THIS IS A SEQUEL! MUST READ "THE LIVES OF THE LOST" FIRST!
Harry Potter
"I'll do it," Draco Malfoy exclaims to the room. "Bond him to me."
The Healers exchange glances at this, but do not argue with him. My heart is pounding rapidly, which only seems to increase my fatigue. Surreal. This entire thing is far too surreal. For the past few days I had been attempting to wrap my mind around the idea that I would never see Draco again, and now he's standing here offering to Bond himself to me. He is only doing it because I will die otherwise, but still, he knows that there are other people in the waiting room who could do it instead.
"Draco, absolutely not!" Lucius Malfoy protests coldly, his voice sending a Dementor-like chill throughout the entire room. The Healers both tense visibly. Narcissa is growing noticeably uncomfortable, shifting back and forth on her feet, refusing to look at anyone. However, Draco turns to look directly at his father.
"He will die without this Bond," Draco states matter-of-factly.
"That is not of our concern. There are plenty of other people who would be willing to proceed with such a drastic method if necessary."
"But I'm here now and I am offering to do this."
"Draco, I forbid you to Bond with this person."
Draco takes a step away from his father, his shoulders tense. "You forbid me!? I'm an adult now and I can do as I please. The Healer said that a Bond requires the consent of Potter and myself. Nothing was said about needing your consent!"
"You're being irrational! Malfoys don't –"
"I'm so tired of hearing that! Malfoys don't do this. Malfoys don't do that! I'm doing this!"
Lucius stands there in stunned silence, outraged by his son's disobedience. Safely assuming that this is the first time Draco has ever disobeyed him, I feel the need to step in.
"Draco, you don't have to do this," I tell him. "I don't want to cause this, it's okay, I –"
"No! It's not okay!" Draco shouts. "Potter, I am tired of this. I'm not going to let him tell me that I cannot do what I can to save you! I'm not going to let you Bond with anyone else! And I'm not going to apologize for loving you!"
The room freezes in a deafening silence at his last words. Draco's eyes widen significantly as he realizes what he has just admitted to me and the rest of the room. Lucius gives his son a disgusted glance before storming out of the room. Narcissa, however, remains rooted to her spot. Draco ignores his father's disappearance and sits back down on the bed next to me. He takes my hand in his once more and looks at me.
"I never should have pushed you away," he says softly. "You are the best thing to ever happen to me. I can't bear the thought of losing you or of you being Bonded to anyone other than me. I'm sorry that I didn't fight for you before, but I'm fighting for you now. I want to do this for you."
I take a deep breath, about to say something when he leans forward and places a gentle kiss on my lips. As he pulls away, he takes a deep breath of his own before speaking again.
"Harry Potter – will you marry me?"
My heart stops. Everyone else in the room completely disappears. Despite knowing that his proposal is simply a request for a Bond with only a purpose of saving my life, it still tugs at my heart. The entire room is holding their breath in suspense, awaiting my answer.
Without meaning to, a laugh escapes my throat. "Yes, Draco."
The Healer nearest me pulls out their wand and points it at our joined hands. "Alright, then. Are you two both sure that you want to go through with this?"
We both nod slowly.
"Very well." A golden light erupts from the tip of the Healer's wand, wrapping itself around our hands and forearms. "Sempiternus Vincio."
Golden spirals tighten around us, spreading a soothing warmth up my arm. Looking closer, I notice that the spirals are taking shape. The golden outline of the head of a stag glows on Draco's forearm and an equally golden outline of a wolf's head glows on my own. The images seem to burn into our skin before fading into a faint white that is barely noticeable. The golden light ceases and the Healer lowers the wand.
"Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, the two of you are now Bonded," the Healer states simply.
"Does this mean he's going to be alright?" Narcissa asks, surprising me with the genuine concern displayed in her tone.
"He will need to stay near Draco temporarily until he regains his strength," the Healer explains to the rest of the room. "I suggest he also get plenty of rest. After about a week or two I would prefer him to come back in so that we can check up on him and make sure that the recovery went well."
"Will they have to stay with each other at all times?"
"Only until Harry gets his strength back. He will need Draco around so that he can feed off of his energy. Once he has recovered, they can go about their lives as they normally would. As you are well aware, the Bond will not force them to need to be with each other. As a matter of fact, once Harry is healed, they may request an Unbonding Ceremony if they wish."
"We will leave you alone and get your discharge papers, Harry," the other Healer finally speaking up. "We will be right back and then you'll be free to leave."
"Yes, but remember that you need to take it easy for the next week or so," the first Healer reminds me.
"I will, don't worry," I say encouragingly, suddenly feeling slightly better. I'm still exhausted and a little bit sore, but definitely better. The Healers both vacate the room, leaving me with my new – Draco.
"How are you feeling, Harry?" Narcissa asks gently, putting a hand to my forehead.
"Alright, I guess," I reply. "I really just want to get out of here."
"Well, let's go in the waiting room until the Healer brings us your papers and you can assure your friends that you are alright. Ms. Granger is quite concerned."
"Concerned?" Draco repeats. "That's an understatement! She's a complete and utter basket case out there."
"What!?" I exclaim. "Oh, no. I have to get out there. I have to see her."
"Whoa, slow down, Potter!" Draco grabs my arm to steady me as I attempt to rush out of the bed. My legs feel a bit weak, but painless nonetheless. Leaning against Draco as he holds onto me, we make our way out into the waiting room to see my friends. Hermione is curled up in George's arms, crying. My heart constricts painfully. Ginny is the first to notice me and does not hesitate to alert the rest of them to my presence.
"Harry!" Ginny cheers loudly, her voice practically echoing throughout the waiting room. They all stand back patiently and allow Hermione to be the first one to approach me.
Hermione bursts from her seat and flies across the room, making it to my side with her arms around me in record time. She holds me closely, still trembling slightly with her tears. "Harry! Oh, Harry! It was so awful! It all happened so fast! I was so worried! The Healers wouldn't tell me anything! What happened!? What did they say!? Are you alright!?"
"I-I'm fine, Hermione," I assure her. She is hugging me so tightly it's almost difficult to breathe. The feeling gives me a strange flashback and a thought occurs to me. "What happened to Astoria? Is she alright? Have you seen her?"
At the mention of her name, I can feel a small spike of pain, but it feels somehow foreign. Draco? Oh, Merlin, I can feel Draco's emotions. Does this mean he can feel mine as well? What do my emotions feel like to him? It appears that there is going to be a lot to get used to with this Bond. How unusual to think about the fact that I'm married – I'm married – to Draco Malfoy no less. The idea should horrify me, but the complete opposite seems to be true. As my mind forms the words, a small smile threatens to break across my face.
"Astoria was discharged about twenty minutes ago," Hermione tells me. "She suffered a few injuries, but they healed her without a problem. I don't understand why she was healed and sent home so quickly and you were in there for so long."
"Because Astoria wasn't hit with a curse," I say reluctantly.
"You were hit with a curse!? That can't be! I thought that the building just collapsed!"
"I felt the spell hit me just before the building fell down. The Healer said that the curse drained my magic and I wasn't strong enough to recover fully on my own. That's why I was in there for so long."
The rest of my friends are staring on curiously, listening to every word. Gesturing toward the chairs, Draco and Hermione guide me to them so that I can sit down. Hermione sits next to me and holds my hand as I lean against Draco. Blaise and Narcissa stand off to the side, watching curiously. George, Ginny, Luna, Neville, and Parvati are all sitting around me, waiting for me to explain what happened. There is no doubt that Draco can feel my anxiety at this moment. How are my friends going to react to this news? How do I tell them that I'm married to Draco Malfoy?
"If you've been drained of your magic, why are they letting you go home?" Parvati asks me, clearly understanding the severity of being drained of one's magic.
"Um, well, because they found a way for me to feed off of someone else's magic," my voice is quiet and nervous sounding as it reaches my own ears. "T-they said that if I was, er, Bonded to someone I could use their magic for energy until I regain my strength. And, well, Draco was, and so we, and then, um, well –"
"Potter and I are Bonded," Draco finishes for me, pitying my flustered state.
There is an unsettling silence that overtakes the group surrounding me. George and Hermione look relatively casual as they process the information. Neville looks genuinely confused. Ginny looks scandalized, which I cannot help but find amusing. Parvati is simply staring with her mouth wide open. Luna, however, looks sincerely pleased by this news. Leave it to Luna to always be supportive of whatever makes someone happy, no matter what other people think. Part of me wants to hug her for the smile on her face. However, Blaise dispels this thought as his voice catches my attention.
"Wha –? How did y –? Why would he –? But I thought you –" Blaise stutters.
"Assuming he'll never be able to finish any of these sentences, why don't I give it a shot," says Hermione evenly. "What do you mean the two of you are Bonded?"
"I thought it was a fairly simple concept to grasp," Draco retorts coolly. "However, I suppose you can't be expected to be the brightest every second of the day. That would be far too much pressure."
Hermione sighs in frustration. "I know what a Bonding is, Draco. If a Bonding was the only possible method of helping you, Harry, why did they Bond you to Draco?"
"Because Draco offered to do it," I answer as if it were obvious.
Before there can be any comments from anyone else, the Healer returns with my discharge papers, handing them to Narcissa. "There you are, Harry, you're free to go. I will leave these forms with your Mother-In-Law. And I expect to see you for a check-up in two weeks. Try to stay out of trouble until then, please."
"I'll try my best," I humor her. Although, looking back at my life, staying out of trouble has not been my strong point. My stomach is in knots at the mention of Narcissa being my Mother-In-Law. Mother-In-Law. Draco is my husband and Narcissa is my Mother-In-Law. I have a family. In only a matter of hours, my life is drastically different from what it has previously been, drastically different from what I ever thought it could be.
After long goodbyes with each of my friends and assurance that I'm alright and will see them soon, we finally leave the hospital. Draco and Narcissa take me to a quaint shop in Muggle London and up to the apartment upstairs. The apartment is surprisingly large on the inside and decorated in modern-style furniture. There is a lot of black, white, and silver all throughout, with each room having its own specific color splashed about it. The bathroom is splashed with a calming blue – the towels, the shower curtain, and the rug. The kitchen is splashed with a dark, yet vibrant red. The main room is splashed with a combination of orange and yellow throw pillows and vases. Narcissa's bedroom has a lovely deep purple. Draco's room, however, has no specific coloring – simple black, white, and silver.
The decorations are all very tasteful, with a unique style and display as if it is a photograph out of a home furnishing catalog. It is quite clear that this style is all Narcissa, since I do not recall seeing anything like this in my brief visit to Malfoy Manor. Narcissa shows me around the apartment, her arms wrapped around my shoulders. Draco grabs a green apple from a bowl on the kitchen counter and observes us as we walk around.
"Well, this is it," Narcissa finally states. "Welcome home, Harry."
"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," I thank her politely.
"Harry, seeing as you are technically my son-in-law now, if you wish you could call me Mum. Or Narcissa at the very least. Either one is fine. It's up to you, really."
Shocked by her acceptance of me as part of her family, I look over to Draco for some sort of reassurance. He is leaning casually against the kitchen counter, tossing the apple up in the air and then catching it over and over again, his familiar smirk displayed on his face. However, now that we are Bonded, I can be sure that his emotion does not match the expression on his face. He is equally as surprised at his mother's words, but it is the overwhelming feeling of hope underlying his surprise that makes me smile.
Turning back to Narcissa, I address her nervously, "Um, I-I'll get back to you on that."
"Don't feel any pressure, Harry," she insists. "Call me Narcissa until you feel comfortable with anything else. Now, off to bed, both of you. The Healer told you to rest, remember? And Draco, you better take care of him! He is your responsibility now."
"In sickness and in health, is it, then, Mum?" Draco mocks her playfully.
"Too right, you are," she agrees, smiling at her son. "In magical terms, a Bond only requires that you can feed off your each other's magic, feel each other's emotions, and experience each other's physical pain or pleasure. However, that does not mean that you should take this Bond lightly. It is a very large commitment to make and, especially when your Bond partner is unwell, it is vital that you take this seriously."
"Mum, relax, we're taking this seriously. I'm not going to let anything happen to him. However, as his mother-in-law, you should be doing your part to take care of him as well."
"Oh, really? Is that so?" She raises her eyebrows at him, an amused smirk on her face.
"Yes, it is, indeed. So, that being the case, we shall be expecting a magnificent breakfast when we wake up tomorrow morning. Night, Mother."
Draco flashes her a smile, tossing the apple to her, and takes my hand as he drags me back into his, our, bedroom. He stands there for a moment, looking from me to the bed and back again. Pulling off the uncomfortable clothes that the hospital gave me and tossing them on a nearby chair, I climb into the bed without waiting for him to say anything. He watches me, seeming somewhat astonished. I pull the blanket up to my chin, rolling over onto my side and making myself comfortable.
"Goodnight, Draco."