Title: Chained to Fate
Author: C.K. Blake
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Slash.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The song "Iris" belongs to Live.
Summary: With all of the anger, rage, pain, and frustration he'd known he let that fist fly. It met with his archrival's face. He then unfurled his fist, shaking out his hand, amazed by the painful aching in his knuckles and how good exacting physical violence could feel. HP/DM.
Author's notes: This was actually written ages ago. I recently was flipping through an old notebook from high school and well, after a bit of polishing up and a nod of approval from Lissa here it is!

-Cassie

"Chained to Fate"

By C.K. Blake

"I liked the way my hand looked on your head,
In the presence of my knuckles.
But the beauty of this vision alone,
Just like yesterday's sunset,
Has been perverted by the sentimental,
And mistaken for love.

The Felix of your truth will always break it,
And the iris of your eye will always shake it.
And the armies, the armies I have created,
Will always hate it,
Will always bait you on.

I liked the way my hand looked on your head,
In the presence of my struggle,
But the beauty of this vision alone
I can't shake from my tree just yet.
It keeps invading all of my private moments.
Listen to me now."

--"Iris" Live

His hand shook as he drew back his arm, muscles rippled into a more solid, powerful form as that same hand clenched into a fist. With all of the anger, rage, pain, and frustration he'd known he let that fist fly. It met with his archrival's face. He then unfurled his fist, shaking out his hand, amazed by the painful aching in his knuckles and how good exacting physical violence could feel.

Still he failed to anticipate his rival's retaliation until it was too late. His rival charged him, head butting him in the stomach. A groan escaped his parted lips as he tried to recapture his breath. A fist reared into his vision, but he was too preoccupied with trying to breathe to stop it. And when that fist made contact, he found himself falling into the welcoming darkness of unconsciousness.

----------

"Harry! You've killed him!" Ron said in awe once Malfoy had hit the floor.

Hermione knelt by the prone form of the pale platinum haired boy. She sighed and gave the shocked redhead a condescending look. "Ron, don't be ridiculous! Harry only knocked him out. Now I think we should get him to the hospital wing."

She indicated the crowd beginning to form. She took her wand from the inside of her sleeve and with a swish and flick said, "Mobili Corpus."

While Hermione managed to get Malfoy to the hospital wing, Harry and Ron followed, with Ron vocalizing on Malfoy's being alive as a huge disappointment. By the time they reached the door to Madam Pomfrey's domain, Harry'd had enough. Before Hermione could knock on the door Harry turned to Ron.

"Shut up already! I didn't want to fight him! You were the one to start this, not me. Bloody hell Ron, just leave off him," Harry snapped, and managed to catch Malfoy as Hermione, distracted by Harry's outburst, lost concentration and her spell on Malfoy began to falter.

By this time Madam Pomfrey had heard the noise at her door. Her eyes widened as she saw who was at her door. There was Harry Potter with his arms under Draco Malfoy's armpits, his hands locked around the unconscious boy's chest. She clucked in disapproval as she took stock of their appearance. Both Potter and Malfoy had the beginnings of nasty black eyes.

The mediwitch ushered in Potter and he dragged the unconscious Slytherin along. Madam Pomfrey offered to use magic to get Malfoy to a bed, but oddly Harry ignored her and hefted the boy onto a bed and then hopped on the bed next to the one containing the unconscious Slytherin. The mediwitch sent Ron and Hermione on their way and then turned to Harry demanding an explanation.

"Well, Mr. Potter, what was it this time, and what sort of hex was used that would result in Mr. Malfoy being unconscious and the both of you having black eyes?" she asked briskly, narrowing her eyes on the young man before her, shaking her head as she realized that the boy was squinting and his customary glasses were missing.

The boy flushed a deep red as he responded to the woman's question. "Um… You see, Ron… Ron said something about Malfoy's father and then he went crazy and I stepped between him and Ron and he punched me, and then I went crazy and I think I might have head butted him…"

"Head butted him, Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked, just to clarify the situation. "And pray tell how did he end up unconscious if you only head butted him?"

Harry looked toward the floor, but before he could answer a cool aristocratic voice spoke from the bed next to his. "He's got a rather thick head. Couldn't you tell?"

Madam Pomfrey's eyes rolled skyward as Harry's head snapped up and he looked at the previously unconscious Slytherin sitting up in the bed next to his and gingerly touching the tender flesh around his swelling left eye with a grimace.

"Aw, bloody hell, did you have to hit me in the face before my date? Stupid sod!" Draco snapped, and was preparing to launch off the bed with the intentions of strangling Potter, but the presence of Madam Pomfrey kept him from acting upon such impulses.

The mediwitch shook her head at the pair of them and sighing said, "Right, well as the both of you aren't too terribly hurt and are conscious enough to feel shame for your behavior and to continue with your previous disagreements I suggest you see the headmaster and only come back here after your next attempts to kill each other."

Draco's eyes widened at his missed opportunity to be kept from class and began to protest about the ache in his stomach and the horror that had been done to his face. Madam Pomfrey lifted a brow at the boy and said, "I'll not heal that black eye. Next time you'll know better than to throw punches like a bunch of hooligans, and your stomach will be fine in a bit. Now out this instant!"

Draco hopped down from the bed and both boys scrambled out the door, as Madame Pomfrey appeared to be in quite a bit of temper. Once out in the corridor the two exchanged glances, Harry's eyes full of shame and Draco's narrowed with anger. Both boys let out long sighs at the thought of having to see the headmaster and then Draco winced as he fingered his prefect badge, knowing without a doubt that he would be losing that bit of privilege and authority after what happened, especially since Potter was Dumbledore's pet student.

Harry noticed Draco fingering the badge, and with a slight shake of his head wondered what he was doing as he opened his mouth and words just came tumbling out.

"I can tell him that I threw the first punch. Maybe you won't get in so much trouble if I took the blame for it. And I'm sorry about your face. Didn't know you had a date."

"And would it have made a difference if you had, Potter? And why would you want to take the bloody blame? I threw the first punch, and it felt good too," Draco snapped.

Harry rolled his eyes and looked at his rival. "Ron shouldn't have said those things about your father."

"Oh and is this a bit of pity from the orphaned Boy Who Lived? I don't want your pity!" Draco snarled.

Anger sparked and flared deep within Harry and he shoved Draco Malfoy against the wall, his arm across his throat, pressing against it enough to make the fair haired boy nervous. Green eyes locked with grey and the anger flared and burned into something for which Harry knew no outlet, and within a moment the dark haired boy struck, his lips crashing down on the blonde's mouth, the arm on the fair haired boy's throat moving until Harry's hand was at the back of the boy's head and his tongue was coaxing the blonde's mouth into opening.

Still instead of opening his mouth, the blonde shoved the dark haired boy back, his eyes wide, as he brought a hand across his bruised and chapped mouth and looked at the dark haired boy across from him, who was breathing heavily, with his green eyes dark and burning, and he was trembling.

Draco would have taken a step back had he not already been against the wall. Instead he took a step forward and looked at the panting, dark haired boy before him, and shaking his head, trying to make sense of whatever the hell had just happened, snapped, "What the bloody fuck, Potter!"

Harry took a trembling step back, one after another, and when his back reached the wall he turned so that his rival couldn't see his expression, couldn't see the fear of ridicule and rejection on his face. The blonde, recognizing that he had the upper hand, approached the dark haired boy, and when he lifted his right hand to prod Potter into answering him, he noticed that his hand was trembling, that his whole body was shaking, but it wasn't anger alone that made him so tense and shaky.

He struggled to move his hand to touch the dark haired boy, and when his grey eyes took in the silky look of Potter's hair, he wanted to know if it was as soft as it looked, and rather than grab the dark haired boy by the shoulder and spin him around, he ran his fingers through the boy's hair, so soft and dark, and leaning forward he smelled the scent of lavender and patchouli in the boy's hair.

The dark haired boy stiffened beneath the blonde's touch and slowly turned around when the blonde withdrew. Green eyes locked with grey, and something sparked in the space between the two boys. Taking a deep breath the dark haired boy spoke with a slightly trembling breath, "I've watched you for a long time now, Malfoy, and I don't know when my watching turned to want, but I've wanted you for awhile. Out of everyone I've failed to help or save or be there for, there is one person that always seemed out of reach. Even now you're out of reach, and you're going to tell everyone that I'm a bloody ponce. The whole school will know by dinner tonight. Aren't you proud to know you can finally knock me down a peg or two and not even have to lie? Finally the truth will put me in my place good and proper. Isn't that right, Malfoy?"

Draco felt something strange twist in his gut, but he was careful to hide this from the boy standing before him, as he assumed the role of arrogance that he was known for and sneered.

"And why would I tell anyone about this, when keeping this little incident silent holds more power over you, Potter? Imagine how you'll suffer wondering when I'll expose you, the things I could get you to do to keep your secret. Why would I give up that power?" the blonde hissed with a smirk and a spark in his grey eyes.

"You're going to blackmail me?" Harry said.

Draco looked at the boy and knowledge sparked in his eyes as he looked at Harry Potter. "They don't know. The mudblood and the weasel don't know that you're a ponce. Well, well, I have more power over you than I thought. You're mine now, Potter, I own you body and soul, because with a word from me I could tear your world apart. You're too noble to deny the truth."

"Where would your power be if I told them?" Harry challenged.

Draco snorted. "You would tell Weasley? There's a laugh. They wouldn't understand, especially if they know that you have a thing for me of all people. Would you deny that too?" Draco asked, and with a chuckle he continued, "Now Potter, rather than go to the headmaster to be reprimanded and punished for our earlier brawl, why not go to a nice secluded spot to discuss the current terms of your present situation, oh and the terms are always open for change. Don't worry, I promise it won't be anything as drastic as making you take the Dark Mark. In fact I highly doubt you would survive long enough to even ask the Dark Lord for it, and if you were dead then I would lose the power I have over you. Now where would the fun in that be?"

----------

He was five minutes late to dinner and waiting outside of the Great Hall as per Malfoy's instructions. He was to wait on Malfoy, where he would be told what the next condition of his situation would be for Malfoy's discretion. Draco sauntered down the corridor and clapped his arm across Harry's shoulder in a companionable gesture.

"Good, here on time. Sorry I was a bit late, just putting the finishing touches on my hair and thought I'd dress up for the occasion," the blond said, and Harry noticed that the blond was not in his school robes, nor was he in the customary white oxford shirt or Slytherin tie. Harry felt his mouth go dry as he took in Draco's appearance in a black poets shirt, black trousers and black dragon hide boots. The black brought out the blonde's fair complexion and the boy almost appeared to have an ethereal glow about him. He was stunning to say the least, even with his eye still bruised, and his arm was across Harry's shoulders like they were old friends.

"What is this, Malfoy?" Harry asked warily.

Draco smiled, a genuine smile, and this shook Harry to the bone as he tried to shrug Malfoy's arm off.

"It's Draco. You do remember our terms, now don't you, Harry? Now why not announce our truce and friendship publicly. You will join me for dinner at the Slytherin table. Now, now, no one would dare to do anything to you, while you are there with me. They know better. You have nothing to worry about. Glad to see you left your robes in your dorm, but really, that tie at the Slytherin table," Draco said with a tsk, before he removed his arm and tugged Harry's Gryffindor tie free and stuffed it in the dark haired boy's pocket, which made Harry squirm.

With a moment's thought Draco ruffled Harry's hair, making it wilder than usual, and continued, "There much better. Oh and after dinner you'll be joining me on the grounds near the lake. We have quite a bit more to discuss about our arrangements."

"What about your date?" Harry asked.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Why would I pass up an opportunity to annoy and control you over some fifth year Ravenclaw?"

With that said, Draco clapped his arm over Harry's shoulders again, and with a genuine laugh, which Harry suspected was directed at his current situation, the blonde threw open the doors of Great Hall. Taking a deep breath, Harry laughed at the insanity of the current turn of his life and silence fell over Great Hall as he allowed Malfoy to lead him to the Slytherin table. Harry couldn't help but glance at the Gryffindor table, noticing the gob smacked looks of his friends and housemates, and in particular how green Ron looked, and how dumbfounded Hermione looked. Still it was better to be thought mad, than to have them know the truth.

----------

Ron glanced at the double doors of the Great Hall and then turned to Hermione as he sighed and said, "Well, where the bloody hell is he? Harry is never late to dinner. I haven't seen him since we left him at the infirmary with Malfoy. Do you think something happened to him? I swear if Malfoy has done anything to him…"

Hermione rolled her eyes and glared at the redhead as she snapped, "What, Ron? You're going to do what? You are the reason that Malfoy hit Harry in the first place. I don't like Malfoy anymore than you do, but bringing up his father was a low blow. Besides Harry is entitled to miss a meal or be late on occasion. If he doesn't show up at dinner he'll eat in the kitchens later."

"Well have you noticed the ferret isn't here either? Bet he's done something to Harry."

"Will you leave off on him, already? They are probably still in the hospital wing. Harry did hit Malfoy pretty hard. He could still be unconscious, and you know how Harry is about guilt…" Hermione trailed off as the doors of Great Hall were thrown open and Malfoy, dressed up in black, entered laughing, with his arm across Harry's shoulders like they were old pals. Her eyes widened and she glanced at Ron and saw his mouth fall open as Harry let Malfoy lead him over to the Slytherin table.

Once Harry sat down next to Malfoy at the end of the Slytherin table, Ron leaned over and hissed in Hermione's ear, "Told you he did something to Harry!"

Ron was about to get up when Hermione put a firm hand on his shoulder and said, "Ron, don't you dare. You'll only make things worse. Maybe this is part of their punishment."

Ron rolled his blue eyes. "Punishment? Were they laughing or was that my bloody imagination!"

Hermione shook her head, but couldn't think of anything to say in retaliation, as Ron was right for once. Harry and Malfoy had been laughing when they walked into Great Hall. Still something didn't seem right. Why had Harry snubbed his best friends and Gryffindor to sit with Malfoy if it wasn't a punishment? Hermione glanced up at the staff table and noticed the incredulous look of Professor McGonagall, and the suspicious glare of Professor Snape, and then with suspicion of her own noticed the twinkle in the headmaster's blue eyes. Something was going on, she knew that much without a doubt.

----------

The two ate in silence, and finished their meals before dinner was over in the Great Hall, and after they'd finished eating, Draco gave Harry a nudge and glanced toward the doors. Harry sighed and looking toward his friends he gave a nod to Draco and stood up. The blond stood a moment later and the two of them headed toward the doors. Draco smirking as he felt the eyes of the mudblood and the weasel on the pair of them.

Once out in the corridor, Draco laughed and shook his head as he looked at Harry. "Oh the looks on all of their faces were priceless. Severus looked positively scandalized, and McGonagall, the woman was on the verge of heart failure. Oh and the Weasel, I didn't know that shade of red on his face even existed!"

Harry glared at the blond and snapped, "Had your fun now? Why are we going out on the grounds? What more could we possibly have to discuss tonight? Can't it wait till morning?"

"No," Draco replied as he sobered up. "I want you all to myself to leave those innocent little Gryffindor brains tormented until your return."

Harry squashed down his temper though he was tempted once again to punch that horrible smirk off of Malfoy's face as Malfoy headed toward the door of the castle and out on the grounds. Harry followed, feeling as though his choices had been stripped from him, and he was chained to fate in a way that truly frightened him, because now his fate wasn't just in the hands of a prophecy, it was now in the hands of a Malfoy.

Malfoy pulled back the hanging branches of a weeping willow and stepped into the privacy that it provided, and holding the branches opened like a curtain he beckoned Harry to join him. The Gryffindor took a deep breath and stepped through the curtained branches where he was alone, and cut off beneath a weeping willow, with Draco Malfoy.

Draco took a seat at the base of the tree, his back resting against the trunk, as he looked at the lightly rippling water of the lake, some of the willow's branches touching the lake's surface. He patted a spot to the left of him, and with a sigh and a roll of his eyes Harry sat down next to him.

After a few minutes Draco broke the silence. "Nice spot isn't it? I come out here a lot to think."

Stunned Harry turned to the blond, not sure of the boy's expression as the shadow's played across the boy's fair skin. Harry shrugged, and Draco turned to look at the dark haired boy, his hand lifted and his fingertips tracing Harry's face, before he took Harry's glasses and pocketed them.

Harry let out a hiss as he snapped, "Malfoy, that isn't funny. I'm practically blind without my glasses."

"I'll give them back on one condition," Draco replied.

Harry sighed. "What else do you want? You have me where you want me."

"Not quite," Draco whispered, and then he pounced on Harry, his mouth assaulting the dark haired boy's lips until Harry was responding. When Draco pulled back his eyes were blazing mercury and both boys were breathing heavily.

Harry looked at the blond in surprise and asked huskily, "What the bloody hell Malfoy?"

Draco smirked. "You gave me the power to possess you today, Potter. You can have your glasses back and limited freedom on the condition that you swear yourself to me completely. I want you to swear to be mine and only mine."

The dark haired boy was stunned as he looked into those hungry glowing grey eyes. "You want me to swear to be yours, like a relationship?"

"Is it so hard to believe? We deserve each other. You want me like I want you. Would it really be so bad? I'm not talking about love, just a mutual exclusive understanding of ownership. You are mine."

Harry considered Malfoy's terms and then shook his head. "No."

"What?" Malfoy hissed.

"No. I won't agree to that. I have a condition of my own. If I swear to be yours exclusively then I want the same oath from you. That you are mine exclusively. We'll be evenly matched in whatever sort of relationship we have. I don't expect love, but I want to have an equal amount of power over you that you would have over me," Harry replied and then he snatched up the left sleeve of Draco's black shirt and let out a sigh of relief seeing the unmarked flesh of the boy's arm.

Draco tried to jerk his arm back, as a blush rose to his cheeks. Then he took control of the situation again as he ran his fingers down Harry's face and traced the lightening bolt scar on his forehead before he gave his answer.

"Done, Potter. You'll be mine and I'll be yours, and there will be no one else. However, we take the oath, the vow, tonight, and I want it announced in the morning. That will halt all negotiations of marriage to Parkinson, and I'll have what I've wanted for the past seven years. I'll have you."

"So this is to break off an engagement?" Harry snapped.

"Not entirely. Now give me your left hand," Draco said, and took a black handled, double-edged knife from his boot.

Harry's eyes widened as the blade reflected the moonlight reflected on the surface of the lake, but he gave Draco his hand. Draco cut across Harry's heart line, and then handed Harry the knife and his left hand, and Harry cut along his heart line.

Draco took Harry's bloody left hand with his own and said, "On this night, in witness of Moon, Willow, and Lake, I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, swear my body, mind and soul to Harry Potter. Let me not stray from this vow or may Fire burn me, Air smother me, Earth swallow me, and Water cover my grave. By witness of Moon, Willow, and Lake, my vow spoken, I belong to Harry Potter, as companion, friend, and lover."

Taking a deep breath, Harry's green eyes locked with Draco's grey and he spoke, "On this night, in witness of Moon, Willow, and Lake, I, Harry James Potter, swear my body, mind and soul to Draco Malfoy. Let me not stray from this vow or may Fire burn me, Air smother me, Earth swallow me, and Water cover my grave. By witness of Moon, Willow, and Lake, my vow spoken, I belong to Draco Malfoy, as companion, friend, and lover."

With the words spoken, and the combined drops of their blood falling to the earth at the roots of the weeping willow, the boys felt something form between them, something that drew them closer together than any feelings of desire they may have felt for each other, something that was now unbreakable and unavoidable.

The dark haired boy looked toward the ground and whispered, "We weren't friends before…why was that part of the vow?"

The blond brought his hands to the dark haired boy's face, his hands shaking as he held Harry's face between them and replied, "Because you shook my way of thinking the moment I met you, and I wanted to be your friend so badly, and now I am."

The blond boy then leaned toward Harry until their lips met in the softest caress, and he opened his mouth as the dark haired boy sought to deepen the kiss. Within moments clothing was being removed as the boys discovered the most intimate of secrets about the other and consummated the vows they'd made.

----------

With a groan the blond stretched and found that his movement was limited by a body wrapped around him. Carefully he maneuvered so that he could see whom he was with and a genuine smile lit across his face as he looked down at Harry Potter's messy dark head cuddling against his chest. It didn't take long for him to realize that they were both naked and lying on the ground, concealed by the weeping willow, and it was daylight, morning to be exact.

Draco chuckled as he shook Harry, and Harry grumbled until he became conscious enough to realize that he was sleeping with someone and they were both completely naked. Harry fumbled around for his glasses, and Draco spotting them first, grabbed them and handed them to the dark haired boy. Harry put them on and his green eyes widened as he looked at the blond boy and dropped his face into his hands, wondering just what in the hell he'd been thinking to wind up naked and sleeping with Draco Malfoy under a weeping willow by the lake on the grounds of Hogwarts.

The blond had already started to dress and tossed Harry his clothes, and Harry following his example quickly dressed and then he looked at his left hand. He traced over his heart line and turning his hand over he noticed a strange mark, like a light brown birthmark on the top of his hand in the shape of a weeping willow by a lake bathed in the light of a crescent moon.

"Bloody hell!" he bit out and then he looked over at Draco and snatched the blonde's left hand and looked at it, noticing the same mark on the top of the blonde's hand. He looked up and noticed that the blond was smiling at him.

"You're mine Harry. Looking in your eyes shakes me to the core, and I don't expect my family to understand, or your friends to understand or accept me, but you're mine Harry, and when I look into your eyes nothing else matters, and I'm yours. I never could shake you, and now I belong to you."

Harry shook his head and with a mischievous grin he tied his Gryffindor necktie around the Slytherin's neck and replied, "Well, if we're to let the world know you're going to wear something tied to Gryffindor."

"Fine," Draco said sulkily as he glanced at the untidy knot of the tie about his bare neck, and tried to smooth the wrinkles of his black shirt, and then sighing said, "Well, after last night I'm a bit peckish, how about some breakfast?"

"As long as we eat at the Gryffindor table," Harry answered.

Draco coughed. "Are you mad Potter? They'd flay me alive once they knew I stole your virtue!"

"And what makes you think I was virtuous?" Harry challenged.

Draco snorted. "Aside from the fact that you're a hopeless Gryffindor?"

"Take that back!" Harry snapped, and took off after Draco as the blond raced back to the castle, threw open the doors to Great Hall, and burst into the dining hall in the middle of breakfast.

A few moments later Harry Potter followed and tackled him to the floor. Draco landed on his back, and within moments the two boys were surrounded by outraged Gryffindors and Slytherins and curious Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws and then Snape and McGonagall were making their way through the crowd to get to the two and break up whatever fight was going on.

"Knock him flat!" Ron Weasley shouted, while Hermione cried out, "Harry leave off him!"

Finally Snape and McGonagall made it through the students and Harry had his hands wrapped in Draco's shirt, and everyone knew that he was either going to shake the blond or let go with one hand and sock him in the jaw. Instead Harry surprised everyone by jerking the blond forward, kissing him frantically.

Severus Snape grabbed his chest in shock and McGonagall's jaw dropped. Hermione's eyes widened, Ron promptly fainted (as did Pansy Parkinson), and when the two came up for air they laughed and looked around the room, by which time Snape had regained his composure and snarled, "Will someone tell me what in the bloody HELL is going on!"

Draco looked up at his head of house and lifted his left hand so Snape could see the top of it and then he grabbed Harry's left hand and held it up for Snape's inspection. Snape went rigid and a vein throbbed in his forehead as he bellowed, "BLOODY HELL, and BY TARTARUS' FOUL GATES, DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY! THAT'S AS GOOD AS A BLOODY MARRIAGE!"

By that time, Ron had come around only to faint again at the fact that Snape was shouting about a marriage between Harry and Malfoy.

Harry turned crimson and looked at Draco with wide eyes as the blonde smirked and replied, "I know, that's why we took our vows last night by blood beneath the moon. Guess that means any marriage negotiations for me have been nullified as I've vowed myself to Harry, and he's given himself to me. Now what are the rules concerning housing for married students?"

McGonagall by that time was looking from Harry to Malfoy and was about ready to speak when everyone was interrupted by the headmaster as he stepped through an opening in the crowd of students and said, "Ah, what a joy to see rival houses come together, and in such a public display. I'm sure a set of rooms could be prepared, the only choice left to be made is whether those rooms will be in the dungeons or in Gryffindor tower."

End.

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Author's Notes: Please be a good reader and review!

-Cassie