Give Me Wings to Fly With
Summary: Having Harry Potter locked up as a dangerous beast, the Ministry shows no signs of gratitude for the Defeater of Voldemort. Until there is a new threat to be considered...
Warnings: Violence (perhaps even some gore), Cursing, Established Relationship (HPDM), Character Death
Disclaimer: Not mine but Rowling's.
A/N: If it weren't for purplerawr, people would be lounging on poor coaches instead of couches.
Thanks for all the lovely reviews!
Chapter IV – Peace No More
"How bad can it be?" Draco repeated Ron's words and gave a forced laugh. "It's not like they're going to ask Harry to destroy the next Dark Lord."
Kingsley pursed his lips and looked down.
At that moment, Draco felt his world tip upside down once more.
"You're kidding?" he whispered and his tongue felt like sandpaper in his mouth, burning and itching. "Please tell me you're kidding."
"I'd love to say I'm kidding, but alas," Kingsley said in a grave tone, "that is the truth."
"Another Dark Lord?" Hermione gasped, hands flying up to cover her mouth as she stared at Kingsley, aghast. "That's impossible."
"The Ministry didn't change after the last war." Kingsley words held great resentment. "They should have worked to bring the Wizarding world together, but instead, inequality has spread and become even worse than before the wars. That raises a lot of aversion and bitterness among the ones left out from the main population."
"How come this is not public knowledge yet?" Ron asked, though he looked like he already knew the answer.
"Only very few are aware of what is happening. The Ministry doesn't want the public to know and panic, after such a short time of peace. I do not agree with this policy, but what can I do?" Kingsley shrugged. "Resigning from my post would only do more harm as some inexperienced Ministry's puppet would take my place and the Auror Department would spiral into chaos."
Draco silently agreed with him. The man was right – he remained one of the few uncorrupted Ministry officials out there, and Draco liked it to remain that way. "Who is it, then? The new and up-and-coming Dark Lord."
From the small pause Kingsley made, the way his eyes grew apologetic, Draco knew it was someone they all knew. He felt his insides squirm unpleasantly. "It is Theodore Nott."
Theodore Nott.
For some reason, Draco didn't feel overly surprised. An image of the gangly, sullen teenager he had faintly known at school floated in front of his eyes, glaring with a dour twist of his thin mouth. Oh Theodore. You fool.
"Nott?" Ron frowned. "He disappeared from Hogwarts after our sixth year, didn't he? Never came back."
"I haven't heard anything of him ever since." Hermione glanced at Draco, her brown eyes quizzical. "Did you know him well, Draco?"
Thank Merlin I didn't. Draco shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He was pretty aloof at school, usually alone with his books and he always looked ready to bite anyone who approached him. We shared a dorm, yes, but we weren't really friends. I never really even talked with him that much. He was the silent and brooding type. "
Kingsley nodded. "That fits the profile. He did indeed disappear during the summer after his sixth year, telling no-one of his purpose and destination. From what we've gathered, he travelled to north and mingled with the Wizarding population there, learning different kind of magic, powerful magic. Magic we do not use here in Britain."
"Dark Arts?" Ron asked.
"In a way, yes, but it's more than that. It's old and foreign magic we haven't studied that much. The Ministry experts are trying to find out more about it, but we've already given a demonstration of how it works."
Kingsley's face was grim and a chill ran down Draco's spine. "He's already shown his power, hasn't he?"
"There was an attack the day before yesterday," Kingsley said heavily, taking the chair a wordless Hermione offered him. "A small village near Swindon was almost completely destroyed. A few survivors remained to tell what had happened."
He looked like he didn't really care to relive any details, so Draco restrained himself of asking. He began to feel sick.
"Oh my god." Hermione looked completely aghast, her eyes wide with horror. "He has an army of his own or something?"
"Who rallies behind him?" Ron's left eye twitched. "Is this about the purebloods feeling superior again?"
Kingsley shook his head. Not a surprise there. The purebloods have learned their lesson, Draco thought. "No, it's not the purebloods who are causing problems this time. It's the opposite, in fact."
Draco glanced at Hermione swiftly. "The Muggle-borns?"
"Some might be Muggle-borns, but most of the troops Nott has gathered have much more anger towards the Ministry and the Wizarding World on the whole." Kingsley looked at the stack of papers he held on his arms. "So far, we've discovered people with magical being blood – such as vampires or Veela – who are being frowned upon and left out or even prosecuted because most of the main population doesn't consider them as humans but part-animals. Some half-bloods have taken Nott's ideals to their hearts, as well. "
"He's summoning the magical creatures to raise another war?" Hermione whispered.
Kingsley gave a grave nod. "It seems so. So far, the threat hasn't been great, but as every day passes and Nott remains at large, there is no knowing what he might do. For those without real human value and legal rights, he promises better treatment, something that the Ministry hasn't been able to offer. And instead of just opposing Muggles like Voldemort and his Death Eaters did, this new group is against people with all types of blood."
"So far?" Draco repeated, narrowing his eyes. "You are anticipating it grows worse?"
"Nott and his small army is still lying pretty low, but they're getting bolder. It's only a matter of time when they will make their first public demand."
"Is there a particular reason why Nott is doing this? Isn't he a pureblood himself?"
Sometimes, Draco really did have to admit Ron had grown more shrewd and far-sighted. It was the war that changed all of us. War that we thought had come to an end.
Kingsley acknowledged Ron's question with a nod. "Indeed, there are some grievous incidents in Nott's past that may have triggered his anger and frustration. When Nott was fifteen, Nott's aunt, Malecia Nott was attacked by a rogue vampire. She was turned into a sort of half-vampire with the thirst of blood but none of the weaknesses common vampire species possess. With proper care and caution, she could have probably continued her life without endangering the people around her, but the Ministry sent Aurors to question her. She resisted, and the Aurors killed her." There was a hard glint in Kingsley's eyes. "The Aurors claim it was self-defence, but I find myself doubting it."
Hermione's lower lip trembled, as if she had to restrain herself not to launch into a passionate tirade about corrupted Ministry officials. "Was Nott close to his aunt?"
"Not overly so, no. But Nott knew now how the Ministry handled things."
"That helps understand his anger towards the Ministry," Draco murmured. "But why didn't he just join Voldemort? If Voldemort won, the Ministry would have fallen anyway."
Kingsley's lips twisted into a humourless smile. "Nott managed to see the darker side of Voldemort, as well. Voldemort killed Nott's illegitimate half-brother, a half-blood with a Muggle mother."
"So he feels betrayed by both sides." Hermione said, revelation in her voice. "And decides to form a third side – the side of the misfits."
"In essence, yes," Kingsley agreed. "A side for all those unable to adapt to their circumstances, those who, in the eyes of most witches and wizards, aren't worthy of being called human, without full legal rights. Half-species, like Nott's aunt, wizards with magical being blood, regular half-bloods who feel like they fall in the middle. Misfits, just like Hermione said."
"Why is Harry being released, then?" Draco suddenly asked. "He's a magical being, a dark one, even. He has every right to hate the Ministry. Why let him loose instead of locking him up to ensure he won't fall into the influence of Nott and start following him?"
Ron and Hermione sharpened up instantly and looked at Kingsley, anticipative. The Head Auror met the gazes calmly. "I believe the Minister fears an upcoming war more than Harry. He also knows that you three, in addition to Harry, have better chances at finding Nott and his troops than the rest of the Aurors, for example. And he understands that without freeing Harry, he has no chance of having your cooperation. Besides, it is likely Nott will strike the Ministry's lower levels in the near future in an effort of gaining more soldiers with hatred towards the Ministry. The Minister, though a fool, is smart enough to acknowledge that between you and Nott, with you, Harry is more unlikely to be a threat against the Minister."
Draco nodded his head slowly. It made sense, in a way. Choosing the lesser evil. "And what does the Minister, exactly, want us to do?"
Kingsley consulted his papers again. "He wants you to locate Nott and bring him in before he is ready to really start a war. According to him, you will have access to any department you wish in the Ministry to gain knowledge or weapons." He looked up shortly. "You will have my full support and aid in every way. I'm truly sorry this burden has been left on your shoulders, but there's little I can do, unfortunately."
"The Minister is an idiot and a coward," Draco spat, venom practically leaking from his words, "but I don't personally wish for another war upon us. As long as Harry stays free, I'll do my share of bringing Nott down."
"As do I," Ron solemnly nodded, echoed by Hermione. They looked a little shaken, but as determined as humanely possible.
Kingsley stood up. "I will go finish the paperwork and return with Harry in two hours. Will you be waiting here?"
For Harry, I would wait forever. "Yes, I'll be here."
With a parting nod, Kingsley stepped back into the fireplace. "Again, my apologies. I wish things were different within the Ministry so that we could finally live in peace."
"We'll know who to vote at the next Minister elections," Draco said with a wry grin. Kingsley gave a small smile of his own, white, shark-like teeth showing, before he vanished in a puff of green flames. The kitchen was left silent and it seemed empty despite the three people still in it.
"Well." Ron blinked. "Could someone just please pinch me? I'm pretty sure I've had a very strange dream just now."
"At least Harry gets to return home," Hermione said with a sigh of mixed happiness and tiredness. "I don't care how many Dark Lords we have to hunt down and kill, getting Harry out from that horrible place is worth it."
"You completely read my mind, Hermione," Draco murmured, almost wistfully. He could already feel Harry in his arms, his warm breath tickling his ear like a gentle summer breeze – Draco swallowed, giving a tiny shudder.
"It's so hard to believe." Ron stared into the distance, hardly moving. "After all these months... We're really going to see him outside those bars. He's finally going to be able to actually live his life."
"Do you think..." Hermione fidgeted nervously, as if she was afraid to burst the temporary happy bubble surrounding them. "Do you think Nott will try to recruit Harry? I'm sure Nott knows his story and all. Harry would be an ideal soldier for him – powerful, well-known and disgracefully mistreated by the Ministry."
Draco's face hardened at the thought and a fresh spike of fear staked through his heart. "Over my dead body," he hissed. "If he even tries that, I'll rip him apart limb by limb."
Hermione didn't look that convinced, her face shadowed with doubt and uncertainty, but she didn't question Draco's plan. "The Minister should be glad Harry has such a big heart he would help the Minister instead of destroying it."
"You suppose Harry will agree to help?" Ron mused with a thoughtful frown. "After all, he does have every rightful reason to turn his back and ignore the plead of help."
"You think Harry would do that?" Hermione asked softly. "Harry, turning his back and letting the world spiral into another war of darkness and death? No." She shook her head. "Harry would never do that."
"He's too kind for his own good," Draco agreed with a faint smile and Ron chuckled. Too damn kind. The blonde glanced at Ron and Hermione. "I guess you two will be staying until Harry arrives?"
"If you won't object... " Hermione trailed off, worried brown eyes searching the grey ones. Draco suppressed a sigh; how could he throw them out in a moment like this? Their best friend would be coming back home, it would be cruel to ask them to leave and pop by some another time. He knew how strong the friendship was between the two and Harry.
"Of course not," he said. "Would you like some late breakfast?"
"We just ate -"
"If you still have those chocolate-chip cookies Harry used to make lying around - "
A genuine grin fought its way onto Draco's lips as Ron's words faded into incoherent murmur under Hermione's fierce glower. "You just ate, Ronald," she snapped. "A full breakfast -"
"I think I have a few of the cookies left," Draco breezily interrupted the pair before it could blossom into a real fight. Ron smiled at him gratefully as he left to search the freezer for the said cookies. After a few moments of exploring, he fished out a plastic box and unfroze its content with his wand. A scent of chocolate flew into the air as he levitated the box towards the table.
A scent he usually associated with Harry, who more than often had an aroma of chocolate and vanilla flowing around him like a delicious, invisible coat. Draco closed his eyes, savouring the smell, and for a short moment, all Draco's worries and concerns faded into nothingness.
flashback, two months before Voldemort is conquered
"Mm, what are you baking?"
Harry glanced over his shoulder, a sprinkler of white flour on his cheek, and gave a saucy wink. "Your favourites. Chocolate cookies with vanilla icing."
Draco wrapped his arms around Harry from the behind, nuzzling his neck. "You spoil me rotten, Harry, you really do."
Harry replied with a carefree laugh, a sound that Draco so adored. "It's my pleasure, believe me. They'll be ready in fifteen minutes. Oh, and Claw helped me prepare these, by the way."
"He did?" Draco looked around in interest and quickly spotted the tiny dragon, perched on the neat pile of plates in front of the open window. The dragon gave a joyful roar, its leathery wings flapping. "How?"
"He flew around the kitchen and fetched ingredients when I needed them," Harry said fondly. He had grown attached to the small dragon that had been in Malfoy possession for decades – it was ancient and Draco suspected it was made of pure magic instead of just mere flesh and bone. He had never seen such a miniature dragon before.
It was Harry, of course, who had nicknamed the creature 'Claw'.
"A clever thing," Draco praised and the dragon squeaked with what seemed like pleasure. It flapped its wings with more force, hovering in the air for a moment before darting out through the window. Draco didn't worry about the dragon; sometimes it disappeared for days, but it always came faithfully back.
Harry laughed again as Draco sniffed at his hair, inhaling the sweet scent of chocolate and vanilla with a pleased smile on his face. "You smell delicious, Harry."
Harry hummed, twirling around in Draco's embrace so that they were face to face. The sight of his open face, lit up and laughing, a smear of chocolate on his lower lip – it filled Draco with so much love and adoration it nearly ached. What have I done to deserve this wonderful creature?
Flinging his arms around Draco's neck, Harry gave a small, flirtatious grin and reached up to kiss Draco soundly on the lips. Draco tasted chocolate on Harry's lips and his breath and couldn't resist a tiny moan. "Say, how long can those cookies go unattended?" he asked, breathless.
Harry laughed, green eyes twinkling like tiny little stars in the dark. His hands slipped down Draco's back, raising goose-bumps as they went. "I'm sure they can survive being alone for a half an hour, if they can watch us."
It was Draco's turn to laugh. "You dirty little voyeur. But I won't mind."
And he pushed Harry against the counter, yearning for another taste of chocolate.
end flashback
"I really hope Harry still knows how to cook." Ron's face was of pure bliss as he munched on the cookie. "Hell, he could send Nott a box of these and the little git would be grovelling in Harry's feet in no time, wanting for some more."
Determined not to take Ron's words the wrong way, Draco coughed and poured a glass of pumpkin juice for himself.
Time seemed to pass as slowly as a two hundred-year old tortoise with a magical walking frame crossing a busy street, but finally, the flames in the fireplace flared bright green again. Everyone jumped to their feet at once, hearts wildly thumping in anticipation as they stared at the fireplace like their lives were depended on it.
Soon enough, a spinning figure appeared in the midst of the fire and Kingsley stepped out from the fireplace. A limp Harry lay in his arms like a sleeping doll, his eyes closed as he rested there, wings neatly tucked underneath him with the long feathers dragging against the ground. Draco's hands balled into fists as his eyes caught the vibrating string of magic wrapped around his wrists and ankles.
Kingsley nodded to them all, not sparing time to greet them properly. "He's heavily sedated; they wouldn't let him out otherwise. I tried to make sure he feels as comfortable as possible and managed to change the strong restraints on his limbs into these milder ones. Where can I put him? On a couch?"
Draco hurried to show the way to the nearest coach and watched, hawk-like, as Kingsley gently deposited Harry onto it. Harry's wings rustled, slightly bent, and Harry frowned in his drugged sleep, as if he sensed the discomfort of his wings. Hermione crouched to arrange the feathers better, gathering them around Harry's form like a protective shield.
"Before I go and leave you to enjoy some quiet time with Harry, here are the release papers for him." Kingsley fished a stack of papers from underneath his robes. Draco took the offered parchment and a quill. "Sign here. It says you're responsible for Harry's actions from this moment on." He shrugged. "Pretty much like a parent is for their child."
Draco skimmed the parchment through impatiently, fully trusting Kingsley for not giving him something to sign that would sell his soul to the Ministry. He signed his name with a flourish and returned the parchment which Kingsley tucked away into the folds of his robes. "And here's something that may help you locating Nott."
Draco glanced at the rest of the papers and saw maps, hastily written notes, photographs, official statements. He nodded his thanks.
"I must be on my way now." Kingsley glanced at Harry, slightly twitching on the couch. "Harry should be awake in a moment. He might be quite disoriented at first, but don't worry. The drugs shouldn't effect him long."
Before the Head Auror could leave, Draco reached for his hand and clasped it for a moment. "Thanks, Kingsley," he said with great sincerity, knowing Kingsley watched their backs in the Ministry. "Thanks for everything."
A smile shadowed the man's face. "It was my pleasure, trust me. I hope Harry will find happiness now. He may not be able to join the Auror force now, but we'll see what happens in the future." Kingsley winked and vanished through the Floo.
"Draco!" Hermione's gasp drew quickly Draco's attention back to Harry and he saw that the Valerius' eyes were fluttering, straining to open. Hastily, Draco dropped onto his knees beside the coach, grabbing one of the madly twitching hands. A second later, the blonde found himself staring into a pair of gleaming black eyes that held no familiar specks of green. The hand Draco held trembled and Harry's wings moved restlessly, rustling against the coach like leaves ruffling in the wind during autumn.
"Guys," Draco whispered, not daring to break the eye-contact. "I think you should wait outside."
