As it's the weekends, I couldn't help but upload this chapter early - TGIF!
Oooo, a fun chapter. And some interesting facts.
Draco found himself back in Malfoy Manor, but this time he was aware of what might happen, and had his wand at the ready. He wordlessly cast a Shield charm, putting a barrier between him and any possible jinxes and curses that might come his way.
"Show yourself," he called out into the darkness of his home, the candles all snuffed out. His wand tip lit up to illuminate the darkness. "Ah, Draco, my precious son. It seems that you already know of my escape," his father said, appearing out of the shadows.
Draco stood there, unmoving as he saw his father. He knew that this was a dream - before this, his father had tried to invade his mind through Legilimency, and Draco being an accomplished Occlumens, allowed the dream to happen - but on his own terms.
His father looked healthy, but Draco knew otherwise. He was the owner of the dream, so he could look past the glamour magic that masked Lucius' face. He looked tired, his face sunken and dull, not the way he usually looked - grand and majestic.
"Yes, I know. And you are aware of the bond that I have with Harry Potter. Do you think that I would willingly give him to you?" Draco asked, looking at his father with fire in his eyes. "It would be an honor for you to fulfill the Dark Lord's final wish - to kill that godforsaken boy!" Lucius snarled, raising his cane in anger. Draco finally realized the truth - his father had truly gone mad.
Lucius Malfoy was imprisoned after the war because he had declared his allegiance to the Dark Lord even after his death, trying to murder Harry, and swore that he would fulfill the Dark Lord's wishes of pure blood supremacy, while Narcissa and Draco were pardoned, because they had defected to Harry's side during the last moments of the war, and stayed there, protecting him.
The Ministry was still reluctant to kill a pure blood wizard, especially one who used to have a prominent place in their office, so they decided to send him to Azkaban for life imprisonment. Though it seemed that the Ministry wasn't very interested in keeping tabs on him - until now.
"Ah, father. You only know half the story," Draco said, smirking at Lucius, his head cocked as if studying the worn-down creature that his father had become. Lucius, who did not like being taken for a fool, casted the Imperius curse on Draco. Or at least, he tried to.
"Imperio!" Lucius said, and narrowed his eyes when the curse bounced off the shield. Draco felt his Shield charm waver for a moment - and warm magic flowed into him, strengthening it. He knew it was Harry's magic - he was one of the wizards who could cast an extremely powerful Shield charm, and Draco felt the power flowing through his body, especially in his wand arm.
This is amazing, he thought, feeling the magic that Harry could wield, and it was overwhelming, though in a good way. It was thick and warm, and seemed to wrap around him in a very protective manner. Lucius gave an ominous warning before he left.
"I will find you, Draco, and you will pay for not giving me Potter," he spat, before turning and disappearing into the shadows. The dream fell away after that, and Draco woke up at the same exact moment that Harry did, green eyes meeting the grey as they faced each other in their sleep.
"Good morning," Harry murmured, apparently unaware of the dream that Draco just had. I guess I didn't use much magic - and even that little bit was scarily strong, he realized, looking at Harry, who gazed back at him sleepily, content from last night's events in bed.
"A good morning indeed," Draco whispered back, pulling Harry in for an early morning kiss, and relished in the fact that he was alive and well, and that he could wake up to Harry's green eyes and inky black hair.
Draco swore to himself that he would do anything to keep this boy safe - not because of their bond, but because he was terrified of a world without Harry Potter, even if he would die along with him. The wizarding world was only starting to rebuild itself - and if they lost their Golden Boy to a follower of the Dark Lord after the war, everything would come crumbling down again.
Draco kissed Harry with an urgency that wasn't there last night, but before he could ask why, Draco gripped his length in those slender fingers, and Harry forgot all about his questions as desire overwhelmed him again.
Harry was extremely grateful for the cold weather, as it gave him an excuse to wear a scarf. It was a win-win situation, really. His neck and chest was covered in marks from Draco, and he didn't want the rest of the school to know that his boyfriend was a freak in bed with him, and that he was actually dating Draco Malfoy. Sure, their best buds already knew, but he doubted that the rest of the school would be as accommodating as their closest friends.
He had taken one of Draco's emerald scarves, and it was now slung comfortably around his neck. Harry took pleasure in being able to take in his partner's scent anytime he wanted, and Draco had one of his too. They were both wrapped up like dumplings, trying to avoid as much of the cold as they could.
He had to admit that it was easier to hang out with the Slytherins, now that Pansy and Neville were going out. Draco, Pansy and Neville became a regular addition to the usual trio, and they enjoyed the occasional meal at the Gryffindor table together.
One day, the boys were hanging outside near the semi-frozen lake while waiting for Pansy and Hermione to join them. Ron started the conversation. "Oi, Neville," Ron said, trying to catch Neville's attention. The boy was still trying to hold on to Trevor - the frog seemed intent on escaping his clutches.
"Yes?" Neville responded distractedly, still trying to grab onto the frog. "For Merlin's sake, Longbottom," Draco said exasperatedly, and pulled out his wand. "Accio frog!"
Trevor zoomed into Draco's hand, and the blond conjured up a tank, which he put Trevor into. The tank was filled with some water, and a couple of rocks for the frog to rest upon. Trevor looked quite happy in his new environment.
"Wow, how come I never thought of that?" Neville said in amazement, studying the tank. Just as Draco was about to say something sarcastic, Neville looked at him gratefully and said, "Thanks Malfoy." He couldn't really bring it in himself to insult the poor boy anymore, and merely nodded in acknowledgement.
Harry noticed this subtle interaction, and smirked a little, enough for it to be seen, yet not so obvious that Draco would notice it. He seemed to hate it when Harry smirked, and usually preferred to wipe it off his face… with some things that he would rather not mention now, lest his pants start feeling a little uncomfortable.
"Ron, you were saying something?" Harry prompted, wanting to distract himself from his thoughts and was rather curious about Ron's question. He lay back against the tree, and pulled out his holly and phoenix wand, using it to play with a bright red leaf that had fallen out of the great tree.
"Oh, yeah. Neville, just out of curiousity, have you and Pansy done it already?" Ron asked, excitement shining in his eyes. The poor boy almost toppled Trevor's tank over in shock, and the frog croaked his displeasure rather loudly.
"I-I-," Neville stammered, his face turning redder than the colour of his robes. Ron laughed, as did Harry and Draco - although they weren't very sure if his reaction was an affirmation or denial, it was admittedly quite funny.
"No, we haven't," Neville whispered, feeling a little mortified. "Well, if you ever find out what kind of lingerie Pansy wears, you can let Harry know. He was interested quite a while back," Draco joked, and Harry almost dropped his wand in astonishment. Neville turned his eyes onto Harry, and they were wide with fear and some shock.
"No! Draco, for Merlin's sake. That was before I started dating Draco, and he thinks that I'm quite interested in Pansy's lingerie because he made a joke about it in Potions," Harry explained, glaring at Draco, who was still chuckling with Ron. It was quite a sight - a Slytherin and three Gryffindors, getting along so well.
"What's this about lingerie?" Pansy asked, as she arrived with Hermione. Ron piped up. "We were talking about what sort of lingerie you girls might prefer." Pansy didn't hesitate with her answer. "I like my lingerie lacey. Emerald green and black are my favourites, though the occasional red wouldn't be bad," she said, eyeing Neville with open interest.
If humans could spontaneously combust, Harry was sure that Neville would've exploded into flames at that moment. Harry cast a charm on the poor boy in a bid to relieve the weird sexual tension and awkwardness of the situation.
"Aguamenti!" A clear jet of water emerged from the tip of his wand, and drenched Neville's robes and some of his hair. "What was that about?" Pansy demanded, looking at Harry in a rather annoyed sort of way.
"Well, after your comment about red lingerie, I was afraid poor Neville would spontaneously combust," Harry joked, and the rest of them burst into laughter, even Neville, who was sopping wet. Pansy tried to keep her anger, but cracked a smile at the joke as well.
"Oh, Harry. I didn't know you enjoyed jokes like these," Hermione said, wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye from laughing too hard. "Exaresco," she said, waving her wand, and the water evaporated from Neville immediately.
Harry made a mental note to remember that spell - it might come in handy in the future. "Well, now that Pansy's answered the question, I think it's fair play that Granger answered it as well, since her boyfriend brought it up in the first place," Draco said, his infuriatingly hot smirk now plastered across his face.
Hermione glared at Ron, who looked at her rather sheepishly, as if to say sorry.
"Well, I prefer my lingerie in silks and satins," Hermione said, blushing a little. "Please tell me they're not orange, like Chudley Cannons orange," Harry pleaded jokingly, and was surprised when she blushed even more. "I like them in black and white, but Ron always changes them to orange," she whispered, a little angry yet amused.
Ron just shrugged. "What?" he asked defensively, as four of them stared at Ron weirdly. "Maybe it's because he's a carrot top," Draco said in a non serious manner, and he had to conjure up a Shield charm in order to protect himself from the books that were flying towards him.
"Oi! Malfoy!" Ron yelled, grinning at the joke.
This is a definite improvement, Harry mused, as more books flew towards Draco, though without malicious intent. Gone were the days of using hexes and curses on Malfoy - he had managed to blend in with them, and they were all actually getting along rather pleasantly.
"Can someone tell me; where do Vanished objects go?" Professor McGonagall's voice rang out across the Transfiguration classroom, and as usual, Hermione's hand shot up into the air.
"Vanished objects go into non-being, which means they go into everything," she said, in her usual matter-of-fact tone.
"Very good, Miss Granger. Take ten points for Gryffindor," Professor McGonagall said, beaming at one of her favourite students. "Now try Vanishing your cups, and conjuring them back into existence."
"Evanesco!" Harry said, in a bid to Vanish his cup. He wasn't doing very well at it, though a quick glance across the table showed that Draco had managed to do it, and conjure the cup back into existence again.
The green spark fluttered around him, and Harry decided that he might as well borrow some of Draco's magic to accomplish this. They were two powerful wizards, yes, but Harry acknowledged that his partner was indeed better at certain things, such as charms and intricate spells, while he himself seemed to be better at spells that involved duelling or protection.
Harry opened his mental barrier, and Draco's magic began to flow through him. It felt smooth and clean, and responded to Harry's commands like the snap of a whip - quick and lethal. He tried the spell again. "Evanesco!"
The cup disappeared, to his delight. He closed the barrier, not wanting to use too much of Draco's magic lest he got tired - Harry remembered Dumbledore's warning - but when he looked at the blond, nothing was amiss. He was chatting animatedly with Pansy, and looked no different from usual. Conjuring it back was nothing, as he had no problems with conjuring spells. Vanishing seemed to be harder to control, and his statement was proven when Neville managed to only Vanish half his cup.
Potions went by without much incident with Draco guiding Harry along in making a Draught of Living Death - Harry remembered the instructions in Snape's old Potions textbook, and their potion turned out better than the rest. Snape was eyeing him, as if reading his mind. Harry quickly shut the mental barriers in his head, and was rewarded with a jerk from Snape, who was indeed in his head.
"Draco, and Potter. Both of you stay after class," Snape ordered. This used to be a regular occurrence, what with Harry and Draco fighting in Potions class, but now that there was no more bloodshed and carnage, most of the class was surprised to hear this.
Giving each other confused looks, the two boys nodded in acknowledgement as the rest of the class filed out slowly. Their newly formed group signaled to the boys that they would be waiting outside - though Draco had no doubt that they'd be snogging their faces off while 'waiting'.
"Into the office," Snape said, and swept up the stairs into his private room where he marked exam scripts… and did whatever else he did there.
"I have news for Draco, but I think you deserve to know as well, Potter. Lucius has escaped from Azkaban, and seems to be gunning for you," Snape said, looking at Draco. Harry's heart skipped a beat when he heard Snape's statement, already beginning to fear for his partner's life.
To his surprise, Draco shook his head. "No, godfather. Lucius wants Harry, and he wants me to hand him the Golden Boy on a silver platter. He considers me a disgrace to the Malfoy name for not doing that," he explained rather dryly, and Snape could barely repress a smile for his godson.
"He wants me? Why didn't you tell me?" Harry demanded immediately, his temper on the rise. "Potter, do sit down and think about the situation!" Snape snapped at him, immediately quieting the boy's outburst.
"What good would it do to let you know? The one currently in danger is Draco, because his father is trying to breach his dreams almost nightly via Legilimency! Thankfully, he is an accomplished Occlumens, and has been able to fight off Lucius. I let you know today because there is a very slight possibility that you might be in danger - but the one that has his life at risk is Draco. The wizarding world is keeping their eyes peeled, in fear that Lucius might kill you, but nobody would actually care if Draco died," Snape continued, his black eyes boring into Harry's green ones.
Harry pressed his lips together in barely repressed anger and shame - shame that he didn't realize earlier, and anger that he wasn't aware of his partner being in possible danger.
"If I may, godfather. It doesn't matter - if I die, Harry dies as well," Draco said, and Snape's expression turned to one of shock. He definitely wasn't expecting this.
"What makes you say that, Draco? Do you have an Unbreakable Vow to protect Potter?" Snape sounded incredulous, as if it was rather stupid for Draco to do that.
The blond shook his head. "We are bonded by the Scintilla Lascivio, and one cannot live if the other is dead," he explained, looking over at Harry.
Snape pressed his lips together into a line. He looked over at both boys - how could he have missed it? They could barely stop touching each other, and the magic thrumming between them had definitely been scary, but he had chalked it up to their increased magical talents, especially after so much dueling and using of spells in the war.
It reminded him of someone that he would much rather not think of too often - but how could he, especially when those green eyes looked at him, so like his mother's?
"Your parents were bonded as well," Snape said quietly, looking at Harry. This was news to the brunette, and he turned away from Draco to look at his Potions teacher in shock. Snape's eyes rested on the lightning scar on the boy's head, and remembered why it was there.
He remembered cradling Lily's lifeless body in his arms, while this boy in front of him cried - cried for the loss of the parents that loved him, and loved each other more than anything in the world, other than their only son.
"Your mother and I were best friends in our first year, but by our fifth year, we had fallen out because of a… disagreement. I'm sure you know that one," Snape said, narrowing his eyes at Harry, who gulped audibly, remembering the Pensieve.
"She married James Potter right after graduation, and fought against the Dark Lord in the first wizarding war. There was a point in time where your father almost died dueling the Dark Lord, and your mother brought him back.
"Nobody thought that he would live past another day, but the next day came around, and there he was, weak, exhausted and badly injured - but still alive. Your mother was unharmed in the war, but she looked just as tired as he did. So I went to do my research on bonds - and came across the Scintilla Lascivio.
"She admitted to bonding with your father, because if not, he would've been dead and gone by morning. And came the day that one of your father's best friends -" Snape spat the words like it was something dirty - "betrayed him. The Dark Lord killed your father first, but your mother lived on with sheer will to protect you. Something that was supposed to be impossible. But she loved you so much that she stayed alive when she was dying by the seconds, just to try and protect you."
Harry felt that this was too much to take in at one go. His mother and father were bonded? Then it made sense that he would be able to do it as well - perhaps it was hereditary. His heart felt light yet weighed down at the same time - delighted at the fact that his parents shared this special bond and that he now did with Draco as well, and heavy at the thought of his parents dying for him.
"But Dumbledore said that the bond wasn't seen for almost a thousand years," Draco said, more of a question than a statement. Snape nodded. "Usually it is done with a loud declaration of love, but Lily kept it quiet because it was done in times of war, and she didn't want too many people to know. It can be exploited as a weakness."
Draco watched as the different emotions flickered across Harry's face - wonder, excitement, delight, then followed by grief and anguish - most probably for the parents he never knew, yet loved him so much that they died for him. He was just like an open book, so easy to read.
Without a word, he guided Harry away with a nod from Snape, who seemed incapable of any more words at the current moment. Behind his back, gripped tightly in his hand was a photo frame, and in it was a picture of the girl that he would love forever.
"I'm keeping my promise, Lily," Snape whispered, thinking of her green eyes - the only part of her that lived on in Harry James Potter.