Zinnia says: I have nothing to do with the cupboard; it is NOT me even if I borrowed my name for her. Just so you know.
This is the last chapter! There is a sequel to this story; it begins from where this chapter ends.
The sequel is called the Battle in the Cupboard.

Chapter 8 The Master of all Cupboards

Harry ran all the way to the boys' bathroom on the third floor and rummaged around until he located his invisibility cloak in one of the cubicles. Malfoy had kept his promise; there was his wand, Marauder's map, and three letters underneath the cloak. He took the things, put the cloak on and walked back to the seventh floor. The bracelet Malfoy had given him was pulling him towards the Room of Requirement.
Funny, Harry thought, Malfoy had clearly feared Harry would escape at this point and not return to the cupboard.
I need a room where Zinnia is, I need a room where Zinnia is…

As he pushed the door open, there was the cupboard, which looked identical to the one they'd used during Interhouse Play Nights.

"Zinnia? I'm back. Let me in." He called out.

"Certainly, on my count, three, two, one…" The moon and the sun began to spin and Harry stepped inside.

There was the now familiar dark moment before the three star lights appeared one by one.

"Can you give me some more light, please?" Harry asked.

"Certainly," Said the Cupboard as the ceiling lit up. Harry sat down on the floor and looked at the necklace in the furthest corner. Along with the Slytherin ring there was one ring with a lion on it, it was golden, and then a third one of silver with moon and sun carved on it – the sun and moon seemed to be hugging each other.
It wasn't hard to guess, which one was the one with the protective charms and which one was the portkey back to this cupboard.

Harry opened the first envelope (Envelope 1 it said on the cover) and started reading,

Potter,

If you're reading this and I hope you are, it means you're alive and I've succeeded in my plans so far.

There are things you need to do tonight, immediately actually.

You need to send a letter to the Aurors - use the Hogwarts owl called Mungy, he's the fastest of them all.
In that letter tell everything you witnessed tonight, except don't mention me or my mother at all.
I know that's a big favour to ask and I will owe you.
Ask me anything you want in return and I'll do my best to grant your wishes. I mean this.
I never wanted a part of anything to do with the new Death Eaters or the White Devils, as I call them.
Right now as I'm writing this, I'm under severe stress and panic.
I'm sitting in the cupboard and when I leave here, I'll be coming to meet you and put the prestige of my plan in action.
I'm a nervous wreck right now so please excuse me if I'm jumping from one subject to another.
I'm afraid I might forget something vital, there's too much of everything in my mind.

In my bedroom (here in the cupboard) you will find another envelope with your name on it.
Inside it there are the papers that have all the names of the new and old Death Eaters you saw tonight.
In a separate paper there are also names of new Death Eaters whom I have never seen but only heard of, I think the Aurors should catch them as well.
Another paper has a map on it.
On that map there are all the places where I know the White Devils have been living and meeting.
I believe the place where the portkey will take us tonight is the place with number 5 on it, take a look at the map, if it looks like the place where you went tonight with me,
then tell the Aurors to go there IMMEDIATELY.
Potter, I might still be there with them and I need a way out.
So tell the Aurors to hurry and hopefully they'll catch the whole lot of them.

Write the letter to the Aurors now!
The cupboard will give you everything you need for the letter unless you find it all on my desk.

Wait! You must write in the letter it was Dene who gave you the portkey.
Yes, you're going to have to lie.
Dene has both a silver snake earring which is designed to activate by your touch,
and he also has a new dark mark (a snake) which is also designed to activate by your touch.
Tell this to the Aurors and tell them it was he, who made you to touch his mark or earring.

Okay, go and write the letter now. Read the rest of these letters after you've sent it.

Remember every time you leave the cupboard the time starts ticking, so move fast.

Harry put the letter down on the floor and stood up, he felt like he was in a dream as he walked into the Slytherin bedroom and started opening the drawers on a desk. He found the envelope and pulled out the papers to take a look at them.
He had no idea how Malfoy had managed to use Harry's handwriting but they were clearly written with Harry's handwriting. Yes, the place on the map with 5 on it was the one.

There was paper and a quill on the table. He picked them up and started writing fast.
The adrenaline was coursing through his veins as he described every detail and every word he'd heard. He glanced at the old scar Umbridge gave him before clenching his teeth and writing in the letter who had given him the portkey.

He put the letter and the papers Malfoy had written in an envelope and sealed it.

Suddenly the handcuff looking bracelet in his wrist opened and dropped on the floor. The Cupboard said, "You have done the task Draco gave you. The door is open."

Harry stood completely still for a moment. Then he asked,

"But I didn't even finish the first letter. Can I come back after I've taken this letter to the Owlery?"

"Please do," the Cupboard answered.

According to a tempus charm it took him less than five minutes to run to the Owlery and back before he was back into the Room of Requirement and entering the cupboard once more.

He sat back on the floor and continued the letter he was reading before,

Now that you've done your part in all this (there's also going to be a lot of questions from the Aurors for you so be prepared for it) I will explain you all I know about what's going on.
I'll start from the beginning and I won't go to the details.

Soon after my father had died Dene and his mother (I have a spell on me, I can't write or say her name) came to us. They told us how they are related to our family. My mother had known of their existence but it had been kept as a family secret – it wouldn't do good to the family name and all that bullshit, you know what it's like, or do you – anyway, I hadn't even heard of them before that. I could see how much he looked like me, how much his mother resembles mine, and I thought they were alright. In a way I was glad to get some more family, I'm sure you'll understand at least that part.

They stayed with us. I was happy, thought I had a friend, almost wished he was my brother. It's so ridiculous when I think about it now.
They fooled me too in the beginning.

Then they said it; who they really were, what they really wanted.
They wanted me and my mother to join them along with all the former Death Eaters.

When Dene first said he wanted to kill Harry Potter, I suddenly felt extremely angry.

You had not many months ago saved my life from the fyendfire.
You had defeated the person who had made my (and my family's) life a living hell for at least the last couple of years.
And also you had testified, given me a new chance, a new start.
I had been planning on finally starting to do things for myself, live my life the way I want to.

From that moment on I hated him. I hated everything about him right up to his rotten core.

I hated him more than I ever hated you – it's funny too, I don't hate you at all right now,
I even began to wonder if I ever really hated you.
At least I hate Dene in a completely different way.

I wish I could kill him. I wish I could torture him and rip his insides out.

Anyway, his mother asked us boys, to get you, Potter, and bring you to their meeting so she could finish you off.

She took my ring and his earring and planted the portkeys in them.
She drilled a magical hole in the Hogwarts wards which enabled the portkeys to work.
By doing so she accidentally gave me an opportunity to later on use the same hole with other portkeys.
She's quite powerful, I must say. She's a veela and unbearably cunning and evil.
She has found new ways to add black magic into her veela allure – taught it to her son too.
That way they can put people under a mind spell that's pretty much like imperius –
during this all you see is that they are beautiful, irresistible and you think you love them.
It's not like love potions, you don't get too jealous of them, you just want to do anything that might please them – basically you become a slave and believe it's what you want.
That's why most of your classmates are all around the fucking globe to learn poetry or whatever.

I was supposed to get you.
And unless I managed to do that during the first months of the autumn, then Dene would join me and we'd do it together – or separately, which way suited us better.

That's why I was sneaking around during the nights. I was thinking.
I was thinking about how can I find a way to keep Harry Potter safe while being a double agent and fool those White Devils.

It was stressful since the time seemed to go by way too quickly and I couldn't think of anything,
so I started to follow you around and sending you notes.

It was quite fun. Especially when I knew you were following me too.
But I didn't want you to find out my identity because I thought you'd trust even an anonymous note writer more than me!

I thought I needed you to realise that even though someone was following you,
that person never did anything to try and hurt you.
I never knew if you believed those notes and warnings or not.

Then you caught me one night.
I fainted, and when I woke up in the infirmary (thank you by the way) I found a hair of yours in my mouth.
That night was the first time during the whole autumn when I laughed.
I laughed so hard when I thought about drinking polyjuice, pretending to be you and stealing your invisibility cloak right under your nose.
I did it, and it was so much fun and so easy. I even had a plan B for a while.
To stun you, tie you up, wrap you in the cloak and throw you underneath my bed or something.

Then it happened. They didn't want to wait anymore and Dene came.
He put his dark veela powers into full action.
I watched in horror as the whole school went into a slumber, even you, Potter, I still wonder how you survived without choking on your own drool.

I don't blame you. He looks like me, who could resist me anyway.

No, that's not funny. I guess I'm nervous about tonight – joking is the easiest way to deal with it.

Anyway, I almost panicked when I realised he might get you before me and I still didn't have any good plan.
Thank Merlin I ended up with you in that cupboard last Saturday.
It possibly saved both you and me (I don't know if I'll make it tonight but if you are reading this, then it saved you at least).

Usually when people go to the cupboard they just do the tasks and leave.
No-one bothers to talk with the cupboard like we ended up doing.
When she told us about Zinnia, my first thought was if I could use magic there.
I went there on Sunday and as I realised the time stopped there as well, I knew I could do it – I could find a way to save you.

Potter, I lived there about a couple of weeks, I don't know the exact amount of time because you can't really count the time inside the cupboard –
tempus charm only shows you the reality time, i.e. the time you stepped inside the cupboard.

As you recall, I once managed to mend a vanishing cabinet.
Building new rooms inside this cupboard was easy compared to that.
I built a bedroom, a kitchen, a laboratory and a library.
Those will appear if you, Potter, ask for them.
As I lived inside the cupboard I finally realised that I must actually take you to their fucking meeting, otherwise you would never believe what's going on.

I didn't want to take you there.
I chose Sunday as the prestige day to have one more week in reality.
In this cupboard I could have as much time as I needed to plan every detail.

I regretted having written Sunday when you and Dene entered the other cupboard on Friday.
I knew he was getting impatient, wanted to get you before I did (that's why he asked you out too).
I didn't know if he knew you can't use magic in the cupboard.
I was afraid if he did, he might've managed to do something about it.

When he said to me "I'll see you in a minute", I realised he didn't know –
He thought he would get you to touch either the mark or the earring and send us all three in the middle of the Death Eater meeting.
All the other Death Eaters have portkeys too.
They all activate when you, Potter, touch any of them.

Let's see… is there anything else I needed to tell you about what's been going on?

Oh, right, I poisoned Granger.
I figured I can't have her around you, otherwise she'd somehow link me with the things that are going on etc.
She's too smart. There's an antidote for her in the laboratory fridge.
Don't worry; it was just a constant migraine, no real damage done.

Dene poisoned Weasley when they were kissing in the cupboard. There's an antidote for that too.

For all the people who have been so deeply drugged with his dark veela powers or been feeling ill lately, there are potions for them too.

That's about it. If I'm still alive tomorrow and not in Azkaban, feel free to ask me anything.

Don't come running to save me!
I don't know if you would do that but if you even think about it, then don't!
You'd just mess up my elaborate plans and kill us both!

Envelope 2 has something completely different. I still haven't decided whether I give it to you or not.
Maybe I could put a spell on it, so that you could only open it in case I die.

In case I decide not to let you read the next letter ever and I die tonight, take care, Potter.

~The Master of all Cabinets and Cupboards

Harry put the letter on the floor and took a deep breath before collapsing against the wall behind him.

What if Dene's mother killed Malfoy tonight because Harry had escaped?
How would Harry ever live with a burden like that? Malfoy had been suffering of the stress the whole autumn and all because he wanted to save Harry.

"Harry?" The Cupboard asked.

"Yes?"

"Draco asked me to tell you that if you feel like spending time in here, then there's food and drinks in the kitchen. If you want to sleep, you may use his bedroom."

Harry was quiet for a moment before saying, "Thank you."

Then he stood up and did walk into the bedroom. He stripped off all his clothes and fell onto the green silk sheets, crawled underneath the blanket and tried to sleep.

The silk felt nice. Everything smelled of Draco Malfoy. Harry realised he could recognize the smell anywhere. He felt like he'd missed that scent.
"You should've told me. You should've told me everything when we were in the cupboard,"
He whispered to his pillow.
He took deep breaths, filling his lungs with the scent, letting it form new memory traces in his brain.

He wasn't sure if he ever wanted to leave the cupboard. What if Malfoy never came back?

He missed him, as new as the feeling towards Malfoy was; it was a feeling of longing.

Forcing himself to fall asleep he finally managed to do that.

When he woke up he stayed in the bed for a long time, inhaling the green silk.
He fantasized Malfoy would suddenly appear to the door. He would sneer to the fact Harry was covered in green silk in his bed. He'd make some remark that would make Harry blush with embarrassment.

Harry didn't even bother dressing up as he forced himself back to the other room and fetched the last unread letter.

Envelope 2

Potter,

If you're reading this then you're alive and that's a good thing.

I really don't know how to say this, better yet I don't know a single reason why I'm telling you all this.
If I died tonight and you would read this after I'm dead, then it would be ironical, I think.

Yes, I might die tonight. I don't know if Dene found out about certain things.
It doesn't matter right now though.
What matters is that I can't even imagine the moment if I don't die and I come back and you've read this.

Here it comes. Don't laugh at me, Potter, or I swear I'll come and haunt you!

When we were in the cupboard, I told you of a thing that never happens to me these days.
It's because of the constant stress and panic during the last couple of years, I just can't.

After you'd left the Room of Requirement, I left too.
I left because my body surprised me by finally waking up. Thanks to you, Potter!
I stood in the boys' bathroom in the third floor for an hour, cursing myself for the fact that it was happening.
I couldn't stop it.
I could hear the echoes of your moans in my head the whole night, I could hardly sleep.
I wanted to hate you so much but I couldn't.

So that night I took the invisibility cloak that I'd had for a while already and took a big risk.
I believed you'd already noticed the cloak was gone and I still took the risk of coming up to the Gryffindor tower.

I was so nervous when I pulled open the curtain on your bed.
I was waiting for you to jump right at me, hexes flying.
But no, there you were, sleeping peacefully.

I sat down and looked at you.
I was wondering whether you could sense me or not, maybe you'd see a dream of me.
I hoped you would.

Then I suddenly wanted to let you know I've (the mysterious follower who has your cloak) been there.
I didn't want you to panic; I only wanted to give a sign.
I ended up taking the snitch that I'd seen the day I searched after your cloak.

When I put it on your palm, Potter, you automatically clenched your fingers around it and you smiled a little.
You even made a small sigh of happiness.

That is the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

I realised I would be willing to do anything, even kill myself in the process if needed, in order to save you.

Harry stared at the letter for a long time.

"Zinnia, do you know how Draco is planning to get back to Hogwarts?"

"Yes. He said he'd either apparate or use a portkey to get back in this cupboard."

"Oh. But… does that mean I need to go out of here so that he can come in?"
Harry asked.

"For you, Harry, the time has stopped. If you want to see Draco then you have to go to back to the real time so that time can move onwards for you."
The cupboard's voice was calm, it felt comforting.

"Alright, that makes sense, kind of. Can I go outside this cupboard to wait for him and then come back in later on?" He asked.

"Yes, of course you can do that. The doors are open for you." The Cupboard said.

Harry picked up the letters from the floor where he'd left them, put them on Draco's desk and got dressed. He asked for the laboratory room and took some of the vials from the fridge; they were all labeled according to what they were for.
Then he took a deep breath, wondering if he was willing to go outside.

What if Malfoy wouldn't come back? He didn't even want to think about it.

Then he pushed the door open and stepped outside.

He cast a tempus charm.

He walked around the room.

Then he walked from the left side to the right side, and back. Then repeated this twice.

He cast another tempus charm and left to the hospital wing. He gave the antidotes to Madame Pomfrey but couldn't stay there.

He went back to the Room of Requirement, sat down in the right side corner, leaned on the wall and waited.

He wondered for a moment if he should go and try to rescue Malfoy.

No, Harry would just interfere with his plans and get them both killed.

He sighed. There was nothing else but to wait.

Half an hour later he had cast tempus charm every five minutes and he was anxious.

He had never thought any nice things about Malfoy. Now he had to admit to himself that Malfoy had planned everything extremely carefully. Most of the planning had already succeeded perfectly. It must've been stressful to plan, while pretending to Dene he was after Harry.

Harry had honestly thought Malfoy was in love with that blond devil. It had looked so real a couple of days ago. The hurt, vulnerability and jealousy in Malfoy's eyes. He was truly the best actor Harry had ever seen.

Malfoy had even made the antidotes, apparently in the laboratory he'd built.
See, he wasn't that bad a person at all.
It was just the fact they had always hated each other, plus Malfoy used to be a Death Eater – Harry would've never thought Malfoy had grown up so much, and apparently changed his opinions on many things.

The things Malfoy had written in the last letter. Now that made Harry speechless.
Had Malfoy really written he thought Harry had looked adorable?
Adorable? I wonder what the word would sound like if he said it aloud…

Even thinking about it made Harry hide his face in his hands, his cheeks were burning hot.

He had also written he'd been hard because of Harry. That was… It felt unexpectedly good.

He cast another tempus charm. It was more than an hour he had sent the letter to the Aurors.

Maybe he should go and find McGonagall, tell everything to her.

No, he would stay here until tomorrow morning unless Malfoy came back before that.

He has to come back; he has to make it…

What am I going to do when he comes back? What am I going to say to him?
Maybe he hates me now that I read the letter.

Are we going to be friends? Now that's a weird thought.

No, we can't be friends – that wouldn't work.

Why wouldn't it work though? This night just proves me I don't know him.
I want to learn to know him.
Merlin, I just want to see him and talk to him.
Even if he sneers the whole time, I don't care. I want to see him.

How can I miss him? In real time it's not even that long ago when I saw him.

He pulled his knees up, hid his face against them and wrapped his arms around his legs.

"Potter?" The voice made him snap his head up.

Malfoy was standing on the door of the cupboard. He was leaning on the door frame, smirking. The clothes he was wearing were made of green silk and looked like something he might wear to bed. His hair looked darker than usual and then Harry realised it was wet and dripping with water.