Allies in the Shadows
The fire crackled softly in the common room of the Slytherin dormitory. Shadows danced along the walls, casting an eerie glow over the green and silver décor as Harry and Draco waited for their carefully selected guests to arrive.
“This is risky,” Draco muttered, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed as his sharp eyes scanned the room. “If this doesn’t go well, we could be exposed.”
Harry nodded, though his expression was resolute. “We need them. If we’re going to take down Dumbledore and stop Voldemort, we can’t do it alone.”
Draco huffed, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Never thought I’d see the day where you were asking for help from Slytherins.”
Harry returned the smirk. “Desperate times, Malfoy.”
Just then, the door to the common room creaked open, and three figures slipped inside. Pansy Parkinson, Theo Nott, and Blaise Zabini—all three of them looking curious, and perhaps a little suspicious.
“Alright, Malfoy,” Pansy said, arms folded, eyes narrowed. “What’s this all about? You said it was urgent.”
Draco stood, motioning for them to sit. “It is. This isn’t just some casual get-together. We’re here to talk about something that could change everything.”
Theo raised an eyebrow, sliding into one of the leather chairs. “Change everything how?”
Harry shifted in his seat, his gaze moving from Draco to the others. “We’ve discovered things about Dumbledore... about what’s really going on behind the scenes. There are forces at play—manipulations you don’t know about.”
Pansy snorted. “Please. Everyone knows Dumbledore’s not as innocent as he looks. But what are you getting at, Potter?”
Draco stepped in. “It’s more than just political games, Pansy. Dumbledore has been controlling events for years—shaping the war, manipulating Harry, keeping everyone in the dark about Voldemort’s real intentions.”
Blaise, who had been silent until now, leaned forward slightly. “What do you mean by ‘real intentions’?”
Harry took a deep breath. “Voldemort didn’t rise to power just because he was some madman craving immortality. He did it because he believed Dumbledore was trying to seize control of the wizarding world. And from what we’ve uncovered... he wasn’t entirely wrong.”
Theo’s sharp gaze flicked between Harry and Draco. “You’re telling me you think Voldemort was the lesser evil?”
Draco grimaced. “Not exactly. But there’s more to the story than we were told. Dumbledore has been pulling strings for decades, and we’re caught in the middle of it.”
Pansy’s eyes widened, disbelief etched across her face. “And you want us to... what? Join you in this fight against Dumbledore? What about Voldemort?”
Harry looked at her, his expression serious. “We’re not joining Voldemort. We’re destroying his Horcruxes. But we’re also going to stop Dumbledore from controlling everything. We can’t trust either of them.”
The room fell silent for a moment as the three Slytherins digested this information. Blaise was the first to break the silence, a thoughtful look on his face. “And why should we trust you, Potter? You’re the poster boy for Dumbledore’s cause. What’s changed?”
Harry leaned forward, his green eyes blazing with intensity. “I found out that Dumbledore has been lying to me my whole life. He used me, kept secrets from me—important secrets about my own family, about who I really am. I’m done being his pawn.”
Pansy exchanged a glance with Theo and Blaise before turning back to Harry. “Alright. Suppose we believe you. What’s the plan? What are you asking us to do?”
Draco took over, his voice cold and measured. “We need allies. People who are smart, who can think for themselves, and who are willing to challenge the system. You three fit the bill. We’re going to take down Dumbledore, but we’re going to need resources, strategy, and most of all, discretion.”
Theo leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. “Taking down Dumbledore is easier said than done. The man has influence everywhere, not to mention the Order of the Phoenix at his back.”
Draco nodded. “Which is why we’re going to be careful. We don’t need to go after him directly, not yet. But we need to weaken his grip, expose his lies, and gather more people to our side.”
Pansy tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair, thinking it over. “And what’s in it for us? What do we gain from siding with you?”
Harry met her gaze, his voice steady. “The truth. The chance to break free from the lies we’ve all been fed. And the opportunity to shape the future on our terms, not theirs.”
Blaise’s lips curled into a faint smirk. “Ambitious, Potter. But I like it.”
Theo nodded slowly, his calculating mind already considering the possibilities. “Alright. I’m in. But we’re going to need more than just vague plans. We need details—specifics on how we’re going to pull this off.”
Harry smiled grimly. “Don’t worry. Draco and I have already started working on that. But first, we need to take out the Horcruxes.”
Pansy frowned. “Horcruxes? What are those?”
Harry glanced at Draco, who nodded for him to continue. “Voldemort created Horcruxes—objects that hold pieces of his soul. That’s why he’s been so hard to kill. We’ve already found one, but there are more out there, and we need to destroy them if we’re going to stop him.”
Theo whistled lowly. “That’s some seriously dark magic. How do you even destroy something like that?”
“We’ve found a few ways,” Draco said. “But it won’t be easy. That’s why we need all the help we can get.”
Blaise gave a short laugh. “Well, if we’re signing up to take down two of the most powerful wizards in history, we might as well do it properly.”
Pansy nodded, her skepticism melting away into determination. “Count me in. I’ve never been one to blindly follow orders anyway.”
Theo stood, offering Harry and Draco a small nod of respect. “This is dangerous, but I like dangerous. If this works, we’ll be changing the entire balance of power.”
Blaise rose to his feet as well, his smile cool and calculating. “Guess we’re in this together, then. Slytherins and the Boy Who Lived—who would’ve thought?”
Harry stood, feeling a strange sense of relief wash over him. For the first time, he wasn’t alone in this fight. With Pansy, Theo, and Blaise on their side, their secret alliance was starting to feel real—tangible. They were building something bigger than themselves, something that could change the course of history.
Draco smirked, his usual arrogance tempered with a new sense of purpose. “Welcome to the team.”