Chapter Twenty: Harry
Harry stormed out of the apartment, not stopping until he was at the stairs that would lead him down into the club.
Fucking Zabini. Fucking with MY Draco.
I swear to Merlin I will destroy him.
But first, I need to get that collar off Draco …
Harry stopped mid-step, partway down the stairs, thinking hard. Finally, he decided to pull out his wand and send off a Patronus.
Satisfied, Harry turned around to head back into his apartment. As silently as he possibly could, Harry opened the door and slipped on the Invisibility Cloak that he had hanging next to the door. Grateful that he hadn't put shoes on yet, he silently padded back to his room, where he found Draco kneeling in the corner.
Perfect posture.
Even breathing.
Merlin, he's as fucking perfect as ever.
If only he was waiting like that for me, because he wanted me, not because he's afraid.
Fucking.
Zabini.
Fucking.
Broke.
My.
Draco.
Harry somehow managed to stay silent as he fought to control his breathing and keep himself calm.
I need to be thinking clearly, to help Draco.
When the front door opened fully and the familiar mane of bushy brown hair entered the apartment, Harry moved away from the bedroom door and took off the invisibility cloak.
'Thank you for coming so quickly.' He felt like he was still clenching his jaw and made a Herculean effort to relax it and the muscles in his neck.
'What's wrong?' he noticed she was gazing furtively around the apartment.
I should've warned her the door would be open. We're still so paranoid after the war.
'Zabini collared Draco.' He said, and she inhaled sharply.
'But I saw Draco naked! There was no collar…' she trailed off, looking hesitant.
'It was hidden by a spell similar to a Disillusionment Charm, but it was stronger. I didn't recognise it.' Harry paused, roughly running a hand through his hair. 'I think it's cursed with Dark Magic. I need your help to get it off him safely. Please.' He gazed at his old friend imploringly.
'Of course, I'll help you, Harry. Where's Draco now?'
'In … in my bedroom. I asked him to wait there, to see what he'd do.' Harry was suddenly overwhelmed with pain and guilt. Pain for the amount of abuse Draco must've endured in the past five years. Guilt that Harry wasn't able to protect his Draco.
'It wasn't your fault. You didn't know.'
Bloody mind reader this girl.
'I know, but I wish he hadn't gone through that. Come on, let's figure out how to help him.' Harry led her to his room, where Draco was still kneeling motionless in the corner. Harry heard her gasp behind him.
'He chose to wait like this.' Harry told her.
'Oh, Draco.' She murmured, making her way over to him. Harry noticed the immediate, but subtle, change in her walk. She'd slipped into Domme mode.
'Stand up, boy.' Mistress Beth said, her back straight and her hands on her hips. Harry's heart broke a little more when Draco immediately did as she ordered.
'Look at me.' Mistress Beth ordered. Draco lifted his head and his eyes went wide with shock.
'M – Mistress …?' he asked, confused.
'I need you to come out of sub space so we can talk.' she said. Harry watched as Draco hesitated, but closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose.
Mistress Beth stood to the side, gesturing Harry forward without taking her eyes off Draco. Harry was moving towards her when, without warning, Draco's body grew limp and he began to fall to the ground.
Harry surged forward and caught Draco in his arms. Holding him close, he picked Draco up and laid him on the bed, waiting for him to open his eyes.
'Draco?' he asked, gently brushing the blonde hair out of Draco's eyes with his fingers. Draco didn't respond immediately. Harry could feel each individual muscle in his body tensing as he waited anxiously for Draco to respond.
'Yeah. I'm here.' Draco finally whispered.
'Can you open your eyes?' Harry asked, sitting on the bed next to Draco.
'Give me a minute, please.' Draco said, turning so that he was facing Harry and resting his head on Harry's thigh. Harry ran his fingers through Draco's hair, earning a satisfied hum from Draco. They sat like that for a few long minutes, until Draco sighed and opened his eyes, looking up at Harry from his lap.
'Hey there.' Harry smiled gently.
'Hey yourself.' Draco smiled back tiredly, one hand reaching up to cup Harry's face. Harry used his own hand to hold Draco's in place, smiling down at the blonde affectionately.
'Do I need to give you two a minute?'
Draco frowned in confusion and sat up to look at the brunette in the room with them.
'I thought your name was Beth?' a hint of a demand in his voice.
'I am Mistress Beth, when I'm working for Harry.'
'But you looked so different last night.' Draco said.
'You forget, Malfoy. I was top of our year at Hogwarts.' She smiled, not unkindly. Draco huffed.
'Of course you were. Do you use Polyjuice Potion or Transfigure yourself?' Draco asked and she shrugged.
'Transfigure. We tried Polyjuice, but I wasn't always in a situation where I could take the potion every hour.'
'She's still at the Ministry,' Harry interjected. 'But some weekends she works for me as Mistress Beth. So, we try to protect her identity as much as we can. She's helped me and the club so much, including putting up the wards around the building.'
'I can't say I'm surprised.' Draco said, shaking his head. 'But why are you here, in this room with us, Granger?'
'Harry asked for my help with ...' Hermione trailed off, looking to Harry.
'I want to take your collar off.' Harry said, looking into Draco's eyes, watching as he unconsciously fiddled with the thin band.
'Good! I hate the damn thing. Zabini put on all sorts of spells on it before he even put it on me. I tried to take it off once and ended up with a burnt neck and fingers.'
Looking closer, Harry could see the faint, white scars of a healed-over burn sitting directly under Draco's collar. Harry fought to keep his temper under control, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.
He didn't move when he felt the bed moving under Draco's weight, but started in surprise when Draco wrapped his arms around him. He placed his hands over Draco's, but he couldn't shake the angry feeling building inside him.
It's like … I need to slip into my role of Master.
I've always wanted to do that around Draco. But I've been able to control it.
Harry opened his eyes and twisted to look at Draco's collar.
'Draco,' Harry asked softly. 'Have you ever taken your collar off?'
'No. Zabini wouldn't allow it. Even when I bathe, I must keep it on.' Draco said bitterly. Harry sent a glance to Hermione meaningfully.
'Do you feel it, too?' he asked her.
'Feel what?' she asked carefully.
'Like you shouldn't be Hermione right now.'
'Yes. I thought it was just me...' Hermione trailed off, her eyes falling to Draco's collar.
'You think it might be the collar?' she asked.
'I think the collar has the same feel as the locket did.' Harry said quietly. Hermione frowned in thought.
'But the locket affected the feelings of whomever wore it, not those around them.' Hermione pointed out.
'Are you saying it hasn't affected Draco?' Harry asked. 'No one should collapse when they slip out of sub space. I think the collar is cursed to affect everyone close to it.'
Hermione gazed at the collar thoughtfully. Draco snuggled into the crook of Harry's neck, distracting Harry momentarily.
Take him. Turn around and take.Him.
Make him yours again.
Make him never forget you.
Harry took a deep breath and kept his gaze on Hermione.
'But what kind of magic affects people that way? Other than a Horcrux?' Hermione asked. Draco's head snapped up from its' place on Harry's shoulder.
'How do you two know about Horcruxes?' he asked. Harry and Hermione looked at Draco in confusion.
Sometimes it's easy to forget that not everyone's school life revolved around finding Voldemort's Horcruxes.
'Voldemort had seven. We had to find them to defeat him.' Harry said simply, trying not to think about it about too deeply.
'Oh, I thought you were talking about ...' Draco seemed unable to finish the sentence.
'Zabini's?' Hermione asked softly. Draco nodded and snuggled against Harry again, his breath shaky. Harry and Hermione looked at each other in shock.
Draco's collar is a fuckingHorcrux.
