Harry was aware of a new presence in the room as he turned around.
"Hello," the man standing by Draco said. "You must be Draco's bonded. I am his Father, Lucius."
Harry's mind was still in a daze from his phone call with Ron and Hermione. He nodded and crouched where he was.
Lucius looked at Harry in concern. "Give us a minute, Draco."
After a short argument, Draco left the room reluctantly. It was hard for Harry to take it in. As hard as he was trying to push away his doubts of ever being rescued, all the impossibilities of his plans kept popping up in his head. He was aware of Lucius walking closer and sitting down on the floor beside him. Harry looked sideways at him. He didn't look like the sort of person who would give in to his begging either.
"Is there any chance of me getting out of this?" He asked lifelessly.
"Out of the bond? No, I'm afraid not," said Lucius in a sympathetic tone. "Believe it or not, I was in your shoes once."
Harry peered sideways at Lucius in puzzlement.
"Yes, I am a bonded as well. I was bound to Narcissa when I was almost 16, the same age that you must be now. That is how it goes with all the bonded." Lucius noticed curiosity taking the place of defeat in Harry's eyes and continued. "The wicca in this family, they are called to those who will be compatible soul-bounds. It is an ancient spell put on their line. Draco no more chose you than you him, as Narcissa and I were chosen for each other. The universe pulls a wiccan and bonded together and the pull gets stronger the older that you get. There is only one bonded for each wiccan and visa versa. If something happens to one of them before they are bound, they will never be able to find the person that they are compatible with and will spend the rest of their lives empty and alone, never really finding the place they belong to or the person that they belong with."
Harry crossed his arms over his chest, not sure what to make of this. Him and Draco compatible? As if.
"I didn't know any of this either when Narcissa performed the binding ritual and I suddenly found myself under all these restraints, so I know how you're feeling. I had to leave my family behind with no explanations and go wherever Narcissa wanted and do almost anything she commanded. After my parents passed away, we came to reclaim the manor and started living here. It took me years to learn to accept the bond and see it's advantages."
"Advantages?" Scoffed Harry.
"I know," said Lucius bitterly. "It's very hard at first. You feel as if your entire being is stripped away, that all control and freedom is taken from you. But that's not it exactly."
Harry shifted his weight. As much as he was trying to shut Lucius out, the honesty in his voice crept in.
"I don't expect you to believe me, of course," said Lucius softly. "I wouldn't have believed me at that time either. I fought Narcissa every step of the way, it is only natural. It's the only way that you will find the boundaries of your bond. You will learn what you can and cannot do. But once you accept it, new things come with the bond that make it all worthwhile. One day you will understand what I'm talking about and we will discuss it then."
"What if I never stop fighting it?" Harry asked tentatively.
"Never seems like such a possible infinity to the young," Lucius said with a sigh. "But one tires of never after a while. The fight will die out eventually, as things do with time."
"I would rather die than live in confinement like this," Harry murmured.
"Harry, from one bonded to another," said Lucius, placing an arm on Harry's. "I'm begging you, don't. Taking your life is not a better alternative to living it with conditions. This is the hand that life has dealt you, and in time you will understand it. Give it some time."
"How did you know my name?" Asked Harry, tilting his head. "I don't remember telling it to you."
"Come with me," Lucius said.
They got up. Harry followed Lucius out, mostly because there was nothing else to do, but also because for whatever reason, he felt that he could trust this man. His demeanour was undeceiving and his gestures and tone were earnest and honest. What's more, he'd been through the same ordeal. They walked to the opposite room which was an actual library, even larger than the storeroom had been. Harry followed Lucius to the end of the room, aware that Draco was following but staying as far back as the bond allowed him to be.
Lucius stopped before the wall and brought Harry's attention to what was hung on it. It seemed to be made out of different pieces of dried leather stitched together, covered by gold lettering.
"These are Draco's, and Narcissa's, ancestors," Lucius explained, gesturing to what looked like a family tree. "We are not the ones who write the names. They appear after a child is born. For example, when Draco was born, his name appeared under Narcissa's and mine."
Harry looked at where Lucius was pointing. He could see gold lettering spelling out Narcissa's name and next to it was Lucius's. In the middle and further down, there was Draco's name, connected to them with a fine line.
"And at the same time that the child is born," Lucius continued. "The name of their bonded is also spelled out."
Harry bit his lower lip as Lucius moved his finger to show that the name 'Harry' was written next to Draco's.
"No last name?" He asked.
"No," said Lucius shaking his head. "The wicca are not able to know and track their bonded by full name. They are only able to correctly identify them by name if not by feeling the pull of the bond when it is time for them to meet. For instance, if a wiccan and their bonded are pulled to a crowd at the time of bonding, the wiccan is able to correctly identify who their bonded is by learning their name. This is not usually necessary as they can tell by feeling the pull between them."
Harry looked at his name etched into the old leather. He wished that he could scratch it off, to make another name appear there. Was he really to believe that he had always been destined to be bound to Draco?
"Of course, it seems easier for the wiccan because from when they are born they are taught about being bound one day, so they have a long time to get used to the idea since they even have the name of the one that will be bound to them. In contrast, the bonded are never aware of what is in store for them and always take it badly at first. In the case of bonds, it's never love at first sight; it's destiny and two souls being pulled together. Stubborn people take longer to submit to the pull but the souls recognize each other instantly."
Harry straightened and shifted his weight on his feet. He heard Draco clear his throat.
Lucius smiled gently. "We're all very stubborn in this family, and as I can see, so are you, Harry. So go ahead and take your time causing all kinds of nuisance, knowing that it is normal and that we accept and welcome it. These fights need to be hashed out before the bond can be accepted."
Harry looked back at Draco and turned again to Lucius. "Are you encouraging me to cause trouble?"
Lucius laughed. "I am more than encouraging it. Please go ahead and give him all that he can take. These wicca, they deserve it. Its the least we can do to give them a run for their money."
Harry nodded. He couldn't agree more. If Draco would always have this hold on him, then he was going to make him regret ever bonding to him.
"Now, I have to leave you and get back to Narcissa. As we age, the bond strengthens and staying this far away from her is painful."
"How are you able to be this far from her?" Harry asked, glaring at Draco.
"She gave me permission. It is infeasible for two people to always be together, there are times that we need to separate, so the bond allows it if permission is given by the wiccan. However, it is an uncomfortable experience for both sides."
"Why didn't Draco just give me permission to stay with my family, then?" Harry asked spitefully. "He knows I didn't want to come here."
"Oh, no, Harry," said Lucius sadly. "These sorts of exceptions only come by when the bond settles. Your bond won't settle until you stop fighting it. He cannot give you such permissions now. And for such a long distance… I don't think after exercising being away from Narcissa for so many years even I could bear to be that far away from her every day. You will know what I mean soon enough."
As Lucius left him and Draco in the library, Harry turned back to look at the family tree. He was aware of what Lucius meant by the discomfort of being too far from Draco. As it was, Draco was standing close to the entrance of the library while Harry stood at the wall at the far end. It was almost as long as his bedroom window had been from the end of their street so that Harry was standing at the very edge of the bond. He could feel the constant tugging and need to move away from the edge and go closer to Draco. It was making him feel nervous and he had to constantly tell himself to stay where he was and that everything was fine as it was.
"Lunch?" Draco called, coming closer towards Harry.
Harry took a deep breath as he felt the weight of being too far away melt away. He was aware of Draco seeing that in his body language and smiling. He frowned at Draco's smile. "It's your fault we're in this mess."
"At least you now acknowledge that we're in this mess together," said Draco.
"At least you got the better end of the deal," said Harry. "You get to order me around and drag me wherever you want."
"And what pleasure does that give me? You're the most stubborn person I have ever met. I will have no more peace or quiet. On top of that, I have to feel guilty for taking you away from your life."
"Well, boo hoo," said Harry. "It must be dreadful to feel guilty. You should try being dragged around and taking orders like a chained slave."
"Look, we're not getting anywhere this way. At least you hated the family you left behind. My family can be your family. You already seem to be getting along with Father. Now let's go for lunch because I am starving."
"Fine," snapped Harry, equally starved.
Draco sighed and lead the way out of the library and to the dining area. As he sat down next to Narcissa, Lucius took Harry's hand to hold him back. Harry looked at him questioningly.
"It is traditional for the bonded to take the meal for the wiccan and later himself."
"Then what are the servants for?" Asked Harry. "I thought he said that I wasn't coming here to be his maid."
"It's not being a maid," said Lucius patiently. "Since we do not go through the trouble of lovingly cooking them a meal, the least we can do is take the food to them."
"Why would it be my job to 'lovingly' cook anyone a meal?" Asked Harry, gaping.
"These feelings come with a settled bond," explained Lucius. "You will understand them later. Right now, simply do it because I am asking you to."
Harry looked at Lucius, disbelieving. On top of everything he had to pamper Draco?
"He can take his own damn meal, or starve," he said stubbornly.
Lucius leaned in to whisper in his ear. "One of the first things I ever did was take revenge on Narcissa by spitting in her food before delivering it. It gave me immense pleasure."
"Are you honestly asking me to spit in your Son's food?" Harry whispered back, surprised.
Lucius winked at him as he took a soup to Narcissa. Harry turned to look at the tray that he was supposed to carry the food to Draco from. The tray was placed behind the table so that neither Draco nor Narcissa who were sat facing the windows could see it.
"It's set this way to encourage the wiccan to trust their bonded," Lucius whispered as he came to take his own soup.
Harry stood there, contemplating his options for a while. He could see Draco sitting there, pretending not to be anxious, but he was clutching the edges of his chair where his parents couldn't see. Harry's mind was made up. He moved to get the soup. He took his time spitting in it and quietly stirring it. Then, with one hand he took Draco's soup bowl and with the other he took his own and walked to the table.
"Here," he said loudly, inappropriately, and slammed Draco's bowl carelessly in front of him. Then he started to put his own bowl down gently.
"Thank you," said Draco nervously.
Harry glanced sideways and saw the doubt and fear in Draco's eyes. He watched in silence as Draco took his spoon and started searching through his soup.
"Don't play with your food, Draco," chided Narcissa. "Your bonded was kind enough to bring you your meal. You should show gratitude by eating it before it gets cold."
Draco made a scared noise and kept on searching. As Narcissa started to reprimand him again, Lucius reached out and stopped her. Harry was amazed to see that, he never thought that the wiccan would listen to the bonded.
Draco was still staring at the soup suspiciously. As he saw both his parents glaring at him however, he was forced to start eating. He made a face, but didn't say anything as Narcissa threw him a dangerous look.
Harry smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Tormenting Draco was fun. As long as he was stuck here, he would take Lucius's advice and exploit every single loophole in this damned bond.