Disclaimer: Nothing related to Harry Potter belongs to me. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Research

Harry woke up screaming and writhing as his head exploded in familiar agony, although it was so much more intense this time. The Talisman Mark over his heart burned like a hot iron brand, but Harry didn't have time to wonder how that was possible. Voldemort was furious, and letting Harry know it.

Incapable of handling the searing pain racking through his body, the Boy Who Lived reacted on instinct and shifted into his Jachyra form, where he was able to channel the pain into raw energy for later use.

It was only after he had shifted into Amarth that he realized that his bonded was also screaming, clutching his left forearm. Amarth wondered briefly how the hell Voldemort could reach Severus when the Dark Mark was gone. It should have severed the connection, dammit!

Shivering from the aftermath of the pain, even as he absorbed and converted it, Amarth nudged his muzzle against Severus' forearm. His mate calmed almost immediately, clouded eyes full of residual pain opening to stare at him. Neither of them spoke as they waited tensely for the Dark Lord to back down.

Finally, Amarth felt the influx of energy stop and released Severus' arm. Hopping off the bed, Amarth shifted back to human form, leaving the bedroom and heading for the bathroom to get some healing and pain potions, his mind working furiously. How the hell had Voldemort reached Severus with the Dark Mark gone? And for that matter, why had the Talisman Mark burned?

Harry thought nothing of the pain in his scar, as it was a rather common occurrence, but the Talisman Mark was new. What had he missed? Whatever it was, it was something important, obviously.

Frowning, he grabbed the necessary potions and walked back into the bedroom, handing them to a grateful Severus. Sighing, he crawled back into the bed and snuggled up to his mate, trying to go back to sleep. He'd talk to Dumbledore in the morning.

Moments later, his eyes flew back open as he heard giggling, followed by a teasing, "Awww" coming from a corner of the room. Propping himself up, his glared at his other bonded, who were standing at the bedroom door, letting a low growl trickle through his lips. Remus and Draco just looked amused at his reaction, moving forward and settling on the bed.

"You grounded all right?' asked Remus, concern for his godson showing in his amber eyes. Harry nodded and leaned into Severus, smiling reassuringly at the werewolf, who relaxed and returned the smile. "Then would you care to explain why we both woke up convinced that something was wrong?"

Harry licked his lips nervously and replied, "I'm not entirely sure what happened. Voldemort shouldn't have been able to attack either of us through the Marks." He then went on to explain how he severed the connections with the Dark Lord and that Severus' Dark Mark had been completely erased.

Draco's eyes lit up with an idea. "I think I might know what's happening. C'mon!" he urged, tugging on Harry's arm.

Severus narrowed his eyes at his godson and demanded, "Where are we going, and can't it wait until morning?"

The blonde Slytherin just looked at Severus as if he was a complete idiot. "We're going to the library, and no, it can't wait. If it's what I think it is, we should go now. If it could wait, do you really think I'd be dragging you two out of bed at this godforsaken hour?" he asked impatiently, now tugging on his godfather's hand.

Harry growled at his brother and snarled, "Do you think you could at least leave so that we can get dressed first?" Draco blinked, then flushed and turned around, walking out the door and shutting it quietly behind him, followed by a snickering werewolf.

Harry grinned at his mate and lover, sliding out of bed and grabbing his clothes. He took his time dressing, making sure to give Severus a lovely show. With the gentle grounding that had occurred only hours before, all of his inhibitions and hesitancy had vanished.

Severus got dressed only after Harry had finished, and they left the bedroom. Remus and Draco were waiting for them in the living room, and all four left for the library. At least they didn't have to worry about being caught after curfew in a place they shouldn't be.

Once inside, Draco headed immediately for the Restricted section, pulling down a thin book with a faded blue cover. The title, 'Poisons and their Remedies' didn't serve to reassure any of them, and Harry let him know. His friend just rolled his eyes and opened the book, showing them the actual title of the book inside the cover - 'Rituals and Bondings'.

"You really didn't think we'd let just anyone see this book, did you?" Draco asked smugly. "We're Slytherins after all. Some of this knowledge we keep from others, even nosy witches like Hermione." Harry fell silent and Draco smirked.

Suddenly turning sober, Draco quickly flipped through the book until he found the passage he had been searching for. Skimming over it quickly, he nodded to himself and handed it over to Harry, who read it out loud.

"When two magic users bond, they create a link to each other's family.
This link is all but impossible to break, although it can be done.
See 'Destroying Unwanted Bonds'. Through this link, each family
member from all both sides can contact the two bonded individuals."

Harry paled as the implications struck. Oh, shit. They could be reached through Draco. It made sense. Harry was bonded to Draco and Voldemort, and he was also bonded to Severus. The Dark Lord had probably used Lucius Malfoy to reach Harry, and Harry had then automatically deflected some of his pain onto his mate, not taking time to think about what he was doing. Which, really, should have been impossible, unless it was taking into account that Harry couldn't have functioned under the full brunt of the attack well enough to stop the pain and get the potions.

Remus murmured, "Well, this was rather unexpected. Is that other book here as well? The one on destroying bonds?" Draco nodded and moved down the shelves silently, finally pulling out a worn black book and opening it to the index. Searching quickly, he tracked down the page he was looking for and opened it. Keeping his voice low, he read the passage.

"Bonds created between family members can only be destroyed when the head of the line is destroyed. In the case of a third party using the connection via a consensual magical connection, it is the third person who must be removed, and the connection must be terminated."

Harry frowned. "So, Voldemort would be the third party, right?" When the others nodded, he continued his train of thought. "So, if we take out Voldemort, won't the connection be severed regardless?"

Draco shook his head. "No, the Dark Mark will not disappear with his death; he has made sure of it. You would have to destroy the Mark on my father's arm to permanently sever the connection."

Harry groaned and threw his arm over his eyes in a dramatic gesture of exasperation. "Why me? Why the hell did it have to be me? Like I don't have enough to worry about already." The words were spoken in an exaggeratedly whining tone so that his bonded knew that he was just playing, but he was answered anyhow.

"Because you're all we've got," shrugged Severus. And that was true.