Irrevocable Bonds
Chapter Nine
Date: January 22, 2017
Disclaimer: I do not own nor make any profit from this fiction.
Harry sighed in boredom as he watched the landscape speed by in a blur of white and brown. He was returning to Malfoy Manor for the Winter Holiday and he was eager to see his husband. They had exchanged various letters throughout the semester, however they were shallow and painfully formal due to the monitoring that Dumbledore was undoubtedly doing, not to mention the Ministry itself. The newlyweds were going to travel for the vacation, both as the honeymoon they did not have the time to partake in over the summer as well as a segue into getting to truly know one another better without outside interruption. Both men wanted to have a true partnership and Lucius had made the arrangements with their future together in mind. He sighed again as he remembered that there was at least another two hours before the train arrived at King's Cross Station, not to mention they would be spending the first night with Draco before he spent the first half of break at the Zabini residence.
"Have you made it your mission to fog the entire window? Or are you just attempting to release all that hot air you're filled with?" Draco sneered at his father's spouse with false contempt.
"At least I am doing something more productive than killing what is left of my brain with the fumes from that noxious game that you insist on playing." Harry smiled toothily.
"You are improving, but you still have a ways to go before you can even think of appearing alongside my father at Ministry functions."
"Fortunately your father is of the same mentality and I will not be tortured by that particular agony until after graduation at the earliest." Harry gave a devious smirk. Draco huffed a laugh as he caught the message underneath.
**
The sun was scorching and the sand was burning, but the clear, blue waters were cool and inviting. Evening was a little while off, and Harry had just joined his husband to lounge under the umbrella. Lucius had commandeered a private island in the southern hemisphere about eighty kilometers off the shore of Chile for their honeymoon. The first few days had been a blur of pleasure and learning new things about each others bodies. Thus, came the hard part. Truly bridging the gap between the two, starting with the past.
"I will admit that giving the diary to the Weasley girl had not been the best idea, however I was truly unaware of what it was and capable of." Lucius began with their first encounter. His hand running gently through the dark head of hair that laid upon his bare chest as they enjoyed the warmth of beach beneath the protection of the large umbrella.
"I do not feel one way or the other in regards to the diary and Ginerva. My vexation with you comes from the end of the year with regards to Dobby as well as the unfitting temper tantrum you threw at me." Lucius actually colored at the reminder of his horrifying and entirely unfitting behavior as Lord Malfoy towards young Harry at the tender age of twelve.
"I have no excuse for that. I…" Lucius sighed, breathed in deeply and held for several moments before releasing it.
"It was a culmination of various things and your actions to folly my plans was just the spark to light the fuse. Most of the anger I felt in that moment was not even incited by you or even thoughts of you. You were just inconveniently there for the metaphorical explosion. As for Dobby, I have no feelings of anger for your releasing him. He is a rather peculiar elf and never truly found his place in the Malfoy home. I was truthfully relieved as the poor creature took most situations to extremes that not even I had thought of."
"And…" Harry prompted his seemingly bashful husband.
"I…sigh…I apologize for my unseemly behavior and the detriment that it may have caused you."
"I know that apologizing is not the Malfoy way, so thank you. You have long been forgiven. I would also like to apologize for my behavior as well. My ignorance was for a lack of motivation and self thought. I should not have insinuated myself in matters that were not my own, nor should I have treated Draco in the manner that I did no matter how reactive it was."
"Thank you…. How about dinner before turning in for the evening? I think that is enough heavy talk for today." Harrison nodded in agreement, taking his husband's offered arm before both headed back into the small villa for the night.
That night was anything but restful as Harrison's dreams plagued him with past memories of his first years at Hogwarts, the years and summers of pain with the Dursleys, but most of all, his dreams were filled with fear. His fear of the future, his fear of of breaking down his walls, his fear of others.
The couple were currently returning from an excursion to the market on the mainland. Harry had found the trip to be enlightening as his husband conversed fluently with the locals and the teen took great joy in learning about the culture and history that the elder was knowledgeable of. Not to mention that the younger had found a great many items at the market that his husband had been more than happy to purchase for them. Needless to say, both were happy to be returning to the villa for an evening of rest. It was also the evening that Harrison decided to reveal the truth of his stay with his mother's family from the earliest memory he held to the day of his bittersweet rescue by his spouse.
They had finished dinner a little over an hour previously and were enjoying the crisp night air on the balcony when the younger began to fidget noticeably. Rather than draw attention to the observation, the elder merely waited patiently for his spouse to inform him of whatever was bothering him.
"I…I…I…. …I remember not being quiet enough when Vernon had a business dinner. I was in my cupboard under the stairs and I had been feeling unwell for several days already at that point. Apparently I was whimpering due to my fever and Vernon's guests heard and began to ask questions. Needless to say, he ended the dinner early in order to stave off the questions as well as to correct my heinous misbehavior.
I don't remember much of what happened after he pulled me from my cupboard and began using his belt and then his fists. I do remember waking some time later to find that not only had I been mostly healed in what turned out to be overnight, but my illness had miraculously cleared up as well. It also lead to yet another punishment from Vernon as recompense for my 'freakishness.'"
Harry let out a shuddering breath as he relived the memory of the horrors that his uncle had been capable of even then and to such a young version of himself. Lucius gathered his diminutive lover into his arms to anchor the young one in the present. More than the night air was causing Harrison's shivering countenance and his husband's presence was greatly appreciated. With those strong arms wrapped securely around him, Harry began to detail more and more memories of the terrifying childhood that he had managed to survive despite the overwhelming odds stacked against him.
As for Lucius to hear the stories behind each and every scar and deviation from 'normal' that Harrison had was heart and gut wrenching. He could only feel guilt that he had not taken Harry sooner, however both of them understood the motivations behind such an endeavor even if neither of them liked that it had to happen in that fashion. Lucius did not apologize, however his compassion was stirred and he allowed Harry to rage, to cry and to release years of anguish and pain. He shouldered the burden with silence and a strength that he did not feel during the youth's confession.
"Just before my eleventh birthday is one of the darker times of living with the Dursleys. The letters that were flooding the house was not only drawing attention to something distinctly abnormal, but leading to questions. I was locked in the shed for a week without food and nothing but one of Dudley's shirts for protection against the bugs and rodents that found their home there. The more letters that were sent, the angrier Vernon got and the worse the punishments were. He brought out the tail again and he would take it to my back every night when he returned home from work to find more letters.
When it was clear that there would be no stop to the owls at Number 4, he spent a good pound or three to move us all to a deserted island inn in an attempt to escape them. That was when Dumbledore sent Hagrid with a letter. Despite the obvious state of abuse that I was in, Hagrid did not do much more than make things worse as he gave their precious Dudders a pig nose and tail. Once the half-giant went back, I was left to deal the with the fallout. Vernon had gone a shade of rage I had never seen before…. I had honestly thought that I would not live to see Hogwarts that night. Vernon held me under the water so long that even my magic was starting to fade. I blacked out. I honestly don't know how I managed to live, but I did.
As I went through school, I thought of that night with more and more regret. I wished that I had died then. It would serve all of them right seeing as they left me to rot even when I provided them with proof of everything that had happened. Then I wished I had died not to spite them, but so that the suffering would have ended. I couldn't escape! Everything and everyone! THEY WERE ALL TOO MUCH! I COULDN'T STAND IT ANYMORE! I just wanted some peace…. I just wanted to know what it was like to have a family, to be a kid…I just wanted to find out what it felt like to be Harry Potter. Not the Boy-Who-Lived or Freak or Boy. I just wanted to be the kid whose biggest worry was whether or not my family would still love me if they knew that sometimes I feel like a girl and others time as a guy." Harry let out a hollow laugh that devolved into more tears, hiccups and snot. Lucius did not even flinch at the assault of fluids and allowed his wife the luxury of seeking unconditional comfort. It was a while before he noticed that the youth had fallen asleep, breaths deep and hitched as he slept fitfully. He carefully picked the youth up and proceeded to get both of them both into bed for some rest.
They were swinging comfortably in the hammock, cooled from the summer heat by the ocean breeze. Harry felt lighter than he had ever known he could feel. Telling his husband everything and having him actually listen was a novel feeling. They were just enjoying each other's closeness after a light lunch when Lucius decided to reveal some of the darkness that he had been holding in as well.
"Narcissa hated being pregnant and hated being a mother even more. Though Draco was not my own, I adopted him and loved him as if he were mine. Draco is unaware of this, but she attempted to harm him numerous times in order to get what she wanted from me whilst he was a young child. There was a time she almost killed him."
Lucius paused for a moment to take a sip of his bright yellow drink, swallowing slowly in order to come up with the fortitude to speak the dreaded, awful words that would recount the entire ordeal.
"She had demanded that I give her my mother's jewelry to wear for a ministry function and I refused. My mother passed when I was just beginning my teen years and the respect I have for her would never allow her memory to sullied by the picture of Narcissa disgracing the poise those pieces had added to my mother's stature."
"The woman that occupies the lid of your pocket watch? The blue diamond set she was wearing?" Harry questioned softly.
"Yes. She is my mother and that is the very set. Narcissa was very displeased at my refusal to allow her to even touch them. So much so, that she held Draconis off the balcony of Malfoy Manor. It is only due to the house elves loyalty to the line of Malfoy and those that we have claimed that Draco survived the fall when she flung him from her grasp." Harry gasped in horror at the thought that anyone else could have suffered in a manner even close to that of his own.
"She was very lucky of the contract that day as it would have been her last otherwise. Needless to say, she was removed from the Manor, banned from being in the same vicinity as Draconis. She never even saw my mother's prized set for all the trouble she raised." Lucius hugged the smaller body just a bit closer, taking comfort from the heat and presence of one whom would understand his fear and anger.
Harry remained quiet for some time, playing lovingly with his husbands slender fingers. Lucius allowing the silence, allowing them both to digest the weight that hung in the air whilst he regained his composure and finished his brightly colored glass.
"I do not have to continue schooling at Hogwarts after this year, correct?" Harry's gaze remained on their entwined fingers. Lucius looked down at the dark head.
"That is correct. What are you thinking, Little Gem?"
"I think I would prefer to finish my schooling at home. I am not afraid of the students, but with the scrutiny of the Board and the Wizenmagot coming in full force, I would prefer to be preemptive and out of Dumbledore's reach. We both know that the investigation into the school record will bear more than enough fruit for criminal investigation into the school itself."
Harry looked up at his husband with dilated eyes that bespoke of his worry of Dumbledore. There was no doubt that the Headmaster's support had dwindled already, but that was only amongst neutral families whom were vastly outnumbered by the number of so-called light families. It would take the light families irrefutable proof in order to be pulled from Dumbledore's sphere of influence. Harry shared his worry with his husband that by the time a majority of families were ready to have the Headmaster removed from the school, it would be too late for the new Lady Malfoy. Lucius had no doubt that the old man would be rid of Harry and place the blame entirely on the Dart Sect in order to regain his lost support.
"I believe that with the current circumstances, it would be possible for you to petition to have an exception. I will look into as soon as we return home. Hopefully we shall know before you have to return to school for the spring semester."
Harry stretched himself up to peck his husband on the lips before snuggling comfortably back into his side. Once more, both settled in to enjoy the afternoon island breeze. They took time to just enjoy the intimacy of the relaxation with each other after the weighted conversations that had darkened the past several days. There was still plenty of ground to cover between them, but they had laid out a solid and honest start.
A/N: Cheers! Everyone I have not left you all. Just a bit of difficulty as the characters attempted to highjack my story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and as always, I welcome your reviews and constructive criticisms.
Nama
