Chapter 5

Bonding length:

month: 1

Week: 1

Day: 3

Stage: Mutualism

The first day of class begun with charms: A Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Mix and Transfiguration: A Slytherin and Hufflepuff mix.

Once the first period ended, the two six year classes would swap. It was in between Harry leaving Charms on the second floor and making his way to transfiguration on the first floor that he spotted Draco. A smile crept over Harry's face, Draco was back to his regal self. He was once again standing tall with perfect posture, his hair immaculate, his nails masculine manicured and most importantly his eye was healed and his sling was gone. Draco head held above everyone else, although he did appear to still walk with a bit of a limp.

Green eyes met gray, and once again the world stopped.

Draco flicked his head, causing Harry to cock an eyebrow. Draco flicked his head again. Harry's eyes darted around him. "Ah".

Pansy and her gang were on the there way... and boy did she look pissed. Well, Harry thought she looked pissed, it was Pansy after wall... and Pansy always looked pissed. However, thanks to Draco's wordless warning Harry was able to flick his wrist with his wand in hand and do a simple shield that caused Pansy's rather juvenal expanding spell to bounce off - hitting a random Hufflepuff. It happened so quick that Hermione and Ron remained oblivious. Never the less, Harry felt sorry for the innocent bystander for as he turned the corner to the charms corridor the poor guys head expanded 3 times larger.

Tuesday was uneventful. 3 more wordless warnings from Draco, another dodged hex from Pansy. This caused Crabb... or what is Goyle? To be covered in a nasty pink rash that Itches! Itches like crazy! it itched so much that rumors begun spread that the goon was sent to the hospital wing. What made Harry's day, however, was the stunned looked on Pansy's face when yet again the curse rebounded.

by Friday, Pansy began to throw a rather undignified tantrum. It was the smirk on Draco's face that made Harry realize that Draco's warnings were far more than the Mutualism. he was just as amused as Harry.

By Thursday the following week, things began to get tense. Not, an aggressive tense nor even a passive aggressive tense. More like a tension of longing. Harry wanted to be next to Draco, wanted to touch him ... wanted to communicate beyond a wordless warning. Harry was generally interested in Draco's day to day events, his class stories, his results. Harry wanted to know why he hadn't stepped foot In the great hall all week? How did he have three parents? How was that even possible? Harry wanted to know about Draco's childhood, about his relatives? did he really have a cousin named Cynthia? did he really have family in Australia?

The cracking point was herbology that morning. As Harry made his way into greenhouse number 3, the smell of Draco's cologne intoxicated his senses. closing his green eyes, Harry begun to slowly counted to ten. This is getting ridiculously out of hand. He had to break the unnecessary silence... pulling out a random peice of parchment, harry begun to scribble.

"Can we talk?" Was all the note wrote.

It was handed to Draco as the pair was walking in and the reply was given as Harry was walking out.

"Kitchen 18:00" Draco penmanship was perfect and wonderful.

There was three hours of free time between the last period of the day and dinner and once again; at Hermione request, the trio found themselves at the Library - getting a head start on their new homework... well at the very least Hermione was getting a headstart, the boys, however...

"I am going to have to skip dinner tonight" Harry casually mentioned, scribbling yet another snitch on his DADA textbook... this one snitch was occuplied by 4 others. they began to spin around Harry's book; interconnecting with each other and flying solo.

"Why?" Hermione questioned, not looking up her book.

"... i ... errr ... just have something I need to sort out?"

"Why does that sound like a question?" she enquired back.

"Hermione, please don't overthink this. I just ... I mean... I NEED to meet up with someone to sort something's out". that would have normally been it, except for the girl sitting at the next table.

"Ooh. Harry has a girlfriend!" Shrieked a recognizable voice. Turning, the trio found the last person they would ever expect to see in a library. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. these girls, over the last five years, have developed the nickname "gossip queens". Hermione stared at Harry questionly, she coiled tell that the girlfriend statement got Harry off guard. Of, course the statement made Harry wonder; He and Draco were barely friends but... they were bonded. So ...? Where do they stand? what were they exactly?

"No. I don't have a girlfriend" Harry replied to a smirking Lavender.

"A boyfriend then!" That made Lavender gleam even brighter. She rushed out the library, dropping the books in her hand. Parvati just after her.

"Oh, dear. This will not end well" muttered Ron.

By dinner time the entire school heard that there was a mystery boy that had claimed the heart of the chosen one.

The kitchens were only a couple of floors below the library and Harry had been stopped three times and received a few stares - some out of anger, some out of sadness and some out of desire. Surely, It was one thing to have a rumour spread around that was semi - kinda - sorta true, but the reasons he was stopped was so exaggerated that it was silly.

"Harry! I heard that you got a guy pregnant!" said a random 5th year Ravenclaw from across the 2nd-floor corridor...well, I might as well have some fun with this...Harry thought. a smile hitting his lips. "Nope, they knocked me up" He rubbed his stomach. " I am due tomorrow".

"Harry are you and the male prefects meeting in the Prefects bathroom or the 5th-floor bathroom?" A seventh-year Slyhtren asked, nudging Harry on the shoulder. "The THIRD floor bathroom" Harry replied.

"mate, is it true that you were the lead male in an all male orgy involving all the seven-year boys?" that one made Harry laugh. "Seventh and six years". Harry giggled in reply.

The kitchens were quite. unusually quite. Harry had been to the kitchen before, usually; there were at least 7 other students... but instead of tickling the peach and waiting for the door the open. the elves meet Harry at the door. They whispered to each other - Got very excited and let him in. The first thing Harry saw, was indeed his mate, whom was sitting at the wooden table, arms folded with his Legs crossed over on table in a very unMalfoy manner. This made Harry cock an eyebrow.

"Is there something you would tell me Oh, bonded one?" Draco said with a sly, his eye brow cocked. A smirk on his face

"Erm?..."

"Because If what I am hearing is true, I should really come along to those male only parties you are apparently hosting in Gryffindor".

"Malfoy... I swear it's not true".

"Really?... well what about the very... erotic... rumor about you and the head boy? He's not really my type.. but, each to their own".

"Listen to me Malfoy. I am not with anyone! Romantically or sexually".

"Wait... I am not done." Draco unfolded his arms "What about the rumor about you and I? Apparently we're bonded and we are going to have.. what... four kids? "

"Well... That is scarily accurate. Who told you that one?" amusement woven in Harry's voice.

"The question is not WHO told me... but how many I told"

"Draco!" giggled Harry.

"Oh, come on! If a rumor was going around - that my intended is having needlessly freakish intercourse with various types of men, then you better believe that I was going to get in on it!"

"God, I've missed you". Harry replied, sitting across from his mate.

"I know. I am awesome!" Draco took his legs off the wooden table just in time for the elves to place 2 dinner plates of lamb curry. Serving dishes of rice, naan bread, and samosas were placed in the middle.

"How was your day Malfoy?"

"Are we doing pleasantries now?" Draco asked mid-bite

"I suppose. But I am generally curious. I've been wanting to know how your day has been all week ...and I ... don't know ... I've just been wanting to talk to you. Verbally, I mean... it's sad really... I've been feeling ... I don't know?"

"Incomplete?" Draco replied

"Yeah!. You feel it too?"

"I think It's stage 3 starting". Draco replied

"A week early?"

"Stage 2 wasn't meant to start to tell 2 weeks ago. It's been going now for six weeks".

"I suppose". Harry shrugged.

"But, you're right. We can't keep with the verbless communication" Draco put his fingers to his lips. "Let's say, every Friday night we meet at my dorm after dinner?"

"Starting tomorrow night?" Harry said with a twinkle in his eye

"Starting tomorrow night".

"I am.. you know ... going to need to know where your dorm is Malfoy".

"Hmm... what fun would it be if I just told you?. Do you want to know where my dorm is? Well... Potter ... work for it!"

"What?" Harry asked mid bite

"Work for it!"

"I could just ask Dumbledore, you know!"

"Yes, Potter, you're going to ask the leader of the clouds, the commander of the kooky army, headmaster of the most up-tight wizardry school in the world ... where my dorm is"

"Wait a minute ..." Harry has a smirk

"Please don't smirk like that... it's very unbecoming of you".

"Draco... jump up and down".

Draco jumped up and down once with a painful expression on his Face.

"Potter! Did you just use the sanctuary bond against me?"

"Erm..."

"Potter! I choose you because I thought you weren't going to use it against me!"

"Draco, I... "

Draco tried to arise from his chair aggressively, only to collapse undignified back in his place. He tried to rise again but again he shot back down and a third time he tried it again.

"What are you trying to do?" Harry asked

"I am trying to storm out, but it seems the mutualism is stopping me... It didn't stop you when you use the sanctuary bond against me".

"Because the betrothal bond knew I wasn't TRYING to use the sanctuary bond against you!"

"Potter, my point is... today you asked me jump.. tomorrow what? I am going to be stripping for you to the sound of Weasley snores?"

"Why? Do you want Ron there?" Harry smirked.

"Potter!."

"Look, Malfoy. For an intelligent person, I am generally surprised you're so worried about this"

Draco simply glared

"Do you really think the betrothal bond will allow me to do something that would purposely make you uncomfortable? Or something that would put in danger either physically or emotionally?"

"Hmft"

"I am sorry Draco"

"I don't like the sanctuary bond. Too many witches or wizards have died because they were forced to do something that caused them to ended their own life".

"What do you mean?"

"Well... the bondee can not do something that would end the life of the bonded, but they can do something that can put them at risk... like they would be forced to consume toxins that would paralyse them...then the bondee would do unspeakable things to them; rape them, beat them, torture them. As long as the bonded doesn't die then the bond is free game"

"That sounds awful" Harry replied

"It was called the torture bond back in the day... many people would say that it was worse than fighting for the wrong side".

"So... where they even punished?" Harry faked horrified.

"Funnily Enough they were forced the enter into betrothal bonds"

"But, they wouldn't be compatible would they?"

"No. Never were they compatible... and ... Once they were defined as non-compatible" Draco shrugged his shoulders "the bondee got off Scott-free and the bonded went to the next person to be abused".

This caused Harry to lean forward to peck Draco on the cheek. "I will never do that to you Draco "

Draco smiled "you still need work on it if you want to know where my dorm is".