Potions class had ended for that day, Draco was out of sorts. It was only made worse when Harry kept quiet during class, since becoming partners, the two had been passing notes and playing around. The entire week they had been nothing but a nuance to their professor. The more Draco thought about it, the more he knew that Potter was getting adept at knowing his moods, and Draco was getting worse at knowing Harry's. It unnerved him, and downright pissed him off today, knowing that he had entirely ignored Harry's overly cheery mood that morning. Caught up in his own mess, Draco had ignored his boyfriend again. He wanted to curse and stomp his feet, part of him missed being able to yell about how his father would hear about this. Fuck all that would do now. Slowly, he allowed Harry to file back into his line of sight, studying the eerily stony face. From all that happened, Harry's withdrawn attitude was the only thing that gave clue to what he was feeling. Draco had learned, especially over their time growing closer, that Harry was much more broken than he appeared, and much darker than anyone wanted to admit. Today, if the chamber opened again, Draco would immediately consider Harry a suspect, even if he felt something for the oaf.
If there was one thing Draco noticed, it had been the dark circles under Harry's eyes. Bags that seemed to grow, every time Draco saw him they seemed deeper. Even still, given how drained Harry must have been, he kept making time for Draco. Between classes, at every meal, in the evenings. Draco could not remember a single complaint that came seriously past those lips. He felt like an asshole. Harry had been sneaking looks at him all morning, practically shaking in his seat, biting his lip to keep quiet. Fucking hell, Draco knew there was something Harry wanted to tell him, something that made the boy excited, and he just kept brushing it off.
Without thinking, he reached out, taking a fistful of Harry's sleeve between his fingers, dragging his boyfriend behind a statue, pressing the male to the back of it. How this reminded him of that night, when Harry had saved his ass from getting caught. He had been outside, wandering around in a daze when Harry had thrown the cloak around him, before teachers rounded the corner. He remembered how fast his heart had been beating. They waited, eyes locked, as the rest of the students filed past, when Draco felt it was safe, he leaned down and pecked Harry's lips. A sweet, chaste kiss, as if that could make up for his bullshit today.
"What happened?" he asked, pinning Harry with a stern look.
"Nothing bad" With raised hands, Harry shook his head, swearing with his tone "It can wait until you are in a better mood, I promise." Harry reached out, brushing his fingers along Draco's cheek, maybe as an act of comfort, but Draco felt like it was a distraction. Reaching up he clasped Harry's hand in his own.
"No, you will tell me now, I've made you wait long enough to tell me. Who knows, it might even make me feel better?" his instincts kicked in, ones he had been developing as of lately. His hands slid around Harry's waist, pulling him closer and nuzzling the other's neck. He felt the heat spread across Harry's cheeks, knowing the muggle raised wizard was not use to him being so touchy. Here, hidden by stone, Draco felt like they did when they escaped at night, out to a shed that had been unused for a long time, where they spent most of their nights just hanging out together.
"Alright" Draco almost snorted, that was hard. "I finally took the registration test, I became a registered Animagus last night. McGonagall over saw it herself along with someone from the ministry." Harry's fingers slid into his robes, tugging out the parchment. Draco snatched it, letting it fall open, a smile crossing his lips. "A Wolf?" he raised his eyebrow. Harry nodded eagerly "So you don't feel left out. I mean there is more to it than that, but it made sense, I was given the chance to work on a different form if I wanted."
Something about those words made Draco uneasy. They had this conversation before. "Harry.." he murmured.
"Draco, I don't want to hear it. You may change your mind when and if you finally change, I'll prance along with you.." Harry was almost whining.
"Harry you made the promise." he murmured, thinking back to the unbreakable vow that Harry had sworn, knowing that Harry would have to go through with it. "Congratulations anyway." He murmured and smiled "You did what you wanted to do, consider my mood lightened!"
It didn't last long though. When they finally sat down for lunch, Draco was deep in thought once more, his mind trying to take in why Harry was being so stubborn. It was a full moon tonight, and he was agitated already, he hated these nights, and now with Harry by his side, he seemed to be regretting all of this even worse. Nerves kept him withdrawn and quiet, and he cursed himself when he realized he was dragging down Harry's mood. McGonagall stopped by to congratulate Harry again for his work in becoming an Animagus, it had been something Harry was working at longer than Draco thought he was. It was her comment that left Draco silently berating himself for being such a dick.
"Cheer up Potter, being registered just ensures that you don't use it nefariously." McGonagall quipped, patting Harry's hair down.
"I know Headmistress" Harry smiled, attempting and succeeding in assuaging the headmistress fear that he was not content in becoming an Animagus. Her eyes fell on him, and Draco could only avert his own azure orbs. Of course she knew, his mother had been adamant to stop hiding behind lies. When she left, Harry tried to smile at Draco, but for the first time, Draco saw through it right away.
"I'm sorry" He would never get use to saying those words. True he had used them before, but in a sarcastic manner, he had never been sincere, not like he was this past week. It seemed to him he was repeating the line over and over during their time together. He was just not getting any of this right and he knew it well.
"It's fine, Draco, I know what tonight is, I know it makes you irritable and concerned." Harry grinned and Draco marvelled again at how he seemed to keep it together, even after everything that happened in their lives, he still kept it together. Draco constantly wanted to punch something or someone over the smallest comment. He was a short fuse, and Harry seemed to be the only thing that stopped him from blowing up and ending up expelled.
Even knowing that, Draco was also able to see the changes in Harry. Gone was the whimsical boy just discovering magic, and the man who had seen war too young had taken his place. Draco wished he had been on the right side of that war, if only so he could have protected Harry from what was happening. He hated to think that no one could have, Harry had to experience all of that, or the war might still be happening, and he would still be ruling. There would be so much wrong with the world, and Draco would have been changed already. Harry becoming an Animagus, finally willing himself to jump that last hurdle to get registered, it was the only way that Harry could keep himself sane. He was doing something. The boring life of a student did not do it for the great wizard use to solving mysteries. Draco found himself wondering sometimes if that was why Harry was still with him, because he was something new to do, another project to work on, a mystery to solve.
His thoughts did little for his attitude, for he had now given himself more to chew on than he wanted. It did provide great distraction from the last classes of the day, the two he did not have with Harry, and the ones he would normally be struggling to stay awake in. This time, his brain had too much to mull over to even consider allowing him sleep. Something deep in his gut told him that something big was going to happen tonight, and that made him want to talk Harry into not going outside, like they had been doing every night.
The pain started at supper, Draco tried to play it off as a stomach ache, leaving the hall early. He felt Harry watching from the Gryffindor Table, this was the only meal they did not get to sit with one another during. They had made plans to do so during the holidays, or for Harry to come home to Draco's house. Draco was worried about writing that particular owl to his mother, how did he explain he was falling for Potter?
He was almost late, his eyes finding the clock at exactly 10pm. He rushed from the dungeons, trying to push the pain down, knowing Harry would be waiting for him, and he was. Like a loyal fucking puppy, Harry was there, wagging his goddamn tail and throwing the cloak over them. Sneaking to the right spot was easy enough, the darkness shrouded them even further, though the cloak was the biggest asset to these nights. It was a brief moment, a sudden flood of sickening realization as Harry pulled off the cloak; this was not a good idea. .
Then it was all agony.
The pain was something he never imagined he'd go through. Like fire running through his veins, bones slowly breaking, piece by piece, remodeling themselves into something new, something monstrous. The anger. A primal surging of emotion that just made him want to rip Harry apart. He stumbled into the courtyard, he could hear the male behind him, the panicked questions spurring past Potter's lips. Moonlight flood across his skin, for a brief moment before hiding behind the clouds again, and it felt like molten lava was poured onto his flesh, everything got worse.
His eyes turned upwards, fury filling the depth of his pained orbs. Anguish would be crossing his face, and he could do little to keep it off of his features, it was so damn painful. He grabbed Harry's shoulders, knew from the wince that his nails had grown and were digging into the other's tender flesh. They both knew what was happening, they knew that it was coming on for real this time. The nights before he had just gotten moody, this was the first time he had changed, he had hoped that it would never happen, that whatever his mother had done to him would make the curse stop in its tracks forever. It was a fucking pipedream, that was for sure.
"Harry please" The words passed gritted teeth, the claws digging deeper. He felt the blood, could smell it, soaking into the fabric of Harry's robes. After everything they had been through, he did not want Harry to have to do this, when they had made the vow, he had hoped to change over the summer. His mother had agreed to this course of action, it had been a hard fought battle, but she had broken down and agreed before he left. He was so close to finishing school, to moving on with his life, putting the past behind him and finding a way to live how he always wanted to. "You have to do it, I will hurt someone." He never wanted to, not again, his voice took on a desperate note. How could he make Harry do this?
He could see the pain cross Harry's eyes, nestle there to make his decision that much harder. Draco knew he would do it, the bond would make him follow through. Draco could see how much Harry was struggling with this. He had sworn on Albus' and Severus' names that he would do this for him, that he would go about this, no matter the consequences. He really wish it could be someone else, wished it would not mean the end of both of their lives. Draco had written a note, a letter stored away in his trunk so his mother could find it, maybe then he could save Harry from what was undoubtedly coming. From the bleak life that might follow, even if it was a long shot, maybe, just maybe, a bond like this might exempt Harry from that law.
"I can't." Two words and Harry ripped his heart out again, just like he had nine days ago, when he stormed into Draco's world and made him see things under a new light, made him believe in something more than pureblood. Harry had been there for Draco where many others had not been. He knew this was hard. Another wave of pain ran over him, bringing him to his knees. His breath came out in pants, mixed with low growls and whimpers, like a dog that was kicked one too many times. His jaw pained and he felt the moonlight on his back, felt its effects coursing through his veins. This time, there was no cloud to lessen the effects, and Draco felt the change quicken.
"Harry, I can't be this, this thing. I need you to do it." He raised his blue eyes, knowing his next words would sting, but knowing that they needed to be said. "You swore on their names, Potter! You swore to the unbreakable vow!" he hated using Harry's last name, especially like that. He had no choice, Harry was being stubborn.
"I love you Draco, how can you ask me to do this." Tears clung to Harry's eyes, the words sent bolts through Draco's heart and he wished again that he did not have to make Harry do this. Damn Voldemort and his plans, damn him for existing and turning Draco into this monster. "I am trying to make this easier, I can shift as well."
"Dammit Harry, there is more to it than that. What life can I live knowing I might kill someone... might kill you?!" Draco tried to push back the tears that came. He forced himself onto his feet, dragging his hands from Harry's shoulders, standing not far, but just far enough for Harry to raise his wand. "Please." Draco did not beg, but he did now.
Harry raised his wand, fingers shaking, the moonlight splashed over both their faces, illuminating the truth. Draco, with his misshapen jaw, fangs stretching down and narrowed eyes, the changes in them, the emotions slowly draining. Harry, with the tears streaking down his face, and the heartbreaking look of defeat in those eyes. Draco knew it was coming, knew that his own life was ending and that it was this event that would truly break Harry Potter. Still he waited with outstretched arms.
"AVADA KADAVRA" The shout was sudden, a burst of green light coming off the end of Harry's wand, Draco felt the jolt, the pain coursing through his veins, worse than the shift, but after a moment, he was pleasantly numb. He was still him, still Draco, he would die as himself. Harry had caught him, sinking to the ground, Draco watched the moon for a moment, eyes turning to Harry in time to see the broken look on his face, the hardening behind his eyes as Harry tried to cope with this. Draco wanted desperately to save Harry the fate that was coming. His last breath was his attempt at doing so.
"I love you too, Potter."