Title: Semper Fidelis

Summary: Harry and Draco discover that the war was just the beginning – and that Voldemort left more than just scars to deal with. Magical creature Draco. Set immediately after the war, HPDM slash.

Chapter 1 – New Year, New Secrets

"Please, Draco," said his mother. "Come and eat."

Draco stared blankly ahead, not moving a muscle. They had just crossed into the New Year, but he could not escape the past. Memories and thoughts – of what if – wouldn't leave him, no matter how hard he tried to condition his mind to think of something – anything – else.

"We had to do what we did," she said quietly. "I know you blame us for many things, but we only did what we thought was best for you." She paused. "For us," she added.

Draco looked straight ahead, refusing to turn to her.

"Come, Draco," she pleaded. "You haven't eaten in two days, and I know what happens when you try to sleep…you can't stop screaming in your nightmares. You must be so tired. We all are." She reached out, but Draco filched.

"He needs to know," Lucius spoke up.

Draco raised an eyebrow – it was the first time his father had spoken directly to anyone other than the House Elves since their return to the Manor.

"He needs to eat," Narcissus hissed.

Lucius slowly rose from his chair. "He needs to know," he said, louder. He stared at his wife defiantly.

Narcissus glared at her husband, squaring her shoulders – it was what she instinctively did when she was gearing up for a fight.

"The longer we wait, the worse it becomes," Lucius continued ominously. "For him," he added, his voice deepening with anger.

Draco frowned. It was rare for his parents to lose their cool like this in private, around each other no less. The argument had also piqued his interest – it sounded as if they were discussing him.

He cleared his throat, but neither elder Malfoy seemed to take any notice.

"For him, or for you?" his mother asked, her voice shrill with contempt. "You of anyone should know best, the consequences if word gets out!"

"Voldemort's dead and so is Albus Dumbledore," Lucius snarled. "Who will speak for him now?"

Draco cleared his throat, louder this time.

"The signs have yet to manifest! He needs to gather his strength before trying to lift the curse of a dead tyrant!" Narcissus replied angrily.

Draco's eyebrows shot up.

Lucius took a step forward, then stopped abruptly.

"The last time we tried to protect him, we failed," he said quietly, turning towards his son. "And we cannot hope to succeed this time, not without help."

His last words had their desired impact on Narcissus, who sank down into her chair. Lucius moved to sit next to her, placing his hand over hers in a comforting gesture. Draco watched with slight fascination as his parents regained their composure, as if their earlier outbursts hadn't happened just minutes ago.

"Is there something I should know?" Draco asked expectantly.

Lucius cleared his throat. "There is something…" he trailed off, turning to his wife.

"Draco," she began, "Do you remember the Dark Lord's last request of us?"

Draco frowned.

"He wanted you to prove your allegiance," she murmured.

"I remember that," he replied bitterly.

"He was unhappy," Lucius interjected. "Unhappy that you hesitated, and unhappy that you ultimately failed him."

"I remember that too," said Draco, harsher than he meant to.

"He suspected that you never would be as loyal as he expected," Narcissus said softly. "He always knew your father and I were self-serving, but with you he felt a certain sense of…disregard towards him. He never felt that you deserved the privileges we asked for; to keep you safe from Dumbledore's Army and even from others on our own side. He felt that he needed some sort of guarantee that you would do his bidding if he ever lost the war – not that he expected to lose. It was just another one of his ways of amusing himself," she paused.

Draco's frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

"She means that he cursed you," Lucius said simply.

Draco laughed dryly. "I'm cursed as it is," he muttered darkly.

Lucius shook his head. "I'm serious, Draco," he said, "The only reason we know about it was because Bellatrix couldn't keep her mouth shut for boasting that she was the one who gave him the idea."

"That bitch," Narcissus whispered.

Draco studied his parents' faces. Narcissus was livid – he'd only seen her this angry few times before, during the final moments of the war when the real battles were being fought. Lucius, on the other hand – his expression frightened Draco. He had never seen his father look so…dejected.

"What is it?" he asked, more urgently this time. "What did he do?!"

His parents exchanged a concerned look. "Maybe now isn't the best time –" Narcissus began, but Lucius silenced her.

"He was inspired by his connection with Harry…he thought to use that against you" he said quietly.

Draco stared at his father, not quite sure of what he'd just heard.

"I don't understand," he said slowly.

"He used the Semper Fidelis charm on you, Draco," his mother started to explain. "It's ancient magic, something even older than horcruxes. He meant it as a cruel joke, and nothing would have happened if not for how he used it after he had split himself into the horcruxes.

"A Semper Fidelis is traditionally a love charm, the most powerful of all. It was banned because of how destructive it could become – if one was bound to another under the charm, he or she would have no choice but to effectively bond with the other. Not just physically, but mind and soul. The only alternative is to kill the partner, but even then the charm created such strong feelings – complicated feelings, especially when either party was unwilling to accept their fate – that desperation to be free from its effects often destroyed both partners.

"When he placed the charm on you, he expected it to work in such a way that Harry Potter would always be indebted to you, in the deepest sense. He would long for you, so much that he would not be able to live without you. Eventually, the charm would destroy the both of you. At least, that was what Bellatrix had in mind.

"But when your father and I heard about it, we convinced Snape to deliver a special concoction that would prevent Harry from becoming susceptible, as long as you too drank the same potion. Your father and I have been sending it to you over the years, in Chocolate Frogs, perfume vials, pumpkin juice…we've had to be creative so nobody would suspect anything," she paused. "As long as you had a dose a year, you were safe. We gave you each at least three doses every year, just to be extra careful. Extra doses have no side effects, as far as anyone knows."

Draco stared at her, speechless.

"For a while we thought we were safe from the spell; that we had successfully managed to circumvent its effects. Snape was one of the best potion masters, and we suspect he shared the information with Dumbledore – that was how he got access to some of the rare ingredients he needed."

"But then we hadn't known about the last horcrux till only recently," she said bitterly.

"Why does the horcrux matter?" Draco asked – the information was a complete shock to him.

Lucius cleared his throat. "The horcrux added another dimension to the spell that we hadn't anticipated. It made it real," he said simply.

"I don't understand," Draco said, staring at his father.

"The reason you've felt so bitter; the reason you're so upset – it's because of the charm's effect after the last horcrux was destroyed, and because we've run out of the special concoction," his mother said.

"What happened when the last horcrux was destroyed?" Drao asked, looking frantically from one parent to the other.

Narcissus sighed.

"The last horcrux was within Harry," she began, "which he destroyed himself," she paused. "In doing so, there were few things that could keep him alive. Your connection with him was one of them. You helped keep him alive, without knowing it. The charm strengthened the unspoken bond between the both of you, and you suffer deeper consequences in trying to fight it now."

Draco stared, his eyes wide open in disbelief.

"What are you saying?" he whispered. "I don't understand."

"The depression – the bitterness, the disappointment, the fear, the pain – part of what you feel is coming from him, and part of what he feels is your pain. You share the same pool of consciousness, it's starting to intermingle. The longer you spend apart from him, the worse you will feel. Even the potion couldn't help you much now, not after the impact of destroying the horcrux," Lucius explained.

"What do I do now?!" asked Draco, just managing to stop himself from going hysterical.

"Calm down, Draco," Narcissus said, her voice strangely soothing. "There is something else we haven't shared with you."

"Your mother and I haven't told anyone else," added Lucius, "not even the Dark Lord knew."

"You have faerie ancestors," said Narcissus, almost triumphantly. "Your great-grandfather's wife was a fully-fledged faerie, and you inherited her lineage. You will come into inheritance on your next birthday, and by then you will be powerful enough."

Draco looked at her, not quite understanding what she meant. "Powerful enough for what?"

Narcissus gazed at Draco, her expression unreadable. "To kill him," she said simply. "That is your only option, Draco. To kill Harry, or to convince him to love you," she murmured.