Preface

Everything Ties Back to One MomentPosted originally on the Archive of Our Own at /works/19455796.

Rating:

Mature

Archive Warning:

Major Character Death

Category:

M/M

Fandom:

Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Relationship:

Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter

Character:

Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Tom Riddle Voldemort

Additional Tags:

Character Death, Second War with Voldemort, POV Death, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Red String of Fate, Slytherin Harry Potter, Stand Alone

Series:

Part 2 of Tied Together

Stats:

Published: 2019-07-03 Words: 6552

Everything Ties Back to One Moment

by Kasena

Summary

Everyone in their lives has a soulmate. A person they're meant for. Maybe not in a romantic sense, but someone that they are destined for nonetheless.

Draco Malfoy knew his soulmate from the moment they met. He's been able to see the strings since he was a child. And before his first year at Hogwarts, he manages to befriend his soulmate. HIS soulmate. Harry James Potter, the Savior of the Wizarding World.

Notes

This is based (loosely) off of my drabble Tied Together from the Drarryland game/fest. This 'ficlet' is not a whole fic, but more just a showing of what could have been, what is, and what was. Small tastes of something much bigger.

Everything Ties Back to One Moment

Draco Malfoy, for as long as he could remember, could always see the strings, when there were any to be seen. He had seen them the moment he was born, and it was only when he was roughly five or six years old that he had asked his mother about them.

She had been sitting in the parlor with her reading, and his father had been at a nearby desk working on incredibly long and boring paperwork for something or other that Draco hadn't bothered to pay attention to at that age. Draco had grown bored after he colored pictures on the parchment they'd summoned for him, and he settled on lessening his boredom by trying to touch the string that led straight from his mother to his father, the string itself a shining golden cord that was what he imagined sunlight was like up close.

Narcissa laughed at him after around his fourth tumble, trying to swat at the cord to no avail. "Draco, lovely, what ever are you doing?"

"I'm trying to touch the string," he answered her absently, standing on his toes and watching as his fingers simply went right through it, no less astonished this time than he had been the previous few times he'd tried to grasp at it. "Why can't I touch it?"

His mother had set her reading aside, and even his father had turned to see what was going on. She had looked to the string where Draco's fingers were before looking back at him. "What string, darling?"

Draco frowned at his mother. He understood that sometimes she was being silly on purpose, but this was no laughing matter! "That one right there!"

Taking him up into her lap, Narcissa help him close, speaking softly, "Can you tell me what this string looks like, Draco?"

With a pout still pulling his lips downwards, Draco was aware of both of his parents staring at him as he again tried to grab the string to no avail. "It's golden. It seems like it'd be very strong, and it's shining. Why can't I touch it?"

"I don't know, darling. Is it tied to anything?" Draco looked back at her. Surely his mother was teasing but neither she nor his father were smiling at him.

"From mummy to father," he told them.

His parents had reacted so joyously that one would expect they'd been told his father had been chosen to be Minister. It wasn't until later that they explained to him what the string meant, and what it meant that he could see them. It had meant that he was the child of two soulmates, so he was gifted with the ability to see other's strings, including his own, though for most of his childhood, he couldn't see his own string. His mother and father told him that the old tales meant that he just hadn't met his soulmate yet. Draco had been fine with it, until he was seven, and his friend-since-birth Pansy and his new friend he'd just made Blaise both came to the Manor together for a playdate.

Draco had hurried himself down the stairs to greet his playmates. He was pleased to have them both over at the same time, and he was certain that he would enjoy each other's company just as much as he enjoyed theirs. The front door opened, and he began to greet them immediately. "I have just the best ideas for games to…" He had stopped himself, though, when he saw the fragile, dual-colored string that seemed to link the two together.

It was barely more than a thread, and it was maroon on one half and purple on the other half. It didn't look anything like his mother's and father's but… But nonetheless, it was a soulmate string. Pansy and Blaise were destined for one another, and they didn't seem to know it. "Draco? Are you alright? You're not sick, are you?"

"I think he's broken," Pansy snickered as she made her way into the Manor. "Come on, you've got to show me all your new toys you've got!"

Draco shook his head to try to put his brain back together. "Right. Of course. Come on. You two have met?"

"Just now."

Of course he'd been upset. Two of his friends had already met their soulmates and didn't even know it, and he hadn't known who his soulmate was. His mother had caught onto his sour mood quick as lightning and had taken him aside to explain that he had a great chance of meeting his soulmate when he went to Hogwarts. And when he thought about it, it made sense. Of course. He just needed to be patient. This of course was not his strongsuit.

Draco spent the next few years until he got his Hogwarts letter constantly pestering his parents about every possible topic he could, where it concerned soulmates. How could he not? He adored the idea of having a special someone that was meant solely for him. The only problem had been he hadn't met his soulmate. And then… he did.

He hadn't expected it. Could anyone have expected meeting their soulmate?

Draco and his mother had been shopping together in Diagon Alley to properly prepare for the school year. He'd been thrilled beyond measure when his letter had come, and his mother had made him wait a week before they decided to get their materials. It had made sense, of course, they beat the rush of students, but…

But now it seemed Draco was face-to-face with his soulmate and he didn't know what to say. The boy came in and looked around, as though unsure of what to think of the shop, then his eyes had landed on the Draco and the two were looking at each other. When they made eye contact, Draco became aware of a string seeming to rise up from the ground between the two of them, leading straight from the other boy to Draco. He realized with amazement that he had the scar. Not only did he know who his soulmate was, now, but Draco knew exactly who it was. His soulmate was Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived.

The string that was between them was thin, like Blaise and Pansy's had been when Draco had first seen it. The half closest to Draco was a light blue, and the half closest to Potter was a deep, emerald green, and… And their string didn't shine like his mother's and father's did. He wondered why that was.

Potter was made to stand on the little platform beside Draco as Madam Malkin began to take all his measurements, though not nearly so in-depth as she did for Draco. Potter seemed intensely aware of Draco's staring until he finally shook his head, looking out the window. "Have I got something on my face?"

Draco startled himself out of it. It was incredibly rude, after all, to stare at someone. "Sorry. Sorry." He couldn't very well tell him that he was his soulmate. "I'm… Draco Malfoy. I suppose I was caught up in my thoughts." Doing as his father would have told him, Draco held his hand out for Potter to shake.

Potter seemed curious, and a little like he didn't trust Draco, but nonetheless, he shook Draco's hand. "Harry Potter."

"Do you know what house you're going to be in?" Draco knew what house he would be in, but if Harry Potter, his soulmate, was in Slytherin with him, that would have been amazing in so many different ways.

Potter only gave him a strange look, though. "House?"

He… He had to have been joking. "Your Hogwarts House? You know, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw- You know, don't you?"

"Er, no. Sorry."

"Oh." That was… Well. Draco didn't know what to do with that. "My family, they're all Slytherins. Slytherins are the cleverest, you know. Cunning, and of course they always know exactly what they want, and how to get it. Think you'll go there?"

"Oh. Probably not. I'm not really all that clever. So you think that's where you're ending up, then?"

"I very well hope so. I don't know what'll happen if I get anything else!" That got him to crack a smile, at least.

He looked back at Draco, his head tilting a bit. "Houses are that important, then?"

Draco took a moment to think about it before he slowly nodded. "Not for all families, I don't think, but it is for the older families. The families with all the old traditions, like my family. Everyone in the family was a Slytherin. I really don't know what'll happen if I get a different house."

That seemed to bring the mood down. "I don't know where my parents were. I don't know how important it was for them."

He… He really didn't know what house his own parents were in? "From what I hear? Gryffindor. But I don't know how important it was, either. Sorry."

"Gryffindor… Thanks." Madam Malkin patted his shoulder to signal to him that she was all finished up. "I… guess I'll see you at school?"

"Right. Hope to see you in Slytherin." He watched Potter give him another half-grin before he was on his way out.

"Well, wouldn't you know? Harry Potter, in my shop," Madam Malkin said to him, already talking about the great business it was going to bring in. It was all Draco could think. His soulmate was Harry Potter. Merlin, did he live a charmed life.

When Draco boarded the Hogwarts Express, he had one mission that was top priority. Find his soulmate, and become best friends. It was a very simple mission, really. It seemed like Potter already sort of liked him, he just had to make sure he liked him. And also possibly make sure that he ended up in Slytherin. Draco would hate to associate himself with someone that was a Hufflepuff, or worse… Gryffindor.

Once he'd set his things with his friends up at the front, he nodded at them and grinned. "Alright, there's someone else I need to go get. A new friend, and hopefully another Slytherin. Can't tell, quite yet."

Pansy waved him off. "You do that, we'll keep your seat warm!" The string between her and Blaise had only gotten stronger, brighter, and the maroon and purple had begin to mix together in the middle. His mother had told him what this meant, of course. The color and shine to a string was representative of how much two soulmates loved one another, whereas the thickness of the string was meant to represent the strength of their bond. He looked down to his own string, his end of it still light blue, but it was clearer to see, meaning his soulmate was closer than he had been in the past month. Right then.

Taking a breath, Draco followed the string, frowning as puzzlement took over his features. Why was Harry Potter sitting at the very back of the train? That didn't make any sense. Okay. Right, then. He didn't know if he could see the strings. Best not to make it seem like he could. Opening the door, he grinned. "So there you are, then."

"Malfoy." Who- Oh. His nose wrinkled distastefully. Why of all people was he sitting with one of the Weasleys? "What are you doing back here?"

"Well, I don't see how it's any of your business, Weasley, but I was rather looking for someone. Seems I found you," he told Potter. "What are you doing sitting back here? Come on, then, there's a seat for you up front."

Potter frowned, looking between the two of them. Weasley looked amazed by something or other, looking between Draco and Potter, but he wasn't sure what would cause that sort of expression. "What do you mean there's a seat for me up there?"

Draco couldn't help but to roll his eyes at him. "I mean that I've saved a seat for you up there, come on. Have you got your wand? What sort is it? Blaise probably knows the meanings and all of every type of wood, and length, and such."

He watched Potter take a glance to Weasley before he nodded. "...Alright. I guess. But my stuff-"

"Oh, leave it there. If you'd really like, you can come back later, but I've got to introduce you to everyone!"

"Wait, who's everyone?" Rather than answer, Draco only led him through the train and up to the front where everyone was waiting.

They got to the front train car and Draco led him to where his friends were waiting. "Got him."

Everyone looked to Potter, and he saw the surprise and amazement flutter across their futures. "Draco, you've outdone yourself. Well? Are you two going to just stand there, or are you going to sit, then?" Pansy made room for one of them on her seat, Theo and Vince each scooting down for Draco to sit beside them again, setting he and Potter across from one another. "Well, I'll go first then, since I'm the only with manners. Pansy Parkinson."

Potter looked at Draco before slowly shaking her hand when she held it out to be kissed. "Harry."

Blaise laughed at Pansy's look. The girl was agawk, probably unable to believe that someone wasn't absolutely enchanted at first meeting her. "We know who you are, no worries there. Blaise Zabini. Honorary Ravenclaw, but Slytherin through and through, don't let these prats tell you otherwise."

Potter looked around at them with a frown. "You're all so sure you're going to be Slytherin?"

"Sure," Greg said with a shrug. "Our parents were."

"Their parents."

"Their parents' parents."

"It's in the blood. Anything else… and it won't be pretty." Potter got a look on his face like he had a realization, but whatever it was, he didn't say it.

All he really said was, "Oh."

Draco glanced to him. "So. What all do we need to catch you up on?"

"Well… What about everything?" Draco was pleased enough to say that he wasn't the only one to stare, causing Potter to look away sheepishly. "I only really… found out about all this 'magic' stuff a month ago."

The group looked to each other before it was Vince that finally sighed. "That's… a lot to catch up on."

"Well… Where should we start?"

They didn't get nearly as much time together as Draco would have liked, Potter saying that he didn't want to leave Weasley in the back car by himself. He didn't see why he cared about someone like Weasley, but he wasn't about to argue. Not if it meant getting on his bad side. Though they met back up again after sailing the boats across the lake. Standing in front of the Great Hall, Draco looked to Potter and nudged him with a smirk. "See you in Slytherin?"

Potter scoffed. "Yeah. We'll see." Hm. That was odd. Did he not want to be in Slytherin? He seemed as though he didn't expect to be placed in Slytherin. Well then where did he expect he'd go? Hopefully not Gryffindor. Draco supposed he may be able to see him as a Hufflepuff. He supposed they'd have to see.

They were marched into the Great Hall by the Deputy Headmistress, and even Draco had to keep himself from gawking. All his parents' talk about the splendor couldn't have possibly prepared him. It was absolutely enchanting. He shot Potter a smile when he saw that his jaw was practically on the ground.

Draco felt as though his own Sorting was uneventful. It seemed it only took the hat a moment to decide that he belonged in Slytherin — of course. As the hat was taken off his hand, he looked to Potter. He was next after Pansy, so he'd better follow Pansy to Slytherin. Or Draco didn't know what he'd do.

When he got up there, the hat dropped over his eyes, and it seemed like a long moment for Draco to wait through. What was the hat considering? He would be going to Slytherin, wouldn't he? He hoped so, at least.

After another moment or two, the hat finally seemed to ruffle and shout out to the hall, " Slytherin! " It was taken off Potter's head and Draco was sure that he clapped the loudest for him.

In his second year, their string had only gotten stronger, and the colors had begun to look like some patchwork quilt while it glowed quietly. Draco's end was still blue and Harry's end was still green, but when they met in the middle, the colors seemed to be overlapping like paint splatters. Harry was pacing the common room, trying to think everything through. He'd been doing it since the first sign of this 'Heir of Slytherin.' Draco wrapped his hand around their string — something he'd learned a long time ago he could do with his own string — and pulled on it. Harry still didn't know about their own bond, but it always served to get his attention, as proven by the way he stopped, his head swivelling around towards Draco. "What exactly do you plan to do if you do find this Heir, Harry?"

Harry gave a harsh huff, pushing his hand through his hair and shaking his head. "Stop people from getting paralyzed? That sounds as good a start as anything. I know you don't care because they're not purebloods, but they're still students, Draco. They're kids , and maybe their parents don't have magic, but they do. That should be the end of it."

"That's not the end of it, and you know it. Look at your own parents. If it weren't for them, you wouldn't be where you were. None of us would be. Parentage is incredibly important to a person, and I'm surprised you haven't realized that yet, Harry." Harry put on what Draco had started to call his 'savior face,' setting his jaw as he turned to look at Draco.

For a moment, he was quiet, then he finally told Draco, "So we should all get judged by our parents? What about your dad? Wouldn't he rather see me dead?"

Draco drew back from him as though he'd been struck, frowning. "Harry, that's not fair and you know it."

"No, it's not fair! That's why you shouldn't be judging kids by whether their parents are magic, or not!"

"But that's different- "

"No, it's not! It's really not!" Harry panted and huffed, as though he'd just run a few kilos. "Look at Hermione. Some of the best magic in our generation, and her parents don't even have magic. What's that go to show you?!"

Draco crossed his arms. "That some people are born incredibly lucky."

Blaise and Theo finally approached them during the lull in their conversation. "So, we put a few things together."

"There were spiders leaving in a big trail outside the second attack."

"All three attacks had puddles of water nearby."

"They were all paralyzed, but they weren't hurt or dead."

Harry sighed as he realized his conversation with Draco was put on a pause. He turned to Blaise and Theo, crossing his arms at that. "Okay, so what's all that mean?"

"It means we have a mystery, and clues."

Draco thought it over, finally grinning as he nodded. "So we just need to put the clues together. Easy enough, right? Someone should send a note to Hermione."

"Already done," Pansy called to them with a smile. "Did it while you two were having your little spat."

"It wasn't a spat," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"Row?"

"Verbal tussel?"

"Fight?"

"No, we weren't fighting," Draco told them. He looked to Harry and finally sighed. "I think we're going to have to agree that for now, we're not going to come to an agreement on this."

Giving another sigh as Draco gave a slight pull to their string, Harry nodded. "Alright. Alright. Don't think that means I'm giving up on you."

"Alright, Harry. I'll make sure to brace myself."

Standing in his dorm room, Draco took a deep breath. This was it. This was practically their public proclamation of their courtship. He couldn't help but to turn over every argument he and Harry had had in his head. There was no possible way for this to work. They were both far too headstrong for their own good, they were constantly fighting, it couldn't- "You ready, yet? I don't want McGonagall to have my head because I was waiting on your posh arse-"

"Well I'm not leaving until I'm good and ready, so when I get out there, I had better see your head on a silver platter!"

"Git."

"Prick."

Looking in the mirror, Draco closed his eyes and took another deep breath. It was going to be okay. He had to believe that. If he didn't believe it, there was no possible way it would work. He looked down at himself. Somehow, Pansy had managed to talk him into a muggle suit and he thought that she must have made a fool out of him. He looked ridiculous, and these clothes were far too tight against him, not like his dress robes were. Still, he didn't have time to change. Bracing himself, Draco opened up the door and headed up the stairs to the common room.

When he got there, his eyes flew open as he realized Harry wasn't in a muggle suit. He was in dress robes, similar to what Draco would have worn. Harry seemed to have a similar reaction to seeing Draco as he almost absently held out his arm for Draco to take. "Wow. You look…"

Draco looked away from him. "I know. I look ridiculous. Go on, get it out now-"

"No, no," Harry said quickly, giving a quiet laugh. "Draco, you look good. You look really good. You should wear stuff like this more often."

Looking back to him, Draco smiled, his hair brushing against his lashes. "You think? I wasn't so sure, when Pansy threw out the idea."

"I know. Trust me. I'm the champion here, and you're going to be upstaging me."

Finally Draco snickered, shaking his head as the two made their way out of the common room, and towards the Great Hall. "Trust me, there won't be a bit of upstaging. Where did you get these? They're amazing. "

Harry smirked at him. "Your mum volunteered earlier this summer. Told me about the Ball."

"My mother, why she is a terror. She's where Pansy gets it, you know."

"Trust me, Dray, I know." He pulled Draco closer as they began to walk into the Entrance Hall. "You ready?"

Draco took a deep breath as they took their places behind the other champions. "As I'll ever be. Are you?"

"Not at all," Harry guffawed, quickly schooling himself once McGonagall shot him a look. "But when am I ever?"

McGonagall began to explain the procession to them, and within moments, the champions ahead of them were entering the Great Hall, and the pair followed. What made Draco gasp was the way the Great Hall had truly been turned into a brilliant ballroom to battle even the ballroom of Malfoy Manor. Why, if his mother could have seen it, she would have fainted on the spot. Harry dragged Draco into their proper dancing position, shooting him a grin before they were off.

To say that Draco was swept off of his feet would be an understatement. Harry practically flung him around the ballroom with how quickly they were leaving, though somehow, Draco had found it in himself to find enjoyment in the movements, laughter bubbling out of him as they spun circles around the room. It wasn't long until one of them was tripping on their feet and they were sent stumbling and tumbling, Draco falling on top of Harry.

They stared at each other for that moment. The other three champions had stopped and seemed to be concerned, and no one else was dancing, but Draco only laughed, leaning down to give Harry a quick kiss before pulling him up. Getting their feet back under them, he put Harry's hands in the proper places, and this time began to lead Harry around. As the others began to dance again, Harry snorted, "I think this is supposed to be the other way around."

"I thought you didn't care about other people's expectations," Draco taunted him.

"I don't," Harry shot back.

"Then prove it."

"Why should I?"

Giving him a light, teasing smirk, Draco pulled Harry closer as their dance slowed. "Scared, Potter?"

Harry returned the expression, stealing another kiss from Draco as the candles floated gently above them, seeming to light his eyes and make them dance even more fiercely than they were, his hair itself almost looking to be on fire thanks to the soft glow. "You wish."

Draco shook his head at Harry, leaning their foreheads together. "Never. Never again, love."

"Not exactly the public declaration you were looking for, huh?"

"It's proclamation, you uncultured swine."

"I'm adorable."

"And aren't I just lucky for that?"

"I really hate this," Harry muttered to him. Draco just wrapped his fingers around their string, giving it a pull. The action had Harry sighing, leaning against him. "I'm not so sure this is a good idea, Draco."

"I don't know about good, but it's better than the alternative." Judging by the look that was leveled at him, Harry didn't much believe him in that one.

The two were walking the halls of Hogwarts together, though Harry held tightly onto Draco's hand. "The alternative being what, exactly?"

Draco frowned at Harry. "The alternative being us labelled as public enemies number one and two."

"Still, do you really think the whole double-crossing traitor thing is the best thing to do, right now?"

With a sigh, he shook his head. "I don't know what else we're supposed to do, Harry."

Harry pulled him along and nodded. "You're right. It's just… You know, what if they find out, Draco? Things could go really bad."

"I know, Harry love, but… I mean, you've practically got your own Slytherin army, ready to stand behind you if they have to."

"I don't want to force them into that, though. That's choosing between their school friends, or their families, and you know that."

Draco thought about it. Harry, of course, was right. But he thought about Blaise, who was only 'barely good enough' according to the way that Voldemort saw everything. He thought about Hermione, whom they thought was better dead or a slave for real wizards. "I know. But… I've made that same choice, remember. Harry, everything they've told me, everything that Voldemort wants… It's not right."

Harry smiled and gave Draco a sweet kiss. "Took you ages to admit it. But I'm glad you finally did. What is it they want us doing, again?"

"They want us turning the students away from Dumbledore, and they want us to get them to start following their ways and traditions and thoughts."

"Sounds like a load of hogwash, to me." Draco pressed his nose against Harry's cheek.

He smiled, unable to keep the snicker from his voice. "Well, I'm sure you know that Umbridge would have no problem in helping us to spread our message. Maybe it just won't be the message she thinks we're spreading."

"What are you thinking, Draco?" His hand wrapped around the string tightly, Draco pulled it, causing Harry to jerk slightly as Draco used his free hand to pull him closer.

"I'm thinking we start up a little Death Eaters club. Except with our own agenda."

"Draco Malfoy, you're wicked. I love it."

"Are you two leaving us out?" Pansy walked at Draco's other side, Blaise joining them at Harry's side.

"We just hadn't gotten around to tell you, yet," he told her with a bright grin. Draco pulled Pansy close with an arm around her waist. "Come now, Pansy, do you honestly think we'd leave you out of all the fun? What do you take me for?"

"A Slytherin."

The four of them laughed together, though Draco could feel the unease lying underneath. They knew what everything was building up to. Of course they did. They were Slytherins, and Draco's father… Well. That was better left not said. Everything was building and some days, it was all he and Harry could do, to stay afloat. The moment that anyone on that side caught wind of what they may have been up to…

He shook his head. He didn't need to worry about that, right now. As it was, he was a student going to his classes with his soulmate. Nothing out of the ordinary. He just needed to keep going.

Draco stood to the side while Harry conversed with him. That was one thing they'd taught him early on. That it wasn't his place. Of course he and Harry knew it was rubbish, but they did what they had to, for now. And for now, they had to follow the instructions given… Even if they were god awful. How the hell were they supposed to do it? These weren't any sort of honorable tasks given to them. These were death sentences. "Do you understand now what you are to do, my apprentice?"

He watched Harry give a nod from where he sat across from him in their sitting room. "Yes, My Lord. Your work will be done. What are your plans afterward?"

"Afterward, that will be for my own mind, solely. You are only to concern yourself with the task I've given you. Am I clear?"

"Perfectly so, My Lord."

Voldemort nodded, waving a hand at Harry like he was now bored of him. "Dismissed." Harry gave him a nod and a bow, turning and leaving with Draco following immediately after.

The two of them didn't speak a word until they were together in Draco's room, and Harry was holding on tightly to Draco. "Draco, I don't think I can-"

"It'll be okay," he murmured, hugging Harry close, trying to not let the pressures of the outside world fold in on them and crush them entirely. "We'll be okay. That's what you're always telling me, right? That we're going to make it out of this, and we're going to show them that you won't let yourself be pushed around?"

Harry took a deep breath in his arms, slowly nodding as Draco sat them both down on the bed. He stroked Harry's hair while the younger came to grips with what they were going to do. When he felt Harry pull at their string, he couldn't help the smile that came to his lips unbidden as he leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

"He wants me to kill Dumbledore. That's not something we can trick that easily."

Draco's smile fell as soon as it had appeared as he sighed. "No. It's not. But we'll find a way around it like we always seem to do." He pulled back enough to tug at their string. "You feel that. That means that I'm not going to let anything happen to you. We're in this together, the two of us."

Harry nodded. "Until the end." He looked around the room, giving a shake of his head. "Guess we'd better mail Pansy and Blaise, then?"

"We had better. They need to know that war is coming. And it's coming fast."

"Have you made any progress, then?"

Draco gave a nod, not letting himself be startled by Harry's sudden voice behind him. "I have, yes. Have you, then?"

"He trusts me. At least, a small amount. But I mean… This is different from pranking someone or having someone else do our dirty work. This is murder. "

"I know. What's he been doing with you in those little private lessons of yours?" Glancing back to Harry, he watched him shrug.

"Nothing much," Harry said, kicking a few broken toys around. There were plenty in there with them. "He's been… Showing me his past. You know. Riddle's."

Draco's eyebrow raised at the words. "Anything of interest?"

Harry drew in a deep breath, letting out what Draco could only describe as a long, suffering sigh. "He was a lot like me. At first, at least. Did you know he's halfblood?" Draco had turned back towards the cabinet, trying to decide where to go next in terms of his experiments, but Harry had him whipping around again to face him properly. "Yeah. His mum was a pureblood. Gaunt. She fell in love with a muggle… Used some love potion on him, then he left her, and she died after he was born. Guess I'd turn out fucked up, too, if that happened to me."

"But you didn't." When Harry looked up at him, Draco walked over to him. "You didn't turn out like him. You lost your parents in a terrible way, and grew up in probably the worst household for any magical child in the country, and you still… I've never once seen a string for him, do you know that?"

"What's that got to do with anything? Some people don't have soulmates."

"Some people don't have romantic soulmates," Draco corrected. "But every person I've stumbled across seems to have one person they're tied to, no matter what. If that person dies, they don't lose their string. Their string becomes severed and frayed. He doesn't have one. Period."

Harry stared at him, before it finally seemed to properly hit him. "You mean he can't love someone?"

"Exactly. That's what makes the two of you so different. Harry James Potter, I swear your heart is your biggest downfall. You try to make room in it for every person you come across." He smiled, walking towards Harry and drawing him into a kiss. "It's extremely attractive, you know."

That had Harry snorting at him. "Oh, well, as long as it's attractive. How are you doing in here, though? Really."

Draco looked back to the cabinet with a nod. "It's not there. Not yet. But I've been making progress."

"This is gonna let them into the castle?"

"It is."

"Well then we'd better be ready for when they come."

He gave a wicked smirk, nudging at Harry. "Thinking of going to rally the troops?"

"Are you sure you're not a Legilimens?" Harry laughed, kissing Draco's cheek before walking back to the door. "Make sure not to skip dinner."

"I'll be there," he said, taking a moment to let his fingers wrap around their string, his heart warming when he felt an answering pull. To not have a soulmate, though… He couldn't even imagine it.

Draco was careful when he walked through the halls. If he showed his fear, they wouldn't hesitate in making an example out of him. Instead, he met the eyes of the Carrows, giving them each nods when he passed. Severus had been doing what he can, but it wasn't enough. He was having to stay too far in the shadows. Instead, it was Draco that was secretly meeting with the students of the other houses, but he could feel it in the way the tensions were rising in the air.

"How do we know we can trust you? Harry killed Dumbledore!"

Draco sighed, giving a shake of his head. He'd been through this argument more times than he could count. "Harry did not kill Dumbledore, how many times do I have to say it? Severus Snape killed him for a multitude of reasons, but he only made it look like Harry killed Dumbledore to win You-Know-Who's trust."

Ginevra was the one to cross her arms, looking around the room. "Well… Hermione trusts them, and Hermione isn't really ever wrong."

"You've heard from her, recently?"

Neville nodded. "We mailed her when she didn't show up for term. Can't blame her. She knows when the winds change. She's safe. Won't say where, but she's safe, and she plans on helping out with this."

He bobbed his head. "Good. It's happening soon. There won't be a way for us to hold this off any longer."

"You really are on our side, yeah?" Ronald. He hated him, but if they wanted a chance at surviving, everyone here had to work together.

"Yes, that is what I've been trying to tell you all." Draco sighed. "This'll all be over soon. Trust me, we don't like him much more than you do."

The three of them seemed to look at each other before finally nodding. "Yeah. We expected that."

Hearing footsteps, Draco let his wand slip out. "We need to make this look good." He stepped back and pointed his wand out at them, raising his voice. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

Ronald was the first one to glare at him, stepping forward. "Step off, Malfoy, we're just friends having a chat."

"Friends having a chat. Looks a little more organized than a friendly chat, to me." Just as he expected, it was Amycus that was rounding the corner.

"What've you got there, Malfoy?"

Draco smirked, letting his wand lower. "Looked to me like a student organization. Don't you agree?"

"I think I do. And isn't it always you three? The usual suspects."

"Headmaster Snape will want to deal with them personally."

"Well? You heard the Head Boy. Let's move, " Carrow directed them, and the three of them were being marched to the Headmaster's office.

It wouldn't be long, now. Soon it would all come toppling down, and he and Harry would stand on top.

He wasn't prepared. Of bloody course he wasn't prepared, how could he be? He knew there would be a battle, but… But his own parents didn't know which side to fight for. Once Voldemort was summoned to try to help keep the students in line, Draco and Harry both openly defied him, declaring their loyalties loud and clear for everyone present. There was no doubt about it, anymore. They'd never truly followed Voldemort, and this was going to be where he lost.

But none of that could have prepared Draco for the cacophony of spells being hurled every direction, students and parents and teachers all screaming. Screaming for a loved one, screaming at the enemy, screaming to scream, it sounded like. Harry was battling at least three different wizards on his own, and it felt like it was all Draco could do to keep out of the way of all the different curses and hexes being flung around the courtyard.

He looked up and saw Voldemort gearing up for another attack, but… But Harry couldn't see it. His back was to him. He couldn't let anything happen to Harry. He couldn't.

Just as he heard the spell — " Avada Kedavra! " — leave his lips, Draco was throwing himself in front of it, to save Harry. It all seemed to happen so slowly, and yet so quickly all at once. He felt the spell take control of him, shutting down his heart and making it impossible for him to breathe. With his last few seconds of consciousness, Draco was able to look up and see Harry staring as he fell to the ground. And just before his vision faded completely, he watched his own string sever, his half dissipating and leaving Harry's half hanging in the air, incomplete and

Afterword

Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!