So this is shorter than originally planned, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging any longer. Thank you for being so patient with me. I tested positive for Covid in December, and just never quite got back to normal. Plus work has been a train wreck. I hope all of you are doing well.
"This is just too risky."
Harry paused in stroking over Saphira's scales to look over his shoulder at Remus. The werewolf looked weary and anxious, his gaze pleading. Harry turned and approached him with a reassuring smile. "I have faith in you," Harry said solemnly.
"And the others?" Remus asked skeptically.
Harry shook his head. "Have faith in me," he urged. "It'll be alright Moony." He embraced the older man tightly, sighing softly as Remus returned the hug.
"I'm not ready for you to be so grown up," Remus muttered against Harry's shoulder.
"Sorry," Harry huffed in amusement.
"That's a filthy lie and you know it," Remus retorted, wagging a finger jokingly. "You and Draco went and got engaged the moment my back was turned." He laughed when Harry shrugged sheepishly. "Let's get some rest."
Harry nodded, turning to smile affectionately at the dragon. They made their way into the house, noting that everyone seemed as tense as Remus. Draco, Blaise and Snape were huddled together talking in low voices, presumably discussing potions and salves that would be easy enough to handle quickly in the field. Hermione was going over a thick tome and making notes on a roll of parchment. Ron, Sirius and Dumbledore were perusing a map. Vince and Greg could be seen in the dining room, helping Minerva to organize their supplies.
"Maybe we should all get some rest," Harry offered, drawing everyone's attention. "Tomorrow will be a busy day."
"There is still so much to do," Hermione fretted, her grip tightening around the quill until she'd crushed it, leaving ink all over her fingers.
Harry walked over and waved his hand at her inky fingers, leaving them clean. With another wave, he repaired the broken quill. "Obsessively overthinking isn't going to help," he chided. "Getting some rest will be more helpful than anything right now. We'll settle everything else tomorrow."
"But-"
"No buts," Harry said cheerfully, taking away Hermione large's book. "I'm right about this and you know it."
Hermione nodded reluctantly, eyeing her book regretfully as Harry set it aside. "I suppose I am rather tired," she admitted.
"And we'll all need our strength and energy tomorrow," Draco said, standing up to stretch. He groaned softly as his back popped a little. Clearly he'd been hunched over that potions book for too long.
Dobby popped into the room wearing bright green tee shirt and a pair of little trousers. He dutifully began shooing them off to bed, with assurances of perfectly comfortable rooms. Even the rooms down in the bunker were well furnished and welcoming.
Snape had objected to being placed in a room in the main part of the house, so he'd been given a room in the bunker. Accepting Harry's invitation to remain at Headquarters had been surprisingly easy. Snape hated his childhood home and really had nowhere else to go after leaving Hogwarts. The young Alpha's offer had been so sincere and eager. After everything they'd all been through, the potions master was more comfortable with Harry and Draco than with anyone else.
Harry and Draco disrobed the moment they reached their bedroom. Fear for the coming day drove them to cling to one another. They made love in the blissful quiet of their home, whispering words of devotion as their passion burned bright.
Harry woke up to blinding pleasure. His cock was encased in Draco's warm mouth and he groaned as the blond hummed a greeting upon seeing that his love was awake.
Harry's climax came just moments later. "You're the devil," he gasped as Draco crawled up to kiss his mouth.
"So rude," Draco chided. "And after I gave you such a sweet good morning."
Harry grinned, flipping his fiancé over to return the favor.
They were a bit late getting downstairs for breakfast. Blaise gave them a knowing look, which they ignored.
Sirius and Remus had spent the night along with Narcissa. Lucius had arrived early to join them for breakfast, glad for any opportunity to spend time with his wife and son. Being in the presence of the others at Headquarters was far less irksome than the elder Malfoy had expected. Aside from some of the more childish jokes from Ron and Sirius, they were a pleasant group. Even that scruffy boy that Draco doted on.
Truthfully, Lucius was starting to understand why Draco was so enamored. Harry was perfectly shameless in his adoration of Draco. Regardless of traditions and pureblood ideology, Lucius knew that there was no one better for his son. Accepting that granted Lucius a sense of peace that was as unexpected as it was welcome.
Harry sat down next to Blaise with a tired smile, his dark hair a chaotic mess on his head. Draco ran his fingers through the tangled locks, hoping to coax it into behaving somewhat.
Blaise poked at Harry's neck with a grin. "Aw, look at your wee love bite," he cooed. He snorted when Harry slapped a hand over the mark with a mortified look at Draco.
Draco, the shameless arse, smirked and shrugged. "Sorry," he said, sounding amused and very much not sorry.
"Draco," Narcissa chided, her face a little pink with embarrassment.
"Draco," Sirius echoed, shaking his head in disapproval. "Surely you could have done better than that. It's tiny. Poor Harry should look like he's been mauled by a bear, but instead-" He cut himself off with a screech, shooting Remus a wide-eyed look.
Remus' placed his hands on the table looking smug. The others could only guess what those hands had done to make Sirius make that ridiculous sound. Narcissa was eyeing the couple suspiciously, as if tempted to scold them for improper behavior at the table.
They all settled in to enjoy their breakfast, knowing that it would be one of the last peaceful moments of the day. Dobby and Kreacher hovered nearby just in case they were needed. It had taken a while to convince Kreacher to help out at Headquarters but, while he mostly kept to himself, the old house elf seemed content to make himself useful. It certainly helped that Harry had always been unfailingly kind to him.
"How was it at the Manor?" Harry asked, turning to Lucius expectantly.
Lucius swallowed his mouthful of toast, dabbing the crumbs from his mouth. He lowered his napkin to focus on his son's fiancé. "The Dark Lord is in a foul mood indeed," he said, his lips twitching a bit. "It seems that he was being mocked over the radio."
Snape lifted one dark eyebrow, intrigued. "Who would have the gall to mock him?" he asked. "Even through the radio."
Lucius smirked. "My guess would be Fred and George Weasley," he replied. "It was really just dumb luck that Rowle came across the interview. It was some obscure frequency that he caught while looking for music. He has some bizarre obsession with Celestina Warbeck," he added, rolling his eyes. "I thought the voices sounded familiar, and one of them referred to the Dark Lord as Doug Snooty-something or other. I can't remember exactly."
"Doug?" Ron snorted in amusement.
"Yes," Lucius agreed. "One of them argued that that couldn't possibly be right, while the first one insisted that You-Know-Who's real name was Doug. The host was in stitches."
Harry laughed, shaking his head. "Those arse holes... Now I'll really have to call Voldemort something ridiculous to his face," he commented.
"You don't have to stoop to their level," Hermione reminded him.
"Oh yes I do," Harry retorted. "And that bastard has it coming. What sort of nutter decides to change his name to Voldemort? What does that even mean? And no, I don't care what it means," he added when Hermione opened her mouth, most likely to tell him exactly what the name meant.
"I hate to admit it, but I agree with Potter on this one," Snape muttered. He lifted his mug of coffee as if toasting Harry.
"Yes, yes, his name is stupid," Hermione grumbled irritably. "It's not the reason we're fighting him."
"They know," Vince murmured soothingly. "Sometimes they just need something to laugh at. Especially Harry," he added quietly, earning a slight nod from Snape. He was pleased when Hermione relaxed a bit and nodded.
Harry hadn't heard that last bit of conversation. He'd been drawn into a conversation with Lucius about learning to communicate with Saphira. Because who wouldn't find the ability to make small talk with a dragon completely fascinating? The others were just glad to see their young leader looking so at ease.
Draco had been growing quite worried for his lover. Harry didn't often voice his anxieties, but Draco could feel them. Harry offered smiles and encouragement to everyone, but Draco could see the anxiety building. The Wizarding World had placed a burden of high expectations on Harry. It was up to him to save everyone. It wasn't something that should have been placed on the shoulders of a teenager but, it didn't seem to stop a large portion of the magical population from expecting deliverance from Voldemort by the boy-who-lived. And sweet Harry had struggled to become the hero that everyone else needed.
Draco was determined to help Harry have a life free of that burden.
Once breakfast was finished, the final preparations began. Harry assigned tasks to everyone in the house before going down to the war room to review their plans again. That was where Snape found him three hours later.
"Krum just arrived with a large team," Snape informed calmly. "They are outside gawking at Saphira. You would think that they had never seen a dragon before," he added with a smirk.
Harry laughed softly. "Sometimes even I'm surprised to see her out there," he admitted. "It's completely ridiculous to have a dragon in your backyard. It's mental. Just like nearly everything else about my life."
Snape gave an amused huff. "You've got a lifelong friend in that dragon," he murmured. He paused, gazing thoughtfully at the younger man. "I'd wager that she's not the only one." He smirked at Harry's confused expression. "What you've done here- This little sub-culture that you created... It's extraordinary. You've changed so many lives in just being who you are. I cannot fathom having the capacity to love without restraint."
Harry flushed, surprised by Snape's words. The surly professor was not one to offer praise. "I just wanted to do the right thing," Harry muttered, embarrassed. "And I wanted to protect the people I love."
Snape nodded in acceptance. "That is why you will win," he said firmly. "That is why there was no one better to lead this group. And that is why I will follow you to the end. You have my loyalty for the rest of my days," he added solemnly.
Harry smiled, so very touched. He felt some of his unease melting away, replaced by a sense of rightness. The pack was ready and willing to fight. And Harry was ready to lead the charge without hesitation. "I hope to count you among those lifelong friends," he said mildly, offering his hand to the professor.
Snape had many acquaintances, coworkers and, more recently, fellow pack members. He'd had so few true friends in his life. Usually he settled for mutual tolerance. But now, this boy that he'd wanted so much to dislike was offering more than just a team to be part of. It was clear that to be a friend of Harry Potter was no small thing. Not because he was the famous boy-who-lived; But because Harry turned his friends into family. Snape accepted the hand shake but didn't dare speak.
Harry's smile widened, clearly not offended by Snape's silence. "Let's go show Voldemort why you shouldn't mess with wolves," he declared, turning to head up the stairs.
"I thought we were calling him 'Bob', or something similarly mundane," the professor remarked dryly.
Harry laughed so hard that he had to lean against the wall to keep from falling down the stairs.
As the daylight began to fade, Harry gazed at Malfoy Manor with his stomach roiling. He could see a few Death Eaters keeping watch on the grounds. Beside him, Draco was surveying the area and shifting his weight restlessly. Without a word they turned to look at each other before leaning in. Their kiss was deep and loving, but they kept it short.
"My heart and soul are yours Harry," Draco whispered, his hand sliding up into Harry's hair.
"Gross," Blaise groaned. Snorts and quiet giggles filled the air around them from the wolves present.
"I love you," Harry responded, ignoring their friends. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to reach for Draco's soul with his own.
Draco sighed quietly at the warmth in his chest. He'd never get tired of feeling that connection to Harry. He opened his eyes and pressed another quick kiss to Harry's lips. "We all know the plan," he murmured. "It's time to lead the pack into battle." He turned to face the manor, and lifted one hand. He reached out with his magic and grabbed at the wards surrounding the huge house.
Harry reached out with his own magic, feeling Draco's power prying at the protective magic that separated them from the Death Eaters. The Betas lifted their wands, offering their magic as well. With a mighty surge, they tore through the wards.