3. Harrypunzel
Harry Potter lay on his bed while he gazed out his window up at the night sky. Absentmindedly his fingers traced his lips.
Harry wasn't quite sure what had happened since he'd gone for a last flight on the quidditch pitch. He'd walked back to the broom shed, and Ron, Neville, Seamus, Dean and Colin had been there, and then – nothing.
Nothing, until soft lips and steel grey eyes. Nothing, until a brief taste of heaven that had been torn away from him just as he'd realised he'd found home. A sense of belonging - too short his heart screamed out – and then the familiar tug of a portkey and he was alone once again.
Well. Alone. Harry wished.
A moment in heaven and then he'd been dropped straight back into hell: the portkey had deposited him at the Dursleys.
Still in a daze he'd found himself sitting in the middle of his relatives' living room, in front of the TV. Vernon had turned an alarming shade of purple, Dudley had just gaped at him, and Petunia had pressed her lips together. Gripping the portkey Harry had fled to his room, slammed the door shut and slid down to the floor with his back against it. He'd looked down at the goblet he was still holding, and it transfigured into a piece of parchment. Hoping for some kind of explanation on what had happened to him, he'd unrolled the parchment. He also very much wanted to know why he'd been dumped at the Dursleys yet again, after having been convinced that last summer was the last time he'd ever have to set foot in his miserable family's house ever again. But the note had been terse to say the least, and had not shed any light at all on his current situation.
"Dear Mr. Potter," he'd read in Dumbledore's flowing script, "for your own safety you must stay with your family for a while, Headmaster Dumbledore."
Harry had cursed, and then searched his pockets for his wand but it wasn't on him. He'd tried his hand at wandless magic, but all his spells just fizzed. They must have placed some kind of magic dampening spell on the house. The bars on his windows were back, although he could open the windows to let in some fresh air at least.
He didn't have his wand, he couldn't perform wandless magic, and he didn't have Hedwig with him. Harry was once again stuck with relatives who hated his guts.
All for 'his own safety'. Yup, this was hell alright. Voldemort gaming to kill him hadn't been a lot of fun, sure, but this? This was much, much worse.
Instead of spending the summer before his eighteenth birthday at Hogwarts – in the dungeons with Snape, he'd been sure they were going to get rid of the U in their UST considering those last few detentions – he was working like a house-elf for the Dursleys once more. Again he was starving, having to sneak away the leftovers from the meals he cooked for them. Again he was ducking his uncle's fists and trying to avoid his cousin's 'harmless' pranks. Again he had to listen to his aunt badmouthing him and his parents. All for 'his own safety'.
Merlin, when he got out of here somebody was going to pay.
Harry spent his nights staring out the window at the stars, all the while hoping for somebody to save him, and remembering that too brief moment of perfection. Those soft lips. Those steel grey eyes.
Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on the memory, tried desperately to put a name to the person who'd for the first time in his life made him feel whole. It was a man, of that he was sure, and he knew him, but who could it be?
Exasperated Harry sighed and got up to change into his pyjamas. It was time to sleep and at least in his dreams they were together again.
Harry had nearly drifted off completely; he could already feel those lips on his once more, when a slight ticking noise caught his attention. He frowned. There it was again, something hitting the glass of his bedroom window. Cautiously Harry crept to the wall beside his window and then quickly peeked outside; fighting a Dark Lord for seven years did have its consequences one one's behavioural patterns.
But what Harry saw had him flinging the window open as fast as he could and then reaching through the bars.
"Lucius," he was hardly aware of breathing the name.
For there was Lucius Malfoy, hovering on his broom just at the edge of the Dursley's lawn, above the side walk to 4 Privet Drive. When the elder Malfoy saw him at the window he stopped throwing pebbles and his face lit up as he too spoke his soul mate's name.
"Harry."
Then he quickly took out a vial of something or other and downed it in one go, making a face. That done he flew over to Harry's window and they grasped each other's hands, pressed their faces to the bars and kissed for the second time.
In a small part of Harry's mind the thought did surface that he was kissing Lucius Malfoy, former Death Eater, Lord Voldemort's right hand. Lucius Malfoy, who had tried to kill him on more than one occasion. Lucius Malfoy, whom he had tried to kill on more than one occasion. Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's father. But the protests were feeble and went unheard by the rest of his soul that sang, and his body that perked right up.
His right hand was tangled in Lucius' long blond hair and his left hand was gripping Lucius' right hand tightly. Harry had found his soul mate and he wasn't about to let go, he wasn't about to lose Lucius again. The bars pressed against their faces and all Harry wanted was for them to be gone. Kissing was good, their tongues tangling together was terrific, but he needed more. He needed their bodies against each other, in each other, he needed to be one with his soul mate and he needed it now.
"Harry," Lucius gasped in between kisses, obviously equally frustrated by the barrier between them. "We don't have much time."
"Don't go!" Harry gasped and his grip on Lucius' hair and hand tightened.
"Believe me," kiss, "I don't want to," kiss, "but if I stay much longer," kiss, "I'll be detected and they'll take you away from me again."
Their mouths worked against each other as if they were each trying to eat the other alive.
"Don't leave me here, I need you, I need to be with you," Harry pleaded and again he cursed his imprisonment.
"I'm sorry, but I'll come back tomorrow night. I can't perform magic, otherwise I would remove these bars this very moment. And this window is the only access to the house that isn't warded from entry. Once I'm inside I'll be able to get you out. I swear, I will return tomorrow and we'll never be apart again. I won't let them take you away from me, ever again, my love."
They broke the kiss and Lucius took Harry's face in both his hands and pressed their foreheads together through the gap between two bars.
"Just one more day, and I'll take you away from all this. One more day."
"One more day. I will think of you every moment."
They kissed again, their lips meeting briefly, chastely, and they gazed into each others eyes. Steel grey into jade green.
"Harry."
"Lucius."
Then Lucius broke away and turned around quickly, as if to prolong their goodbye hurt him more than anything else. Harry's hand still reached out through the bars to the figure on the broom dwindling fast into the distance, reached out to his true love, to his soul mate.
"Tomorrow night," he whispered, and he licked his lips, savouring the unique taste of his soon to be lover. "Lucius."
~~ HP ~~ LM ~~
The day passed slowly, and Harry was distracted from his many chores by the memory of the night before and the anticipation for the night coming. His inattention led him to breaking a plate while doing the dishes, and he was just too slow to duck his uncle's hand. He nursed the sting on his face and yet another grudge in silence, eyeing the clock impatiently.
He still didn't know what had happened that had led him to be stuck with the Dursleys. Last night he had been too preoccupied with Lucius' presence to ask questions, and there hadn't been enough time anyway. Now he found himself pondering the situation again, pondering his easy acceptance and recognition of Lucius Malfoy as his soul mate, his true love. Without doubt there was a spell involved somewhere in this story, but without further information he just got a head-ache for trying to figure things out. Rather than waste time on a hopeless enterprise Harry daydreamed about the elder Malfoy and tried not to watch the clock.
Around ten his family went to bed and Harry took post at his window, watching the sky for a sign of his lover. Two hours later Harry was fighting off doubts, for why would a beautiful and intelligent man such Lucius Malfoy ever be interested in Harry Potter? But he knew Lucius had felt the same connection as he had, and Lucius had found him after all. He just needed to be patient. Lucius had promised, Lucius would return.
And there he was, a figure with long blonde hair speeding on his broom toward nr. 4 Privet Drive. Again Lucius stopped just at the edge of the property and downed a potion, then he was at Harry's bedroom window and they were kissing again. This time, Lucius broke the kiss after only a few minutes and they gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, before Lucius took out another vial of potion.
"They've charmed the house, so we can't perform any magic. Luckily brooms and potions still work, and Severus has made me an acid that should get rid of the bars. Stand back, my love," and after Harry obeyed, reluctantly letting Lucius' other hand go, Lucius carefully poured the potion over the iron bars.
The bars began to sizzle as the potion ate its way through them, and Lucius covered one arm in his cape and then pulled them away. They fell to the ground and landed on the grass with a dull thump. Both men waited for a moment, but nobody in the house stirred.
Lucius brought his broom next to the window and then climbed through into Harry's room. He was barely standing inside before his arms were full with the Boy-Who-Lived. He held on tightly, tucked Harry's head against his chest and rested his cheek against the unruly dark hair. His own long blonde hair hung around them, shielding them from the rest of the world.
"Where were you?"
"I'm sorry I took so long to find you, they'd hidden you and nobody would tell me a thing. I searched and I threatened, but they'd put you under the Fidelius charm."
"How did you find me?"
"They'd made Severus your secret keeper, thank Merlin. He broke the charm and told me where you were. He's the one that made the potion that allows me to get in here without setting off the wards. Romantic old bastard."
Harry smiled and tilted his head back to look into those steel grey eyes. Lucius smiled back at him and ran his hand through Harry's hair.
"Don't leave me."
"Never again."
They touched their lips together, at first chastely but soon with increasing passion. Harry had one hand in Lucius' long blonde hair while his other tried to burrow through Lucius' robes. Lucius had both his hands on Harry's backside and was pulling him as close as he could, pulling Harry up against him. Harry wrapped his legs around the elder Malfoy and Lucius pressed him against the wall, grinding his erection against him.
"Now," Harry groaned, arching his head back and baring his throat to the Dark Wizard, begging to be marked by his lover. "Take me now."
"Oh, Merlin, Harry!" Lucius bucked against him and squeezed his buttocks. "I want to, I need to."
"Do it! Do me!"
"Not here, we have to get away, I'm sorry," and with that Lucius broke away from him and averted his eyes from the sight Harry made, as he desperately sought for the renowned Malfoy control. Harry slumped against the wall, his lips kiss-bruised and his face flushed, his breath ragged like Lucius', and the unmistakeable bulge in his baggy trousers. It was all Lucius could do not to ravage the young man right there and then.
A shadow on Harry's face in the moon-light and Lucius frowned as he gently touched the bruise on Harry's cheek.
"What happened?"
Harry averted his eyes. "My uncle."
Rage filled Lucius and he had his wand in his hand without a second thought.
"Filthy muggles! I'll kill them!"
Harry gripped his arm, stopped him from storming out of the small room to confront the other residents of the small house.
"Not now, you said yourself you couldn't perform magic here," he kissed Lucius wand hand and silently exulted in the rage in those steel grey eyes. For him, rage for him, for his hurts, finally. "Let's just go, leave here," and he pulled Lucius to the window and the still waiting broom stick.
Lucius nodded, but then stopped Harry.
"We can't use the window, it's been warded against your exit, we have to leave through the front door. I should be able to open it for you. But first, I need a lock of your hair."
At the confused look on Harry's face Lucius quickly explained.
"Severus gave me another potion, if we add a lock of your hair to it and leave it here, then nobody at Hogwarts will notice that you've left. It will seem as if you're still here."
Harry nodded and then grabbed a pair of scissors from his old desk. He cut off a sizable lock his hair – it would grow back overnight anyway – and Lucius added it to a small bottle with a greenish liquid in it. The liquid bubbled briefly and then turned the colour of Harry's eyes. Then Lucius looked around for a hiding place.
"Here, under this floorboard is where I used to hide stuff from the Dursleys, they'll never find it here, and they certainly won't tell anybody I've disappeared. They'll just be glad to be rid of me."
After they hid the small bottle in the space beneath the floorboards they crept through the hallway and then down the stairs, still holding hands. However, just as they reached the bottom of the stairs there was a noise from one of the bedrooms, a door opening. Lucius looked around, the front door was too far away, and instead opened the nearest available hiding place and pulled Harry with him into the cupboard under the stairs.
They held their breath as heavy footsteps descended the stairs, raining dust upon them, and then the footsteps passed them into the kitchen as Vernon Dursley set about making himself a midnight snack. A little while later the stairs resounded again as Dudley came down to join his father in the kitchen. Harry didn't need light to know that Lucius' face reflected Harry's own disgust at the noise of the two Dursley men eating.
Finally even they seemed to have reached their fill, and they padded back upstairs to bed. Harry and Lucius waited another moment until the entire house was silent again, and then Harry felt Lucius looking down at him.
"You are never setting foot here ever again, other than to watch me take care of these wretched muggles," Lucius hissed, making Harry's insides flutter with warmth. Instead of replying he just pressed his lips to Lucius'.
"Let's get out of here," he whispered against them.
"Yes," Lucius agreed and then grabbed the cupboard's door handle. Which wouldn't budge. Lucius cursed; somehow the door had locked itself behind them. And he couldn't use magic to open it, and he couldn't force the door open lest he wake Harry's miserable relatives.
"Do you have any of that acid left?" Harry whispered and Lucius could have slapped himself for not thinking of it himself. He nodded and then gathered Harry in his cloak and averted his own face. Outside the fumes hadn't been too dangerous, but in such a small space without ventilation they could be quite harmful.
"Hold your breath," he ordered and then poured what was left of Snape's potion over the door's lock. The corrosive made his eyes water, but at least he was soon able to push the door open and they were free again. He opened the front door and stepped outside, pulling Harry with him. There was the tell-tale tingling of walking through a spell, but it let them both pass.
They reached the street and Lucius held out his left hand - his broom flew to it - and held his right arm around his soul mate. Harry looked up at him and then slung his arms around him; Lucius smirked as he pulled his wand and with a supremely satisfied look on his face he spoke 'Malfoy Manor'. They disapparated from Little Whinging with a pop.
~~ HP ~~ LM ~~
They appeared in front of the gates to Malfoy Manor. While at any other time Harry would have gaped at the opulence and wealth of the estate, he was now too eager to get the both of them naked together to care. Lucius laughed at his young lover's impatience, Harry made him feel younger than his years.
"Come on, I'll give you the grand tour of your new home some other time. For now let me show you where our bedroom is."
Lucius led them over the grounds to a side-entrance where a house-elf awaited. The elf took Lucius' broom and cloak before disappearing. A small stairwell brought them to a long corridor, the main stair-case at one end and a window at the other. Lucius held open one of the doors for Harry and ushered him into his bedroom. He'd used the back entrance because he wanted to avoid a confrontation with Narcissa, now all he wanted to do was complete the bond between him and his soul mate. Without any distractions.
Harry hardly noticed his surroundings, hardly noticed the fact that his trunk sat against a wall, hardly noticed his wand lying on one of the bedside tables. All his attention was riveted on the large four poster bed. He walked straight to it, kicking off his shoes, and then dropped himself onto the bed on his back, arms spread.
Lucius turned around after having spelled the door locked and putting up more locking, warding and silencing charms. The sight of Harry lying there on his bed - no, their bed - made him lose his breath. Harry grinned even more and spread himself out like some virgin sacrifice.
"Take me," he whispered.
A command Lucius was only too happy to obey.
Lucius climbed onto the bed next to Harry and lovingly undressing Harry, tenderly kissing every bit of fair skin revealed. When he finally slid Harry's boxers off the only logical thing it seemed would be to worship Harry with his mouth. So he did. He relished the feel and taste of Harry in his mouth, the feel of Harry's hands in his hair.
Harry's breath hitched and became more laboured, he was so close. But this was not what he wanted, or at least not exactly, and he urged Lucius off him.
"You too," he said as his fingers fumbled with the buttons of Lucius' robes. "Let me see you too."
Hastily they undressed Lucius and then there was nothing left to separate them. Their lovemaking was passionate, more than just the simple union of flesh, but a meeting of two kindred souls. Neither had ever known such bliss, not Lucius in all his years with his wife Narcissa, not Harry in the occasional teenage fumbling. And when they both reached completion together, Lucius within Harry, they knew neither of them would ever be alone again.
Lucius kissed away Harry's tears, tears of joy, and Harry whispered against those soft lips, gazing up into those steel grey eyes.
"Yours forever."
"Yours forever," Lucius agreed.
~~ HP ~~ LM ~~
Later, much later, they still lay in bed together. They fed each other strawberries in chocolate, cherries, and other such delicacies. Lucius sat against the headboard with Harry resting against his chest, in his arms, as he explained exactly how they had come to be together.
"After it …. became clear that no one at Hogwarts was your soul mate, Dumbledore performed a spell to determine who was. The spell revealed that it was me, and I was summoned to Hogwarts. They only told me what was going on once I'd arrived.
I must admit that I was somewhat sceptical and reluctant at first."
"Oh?"
Lucius laughed. "Will you let me continue my story? Good.
Severus managed to convince me to give it a try, if only just to piss off your godfather and all those other Gryffindors."
Harry snorted and Lucius smirked.
"Anyway, I think I already felt it before I kissed you. You were so beautiful, so peaceful, and then I kissed you and -"
"- it was like coming home."
"Yes. It was perfect and I saw in your eyes that your soul recognised mine, and I didn't want it to ever end."
"There was nothing, and then there was you. Only darkness, until you came to save me, Lucius, my light." Harry's voice was hoarse and Lucius tightened their embrace.
"And then you were gone again, too soon -"
"Never again. I won't ever let anybody take you away from me again." Lucius sighed and then continued his tale.
"They'd planned it, of that I'm sure. Black, your godfather, tore me away from you and held me back, and Lupin threw you the portkey while Dumbledore helped restrain me. I tried to fight them, I tried to hex them, but I was outnumbered and nobody would tell me where you'd been taken, I tried bribery, I tried threatening them, all in vain.
I tried every spell I could find, but they'd put you under the Fidelius charm and I didn't know who your secret keeper was."
"Professor Snape."
"Yes. They didn't think I'd ever expect him to be your secret keeper, or that he'd help me when I did finally find out. They'd cast a spell upon him so he couldn't reveal that. Although once I figured it out, he fortunately could break the secret. He helped me get through the wards; he's the one who gave me your trunk and wand, and if all is right they shouldn't have noticed you're gone."
"I can't believe Sirius and Dumbledore, the rest of them, I can't believe they'd do that to me. They knew that you were my soul mate; they knew that you could make me happy, and yet they separated us. Stopped us from completing the bond. And then to put with the Dursleys again!"
"The last I cannot understand either," and Lucius gently fingered the faded bruise on Harry's cheek. "What were they thinking, leaving you imprisoned with those wretched muggles! But I guess I can understand why they would not want the bond to be completed; they undoubtedly were trying to buy time to break the link we already had and prevent it from growing."
"But how could they?"
"Be honest, admit it, we do make a strange couple. The Boy-Who-Lived and a Death Eater? I'm not the most suitable person to be with you."
"Former Death Eater."
"Well, not by choice. At least Severus turned spy. I've tried to kill you on more than one occasion, Harry."
Harry turned around facing Lucius and straddled his lap. He took Lucius' face in his hands and forced his lover to look at him.
"What's in the past is done. It doesn't matter. You've tried to kill me; I've tried to kill you. I don't care. You are my soul mate. I love you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I forgive you."
Harry kissed Lucius and Lucius wrapped his arms around his young lover, pulled him close. All thoughts, all doubts disappeared, and for a long time they just kissed. Leisurely, lazily, tracing patterns on each others skin.
Finally Harry broke the kiss and just rested his head against Lucius' shoulder. All his life he'd been deprived of physical affection, and just being held like this was a pleasure, something he had craved for so long. He felt truly loved and safe for the first time in his life.
Lucius was content to just hold Harry, press a kiss against that unruly hair. His marriage to Narcissa had been arranged by their families. It hadn't been too bad, but it paled in comparison to the feeling of peace just being with Harry brought him. Now he'd found what he'd been lacking and he could hardly believe how he'd managed to do without for so long.
"Anyway, as long as you can find it in yourself to forgive me for killing your employer and putting you out of your job, I think we should be fine."
Lucius laughed.
"I think I can do that. After all, I love you, Harry."
"And I love you, Lucius."
They kissed, and would have lived happily ever after if not for the fact this is a fairy tale, and what is any fairy tale without a wicked witch?
to be continued in Snow Potter and the Seven House-Elves