AUTHOR: Lord_Mhoram
AUTHOR EMAIL: Khel71@yahoo.com
CATEGORY: SLASH, WAR, ROMANCE, ANGST
KEYWORDS: HARRY, DRACO, SLASH
SPOILERS: ALL BOOKS
RATING: R
SUMMARY: As the Light begins its mobilization, Harry and Draco are caught in the machinations of the war.
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. I'm innocent.
Chapter Four
The Approximation of Home
The sun was setting over the eternally green waters of the gulf. Ocher-gold light struck the waves, turning them blue. However, the man at the window of the ancient turret had no eyes for the beauty around him. His mind was bent on other matters. Hunger filled his every thought; lust trickled into every nerve. Each passing moment carried him deeper into the well of his Master's control. This was to be expected. This was how it always happened. Long ago the darkness within Tom Riddle had cried out for power to accomplish terrible ends, and the Greater Darkness answered. Their fortuitous joining had given birth to Lord Voldemort, who now was claiming another to his corrupted heart.
Lady Taemarantha stood in one of the great alcoves near the entrance hall. The darkness gathered, threatening rain, but Tae gave no sign that she noticed the worsening weather. Occasionally she would swear quietly as she typed away at the winged laptop fluttering in front of her like a flat, sluggish Snitch. Sirius Black stood behind her; his presence was almost as solid and reassuring as Hogwarts itself, though Black was not quite as impenetrable as the stone. He shifted his stance like the arms of scales. The blond witch was not unsympathetic to Black's anxiety, but her focus was deep within the shimmering image the computer displayed. The screen would blur, causing her to murmur steadying spells, quelling the disparity of magic, technology, and mostly untried techniques. She had been at work for an hour when she told Black that the results of her labor were imminent.
"Get your Omnioculars. They're about to fall back."
"Fall back?" said Sirius, pulling the Omnioculars from his robes.
"Never mind that. Just look over there. No, sorry, over there," she said, pointing to the Forbidden Forest.
"Couldn't you get in closer?"
"Not with this software. I'd risk dropping them into a wall. Trust me; that'd be bad. Very bad."
"Well, I suppose I agree."
Sirius peered at the patch of forest. Suddenly McGonagall, Harry and Draco appeared. His heart lurched when he saw the two young men pitch forward.
"What's that about? Are they hurt?"
"No, it's just taxing to Apparate this way. The tiredness passes rapidly. Don't go out there; let them get their feet under them."
Sirius exhaled heavily when he saw the dark-haired man stagger to his feet. A call from within the doors captured his attention as Tae followed him inside. Two boys were waiting at the foot of the stairs. One boy was skinny, pale and tall; the other was heavy, brown and short.
"Is that him?" said the tall boy. "Is that the real Harry Potter?"
"Yes it is, Mr. Pell," replied Black. "The only Harry Potter I know."
"Wicked!" exclaimed the short fellow, nodding his head sagely.
Black, besieged with questions from the excited youngsters, nodded to the astute Tae, who took her chance to leave. Black had calmed the boys when the castle doors began opening, revealing Professor McGonagall and her tired coterie. A gentle glance from Black caused them to back away respectfully, giving him room to greet his godson. Sirius stepped forward, acknowledging McGonagall while hugging Harry. He extended his hand to Draco, who took it with trepidation.
Harry searched Sirius' face for some explanation of the recent catastrophes but had found none when McGonagall interrupted his thoughts. "Gentlemen, " she said, looking from man to man, "I'm sure you have some discussion waiting, so I'll leave Mr. Black to show you your room. Should you require something before evening, please call Mr. Pell or Mr. Davies. They will serve as your assistants." With a parting smile, she turned and was soon lost in the shadows of the hall.
"All right, Harry?" said Sirius.
"Yes. No. What?" stuttered Harry, at a loss for words. He felt as if he could drown in the older man's apparent serenity. "Yeah, I'm all right, but I need to know, Sirius. What's this about?"
"I'll tell you both what I know, but not here. Let's go, shall we?"
Pell and Davies turned and started up the staircase. Harry stole a glance at Draco, who had remained silent since their arrival at the castle. He seemed lost in thought, appearing neither happy nor unhappy; rather, a wistful look had taken residence on his face. The moving staircases provoked a feeling of nostalgia so acute Harry's knees almost buckled. A few moments later, he looked at Draco and said, "I thought that last series of stairs should have been, up-up-left-down?"
Sirius said quietly, "It was. A lot has been changed, in a short time."
"Why? Why would you change something like that?" Harry questioned.
"Hogwarts graduated its share of Death Eaters. If the Apparation charms fail and the walls don't hold, this may buy survivors a few critical moments. Any Death Eater who went to Hogwarts and returned uninvited would find things quite different," Sirius explained as they came to a nondescript stretch of wall lit by torches. This section of the castle was amazingly unfamiliar to both Harry and Draco. Harry watched as his godfather laid his hand against a curved stone and said "alohomora." A glittering blue outline of an arch appeared, graven in the stone. The rock facing parted, revealing a well-lit open hall, with rooms on each side. The corridor grew to a round common area that apparently served as a small library. Sirius continued, "This area has gone unused for years. It's been refurbished as best as possible, given that we didn't have a lot of time. Make yourselves at home while I tell you what I know."
Their room was more like a small apartment. It was sufficiently large for two people--if they were at ease with one another. It was well furnished and obviously meant for them. A rug embroidered with the Gryffindor lion graced one wall; the Slytherin serpent was commanding the opposite. The ageless rock of Hogwarts enclosed them as they stepped inside. Sirius gestured them to sit at a small table, while he reclined in a large comfortable-looking chair.
"So, did you leave my flat in good shape?" he began.
"It's bloody fine! Now quit dancing about the topic. You do it poorly " snapped Draco.
Sirius bit back the sharp retort that tried to climb out.
"Something happened--we don't know what--to unbalance the status quo. We do believe that the destruction of House Malfoy and the Ministry is symptomatic of the issue, but not the heart of it. In any event, our world is becoming very precarious."
"My parents are already dead, Black. That pushes 'precarious' to new shades of meaning. Be descriptive," bossed Draco.
"Right then. So many people are trying to run, hide or both; the Wizarding economy is sliding. Gringotts has thrown pretty severe restrictions on withdrawals and such as. Much more of a decline and we'll be selling ourselves out for services to Muggles. Wait--that came out wrong--"
"I've got the basic idea, Black. What else?" continued Draco, not relenting.
"Obviously Lord Voldemort thinks he can attack with impunity. He's very wrong about that," stated Black, with such flat force that Harry was made to remember Black's long suffering due to Voldemort. The deaths of James and Lily, his long years of imprisonment, all the stolen possibilities--any one of those misfortunes was enough to fear retribution from an average man--and Sirius Black was far from average.
"So what you're saying is-" started Harry, but was interrupted before he could finish.
"What I'm saying Harry is this: please wait for the Headmaster to speak with you. I can't say that it'll all become clear. It isn't for anyone, yet."
A large mirror on the far side of the room began flashing and humming a tune. Draco shot a sardonic eyebrow at Harry, who simply shrugged.
"Pardon, gentlemen. I think that's for me."
After speaking to the mirror for a few moments, Sirius returned to them.
"It's new. Stands in for a fireplace for conversation, and with the Vide spell you can look anywhere on the grounds and see in the mirror what you'd see from the Astronomy tower. Draco, that was the Headmaster. He'd like to speak to you now."
"I'll go too," said Harry.
"No need, Harry. Just wait here. I doubt this will take long," said Draco, following Black out.
Draco stepped into his dimmed quarters. The meeting with Dumbledore had taken longer than he had anticipated and apparently Harry had decided to nap. There was a trail of discarded clothes leading to the bed. Harry had claimed his side of the bed and was fast asleep. Only a few tufts of hair were visible from underneath the blankets, which Draco pushed down, revealing the Gryffindor's slightly smiling face. Draco stroked the line of Harry's jaw, softly brushing his lover's face. For all the sternness of Draco's spirit and the arrogance of his being, Harry's vulnerability touched him. The weariness of the day overcame the Slytherin as he slid out of his Muggle attire and collapsed onto the bed. Strength fading, he burrowed under the covers, wrapping his arm around Harry.
Sleep was all too brief. "Dinner," called Harry, his voice coming from the dressing room.
"Fuck," said Draco disgustedly. "Come back to bed!"
"Why?" said Harry, knotting his tie and whistling.
"Let's stay here. Drink 'til we're sotted and do unspeakable things to each other. Why not?"
"Because the world is falling apart. My best friend is in hospital because of it; your parents died from it. That's why not. Besides, there's only butterbeer in the refrigerator."
"I'm poor."
Harry turned to face the blond man. "Poor?"
"My family's estate is being turned over to an arbiter until I'm twenty-one. Until then, I make due on a stipend paid from one of the minor accounts."
"That's not uncommon."
"Ask me how much."
"How much?"
"Five hundred Galleons a month. No extensions, no loans."
"That doesn't seem so bad, Draco."
"BAD? How barking are you? A week ago I could have bought Mallorca with my walking around money. Now I can't even afford to walk around."
Harry took critical note of Draco's demeanor and wished for the hundredth, maybe the thousandth time since he had started dating Draco, that he had some training in psychology. Still, the only techniques that seemed to work with Draco were honesty, fighting, and sex. Harry was still too fatigued for a fight, so contradicting Draco was right out. Dinner was coming up fast, so sex was not an option. That left honesty. He sidled over to the other man, who had drawn his knees up against his naked chest.
He shook Draco's folded arms lightly. "Hey. Please don't tell me how I don't know what you're feeling. I'm already onto that. But it's not forever. You're still richer than most, right? Besides, we could both be killed before the week is over."
"You're fucking encouraging."
"I know. The Boy-Who-Lived, Idol to Thousands, gives advice!"
"When did you become such a flippy git?"
"It's catching. Get your arse in the shower and get ready."
Muttering rude comments about Harry's parentage, Draco thudded into the bathroom.
Upon entering the banquet hall, the young men noted several strangers. Strange was axiomatic for Hogwarts, but several individuals were unknown to either man. Professors Flitwick and Trelawney approached excitedly and greeted them. It seemed to Harry as if Trelawney were far more focused than he remembered her. Alastor Moody was speaking with Arthur and Molly Weasley. Sirius Black entered shortly thereafter, accompanied by Remus Lupin. Finally, Professor Snape entered, followed by the remainder of the Order. Resting her hand lightly on his arm was a black-haired woman whose appearance made the rest of the Order look a little less eccentric. Her robes were jet-black, shot through with blue complex embroidery. In her other hand she carried a wooden staff, metal-capped with gleaming silver inlay down its length. It was slightly longer than she was tall, but she moved as if it were an extension of her arm
Draco caught Harry's elbow as they sat down. Inclining his head as if in greeting, he whispered to Harry, "Look at her. Snape seems to be happy enough. She's not much to smile at, is she? All that bushy black hair. Ick. And her eyes are too close together. And--"
Harry was glaring. "Some of us don't have perfect hair, you know," he muttered.
Draco nodded. "I know, Bushy. I mean, Harry. Just a little humor. Surely you agree though. She isn't a stunner."
"Well, I'll say they probably would have homely kids."
Dumbledore stood and caught the room's attention. "We can't obviate the Apocalypse on empty stomachs, so tuck in!" exclaimed the old Headmaster. Everyone but Harry began. He sat motionless, not touching his food, although moments before he'd been very hungry. He was caught in his reverie, glancing around at the familiar faces, timeless, yet so changed. He remembered meeting each one for the first time and the development of each relationship, friend as well as acquaintance.
He was jarred back to the present with a sharp elbow from Draco and realized the woman with the staff was speaking. Elise had risen from the table and thanked Dumbledore for his introduction. Her voice seemed to Harry as if it resonated from every part of the room at once, filling him with a need to listen.
"I am very grateful to the Headmaster for his support. I will likewise be grateful for your own. I may ask strange things from you; my actions may seem unusual. However, it is not an exaggeration to say that your situation is on the crux and time is not your ally. Let me then, present myself to you. I am Elise Kingfisher, Disciple of the Pillars and the OverMagic. I am Oracle to my own Council and hold rank of WarMaster. I will speak for you what I see.
"This Order of the Phoenix is the inheritor of a tradition that has existed since magic came to this land, which is to say; the Earth. If the action of this Order fails and the Dark Lord sweeps you aside, terror will have no end, and life, while it fitfully remains, will be worse than Azkaban. I tell you now, your enemy is more than he once was. His ambitions have grown, and all appointed fates are askewed by his presence. You cannot endure a long war against such a foe."
She paused to let her words saturate the room. Before she could continue, Remus interrupted.
"I sincerely beg your pardon, but you're sounding rather grandiose," said Lupin. "I'm all aboard for destroying Voldemort, but are we really on the edge of annihilation?"
Elise focused on Lupin; the intensity of her gaze was belied by the softness of her speech. "Yes, you're in the neighborhood of it. Otherwise, I'd be at home with my feet up, eating licorice whips and reading a fine book. I am here because there is a rhyme and reason to things in the world, and over the past few years they haven't been matching up very well. This appears to be the fountainhead."
"And you're to put things right?" asked Snape.
"No! You are. You all are. I'm just a gadfly with very good vision" Elise emphasized.
Trelawney was nodding and smiling as if her own years of poor oracular vision were being vindicated. "Yes, dear, but how long, how long do we have? The Inner Eye cannot see if the gadfly does not speak"
Snape rolled his eyes so far Heavenward Harry thought they'd stick in his hairline.
"Two months, maybe less, before Lord Voldemort can bring such power to bear that the free wizards and witches of the Earth are decimated. After that, your culture of self-determination and individual freedom will be gone. Within a year, fate here will belong to Voldemort."
The room might have been filled with sculptures. "How did this happen?" breathed Lupin in a choked voice.
"COMPLACENCY!" roared Moody.
"Perhaps not only that," replied Elise calmly, "but Voldemort has undoubtedly gained vast power within the last thirty-six hours. It's as if--as if--"
"As if he had a new computer to run his software?" piped Tae.
Elise look puzzled and distant, as if she were consulting pages that were almost too far away to see. "Yes, that's good, very good, an excellent analogy. He's the same creation, but without whatever limitations he had previously. Consequently, you're losing ground, because he has better…ah…"
"Hardware," finished Tae.
"But to take that kind of step in power requires spells we would have sensed. You cannot hide that kind of energy. Nor is there any magical device known that could give the possessor such ability so quickly," said Snape smugly.
"Yes, well, Severus, about that," started Dumbledore, before he broke off and addressed the entire group, as Elise took her seat.
"To understand a bit better the nature of the crisis surrounding us, I present for your review a See-All brought to me by the House Elf Mene on the evening Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy died," said Dumbledore. He placed the See-All on the table and touched it with his wand. The See-All glowed brightly then faded rapidly. The lights in the room fell and a frigid wind blew over the seated guests like a horrible foretelling of catastrophe. A core of darkness grew in the center of the room, from which stepped Narcissa Malfoy's image.
"Albus--Albus Dumbledore," Narcissa said, as if fighting against the wind herself. "My time is greatly limited! Death Eaters are coming; we do not expect to survive. We will divert them from the Mansion as long as possible. Lucius has seen Voldemort's final, true intention. He must be stopped. You must obtain the circlet of the first crown made by giants. It is your only chance. I am sending my son to you. Assist him! If any of our kind survive this war, they will be within your grace, Dumbledore. In exchange for Draco's safety, I offer you fair bargain: the location of the crown. The coordinates are held within the crystal. Draco can free them, with the unforced, unspelled touch of his hand. He cannot be compelled, even under Crucio or Imperious."
Narcissa pulled her cloak about her. "Remember, Dumbledore!" she cried, her voice fading away.
The wind lost strength and died as the lights rose again. Harry kept Draco in the corner of his eye. The Slytherin appeared deeply thoughtful, but no worse for the ordeal of seeing his mother again.
Dumbledore spoke into the silent room. "That See-All was recorded the evening of August tenth. The Ministry was aware of something magically destructive taking place when all the Infernal Influx sensors went off. Professor Snape assisted the Ministry in mounting a rescue, but when they arrived, the Malfoys had passed beyond our aid. Let us note that neither Lucius nor Narcissa died of Avada Kedavra. They died from the results of Tempus Fugit Mortalis, which as you recall from the See-All analyzed this afternoon, was cast on them by Lord Voldemort to force them into revealing the location of this crown.
"Archival lore is empty of references to any Crown being made by Giants. Certainly, Lucius found something very powerful, then sent it away. Why? We may postulate he hid the artifact because he had not mastered its powers and feared that the Dark Lord would wrest it from him. His vision into Voldemort's motivations was very upsetting. Lucius found it more important to hide this crown than risk Lord Voldemort obtaining it, though he knew he and Narcissa would die. And, apparently Lord Voldemort knew enough about this object to take action once he knew Lucius had found it."
"But Headmaster! What if You-Know-Who already has some part of this crown?" squeaked Flitwick.
"Then we'd see exactly what we've seen," said Elise. "A dramatic upsurge in the breadth and reach of his power, which is all the more reason for expediency in action."
Snape gave Harry a sidelong glance. "Potter's here. Be assured disaster will be close behind."
"He makes excellent bait, doesn't he?" interrupted Elise sardonically. "Really ripping for getting Voldemort's attention."
"Bait?" asked Sirius, trying to work the word around in his mouth. It felt greasy and unclean.
"Yes, Mr. Black. Looks to me like Potter over there has been staked out for the wolf on numerous occasions. Of course, the hunter was nearby every time, wasn't he?
"Yes," said Dumbledore, his soft voice carrying against the tumult of indignation that arose in the room. "Harry had better defensive instincts when he was eleven than most fully grown wizards."
Dumbledore faced Harry and spoke quietly. "If this is our ultimate conflict with Voldemort, it may very well fall to you, Harry, to finish the cycle begun when Voldemort arose."
Harry felt ill. The walls of certitude were giving way around him. "Pardon me," he stammered, and hurriedly left the room. Dumbledore's cry of "Harry, wait!" fell impotently into the silence.
"The answer is no, and I have to tell you all, I'm feeling a little vindication," said Draco. He tossed his napkin to the floor and laughed. "No. I think I'll say it again. Should I? Or would that be crass? Oh well, you only live once. No. I won't help you greedy, sanctimonious vultures swoop down on my family's home and loot it. Let's see, what's the plan? I help you find what you're looking for. You defeat Voldemort. It's a triumph for the 'Side of Light,' and we never ever mention the little bits of Dark Magic that made this victory possible. My father always said Dark and Light were self-serving, but Light rolled in twaddle. He was right."
Draco stood and left the table while continuing his diatribe. "One item more. Harry's worth ten of any one of you goddamned lot. Cheerio!"
Sirius grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him around.
"Do you mind?" the Slytherin jeered. "That's very nice silk. I'd prefer to leave it untorn."
Sirius released Draco, who stalked out of the room.
Lupin sighed. "Was that 'bait' comment really necessary?"
It was the best place to collect himself he could think of. Hagrid's cabin was quiet, dark, and reminiscent of the happier parts of his childhood. Slowly the hurting in his chest eased. He knew he had been part of Voldemort's obsession for years. Hearing it said aloud was nothing new. What's next--panic attacks? he thought bitterly. Shaking his head, he had started to rise when he heard voices. Peeping outside, he saw Sirius and Draco in furious confrontation.
"Just leave off," hissed Draco.
Sirius shoved Draco hard against the tree. "Not bloody likely! You've barely arrived, and you're throwing our courtesy back in our faces? Why?" he demanded.
"Because I can!" Draco screamed. "It's the only value I've got, and when it's gone you can get rid of me. You will, too!"
"What in the name of the gods are you talking about?"
The young man made no reply, except to fix Black with a glance between murderous and despairing.
Sirius controlled his fury with an obvious effort and replied in an almost conversational tone. "You need to think about this. If those people you just insulted start to die, and Harry entertains any thought that you might have prevented so much as a single one of those deaths, it will be the end of your relationship. He won't want it to be; you both might try to work around it, but it'll always be there."
A knife-like smile distorted Draco's face. "That's insidious. It's blackmail. You're trying to twist me, without sullying your hands with Crucio."
"Draco, I'm not your opponent. I want to understand."
"Fuck you. There's nothing to understand. You want me to help you win this godsforsaken war. Probably get me and Harry killed in the doing. Let me tell you now, Black. I'm not joining your cause."
"That's not--"
"Save it. I'm tired, and I have to find Harry. If you loved him, you'd've been looking for him, not me." With a contemptuous backward glance, Draco disappeared into the lengthening evening shadows.
"I was," Sirius whispered to the empty air.
End Chapter Four
The author wishes very much to thank MOI for her reviews and encouragement, JessicaCMalfoy for reviews, encouragement and beta work, Charlee for consultations, and Beth for her many duties so well-performed as co-writer. If you've read this far, please review! Send me e-mail or post here. Thank you for reading; thank you for reviewing.