A/N: I totally feel like i am becoming too distracted about writing x.x Dw dw i plan on finishing this fic and many more to come in fact!
To DazzlexMe: Haha you are probably one of the few that says that. I do not force ppl to review xD You just review if you want to. Ofc more reviews might make me write faster but thats absolutely coincidental xD
Especial Thanks to captain kinna as always for the beta reading. And ofc ty for the reviews :)
Slowly, Harry regained consciousness a few hours later. The first impressions he had after being asleep for so long, though, were not pleasant.
At first he thought it was only his mind that was highly unfocused, but after a few attempts at moving Harry noticed his mind was not only unfocused but it also felt detached from his body. Then, all of a sudden, every one of his senses came back, along with the most horrible pain he had ever felt.
'Oh Merlin. It hurts so badly! I feel like -' his thoughts were interrupted by other voice.
'Like you have been trampled by a herd of Hippogriffs? Believe me I would know.'
Harry stiffened and almost let out a groan as his muscles clenched painfully.
'Who are you?' he managed to ask after finally overcoming the initial wave of pain.
'Really, Potter, some would think after knowing me for six years and sharing my bed more than once you would be able to recognize my voice.' The voice didn't sound mad though, if anything it sounded like teasing, and soft with affection.
'Draco?'
'Of course. Were you expecting anyone else inside your mind, lover?' The possessiveness of the blond's voice was enough to make him chuckle weakly.
'Eh, maybe dear, old baldie. How can you be here, Draco? Am I still dreaming?'
'Well, if you are dreaming, Harry, then we are both having the same weird dream.' Draco stated flatly. His presence felt so strong inside Harry's mind, so different from Voldemort's absent one. Harry noticed he hadn't answered his first question: how could Draco enter his mind like this?
'Dumbledore said that severing your bond with Voldemort had triggered some reaction between you and me. When I woke up I could feel pain I knew I shouldn't have, I can still feel it now. It comes from you. I can feel your pain and your every thought.'
Harry flinched and forced his eyes open. It took a moment to clear them of their fogginess but once he succeeded Harry let his gaze roam through the room, in search of a target. He found him sitting in a chair near the end of his bed.
Dumbledore felt Harry's gaze and looked up, locking his hopeful blue eyes with scared, green ones. Harry ignored everyone else in the room as they noticed his state of wakefulness and moved closer, and he ignored Draco's voice still calling out to him from within his mind. His focus was only on the old man.
"Please, make it stop," he begged desperately. Everyone froze on their spot. Dumbledore looked confused for a moment but then it dawned on him.
"But why, Harry? This bond is not harmfull for either of you." The man seemed honestly confused, and Harry felt sorry for his sudden request, but he had no choice.
"War is around the corner, Professor. I am sorry, but I cannot afford for Draco to suffer from my pain. I will not allow it!"
Draco made a strangled noise. But no one seemed to notice so focused were they on Harry and Dumbledore.
"Harry, my boy, the bond is still fresh, your senses of each other are intensified. With time both you and young Mr. Malfoy will gain control over this bond and the feelings will not be so strong," he tried to explain.
"You don't understand. Once I have to face Voldemort, the pain will be horrendous, even with our senses dampened Draco will still feel it, for I will lose control over my emotions."
"Hey! I am here you know. Why do you keep talking as if I am not in the room?"
They both ignored Draco's complaints, this was between Harry and Dumbledore. No one else dared to interrupt them as both tried to force to other to understand with their eyes. Finally Dumbledore sighed and dropped his gaze to his old, wrinkled hands.
"Harry, even if I understand your reason. The way you are now, even if we tried to break this bond your magic would only connect the both of you again. Maybe it is unknown to you, but the potion we used to free your mind from Voldemort's power is not safe, to expose Draco to it would be most dangerous." He stopped and gave Draco a side glance. "Is that what you wish to do, Harry? Risk his life over this?"
Harry felt the blood rush from his face as he paled. His mind swam for a second and everything seemed to blur. Voices rose around him but they were almost immediately shut out by the strong sound of his own blood rushing everywhere as his heart beat rose to a wild hammering.
His Draco could die if they tried to part them.
Cold, gentle hands touched his face, and he raised his eyes to icy blue ones so much like Draco's in their shape. Narcissa Malfoy brought him closer to her chest and hugged him tightly, her hand stroking his black hair. He could hear her, whispering soft words in his ear, but their meaning was lost to him as he focused on the feeling of protection her arms offered.
Harry let a shaky breath escape his parted lips, he didn't care. It felt so good to feel protected like this. For the briefest of moments Harry could pretend the person holding him was a beautiful lady whose hair shone the color of fire, instead of Mrs. Malfoy.
A new wave of love flowed through his body, even warmer than the embrace. Harry could now see that this emotion was faintly dosed with Draco's presence. As if it was a piece of cloth with Draco's scent.
'I am sorry,' he heard Draco's whispered thought.
'Tis not your fault Draco, Voldemort is to blame.'
'Even if you don't know her too well yet, Mother considers you family already. She is different from Father. To him, only power and status matters. But Mother, she gives family her strength and love. I really think you will like her.'
Harry smiled and silently thanked his lover for his kind words. He let himself bask in the love Draco sent him like a kitten bathing in the sun.
-/-
Dumbledore let both boys rest the remainder of the day. No matter how important it was to inform them of their new bond, it was equally important to let Harry come to terms with the fact that this was not a temporary situation. The bond would remain with them until the day they died.
So he and Severus quietly left the hospital wing while Madam Pomfrey fussed over the boys.
"What do you plan on doing now, Headmaster?"
The older man sighed and pulled his wand out of his robes.
"We are in need of an Order and Staff meeting, I am afraid, my boy. This new development is too unexpected." He slowly moved his wand in a whipping movement and two silver phoenixes shot from the tip, his Patronus.
"Fly to The Burrow and deliver a message to Molly Weasley." The first bird tilted his head a little, obviously waiting for his master's message."Meeting tonight at 10pm, within Hogwarts. Please relay this message to the others."
The bird trilled and disappeared in a flash of light.
The second phoenix which had, meanwhile, made himself comfortable on Dumbledore's shoulder, lifted his head from under his silvery wings and looked at the old wizard with an intelligent gaze.
"You, my dear, please search for Professor McGonagall and deliver my message. Staff meeting tonight in my office at 10pm. Please inform the remaining teachers." The magnificent bird jumped from Dumbledore's shoulders and spread his wings just before he hit the floor. Both men watched as he took off in the direction of the stairway.
"I take that you will not be joining us for dinner in the Great Hall, then?"
Dumbledore smile and shook his head. "Too much to do, my boy. Until later, Severus."
"Until later, Headmaster." The other man said back, as he watched the old wizard walk away, in the direction of his own office.
-/-
Dumbledore's office was crowded that night.
Both members of the Order, and Professors of Hogwarts looked at each other suspiciously. After all, it was not common for the Headmaster to summon them all at once.
The old man was seated in his chair, his blue eyes surveying the faces of the friends he had called upon.
"As some of you are aware…" His sudden start made all eyes turn in his direction. "This previous week and a half, Lord Voldemort has managed to place Harry Potter under an unwilling bond."
A few of the older Aurors gasped, for they knew what such bond implied. Professor Flitwick squeaked in surprise and almost fell of his chair, but the rest remained silent, confused expressions painted upon their faces.
"Mr. Potter's magical levels have been extremely low as a consequence. Fortunately, Professor Snape and I have managed to break this bond."
"Why have I not been informed of this? Potter is in my House, I should have been summoned right away," exclaimed Professor McGonagall coldly.
"I am sorry, my dear Minerva, but I am afraid Severus and I have been so worried trying to find a cure it just slipped from our minds."
The other Professor huffed and shifted in her seat.
"Is he alright now, Professor Dumbledore? Harry, I mean," asked one of the Weasley twins.
"Yes, Mr. Potter is alright. His magical levels should return to normal now. There was a slight side effect you should know about, though. It is mostly why I have felt the need to summon you here."
"Mr. Potter's body was already used to another magical presence, so when the bond broke, it immediately searched for someone with a compatible magical signature to replace the previous bond with a new one. The person it picked was Draco Malfoy." He paused for a moment, letting the news sink in.
"The rumors are true then. About Potter and Malfoy being together," came Moody's voice from where he was standing near the door. Dumbledore noted, with a smile, that the man was not asking him but stating something. He probably knew that for a bond to happen a lot of trust and love would be essential. Everyone in the room moved their gaze from Moody to Dumbledore sharply at this.
"Ah, yes. Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy have been very close of late. I am surprised the Daily Prophet has remained silent about this."
"Do you think it is wise, Albus? The boys have hated each other so much. It seems strange that all of a sudden a relationship forms between them."
It was Severus who answered this time, his need to protect one of his snakes very evident by the way he almost snarled the words.
"It was not sudden. Mr. Potter has been courting -" the word 'courting' came out almost as a cough. "-Mr. Malfoy for some time now, basically since the beginning of the year. Although I do believe that the courting stage is already over, if the state I found them in the other day was of any indication."
The women in the room blushed deeply, probably imagining the scene the Professor had caught them int. The Weasley twins chuckled, but most of the men looked confused.
"Mr. Malfoy has changed since the beginning of the year. I believe he is finally turning into what he was supposed to become, had Lucius not influenced his upbringing."
"This is another of the subjects I have to discuss tonight. It might seem far from orthodox but I would like Mr. Potter to move to Mr. Malfoy's chambers." This part was mostly directed to the Hogwarts Staff. "As a newly formed bond, close contact is most important."
Professor McGonagall seemed ready to interrupt, but he raised his hand in a halting manner.
"It is necessary, Minerva. This bond, it is like nothing I have seen before. And it was not formed like anything I have seen or read before either. We do not know how it might work at all, I can only guess the extent of this connection based on what I have learned other known and documented bonds. As the safe thing to do, I would like Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy to be close to each other, at least for the first few months."
The woman sighed but nodded her consent. It was not common, but it would also not be the first time two students shared a suite. The only difference being that normally the couple would be newlywed. Of course, Minerva did not need to know that.
"It has come to my attention that Lord Voldemort might try to impose this kind of unwilling bond to someone else. Those that have a good knowledge of Occlumency will feel him try to pull some strings within your minds. But those who don't will have a sign like Harry did. Dreams of glowing ropes. Do not dismiss these dreams. If any of you does have these dreams, please firecall Professor Snape or myself."
A sullen silence fell over their small group. Lord Voldemort was moving. It would not be long now before the bells of war gave their first ring.
A/N: Now comes the part where i leave you with a little teaser *evil smirk* If i get about 10 reviews I will give you a little surprise next chapter ;) And yes i mean the hot and bothered kind of surprise. Ciao for now :D