Hi yall, I know it's been a year and a half, but unfortunately, life gets in the way. Especially with everything going on in the world. I promise I am trying to finish this story, at least. I owe it to those who still follow it. Time flies, and I lost the spark for this story some time ago, probably because of my depression and ADD. But, please enjoy the new chapter and let's see if I can finish this bad boy finally.
Time flew, and Hogwarts itself was still at its mercy no matter the magic surrounding it. Suggestions and moments lost in the whirlwind of minutes and hours passed. Harry sat on his couch, musing, and lost within those ever-running thoughts of his. Had it only been weeks since Sarahbelle talked of a costume contest for Halloween? The ever-favorite holiday that had come and pass like a shadow in the hall. Dumbledore had to deny the request, his old voice brining up safety and worries. Too many secrets roamed the halls for it to be safe to dress in costume. Danger easily slipped into costumes when it was hungry. Harry understood. He always did.
Harry had finally begun to trust his Fire magic that his ancestry gifted him. The rumors all those years ago, talking as if he were a danger, lost the power over him. Archer had the patience of the universe, allowing Harry to overcome those fears bit by bit. No one had allowed him the slowness that Archer did, and Harry was grateful for that. Draco had longed since gained control and a mastery over Air, but he was a Pureblood and a Malfoy. Nothing less than perfection was good enough for the pale haired teen.
The nightmares still plagued Harry, but he had yet to make sense of them. He couldn't see Voldemort anymore, and his scar hurt just a tad less but it was still there. Something about it always set Harry's anxiety off like a rouge firework. Draco tried to help decipher the dreams, but they always came up blank. Nothing made sense anymore. Harry stared at the feather on the table in its glass home. His heart gave a throb of pain, and he sighed to keep the pain from welling back up into him. He missed Hedwig something fierce, and it just burned his desire to tear her killer apart. Draco was in the Potions lab with Severus, working on some new potion or another.
Harry thought about Sarahbelle and Archer, who had grown closer over time. Harry knew they were courting each other in secret, and that was only because Sarahbelle is as subtle as a brick to the face. Her infectious giggles as they huddled together, whispering about one thing or another. Harry knew Archer had it bad. The quite teacher actually growled at Ioco the other day when the golden eyed Neko lingered too close to Sarahbelle. The gentle Neko tolerated the other man, but even Archer admitted something about Ioco set off all of his instincts.
Ioco was always still watching and creepy as ever. Though, the smell of decaying fruit and wood only seemed to grow stronger. Harry observed the older Neko stare into space more than once, muttering to himself. Almost as if arguing with someone unseen. Thankfully, he had kept his distance a bit from Harry, and that might have been because of Dracos subsonic growling that rolled continuously in the class. Or a warning or two from Dumbledore after Harry finally confided in the white hair wizard. Either way, Harry had some peace in the class and could actually learn.
"Sirius, I miss you. I wish you could be here to see everything." Harry muttered to himself, staring into the flames of the always lit fire. Draco never let it go out, saying that he always hated the cold. Not that Harry minded. The fires warmth was nice and soothed his constantly frayed nerves. Sirius was probably rolling in his grave that Draco and Harry were ultimately happy. But Harry would never know. The animagus had been dead and gone, and even if there was a magic to bring him back, Harry would never. Harry just hoped that Sirius was finally at peace that he never got to feel in his last years. Remus was hidden away, and Harry unfortunately had an inkling to the pain he was going through losing a pack mate. Creature blood felt loss so much more intensely than humans.
"Such an intense look, love. You'll get wrinkles worrying like that" Dracos musical voice (well at least to Harry) broke through the silence, give Harry a start. Emerald eyes turned to his mate as Draco let the portrait door slowly close. Harry sneezed, the smell of herbs and smoke still clinging to his mate. Muddied Dracos normal scent of vanilla, apples, and something spice that reminded Harry of baking and pastries.
"I always worry, Dray, I thought you would have figured that out by now." Harry greeted as Draco slid over and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"I know, dear, but I feel I must tease you. You were never suited for such serious looks." Draco mused as he plopped on the couch next to his raven haired mate. Harry laid his head on Dracos shoulder, giving it a good nuzzle. Draco leaned in, kissing the top of his head, and breathing in his scent. Harry spelled of grass, honeysuckle, and summer breeze over water. A much more preferable scent over the potions ingredients that Draco spent the last three hours inhaling. Comfortable silence fell upon the pair, and the sound of soft breathing danced with crackles from the fire.
"How was potion making?" Harry asked quietly, enjoying the moment.
"Smelly as always. Sev needed help with healing potions. He said his gut was telling him he needed to make more." Draco answered as he grabbed Harrys hand and rubbed his thumb along the skin.
"Oh, I know the feeling. Somethings been feeling off, worse than when with Hedwig. I couldn't tell you what, but I've grown to trust my gut over the years." Harry snorted, an almost bitter sound. Harrys anxiety danced under his skin, threatening to spill over at any given moment. Draco just hummed in agreement, not finding the energy to talk. Not that Harry minded. Harry always feared speaking would manifest his fears and worries, but ten times worst that what Harry imagined. Silence was just preferable these days.
Somewhere in the castle, a figured pace madly. They huffed air in, as if there was not enough in the room for them to inhale. Their throat made a rattling, sick sound as the pacing continued at its unforgiving pace.
"Not right. Not right. Decaying, need to stop it." The figured muttered to itself, a hand coming up and hitting themselves in the head. The blows falling in time with the pacing. The figured continue to mutter and pace, even as the moon began to set and the sun started the march up to its perch.
Harry and Draco sat at their respective tables the next afternoon, eating lunch with friends and attempting to due some forgotten homework. Chattering of students filled the Great Hall, with the head table watching the relax and carefree atmosphere for the first time in a long while. Harry munch on an apple, trying to grasp the concept Hermione was explaining as Ron just looked as lost as Harry felt. Spells, Harry could grasp and master, but theories ang philosophies were a basically a new language. Hermione might have been blessed with a brilliant sponge like mind, but Harry was not. Book smarts just were never really his thing.
Draco and Blaise, on the other hand, were at the Slytherin table arguing about the ethics of using real human bones in old potions recipes and if it could still be considered grave robbing. Pansy just stared in horror and exasperation at the two teen boys. They might be purebloods, but they were still idiot teen boys. Pansy felt a pang for what Hermione dealt with. How men survived into adulthood was a mystery.
What was a normal afternoon suddenly turned night, with screams echoing in the hall as candles snuffed out and a blackness fell onto the hall. Students tried to flee the hall, only to fine the doors locked and not opening for any spell aimed at them. Harry was looking around in confusion, wand in hand. Draco was over by his side in seconds, with that subsonic growl revving up. Nothing good would come of this, but Draco would be damned if something came near his mate. Archer and Sarahbelle jumped into action trying to round students up and keep them together. The last thing needed was a student to go off by themselves and something horrible happen.
"SILENCE!" Dumbledores voice boomed over the noise and growing chaos. Students froze and looked to the headmaster. Their attention only stayed there for maybe a moment until a green flame began to circle in the middle aisle. Screams began again as the professors drew their wands out and took aim at the flames. Harry just happened to be right near the flames, only to be yanked back by Draco, and pulled behind his mate. Dracos hair began to float and twist has his Air magic began to react to his fear and anger.
"Harrrryyy Poottterr" a hiss of a voice called out as the flames became a column, burning bright and dangerous. 'Of fucking course' Harry thought.
The column absconded, leaving behind a figure covered in ash. The crone looking figured stayed there, with the hush of fear surrounding it. Draco growled loudly, which Archer and Sarahbelle answered, much like a wolf pack calling together. Harry stared, wand pointed at the figure, but eyes widen as a smell assaulted Harrys nose.
Decaying fruit and wood.
A screech of a hell cat as the figure threw itself backwards, causing the cloak to fall away and to reveal the one person Harry and Draco suspected long ago. Only his body was wrong.
Ioco stood, leaning to the side as if the effort to stand straight was too much. His skin, grey with the decay of a corpse, moved and writhe. As if snakes had taken refuse from the cold under it. His eyes, once golden and bright with the pride of a Neko, were clouded over and gave him a more corpse like appearance. He stared at the pair of Nekos, fury bright still in those cloudy unseeing eyes. Dracos growl reverberated against the stone walls, the only other sound besides whimpers of fears as students stare.
"Ioco? My friend, is that you?" Archer asked to this not Ioco figure and flinched as the head whipped around to start at the other Neko. Sarahbelle was shoved behind Archer. All Nekos were alert and on edge. Something was utterly wrong and that was saying something.
"Dray, I really don't fucking like this" Harry whispered, staring at the swaying corpse thing. His instincts were telling him that Draco and him needed to run, like five seconds ago. Draco just continue to growl, not taking his eyes off of the threat before him. Ioco turned at Harry and stared agin.
"Harry Potter. The Boy who Lived. Dracos little mate. You were supposed to be MINE" Ioco screeched again, causing the crowd to lurch back with the sound.
"I chose Draco. You lost, you corpse bag. What the hell is your damage?" Harry questioned, stepping up to Dracos side.
"I made a deaalll with the devil" was the cryptic response that was given. Harry felt his gut drop, and not in the good way. So much came rushing to make sense, for all the dots to connect, and it made Harry want to puke. It was first year all over again, only this time it was much worse.
"I know it's you in there, Voldemort. You wear Ioco like a suit." Harrys words brought a deadly silence into the hall, as eyes flicked from Ioco, now Voldemort, to Dumbledore. Nothing made sense. The castle was supposed to be safe.
"Ah, young harry has figured it out. My body began to fail, even with the horcruxes, when a heartbroken and desperate Neko finds his way into my lair, begging for help, well who am I to refuse?" The laugh that rattled from the destroyed vocal cords chilled the air, as a split voice spoke. Harry stared in horror that Ioco was that desperate and crazed for a chance at a mate that he did this.
"I originally came for you, as killing you would give me the new life I seek. But alas, I think I have a better plan."
Iocos body lunged forward with speed no one new the corpse like body possessed, aiming towards Draco and Harry. Draco shoved Harry behind him, stopping the body from coming near his mate. Only once the cold dead hands touched Draco, the attack stopped, and the crazed laughing began again.
"Let's play a game of hide and seek, Harry. You're it" and with that, the green flames appeared again, only the engulfed Draco as well, who began to fight to be released. Harry lunged to grab his mate, only to go through the flames and land on the floor in front of the other older Nekos. The whole exchange happened so quickly, maybe just mere minutes, and just like that, Ioco was gone. Only he had taken Draco with him to who knew where.
The scream of anguish that came from Harry would haunt the halls for centuries to come.
I know this probably isn't my greatest chapter, but I'm trying lol. Hope you enjoyed!