Doppelganger
Part XIV: Double Talk

By Krystiana

Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't sue. (aka HP and all other characters belong to JKR and whole bunch of other people, blah, blah, blah...)

Warnings: Overall, it's R. This chapter is probably PG-13.

Archive: My site ), my livejournal, ) , Noire Sensus (if they should somehow get a hold of this), Schnoogle (eventually). Anywhere else, please e-mail me first.

Thanks: To Emma Grant, who managed to help me make my wish come true and get this chapter out on the specific day that I wanted. She's beta'd 14 chapters of this turd now, and she gives me really great comments. This story is BETTER because of her work.

Notes: Hi. I've got a hangover, because I was legally 21 as of midnight. This would have been up earlier today if I had been able to drag myself out of bed. Forgive me, kay?
This chapter is quite dialogue-heavy... however, the action starts soon. Like... next chapter. You'll see.
THIS MAY BE THE LAST CHAPTER I POST AT I'm sorry, folks, but is pissing me off too much. They keep screwing with the formatting of my stories. C'mon, , you can't show friggin ASTERISKS?
Anyway, keep an eye on my livejournal, my website, and my yahoo group (all of which you can find the info on my bio page). If I decide to stop posting here, I'll announce it on my LJ.

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Harry watched Draco Lucius drag Draco out of the Great Hall, a small grin forming on his face. Draco's expression was priceless.

The door shut behind them, and Harry couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Draco Lucius was definitely a force to be reckoned with.

And he doesn't have a bad body, either, a snide voice in Harry's mind said. Blushing, Harry looked back down at his plate.

Seeing Draco Lucius and Harry James together earlier that morning had made something click in Harry's mind - he liked Draco. Harry wouldn't really call it a crush, but he was definitely attracted to something in the Slytherin. What Harry couldn't figure out was why he liked Draco. Sure, the boy was easy on the eyes, but his personality was like nails on a chalkboard.

Of course, the night before had shown that Draco was not an evil bastard all day, every day. He had actually been pleasant to be around.

But Draco had just proven that even though it wasn't his full-time job, acting like a bastard was still his favorite form of entertainment.

Harry closed his eyes, and saw a naked blonde boy smirking at him, leaning towards him...

"Oh, god, " Harry said out loud, snapping his eyes open. Hermione raised a eyebrow at him as she took her seat.

"What's wrong, Harry?" she asked.

Harry barely glanced at her. "Nothing."

Hermione's eyes widened. "You're blushing! What's going on, Harry?"

"Yeah, and where were you last night?" Ron added as he sat next to Hermione.

"I know where you were last night," someone said from behind Harry. He glanced over his shoulder to see Harry James looking at him with a knowing smile. "And I know where you were... and what you were doing this morning."

Harry choked on his bacon.

"What's he mean, Harry?" Ron asked, eyeing Harry James suspiciously.

Harry James patted Harry on the shoulder. "I think you and I need to have a talk."

"Haven't we had enough talks?"

"This talk is an entirely different topic," Harry James said.

"And what is this one concerning?" Harry said crossly, finally turning in his seat to glare at Harry James, who flashed a toothy grin.

"The Dragon."

Harry blinked, barely noticing Ron shoot a snide comment at Harry James - something about respecting the ears of people around him.

Harry James rolled his eyes, leaned towards Harry, and whispered softly to him. "You know who I'm talking about."

With a start, Harry realized that the words he heard were in Parseltongue, which explained why Ron was acting so bent out of shape. Harry nodded at Harry James, finding himself unable to speak either English or Parseltongue.

"What do you feel for him?" Harry James was still keeping his voice down, so most of the Gryffindors could not hear him.

Cautiously, Harry glanced up and down the table, and replied in an even quieter tone. "Why are you asking?"

"Harry!" Ron hissed. "Just because he's doing it doesn't mean you have to!"

"Doing what, Weasel?" Harry James asked, his eyes burning. "Using a gift that you will never understand?"

"It's not a gift!" Ron shot back.

"Then what is it?" Harry James's voice was mocking and laced with malice. "The mark of a dark wizard?"

"Stop it, both of you," Harry suddenly snapped, irritated by both boys' attitudes. "Ron, you don't like Harry James because he's a Slytherin. Come up with a better reason than that."

"And Harry James," Hermione chimed in," you don't like Ron because the Ron in your world brushed you off after you were sorted into Slytherin."

"How do you -" Harry James paused, thinking. "You've been talking to Draco."

"WHAT?! You've been talking to Malfoy, Hermione?" Ron was staring at Hermione, open-mouthed.

"Draco Lucius," Harry James said viciously. "What's your point?"

"I would think that meeting Harry would prove that two dimensions would hold two different people," Hermione said, her eyes narrowing. "And Draco and Draco Lucius are even more different than you two. Isn't it kind of dumb to hold a six year old grudge against someone who isn't even the person who originally pissed you off?"

Harry James opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. He stared across the table with a dumbfounded look. Harry snickered.

Harry James had to the grace to smile. "May I just say one thing to Weasley?"

Ron still looked a bit cross, but he nodded at Harry James.

"Being a Parselmouth is just something you're born with. It's part of who I - who we are." Harry James tilted his head towards Harry. "Tonks was born a metamorphmagus. We were born Parselmouths. It's pointless to ignore an ability that can save your life."

Harry's curiosity rose. "How did it save your life?"

"Nagini. She's fond of Voldemort, but she's loyal to any who can speak the language."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "I'll keep that in mind."

Harry James nodded. "Good. Now then, let's go have our chat." He walked from the table. Harry hesitated a moment, but finally stood to follow.

"Where are you taking me?" Draco demanded, struggling in the surprisingly strong grip. "Let me go!"

Draco Lucius released Draco's cloak and spun on his heel, his mouth curled into a snarl. "I can't stand you," he hissed, the rage in his eyes sparkling dangerously.

"Then stay away from me!" Draco said, rubbing the back of his neck. "How dare you drag me around the school like some common servant?!"

"What, you deserve my respect because you're a Malfoy?" Draco Lucius spat the name with loathing. "I'm a Malfoy, too. You do not automatically get everyone's respect because of your last name. Respect is earned."

"The same goes for you," Draco shot back. "Yanking me around by my neck does not give me a good impression of you.

"And seeing someone who looks so much like me - " Draco Lucius cut himself off, turning away from Draco. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, attempting to calm himself. "How can you be so ignorant?" His voice was soft.

"What am I so ignorant about?"

"I've always liked to think that I overcame my father's influence all by myself," Draco Lucius said, ignoring Draco completely. "But then I look at you, and I realized I couldn't possibly have done it myself."

"What are you talking about?" Draco demanded, putting a hand on his double's arm. "Answer me!"

"Why do you hate mudbloods?"

Draco wrinkled his nose. "What kind of stupid question is that?"

"There are no stupid questions, only stupid answers."

Feeling himself become more and more infuriated, Draco jerked Draco Lucius so that they were facing each other. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It's a Muggle expression."

"And why are you using Muggle sayings?"

"Because I grew up with a Muggle raised wizard," Draco Lucius said, sneering. "Don't avoid my question. Why do you hate mudbloods?"

Draco studied Draco Lucius. for a moment before answering. "Muggles are inferior. Their blood is not like ours. They don't deserve to have our magic."

"Their blood," Draco Lucius said coldly," is just as red as ours. It gets spilled the same way. We are just as human as they are."

"They risk the exposure of our world to the Muggles!" Draco countered.

"It hasn't happened yet."

"But it will."

"What makes you so sure?" Draco Lucius tilted his head back, studying his double with hooded eyes. "There have been Muggleborn witches and wizards since before Hogwarts was founded. The wizarding world has always taken advantage of this."

Draco blinked. "Taken advantage of the mudbloods?"

"The robes you are wearing - they are a Muggle's style of dress. It's a few centuries out of date in the Muggle world, but..."

"What's your point?" Draco's tone was dry.

"Wizards depend on Muggles. Many of our ideas come from their world, and we would never have these ideas if not for the mudbloods."

Draco narrowed his eyes and sneered at Draco Lucius. "We don't need to keep mudbloods in our world for the sake of fashion."

Draco Lucius let out a short laugh. "You really don't get it, do you?" He smirked at Draco, who was again getting angry. "What do you know of the Muggle world, as it is today?"

"I..." Draco started, but shut his mouth.

"You know nothing. Am I right?"

Draco still refused to answer.

"Muggles use a magic called 'science.' They've been studying it for centuries, but in the past hundred years they've made breakthroughs no one could imagine."

"I've heard of science. And computers. I also know that most of their... inventions won't work in places of high concentration magic," Draco said. "Again, I ask... what's your point?"

Draco Lucius reached out and grabbed Draco's sleeve. "We're going to the library." He once again began dragging Draco down the hall.

Harry James was practically skipping down the halls. He kept shooting sideways glances at Harry, who shifted uncomfortably under his double's gaze.

"What are you so happy about?" Harry finally asked as they turned down the stairs to the outside.

"Did you have a good shower this morning?"

Harry stopped walking and stared Harry James, a faint blush rising in his cheeks. "I.. I... don't..."

Harry James was turned and grinned at Harry. "You were getting yourself off barely ten minutes before you came into the hall."

Harry's mouth dropped open. "How... how do you know?" His voice was barely above a whisper.

The smile on Harry James's face grew wider. "Because you were wearing the face I wear after I do the same thing."

Harry blinked. "That's really... creepy."

"Isn't it, though?" Harry James turned and continued down the stairs, Harry reluctantly following.

They finally reached the outdoors, and Harry took a deep breath of the fresh air. He hadn't realized how parched being inside had made him feel.

"So who were you thinking about?"

Harry stopped walking again, but didn't even open his mouth to give an answer. He merely stared, his blush growing darker. He finally dropped his eyes and muttered, "I'm sorry."

Harry James lost his smile and looked genuinely confused. "Why?"

"I was..." Harry trailed off, biting his lower lip. "Well, I was thinking about Draco."

Harry James tilted his head to the side, a thoughtful expression forming. "Which one?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure." Harry James didn't respond, so Harry continued. "Well... when I..." Harry found he couldn't possibly explain when he was facing Harry James, so he turned, avoiding eye contact with his twin. He cleared his throat, and continued. "What started it off was seeing Draco Lucius... um... this morning."

"You were there, weren't you?" Harry James said, smirking somewhat triumphantly. "You were under the invisibility cloak. I knew it."

Harry coughed. "Um... yeah. I'm sorry."

"For what? Fantasizing about the love of my life?" Harry James snorted. "Do you know how many people think about Draco when they're fucking themselves?"

Harry peered at Harry James out of the corner of his eye. "Which one?" he croaked meekly.

"Either."

Harry sighed. "That's my problem, too. I'm not sure which one I was fantasizing about."

Harry James studied Harry's profile. "Explain."

"Well... I kept picturing... Draco and, well, me. Except I'm not sure if it was me and Draco or you and Draco Lucius, or weird mixes... and it's really freaky, you know that?"

"Why is it freaky?" Harry James asked.

"Because the lines are starting to blur a little bit too much for my tastes," Harry said, finally turning to face Harry James once more. "I never started having these feelings for Draco until... all these problems started."

"'Problems?' You mean my falling out of the sky."

"Yes."

Harry James narrowed his eyes. "Is it really so much of a problem?"

"Well, I certainly never had feelings for Draco before - at least not these feelings. I never even liked boys before. What if your being here is somehow affecting my mind?"

Harry James looked skeptical. "You never liked boys? Is that really true?"

Harry's flushed expression was slowly being taken over by anger. "Well, I never thought about them while wanking in the shower before!"

Harry James tilted his head to the side, looking like he was expecting another explanation.

"FINE," Harry said, grinding his teeth. "I once told Ron that I thought Seamus was cute."

"Seamus Finnigan? Good taste."

"Shut. Up."

Harry James was smirking again. "I really haven't changed anything about you -"

Harry cut him off, his anger suddenly overwhelming him. "But it's not just the 'Draco' thing that's the problem! It's the fact that your life is perfect when mine is such a mess, and it's all because you were sorted into Slytherin! I shouldn't have argued with the damn hat!"

Faster than Harry could follow, Harry James closed the gap between the two of them, his eyes sparking in fury. "My life is not perfect. I've suffered, and Draco suffered even more simply because he was close to me," he said, baring his teeth. "And it's not just being in Slytherin that makes up who I am today. Your life is a series of events, and everything that happens to you makes up who you are in the present."

"You've still got Sirius. You're living with Sirius. You freed him in your third year, when you were supposed to. When I was supposed to...."

"The world doesn't revolve around Sirius!" Harry James snapped. "And it doesn't revolve around you, either!"

"But it's not -" Harry cut himself off, turning away from Harry James.

"It's 'not fair?'" Harry James said snidely. "Life's not fair. Deal with it. Just be proud of who you are, and always strive to be better."

Harry closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "I just... I keep thinking that you're going to kill Voldemort, and my life will suddenly just be a waste."

Harry James stared at Harry for a moment, his anger slowly fading. "As much as I'd like to go through that ordeal a second time, I think I'll pass. Honestly, I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. The prophecy here, in your 'dimension,' was about YOU and the Voldemort here. The connection is between you two, and you have to be the one to kill him."

"Was it easy?"

"That's a stupid question." Harry James felt a sudden wave of sympathy for his double, and put a comforting hand on his back. "It's not going to be easy. I can help you get to where you need to be, but you have to do the hard part yourself." Harry James offered a small smile. "Speaking of which... occulmency, tomorrow night."

Harry groaned.

Draco glared at the table in front of him. His hands traced the pattern in the wood, wondering exactly why he was waiting for Draco Lucius to return.

Truthfully, he was a bit curious to hear what Draco Lucius had to say. Draco Lucius was a Slytherin and a Malfoy - what could have made him respect the Muggles?

A large book was suddenly dropped onto the table in front of Draco, making him jerk back. He glared up at Draco Lucius, who was wearing an identical expression.

"Turn the page to the beginning of chapter sixteen."

Draco rolled his eyes, but opened the book. Chapter fourteen, fifteen... sixteen. His eyes trailed over the picture taking up the page. It was a cloud of fire, erupting from the ground, spiraling up into the air. It resembled a mushroom, but it was dark, and sent chills down Draco's spine.

"What the hell is it?" Draco hissed, not taking his eyes off the photo.

"That is the first atomic bomb."

"I don't know what that means." Draco's teeth were clenched.

"The Avada Kedavra curse kills one person at a time. It's supposed to be the most deadly, darkest curse among wizards," Draco Lucius said, looking down his nose at the image. "The atomic bomb killed thousands in one blow." Draco finally tore his gaze away from the book to stare up at Draco Lucius as he continued. "This explosion," Draco Lucius said, pointing to the book, "was just the test. The Muggles dropped the real thing less than a month later after that."

"And why do you want mudbloods in our world again?" Draco snarled. "You want them to drop bombs on us?"

"No. I'm showing you the power that the Muggles are capable of," Draco Lucius said, his voice still oddly calm. "They would destroy us if they ever decided to."

"And that's why we need to stay hidden!" Draco snapped. "Keep the mudbloods out of our world, and we won't ever have that problem."

"So you want to keep the wizards hidden from the Muggles," Draco Lucius began slowly, "because the Muggles would clearly destroy us? Is that right?"

"Exactly."

"I thought you said Muggles were inferior to us."

"They are. Wizards would never do something so barbaric."

Draco Lucius rolled his eyes, and finally took the seat across from Draco. "Muggles are our superiors. They are wiser than us, and they move forward much faster than we do. They have surpassed us in nearly everything. We can still do menial tasks, like cleaning a room or washing the dishes, faster than them, but that's about it."

"What can they do that we can't, besides cause more death the necessary?" Draco said, his eyes trailing down to the picture of the fireball.

"They have the ability to communicate with each other instantly, while we're still using owls and floo. They have an entire world of information with the push of a few buttons. That's the kind of information we need in order to keep up with the Muggles, and that's why we need the mudbloods."

Draco studied Draco Lucius for a moment before replying. "You sound like you're afraid of the Muggles."

"The Muggles should be feared - they deserve it," Draco Lucius said, leaning back in his seat. "But we can use their ideas to make the wizards stronger than we are now."

"How so?"

"Well, I don't mean to gloat," Draco Lucius said, smirking, "but I've been working on a handheld floo device, one that you don't have to stick your head in to talk."

"A fireplace you could carry around?" Draco said cynically.

"Exactly."

Draco stared at Draco Lucius. "I don't see your point."

Draco Lucius narrowed his eyes. "My point," he said, his voice icy, "is that the Muggles are smarter, stronger, and wiser than us. They have more power than we could ever hope for."

"So I should let Granger go around thinking she's better than me."

"That's the thing - Granger doesn't think she's better than you, at least not on a magical level. She's thinks you're a whiny, spoiled brat who think he knows more than he does."

"And what about Harry? He was raised by Muggles -"

"-that hate him because of what he is," Draco Lucius finished for Draco. "Those Muggles are stupid. Not all the Muggles are wise and powerful, but the same goes for wizards. Considering the Muggles outnumber the wizards by about 20 to 1, I'd say they've got more smarts than us."

Draco Lucius tilted his head to the side, smirking. "Speaking of Harry..."

Draco glared. "What about him?"

"What do you feel for him?"

"What?!" Draco's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"You like him, don't you?" The corner of Draco Lucius's lip was twitching.

Draco stood up and leaned over the table. "You are the one who is in love with Harry. I'm not. Stop trying to convince me that I'm something I'm not." He paused, sneering. "I'm never going to love Harry Potter. I'm always going to hate mudbloods."

Draco Lucius shook his head, crossing his arms. "I'm not trying to convince you that you're me. I'm trying to convince you that you're not your father."

"Don't talk about my father," Draco snapped. "Your own father is dead, and you can't even respect him."

"And you don't know what you're talking about," Draco Lucius hissed. "I respected my father. I still do. He was the one who taught me to not be ashamed about what I believe. Just because I believe differently than he did does not mean I don't respect him."

Draco opened his mouth to retort, but Draco Lucius stood up to face him before he could speak.

"You are lying to yourself. However different we may be, we are still, at the core, the same person. I know what you're feeling," Draco Lucius said, leaning dangerously close to Draco. "You don't know anything about yourself. Until you figure that out, he's never going to love you."

Draco Lucius turned on his heel and stalked out of the library. Draco didn't watch him leave - he only stared at the vacant spot at the table, suddenly feeling very cold.

Harry let out a silent breath of relief that his classes were over for the day. He had a small break before dinner, so he was outside, enjoying the last few hours of sunlight. He laid down in the grass, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air.

"Harry."

Harry raised his head to see who had spoken. He spotted Draco standing a few feet away, and sat up. "Um... hi."

Draco sniffed. "I just wanted to say thank you," he said quickly.

Harry's face twisted in confusion. "For what?"

"For... not waking me up last night. I probably would have collapsed if I hadn't slept."

Harry smiled. "You practically did collapse."

Draco sniffed, and replied in a haughty tone. "Malfoys don't collapse."

Letting out a laugh, Harry stood up and turned in the direction of the Quidditch pitch. "Can I... ask you a favor, Draco?"

"You can ask. I'm not guaranteeing I'll grant it."

"Can you not call Hermione a 'mudblood?'"

Since Harry's back was turned, he didn't see Draco's expression. All the anger he'd had building up during the day from his conversation with Draco Lucius was seeping out. "No, Potter. I won't stop being who I am."

Harry turned, his eyes narrowing. "There's more to you than calling people names."

"It's not just that. You want me to be a cutesy little Muggle-loving fool, like your friend Weasley," Draco hissed. "I will never respect the Muggles, or their half-breed children that they send to Hogwarts."

"You don't know anything about Muggles!"

"Draco Lucius told me about their barbaric ways of making war," Draco said, his upper lip curling in disgust. "And how they're supposedly so much 'stronger' than us. They don't deserve our respect, Harry. They deserve to bow down at our feet, and then die."

Harry stared at Draco in disbelief. In all the years that Harry had argued and battled with Draco, he'd never heard so much venom in Draco's voice.

"The Muggles that raised you are worse than animals. I know that they are supposedly the 'bad eggs' of Muggles, but that's all I've seen come from their world!" Draco was practically ranting now. "Muggles and mudbloods don't deserve to share this world with us. I'd sooner see myself dead than respect those apes."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Harry snapped. "I thought Draco Lucius would talk some sense into you, but you're worse than ever!"

"Draco Lucius told me to figure who I was," Draco said. "I'm showing you that this is who I am. I am a pureblood - better than you, the half-blood savior." His eyes sparking in fury, Draco continued. "Better than Weasley, the stupid little blood traitor. Better than your mudblood friend, who will be the destruction of the wizarding world!"

Harry found he couldn't reply to Draco. He knew that Draco was speaking the truth - this truly was the real Draco Malfoy. Draco was a bitter, prejudiced pureblood, with no respect for human beings. Harry finally looked up to meet Draco's eyes.

"If that's who you want to be," Harry said, raising his chin slightly. "Be it. Just stay away from me." Harry turned and stalked back towards the castle, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking.

For the second time that day, Draco was left standing alone. This time, however, he was more than cold inside.

He felt dead.

Continued