year-old male.
Gay orientated.

Green eyes.

Jet-black hair.5ft 6in.

61kg.

Half-blood.

╰─━━━━━━━━━━━━─╯

"Fuck!" Draco cursed.

He'd read this profile before, of course he had, but that was before he fell in love with Harry Fucking Potter.

It seems so obvious now, when he knew who it could be...

But there must be many men in the world that fit that description.
How could he possibly know?
Infatuation blinds.
Illusions and dreams have a habit of blurring reality.

He didn't want to read any further, didn't want to know the truth if it meant to cause him more pain, but he forced his eyes to follow the words.

╭─━━━━━━━━━━━━─╮

One sentence that your closest friends might use to explain you?

Most of my friends would say I was kind, brave, and all sorts of rubbish that isn't true.
I feel as if they will never really know the real me.

What are you passionate about?

I suppose I hate injustice and unfair judgment. I will help anyone if I can, especially people important to me.
I guess you could say that I am rather passionate about my work, too – although I can't mention what that is on this profile, I can say that no two days are the same, and it keeps me on my toes – I suppose I need that to stay out of trouble.

What is your ultimate goal in life?

To stay alive long enough to have one.
I guess, I just want a crazy little family: Someone to love that isn't called early by death, and a few crazy kids that can live normal happy lives.

I don't have any big dreams or anything. I'm happy with my stable job doing what I love, living somewhere I can keep in touch with my friends easily, and eventually build a family of my own.

One quote?

I don't really know any if I'm honest, but I heard a word once that really stuck with me – "Always!"
I know it's just a word, but it's the meaning behind it. To always be there, to always love someone, always stay with me, always be patient and weather the storm. Always!
I want someone that will become my always.

What do you want the person reading this to know?

I guess I'd like them to know that I'm rather boring.
Most people would tell you otherwise, but the truth is, I'm just a normal guy with a loaded past.
The most fun I have these days is at work, and believe me, some days at work can be rather entertaining.
One day I want to look across the room and catch the eyes of someone that I know loves me for me - my always - and not for any other reason, like gossip and rumours, or for my past. I want someone that challenges me, that isn't afraid to speak the truth.
I want that perfectly non-perfect life, and someone to sigh with at the end of the day.

╰─━━━━━━━━━━━━─╯

Draco wished to flee back to France.
Escape the anticipated emotional turmoil and pain.
He was, and always will be, a coward!

Every syllable he read was fought with his wish to dismiss the perhaps looming reality as a mere coincidence, yet every word could easily be Potter penning it. The ultimate goal in life, when it mentioned death and normalcy, that especially screamed Potter.

Draco should have been marking homework, grading, preparing for tomorrow's lessons...

But he couldn't stop analysing Padfoot's profile.
He couldn't stop trying to remember the messages they'd shared.
He couldn't stop fretting over his future, and what he would do either way.

He was foolishly mourning that lost hope.
Grieving for an unattainable love.
Weeping for a man who most likely never existed.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Draco had one lesson that Friday, a double lesson with Gryffindor and Slytherin sixth-year students from 11:10am to 1:20pm. When the last student left, Draco decided to disappear until dinner.

He would not give the other faculty members an excuse to question him. Minerva was already staring at him with undue concern. Potter, of course, had once again failed to appear at the Great Hall for dinner.

"Mr. Malfoy?" Minerva asked. "Perhaps you know where our resident Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher is this evening?"

Draco sighed in frustration, having no desire to discuss Potter. "No idea, Headmistress. I had no idea it was my responsibility to locate missing members of staff. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to finish my meal and retire to my chambers."

Minerva frowned. Draco had never spoken to her in that manner before, and he immediately felt awful, but Minerva thankfully chose not to say anything further. Draco, on the other hand, was not a fool - he knew she would eventually seek answers.

Draco returned to his chambers after dinner as previously stated, where he sat on his bed pondering over and over. His head was a jumble of muddled words, flirtation, black hair and green eyes, Padfoot and Potter, and there was longing and anguish, taint, corrosion, dread, and darkness in between it all.

Draco could almost hear the world rumbling in anger at the mere thought of a Death Eater violating their hero. He wanted to. Wanted to earn the right to do salacious things with Potter's body, but he was terrified of being forced into public scrutiny. The hostility, malice, and vitriol he received as a result of his trial back then terrified him almost as much as the Dark Lord had.

He was definitely a coward.
He could not cope with the anxiety and fear of mass public hatred and violence. Not again.
It was in self-preservation that he kept a low profile.

He could not have Padfoot because he desired Potter, but he couldn't have Potter because of who they both were.
It shouldn't matter, therefore, because he could have neither, but he was tormented by unanswered questions and uncertainty.

He couldn't leave any doors open ... shadows had a way of creeping out of them.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Saturday the 8th January 2011

"Filius." Minerva addressed the deputy head, her tone urgent.

When the owls had arrived with the morning post, Harry had been in the Great Hall playing with his uneaten breakfast and pining away over his wounded heart. A few staff members had received the newspaper as usual, and Harry had noticed an increase in mumbling and whispering around the Hall, but he had dismissed it.

Harry had no interest in the news these days, but Minerva's reaction made him take notice. He registered several cries of outrage and disbelief, especially at the Slytherin table. Fillius nodded gravely at the Headmistress before she made to leave the Great Hall, and Harry's curiosity grew.

He reached for one of the discarded Newspapers.

╭─━━━━━━━━━━━━─╮

Death Eater Teaches at Hogwarts!

Mr. Draco Lucius Malfoy, former student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and Death Eater, has been hired as the potions professor for the aforementioned school.

This isn't the first time a Death Eater has been hired to teach potions.

Mr. Draco Malfoy, fled England with his mother, Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy (Nee Black), despite being cleared of all charges on July 3, 1998, in what was perceived to be an act of humiliation and guilt. Mr. Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, Mr. Draco Malfoy's father and Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy's husband, was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes and role as a dedicated Death Eater.

The Dark Mark on Mr. Draco Malfoy's left arm is well recognized. Mr. Malfoy is also well known for assisting Death Eaters in gaining admission to the school on June 30th, 1997, the same night that our beloved headmaster, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, was murdered by the potions professor at the time, the late Mr. Severus Tobias Snape.
*Find out more about Mr. Snape's story on pages 6-9*.

Mr. Draco Lucius Malfoy has returned to Britain and has been teaching at Hogwarts since September 1st, 2010.

One has to question if the next generation of witches and wizards will be safe?

Is Hogwarts failing to learn from its past?

╰─━━━━━━━━━━━━─╯

Harry felt uneasy.

His gut instinct told him that Draco would not take this article well.

Harry stormed out of the Great Hall, unconcerned about the reaction he garnered from both staff and students, and dashed to the dungeons. Minerva was rapping on Draco's door as Harry sped around the corner. He came to a halt, bent over, and rested his palms on his knees in an attempt to calm his racing heart and abused lungs.

"You know?" Minerva inquired. Her tone hinted that Draco might have revealed something to Harry.

"I know about the article, I just read it." Harry panted.

"He never told you?!" Minerva concluded, she seemed surprised.

"Told me what?"

"I'm sorry Harry, but it isn't my place– "

They both heard the sound of a cup breaking on the floor, followed by the distressing sounds of a familiar voice.

Minerva used her wand to try and break through Draco's intricately cast wards, but they were too strong to bring down in a timely fashion. "Damn it!" Minerva yelled. "That foolish boy! For all his intelligence, he never considered being trapped on the same side as the danger he hides from! I'll have to try the floo-"

Minerva's remarks surprised Harry, but it was her urgency and use of the word 'danger' that did it.
Harry was suddenly overcome with an urgent need to find out if Draco was safe.
Harry's wild magic slammed open the door with a resounding bang!
The wards had vanished like thin smoke, instead of highly advanced magical weaving.

Minerva squeaked in surprise, but Harry had already dashed into the living room in a panicked attempt to check on Draco.

When Harry finally found the man, he paused in alarm.

Draco was rocking back and forth behind the black leather sofa, his knees curled up to his chest and his face buried in his hands. Harry could only make out snippets of Draco's terrified mumbling:

"I'm sorry." "Didn't mean to." "Kill me!" "No, Mum!" "Please, I didn't want to." "They're going to kill me!"

Harry dropped to his knees in front of Draco, unsure what to do.
His eyes welled up seeing the love of his life in such pain.

"I'll go fetch Poppy!" Minerva remarked as she dashed to the floo. Minerva, Harry saw, was fighting back her own emotions.

"Draco?" Harry attempted, unsure, but unable to just kneel there helplessly. He lifted his hand, meaning to comfort the man with gentle touch, but he was afraid of Draco's reaction. He let his arm drifted uselessly back to his side.

Harry could barely make out Minerva and Poppy speaking in hushed tones through the floo call. His attention was fixated upon Draco. "I believe you're experiencing a flashback, love."

Harry continued to speak calmly, desperate to reach Draco and bring him back from self-mental torment. "Draco? You know you're safe here. You teach at Hogwarts now. Minerva's here, too."

When Draco did not respond, Harry despaired. He fought his own emotions in order to be strong for Draco, but nothing he said was working. "Come on, love! Please. Please hear me."

Poppy arrived via the floo, and she quickly shooed Harry into the corridor.

Harry paced back and forth, waiting for Minerva to appear. As the door remained broken, Harry could still see into the living area, but Draco had been temporarily spelled into a state of calm and moved into the privacy of his bedroom.

Harry had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity, but when Minerva finally appeared, he demanded answers.

"I know a flashback when I see one. What aren't you telling me?"

"Harry, it isn't –"

"Damn it, Minerva! I'm not trying to hurt him. I love him!"

Minerva did a slight double take, but she refused to meet Harry's eyes.

"You already knew, didn't you?" Harry asked.

"I suspected, yes. As we all did, but–"

"All? Do all the staff know?"

Minerva let out a sigh. "Harry, please meet me in my office in thirty minutes. We can discuss this all over some tea and biscuits. Filius can only keep the pupils in the Great Hall for so long, therefore I must first relive him." Minerva's attention was then drawn to the damage Harry had caused. "Perhaps you could start by fixing the door. I'm quite sure Draco hasn't chosen to have a 24-hour open door policy in his private chambers."

Minerva's departing shape caused Harry to grimace. He had a nasty tendency of blowing up doors.

˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚

Minerva had a keen eye, so Harry wasn't surprised that she had been aware of her ex-students, now employees, developing feelings for each other. He was embarrassed to learn that the other members of staff had also noticed the developing feelings between Draco and himself; and, if Minerva was correct, several students had as well.

"Well, I think it's fantastic! Former rivals, now love-struck fools. It's very poetic, I must say." Minerva smiled, but Harry's face darkened as he remembered Draco's rejection.

"He refuses to admit his feeling for me, Minerva. He closes up, denies everything, but I can see he's lying." Harry shook his head, his sadness visible in his eyes. "He rejected me. Insists that we can never work. Something scares him away. I just wish I knew what."

Minerva frowned thoughtfully. Harry could tell she was debating whether or not to say what was on her mind.

"What drew you to Draco's chambers this morning?" She inquired instead.

"That news article. After you exchanged that look with Filius I was curious. After you left, I read it and assumed you had gone to speak with Draco."

Minerva scoffed, she was unimpressed with his answer. "I'll rephrase the question. I urge you to think carefully about your answer this time. I am aware that you have it in you!" Minerva looked at him over her spectacles, she seemed to be imploring him to pay close attention – "What made you rush to the dungeons like a bat out of hell?"

Although Harry snorted, he did give it some thought. She was guiding him towards something she was unable to say directly. She still refused to betray Draco's trust and explain what she knew. Harry actually respected that of her, even if he was frustrated being kept in the dark.

"I was worried." Harry decided. That was the crux of it.

"Why?" Minerva asked him in that same imploring tone.

"I – I just had a gut feeling that Draco wouldn't take that article well. Ya know... " Harry then had a sudden flash back of his own. A memory of that disastrous trip to Hogsmeade on November 1st, right before Harry had whisked Draco away to Grimmauld Place.

"By association with you my name will be in tomorrow's fucking paper. It will be filled with accusations and now everyone will know that Death Eater Draco fucking Malfoy is back in the UK."

"Draco hates the idea of his name being published in the newspapers. I think he worries about public reaction. A reporter approached me in Hogsmeade the last time we went down together in November. Draco became enraged, but, at the time, I just assumed it was because he saw Madam Rosmerta." There was silence while Harry thought back to that day, to that moment. "Draco wanted to keep his return to Britian a secret, but that is impossible because his name is on every piece of his students' work and they will talk about him at home."

Minerva nodded gravely – "And what does that tell you?"

Harry frowned. Mental work certainly wasn't his strongest skill set. He was good with spells, magic, duelling, but puzzles took him a while. Minerva was patient though, waiting while his mind whirled, casually pouring more tea and nibbling on her biscuits.

"I'm not sure." Harry admitted about five minutes later. "Only that, maybe he wishes to hide away within Hogwarts. But, he goes to Hogsmeade often enough, to Ceridwen's Cauldrons at least."

"Hmm." Minerva pondered. "Tell me, have you been anywhere else in Draco's company? Anywhere Public?"

"Diagon Alley. No. Wait! We were glamoured at the time. We did go into muggle London a few times, without the glamour–" Harry paused because he was finally seeing a pattern.

Aside from the small Hogsmeade village, they had not been seen in the wizarding world as Malfoy and Potter. Harry assumed it was due to the attention he received as the hero of the wizarding world, and they just wanted to avoid the commotion it would have created....

Would Draco have gone to Diagon Alley with him if they hadn't been glamoured?
Something told Harry that Draco would not have.

Draco has an irrational desire to hide his return to Britian. He fears public reaction, and he avoids public places and crowds that could recognise who he is.

This morning's news article had alerted the entire British wizarding community about Draco's return to Britian, and had revealed his position as a teacher. Then it had gone on to question the safety of the students and worse, it had gone on to question his integrity.

The article obviously would have upset Draco, but was the fear or anxiety so intense that it caused Draco's PTSD attack?

If that was the case, Draco may be rejecting him due to Harry's media magnetism, experiencing flashbacks and anxiety when challenged by the press and public reaction.

Fuck!
It sadly fit what he hadn't been able to see!
It provided a possible reason for Draco's fear of a relationship with him.

Harry suddenly looked up at Minerva, their eyes met.
Minerva could see that he had reached some type of conclusion and she nodded.

"Draco is quite stubborn, but you are rather head strong, Harry. Do not give up on him." Minerva said. "Now, finish your tea and get out of my office!"

Harry smiled with regained hope.

He now believed he had discovered the source of Draco's resistance.
He resolved to help Draco overcome his fears, and convince him to take the chance.
He loved that blond twat far too much to let fear come between them.
He would continue to fight for Draco, and he would not give up on him.

Draco would soon come to him, demanding answers regarding Padfoot, and he'd be ready when he did.