VI. FUSION
"What favor—" Kreacher's constant outburst of blasphemy toward Harry cut his sentence. "Kreacher, go to the Hogwarts kitchen and help the other house-elves there. Don't say anything, in any forms, about me, my whereabout and about the Malfoys to everyone else. Stay there until I call you back. Now, go! Dobby!"
After Kreacher was gone with a loud crack, another house-elf came, shocking Draco and Narcissa.
"Master Harry Potter! What is Dobby can do for Harry Potter?" A properly clothed little house-elf bowed deeply with proud toward Harry.
"How the… Isn't that..." Draco looked at the house-elf as if he saw a hippogriff.
"Dobby, may I ask a favor from you? Can you keep an eye on Kreacher at Hogwarts for me, please?" Harry smiled at the cheerful house-elf.
"Of course, yes, anything for Master Harry Potter, yes! Dobby will do," Dobby replied proudly.
"Thank you. And please, don't tell anyone about my whereabout," Harry thanked the house elf and a second later Dobby was gone. Then, he continued his previous sentence, "What favor do you want from me?"
Narcissa, quickly regaining herself after the mild shock, and impressed at how Harry could be very commanding and quick thinking, made one step closer to Harry.
"We are to seek for protection from the Black House," Narcissa said, chin rose up.
"What?" Harry was utterly surprised by that, "From what?"
"The Dark Lord," Narcissa answered in a tone as if it was obvious.
"Huh? I thought you all his loyal servants," Harry said mockingly, though confused by her answer.
"I never was, nor will be, for his allegiance. My loyalty lies upon my family. I will do everything to protect Draco from him!" Narcissa reached for Draco on her back. The blond teen took her hand.
A mother's love. Narcissa was a mother like his mother, willing to do anything to protect her child. For a moment, Harry saw her mother in Narcissa. He swallowed forlornly.
"Okay…" Harry glanced at their connected hands, "but the house is being occupied by… Dumbledore and his...friends." At that, Harry suddenly remembered the feeling of betrayal and disappointment he was deeply in the day before toward Dumbledore and his friends...
Suddenly Dumbledore became a sore subject for Harry. He gritted his teeth.
"That shouldn't worry us. Knowing Dumbledore, he must have vacated the building after hearing Sirius' Will. Anticipating if Bellatrix was to put her feet in front of the house in case the Will failed to accomplish," Narcissa said confidently.
"But I'm sure he will return and able to enter the house after he acknowledged the Will has been fulfilled and you own the house. And we can't risk of having him in the house," Draco joined the conversation.
Harry glanced at Draco. He really didn't want to go back to Grimmauld Place that would remind him of his dear godfather. In other hand, he didn't have place to go. He contemplated the Burrow but vanished the thought immediately as he, too, felt betrayed by them for not rescuing him from the Dursleys. Didn't even offer him comfort after his godfather died not long ago.
"I…" Harry hesitated. Undoubtedly unsure of himself. Why should he help them? Lucius was, indirectly, caused Sirius' death.
"You can change the ward, Potter." Draco stepped forward so he was in the same line as his mother then asked her, "He can, can't he?"
"Yes, he can. With my help. The ward will need pureblood Black's blood and magic to be reset and reinstalled." Narcissa nodded to her son and both Malfoys looked back at Harry expectantly.
At having no respond from Harry, Narcissa persuaded him further.
"You will still be in control over the ward and the house. Inserting your magic to the house, you'll be in synch with the house, gaining full mastery over the house. No one will be able to disrupt you there. Not Dumbledore. Not Bellatrix. Not even the Dark Lord."
"You must agree, Potter. Change the ward!" Draco demanded this time.
Harry wanted to refuse, solely because of Draco's demanding tone. But to think of it, Harry didn't want to meet Dumbledore, yes, along with the other members of the Order of Phoenix. And he hated Bellatrix for his deceased godfather. He needed to change the ward for that. He could use Mrs. Malfoy's help as he didn't know how to block someone via wards. Narcissa's offer sounded so, so appealing.
Planning on glooming and grieving in solitary, finally Harry nodded cautiously.
"Don't waste our time, then. Draco, prepare anything important you need. We meet at the entrance hall." Narcissa let go of Draco's hand and went to the master bedroom to prepare her belongings.
"What you did that you have to hide from Voldemort?" Harry asked as he watched Draco walking around his bedroom putting things to a leather trunk. Draco flinched at the name Harry spelt nonchalantly. Meanwhile Hedwig woke up and flew toward Harry, landed on his shoulder.
"None of your business," Draco answered scornfully.
"It is now, isn't it?" Harry raised his eyebrow. He rose from the bed carefully and ushered Hedwig into her cage again, now watching Draco as he leaned against the curtained window. He noticed gratefully and joyously that he didn't feel pain at all on his body anymore, stomach full. Magic, how awesome you are!
Finished in the bedroom, Draco walked out to the manor's library. Harry was tailing him wordlessly.
Draco took all important papers from the desk, put them all in his dragon's hide briefcase, then walked toward the entrance hall.
"Ready?" Narcissa greeted the teens in the center of the entrance hall.
"Yes," Draco answered brief.
"Wait. My trunk and Hedwig are still in your room, Malfoy. And why are you not bringing anything?" Harry was eyeing Draco and Narcissa and around the hall. No trunks or any bags in sight.
"We'll tell the house-elf to bring them to the Black House after we arrived there," Narcissa informed Harry.
"Whose house-elf?" Harry asked, started to think that if any random house-elves could visit the Black House freely, didn't that mean any other magical creatures would be able to enter the house without his knowledge? He shuddered remembering Voldemort's massive snake he saw in his vision long ago.
"Perceptive, Potter," Narcissa caught where his mind was heading. "You can command the ward to protect the house by dis-allowing unwanted guests to enter. That includes magical creatures. You will call Kreacher and I will order him to take our suitcases."
"Why you can order Kreacher?" Harry asked.
"I am a Black," Narcissa reminded him.
"Right. Okay. Let's go, then." Harry didn't know how house-elves thing works. "Do you know where the street is?" Harry got deadpanned look from Narcissa and the blond Malfoy. "...Right. I'll go first."
Harry Disapparated, followed by Narcissa and Draco who took the Side Along Apparition with her, since he didn't know the street's coordination.
As Narcissa and Draco arrived at the entrance point of Grimmauld Place street, there was no Harry. But a minute later, they saw Harry appeared from the gap between two houses. He ran toward them.
"I've checked inside the house. Nobody's there." Harry made a gesture to make the Malfoys following him.
When the three of them stood before the gap between houses number eleven and thirteen, Harry looked around. After he was certain the street was deserted, he faced Draco and Narcissa.
"Now listen. Number twelve, Grimmauld Place." Harry whispered to Draco and his mother, revealing the unplottable Black House location to them.
As Harry turned his body around, they were greeted by an enlarging gap between house number eleven and thirteen. A new building emerged from the gap, with dirty walls and grimy windows, pushing the houses on either side out of its way with a deep resonant sound.
"Come on." Harry walked up the worn stone steps toward the newly materialised door with no keyhole.
Harry pulled out his wand and tapped the door once. With a loud, metallic clicks and clatter of a chain, the door creaked open. The three of them stepped over the threshold into the almost total darkness of the hall. Narcissa closed the front door. Then she casted Lumos.
"Don't waste time. Let's work on the ward," Narcissa announced to the teens.
~o~
They were at the heart of the Black House. They were standing inside a sophisticated incantation array drawn by Narcissa with her wand in the center of what appeared to be the Black Family Tree room. Harry was fidgeting on his stand.
"Stay still, Potter!" Draco hissed, irritated by Harry's nervousness.
"I've never done this before, Malfoy! What if I make a mistake and ruin the ward and the house?!" Harry made a fist with his left hand, wanting so much to reach beside him and pull Draco's perfectly combed blond hair.
"You must not hesitate, Potter. Just do what I have told you to. Stay focus on the plate. When confusion arise, Draco will notice and guide you," Narcissa grabbed Harry's wrist for a brief moment, to give him support and confidence.
Harry nodded. He inhaled deep and focusing his eyes and mind to the silver plate floating in the center of their circle. Both Harry and Narcissa's wands were hovering over the plate, tips almost touching each other. Few drops of their bloods in the silver plate reflecting deep red color spectrum. Since it turned out that the combination of their magics weren't powerful enough to override the Black House ancient wards, Narcissa changed the plan and decided to add Harry's signature to the wards instead, introducing its new master.
With Narcissa's cue, they started to cast the incantation as one.
The incantation array on the floor started to gleam and sparkles of magic were born from it, fizzling and creating magical wall, trapping the three wizards and witch inside that enchanted array. The magical wall was growing higher and higher during the ritual.
Draco, who was taking the role as Harry's guider in the ritual, saw Harry's concentration began to crumble, distracted by the dancing magic creating wall. He leaned to his right side, gently whispered to Harry's ear so as to not startling him, to stay focus on the silver plate.
The house started to tremble. The temperature dropped suddenly and then rose up, fluctuated from time to time. Ten minutes later, the magic wall reached the outer edge of the house territory and all of sudden it's widened, swallowing the whole house. The blood on the plate started to sway. Harry felt his body was swaying. It made him dizzy. As a thick line of magic spike thrusting from the floor and it struck the silver plate, the blood evaporated, absorbed by the house. Harry felt like his body was being sucked into the silver platter.
Draco caught Harry at the right time as he almost fell forward. Draco felt the lifeless body of Harry. Carefully, he positioned his body behind Harry and encircling his left arm around Harry's torso, giving him a support.
"Focus!" Draco whispered in panic to Harry's ear.
Narcissa glanced at them both for a brief moment and put her eyes back to the plate, continued chanting incantations as raw magic from the house started to reach Harry.
Suddenly deafness and darkness engulfing the house, like a void. It was a cue that the ritual had reached the climax phase. The only source of light was the wall of magic around them. Narcissa and Harry had to transfer a great amount of their raw magics and bind them to the ward.
Narcissa began to feel light-headed and felt her being gradually drawn into the force. Dealing with such raw ancient magic alone was too heavy for her.
Harry was in state of half-conscious by now, and the next act must be done immediately. Sensing the panic in his mother's eyes, Draco grabbed Harry's wand-hand with his.
"I'll assist him," Draco informed his mother. He tightened his left arm around Harry, trying to have the Gryffindor's full attention back to the present.
Having no time to find alternative of their situation, they proceeded anyway with Draco's magic infused into Harry's to help Harry finish the ritual. It felt like eternity and Draco felt as if his soul was being sucked by the house. Or by Harry. He wasn't sure as everything went blurry. Next, Draco blacked out.