AN: This chapter is nuts. I'm not even kidding. New professor. Draco's animagus form. Kisses. And... grooming the Pups? Weird? Probably. Super cute? Yeah, probably.
"This has to be a really terrible joke," Draco said, staring at the staff table in dismay. Harry and Blaise followed his gaze, freezing at the sight of their new professor.
Lucius Malfoy was seated at the table, looking bored as he talked with Snape. He sipped from a teacup before glancing up to see his son. He offered a slight nod before turning back to Snape.
How could his father not tell him? When they'd spoken outside the headmaster's office, his father had only questioned if he knew anything about the Order. Draco was a little put out that his own father had wanted to use him for information but couldn't be bothered to mention that he was considering taking up the Defense position himself. Draco was clever enough to know that it was a calculated move. There was no way that Minister Fudge's first thought had been to hire Lucius Malfoy as a teacher. No, if was Lucius was teaching, it was because he sought after the job for a less than noble purpose.
"Oh Merlin," Draco groaned, automatically straightening his posture and moving toward the Slytherin table. "This is a disaster."
"Calm down," Harry soothed quietly. "It doesn't change our plans."
"My father is a Death Eater," Draco reminded him morosely.
"So, we just need to be extra careful to keep our activities secret," Blaise said reasonably, nudging the plate of sausages toward Draco. "Hopefully Gryffindors understand discretion."
"Even setting all that aside, my Father is a professor," Draco grumbled. "This is so embarrassing."
"Remus was our teacher one year," Harry said helpfully.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Remus didn't bring albino peacocks to the World Cup," he replied.
Blaise snorted. "That's true," he chuckled. "And Remus is pretty great. Why couldn't they just have him come back to teach?"
"Remus and Sirius are getting married during Christmas break," Harry explained. "Remus shouldn't have to worry about teaching right now. Let's just see how it goes," he added, nudging Draco gently.
At the end of breakfast, Lucius made his way toward Draco. He offered a short, dignified nod to the students. "Mr. Potter, a pleasure to see you," he drawled.
"And you," Harry replied politely. "I appreciate that you came to Hogwarts and helped get rid of Umbridge. Thank you sir."
"I was pleased to be of service," Mr. Malfoy nodded. "That woman had no business interacting with children. I only wish that we could have stopped her before she'd mutilated your hand."
"It could be worse," Harry sighed, rubbing at his scarred hand uncomfortably. "I'm just grateful that she's gone."
"Indeed," Malfoy agreed. "Well, I have a class to teach. Run along now."
"Yes sir," Harry said.
"Yes Father," Draco murmured.
As they walked to class, Draco frowned thoughtfully. "This complicates things a little," he muttered. "My father can't see me associating with the Weasleys or Hermione. He'd be furious."
"We'll manage," Blaise assured him. "Just stay calm and everything will be fine.
They got through their classes without incident. The fifth years didn't have Defense until Thursday, but they began hearing things about the class from students in different years. Professor Malfoy was said to be better than Umbridge, but that wasn't saying much. He was at least letting the students use magic, so there was that.
That evening Draco and Harry met with Snape for more training. The spells had grown steadily more difficult, but they never shied away from the work.
"I wonder if I could help you perform wandless magic," Snape mused.
"I thought that wandless magic was nearly impossible to control," Draco commented. "It's usually only ever done by accident."
"That's true," Snape agreed. "But the two of you have excellent control. You seem to be strongly in touch with your magical cores. I doubt you could manage to be wandless all the time, but I think we could manage proficiency in a few spells. That ability could save you if you're disarmed."
Harry and Draco exchanged a hopeful look. "We could try," Harry said.
"Good," Snape said with a nod. "First we'll work on non-verbal spells. They require a bit more focus than verbal. Your classmates won't be working on those until next year."
He moved to stand in front of the two boys. "Non-verbal spells will offer you an advantage during a duel," he drawled. "You won't be warning your opponent of your intention by shouting a spell. Now, focus on the spell to disarm me. Don't speak," he added sharply when Harry opened his mouth. "Just think. Focus on the words of your spell and what the spell is going to do."
Harry frowned, pointing his wand at the professor. He thought the word expelliarmus in his head over and over, silently willing Snape's wand to fly across the room.
"You're tensing," Snape chided. "Calm your mind. You don't have to make this so urgent. It's your magic. You have control. That wand is just a conduit. The power in every spell is yours."
Harry drew in a steadying breath, casting a glance at Draco. The blond gave an encouraging nod, his eyes bright with anticipation.
Harry closed his eyes, focusing on the flow of magic. He didn't need the words. He opened his eyes and lifted his wand again. Without opening his lips he told his magic to toss Snape's wand away, willed his magic to reach out and disarm the professor.
Snape's wand was wrenched from his hand and thrown against the wall behind him. Draco cheered excitedly and Snape smirked in approval. "It needs work," Snape commented. "Obviously an enemy isn't going to stand around waiting for you to get yourself sorted. But, that was an admirable first try."
Harry beamed, stepping aside to watch Draco give it a try. It took Draco a bit longer to manage it, but he did eventually succeed. He promptly threw his head back and laughed.
"That was brilliant Draco," Harry praised, grinning as Draco tried to suppress a fit of breathless giggles. He could hardly blame Draco for his mirth. It was exhilarating to accomplish such a feat.
"Indeed," Snape agreed, bending down to scoop up his wand. "Now, before you go, I thought I'd show you this." He walked over to a table and picked up a book that neither of the boys had noticed. "At your last occlumency lesson, you suggested that you thought the horcrux was fighting against Harry," he said, looking at Draco.
Draco nodded slowly. "I could feel it," he said, shuddering at the memory. "It was like this... dark presence lurking around the edges."
"I thought the fact that you could sense the horcrux was significant," Snape said, looking down at the old, worn tome cradled in his hands. "If you can get that close, perhaps there's a way to force it out."
Harry's eyes lit up with hope, but Draco looked worried. "I did some reading on Horcruxes over the summer," Draco admitted. "It seemed wise, considering..." He reached out and grasped Harry's hand. "In every case, the object that contained the bit of soul was destroyed. Destroying the horcrux means killing Harry."
"There has to be a way," Snape growled. "I'm sure of it." He sighed heavily. "But the methods of destroying a horcrux are fatal to humans as well."
"How do you destroy a horcrux?" Harry asked quietly.
"Fiendfyre would work," Draco replied. "And bas-" He cut himself off, his eyes wide. "Oh my-"
"What?" Snape asked impatiently.
"Basilisk venom," Draco said, stunned. "Harry had a basilisk fang go through his arm in second year. It would have killed him if Fawkes hadn't been there." He clapped his hands over his mouth, overwhelmed.
"But it clearly didnt destroy the horcrux," Harry noted. "Does that mean that the venom doesn't work?"
"Perhaps the phoenix tears stopped the venom from finishing the job," Snape said.
"It could have been weakened though," Draco said, his voice quaking. "It still leaves us with the task of removing it, but maybe it'll be easier."
"I need to speak with the headmaster," Snape muttered. He handed the book to Draco. "Read through this and we'll speak about it later. I need to find away to determine if the venom weakened the fragment of Voldemort's soul. We're going to sort this out," he said firmly, meeting Harry's gaze.
Harry nodded and then allowed Draco to lead him away. They walked through the halls together in silence, pondering the conversation with the potions master. Draco couldn't wait to read through the book. There had to be a way to free Harry from Voldemort's twisted soul.
"Where are we going?" Harry asked, interrupting Draco's thoughts. "Our common room is the other direction."
"I know," Draco replied. "We're just going to step outside for a moment."
As the stepped through the front doors, they blinked against the wind that rushed against their faces. Dark clouds loomed ominously, hiding the stars from view. Suddenly, Harry understood why they had gone outside. He turned to Draco with wide eyes.
Draco stood still, his gaze focused on the sky, waiting. A flash of lightning lit up his pale face and he smiled. "Amato animo animato animagus," he incanted, his voice clear and steady. He closed his eyes.
Harry watched in awe as Draco's body shifted and changed. Harry gasped as he was soon standing beside a large animal with white fur.
Draco had become a wolf.
"You're beautiful," Harry said reverently, running his fingers through soft, thick fur. "You're a wolf, Draco." The wolf turned his head to gaze up at Harry with lovely silvery eyes. Then it tipped its head back and let out a long, ringing howl.
Draco returned to human form and turned to look at Harry, panting slightly. His gray eyes were wide and, for one wild moment, Harry thought that Draco was going to pounce on him. Instead, Draco hastily seized Harry's hand and pulled him back inside the castle as the rain started to fall in earnest. They moved quickly and silently, with Harry wandering what the hurry was. Draco was clearly a bit worked up about something.
They burst into the common room, startling a group of students that were lounging in front of the fire. Without pausing, Draco grabbed Harry's arm and urged him to continue on to their dorm room. Blaise watched them go with a frown.
Once they were in the room, Draco released Harry and took a deep breath. "Are you alright?" Harry asked.
"Fine," Draco replied, waving dismissively while a delighted smile spread across his face. "I'm just really excited. I can't believe I did it."
"Congratulations," Harry grinned. "But I don't get why we practically ran here."
Draco bit his lip, his cheeks flushing a bit. He stepped closer, loosely curling his arms behind Harry's neck. "I just wanted to do this," he murmured, pressing his lips against Harry's.
Harry accepted the kiss happily, despite being a little baffled. It wasn't as if this was completely new for them. Except- Oh. Wait a minute...
Harry thought his heart might explode when he felt the gentle brush of Draco's tongue against his lower lip. This part was definitely new. For the first time, Harry parted his lips and slid his arms around Draco's waist as the blond's tongue slipped into his mouth.
Harry marveled at the warmth of Draco's mouth. He hummed in pleasure as he allowed his own tongue to meet Draco's in a languid stroke. Why in Merlin's name had they never done this before?
Draco broke the kiss, his eyes fluttering open. His breath came out in excited little pants as he gazed at his soul mate, his best friend.
Harry lifted one hand to caress Draco's face, his heart in his throat. How he adored that sweet face. "I love you," Harry said softly.
Draco's breath caught. His pulse raced and his chest felt oddly tight and warm. He felt as if he'd been waiting to hear those words for an eternity. "I love you too," Draco murmured, pulling Harry into another kiss. There was barely any hesitation as their tongues brushed together this time.
When they parted, Draco rested his head on Harry's shoulder. "Was that alright?" he asked, sounding adorably shy and uncertain.
"It was wonderful," Harry assured him, holding Draco close. "You make me so happy Draco."
"I want you to know that I'd do anything to protect you," Draco said, relaxing into Harry's hold. He shifted to nuzzle Harry's neck. "We're going to get through all this together. Nobody is going to keep me from being at your side."
Harry smiled, gently running his hands over Draco's back. He didn't have words to describe the way he felt in that moment. Harry suspected that he'd always loved Draco, and had only recently fully understood what he felt. From that first day at the park, they'd been tangled up in one another. Draco was more precious to Harry than Harry knew how to express.
The door banged open, shattering the tender moment, and Blaise walked in with Vince and Greg. "Everything alright?" Blaise asked, looking Harry and Draco over quickly.
"Yes," Harry said, loosening his grip on Draco but not letting go. "We had a really eventful day."
"What happened?" Blaise asked, pulling off his shoes and sitting down on his bed.
Harry explained their meeting with Snape and their discussion about the horcrux. He pulled the book that Snape had given them out of his school bag and handed it to Blaise. Blaise glanced through the book briefly while nodding as Harry talked.
"And Draco officially became an animagus," Harty said proudly.
Blaise grinned. "Great! What form do you take?"
Draco transformed into the white wolf. Vince and Greg applauded, looking deeply impressed. "Bloody hell," Blaise gasped. "It's just like your patronus."
Harry transformed as well, his feline form seeming smaller than ever. Orion looked up at the wolf and meowed.
The wolf nudged at the black cat gently and then picked the cat up by the scruff of his neck. Orion yowled at suddenly being in the jaws of the much larger animal. He stilled when Draco growled softly. The wolf jumped onto Harry's bed and gently set Orion down on the bedding.
Blaise laughed as Orion gently batted at Draco's nose with one paw. He smiled and rolled his eyes in exasperation as the black cat stretched and curled up against the lovely white fur. "You two are ridiculous," he commented, petting the wolf's head and then stroking the cat.
As Blaise prepared for bed, he realized that the wolf and cat had fallen asleep, curled together as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"I would like you to split into pairs," Professor Malfoy drawled. "We'll be working on shield charms today." He flicked his wand lazily and all of the desks floated to the perimeter of the room, leaving space for the students to spread out.
Draco and Harry chose an area near the front of the room, waiting for further instruction. While Malfoy Senior looked the other direction, Draco directed a flirty wink at Harry.
"You will take turns attempting to disarm your partner," Malfoy went on, his tone bored. "Do try to avoid blowing anyone up," he added, casting a slight sneer in Neville's direction. Once he'd instructed them on how to produce the shield charm, he waved a hand for the students to begin practicing.
It didn't take long for the Professor's attention to be drawn to Draco and Harry. "Draco, you can hardly expect for Mr. Potter to learn to produce a decent shield if you're not going to put any effort into your own spell," he chided his son.
Draco frowned. "There's nothing wrong with my spell," Draco argued. "Harry's shield is very good."
Malfoy pursed his lips, clearly skeptical. He nudged his son aside to face Harry himself. "May I?" he inquired, raising one eyebrow in challenge.
"Of course, sir," Harry responded. He really didn't like the idea of allowing Lucius Malfoy to point a wand at him, but didn't really have a choice. Luckily, several of his wolves were standing in the room with them. He could feel them watching over him, wary of their new professor.
Harry hastily cast his charm just before the professor fired off his own spell. He smiled as he saw and felt the red flash of Malfoy's spell smack against the shield charm and bounce away harmlessly.
"Impressive indeed," Malfoy acknowledged. He turned his expectant gaze on his son. "Now you, Draco." He stepped back and motioned for Harry to proceed.
Draco forced himself to ignore his father's presence for the moment. When Harry shifted slightly, Draco knew to pull up his shield charm. It was just in time to deflect Harry's spell.
Professor Malfoy's expression turned a bit smug. "Well done Draco," he nodded. "You and Mr. Potter may take a seat and read through chapter four in your book." He moved on observe the other students.
By the end of the class, most of the students had managed a decent shield charm. Including Neville.
Lucius watched Draco and Harry as the left the classroom together. He'd known that Draco was doing quite well in his classes, but he hadn't anticipated such a level of proficiency. And their magic... He'd put a bit more force than was strictly necessary behind his own spell, and Harry Potter's shield had held strong. He was pleased that his heir was so talented, but abilities of the boy who lived were worrisome.
He made a mental note to have a little chat with Severus Snape.
"That's really good Dennis," Harry said, causing the second year Gryffindor to beam at him. Harry and Draco had pulled aside the second and third years to work with them while their betas were supervising the more advanced spellwork of the older students.
The six younger students had looked oddly pleased when Ron had slipped and referred to them as Harry and Draco's pups. It seemed that everyone was taking the concept of a pack seriously. They'd all listened intently while Hermione had explained the dynamics of a wolf pack and several had been happy with the idea. The younger students in particular now seemed intent on endearing themselves to Harry and Draco.
"Alright, are you ready for another spell?" Draco asked.
"Why can't we do what they're doing?" a second year Hufflepuff named Ben asked, pointing at where Ginny was making one of the practice dummies explode.
"You're not ready for that spell yet," Draco said. "You have to work up to those types of spells. You can end up hurting yourself if you push yourself to try a spell that's too advanced. You'll get there," he added gently when Ben pouted.
They taught the younger students a few more spells, patiently correcting pronunciations and wand movements. But eventually the pups began to look rather tired. Draco rewarded their hard work by transforming. In an instant, the white wolf coaxed the pups into settling next to him on the floor to rest while the other students finished.
Harry shot an adoring look at Draco before moving to help the older students finish up. "Really great work today," Harry said sincerely, looking around at everyone. "I'm so pleased with your progress. Now, I need a few volunteers to escort the pups back to the common rooms." He glanced over his shoulder to see that Ben had curled up into the wolf's side. The wolf was licking at the child's hair, apparently content to succumb to the instinct to groom the pups. Instead of being bothered, Ben seemed to growing drowsy, his wide blue eyes blinking slowly.
"That's adorable, but so weird," Blaise commented, making Neville and Ron laugh.
"He's a good Alpha," Hermione said, smiling slightly.
"Alright, let's send the pups off before Draco grooms them all to sleep," Harry said, his tone affectionate. He checked the Marauder's Map before sending the pups away with older members of their houses.
Draco returned to his human form, getting to his feet gracefully and stretching. He stepped to Harry's side, bidding their pack members a good night as they left in small groups.
"So much for not wanting pups," Harry teased, giving Draco a playful nudge.
Draco flushed. "It's our job to take care of them," he responded defensively.
"I'm only joking Draco," Harry chuckled. "I'm glad they're so comfortable with us. You're really great with them."
"I can't seem to help myself," Draco muttered sheepishly. He thought it might be his wolf form creating these protective, nurturing sort of impulses. He supposed that it would be nice if it aided their pack in other ways. With Voldemort back, Draco needed every advantage he could get.
Harry gathered Draco close for a soft kiss. "I love you," he murmured, feeling warm and content.
"I love you too," Draco answered, using his fingers to gently comb through Harry's hair.
"Oh wow," Ron said, interrupting the sweet moment.
The couple turned to see their friends staring at them with wide eyes. "What?" Draco snapped, sliding his hands down to rest against Harry's chest.
"I didn't think you were there yet," Blaise commented. "It took you so long to get together in the first place."
"Nah," Harry said with a little shrug and a smile. "We've been together all along. We just didn't know it."
Draco gave him an unimpressed look. "I will break up with you for such sappy statements," he warned.
"You're so mean," Harry laughed.
"And yet you can't resist me," Draco countered with a saucy wink.
"Ugh... They're disgusting," Ron complained. "Let's get going before they start planning to 'rear more pups'." He guffawed when Draco and Harry blushed and looked away.
"Wait, we can't go yet," Hermione said, reaching into her bag and pulling out the book from Snape. Harry had passed it off to her to read through. "We need to talk about this."
"Alright," Harry agreed, sitting down on the padded floor. The others sat down as well, suddenly tense. "What do you think?"
"Well, I think that Draco may have been right," Hermione said carefully. "There's a good chance that the basilisk venom weakened the horcrux." She turned to Draco. "You said that the horcrux seemed to be fighting against Harry's ability to shield his mind... How did you get past it?"
Draco frowned thoughtfully. "I sort of... held it back with my magic," he said haltingly. "It's hard to explain. It's not like I could cast a spell. But-" He paused, glancing at Harry. "I've learned to recognize what Harry's soul feels like. When I sensed the horcrux, I just... willed it to be pushed aside. Sorry if that's not particularly clear," he added ruefully.
"It's fine," Hermione assured him. "I think the fact that you could exert any control at all is a good sign. There are rituals mentioned in here-"
"Those rituals sound really risky," Harry interjected anxiously. "It would be dangerous for anyone to try them."
Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but refrained. "Well, we should discuss all this with Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape anyway," she said lightly.
"Let's go on to bed," Blaise said, getting to his feet. "There's nothing more to be done tonight. Why don't we all meet with Snape tomorrow after dinner? We can see what he's thinking about all this."
The others agreed and they all left the Room of Requirement somberly. Draco's mind was busy considering the possibility of a ritual that could rid Harry of Voldemort's horcrux. He planned to send an owl to his mother, requesting a few useful books.
"Your father has questioned me regarding your... magical aptitude," Snape informed Draco the next evening. They'd all crowded into Snape's office together and Dumbledore had joined them.
"Well, that's just great," Draco muttered sarcastically. "We really don't need him paying a lot of attention to my magic."
"Or Harry's," Hermione added.
"I don't think it's a matter of concern just yet," Snape replied. "I don't think he'd ever guess at the truth. I would think that he's most concerned that Potter may be stronger than anticipated. But, he has no reason to believe that there's anything odd going on. If anything, this may deter him from targeting Potter here at the school."
Draco nodded stiffly, taking a seat next to Harry.
"Now, we have been discussing the situation with the horcrux," Snape began, sitting down behind his desk. "I trust that you've read the book I gave you."
"Harry and I read it," Draco said. "So did Blaise and Hermione."
"I summarized for Ron, Vince and Greg," Hermione added. "Sir, do you think we could use a ritual to remove the bit of you-know-who's soul?"
Snape and Dumbledore exchanged a quick look. "We think that it is a good possibility," Dumbledore admitted. "I think it would be possible to draw the soul fragment out and force it into another object."
"It's tricky, but we may be able to pull it off," Snape added.
"I could do it," Draco blurted out.
"What?" Harry yelped. "No! Draco, I can't let you do that."
"We can't leave that horcrux inside you," Draco snapped. He cupped Harry's face in his hands, forcing Harry to remain still. "Nobody will ever know your soul like I do, Harry. If there's a chance that I can save it, I will."
"I'm not willing to take that risk," Harry retorted, suddenly angry. "I won't risk you. Ever."
"It's not your decision to make," Draco said, scowling.
Harry turned to Dumbledore desperately. "Tell him he can't do this," he pleaded. "There must be something else we could do."
Dumbledore sighed quietly, eyeing Harry sympathetically. "Harry, I think that he's right," he admitted quietly. "The bond you share gives him a unique advantage. And trying something else could very well kill you."
"You can't be serious," Harry said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I couldn't live with myself if something happened to him."
"Potter," Snape said firmly, "we won't move forward with any ritual until we feel quite certain that Draco is ready. You have my word. Any preparation that can be done, will be attended to."
Harry's breath hitched as he considered Snape's words. "You won't let him sacrifice himself," he managed to say.
"Of course not," Snape replied calmly.
Harry finally relaxed slightly, nodding and rubbing at his temples. He squeezed his eyes shut when he felt Draco's hand begin to rub soothing circles on his back.
"Now that we have that settled, I think that you should probably tell us about your secret group," Dumbledore suggested.
So, much for the secret part of it.
"We were afraid of spending the school year without proper Defense lessons," Hermione explained, giving Harry time to calm himself. He looked a bit frazzled. "We knew Umbridge would interfere if she knew, so we met in secret with a few people from each house. Professor Malfoy is actually teaching us spells, but with the return of you-know-who, we thought that it was better to be cautious."
"We're the Wolf Pack," Ron said helpfully. "Harry and Draco are the Alpha pair and we're Betas. The little ones are Pups and the whole pack looks after them."
"The Pups love Draco and Harry," Blaise added with a smile. "It's actually sort of sweet."
"Truly remarkable," Dumbledore murmured admiringly. "It would be best to keep your organization hidden from Lucius Malfoy, but you have my support."
"And mine," Snape agreed, with a short nod.
"Thank you," Harry said, feeling steady enough to speak calmly.
Dumbledore smiled. "And now," he said, leaning forward slightly to eye Harry and Draco with interest, "I think I'd very much like to see your magic. Show me what you can do."
