4. Snow Potter and the Seven House-Elves
Narcissa Malfoy sat behind her vanity combing her long blonde hair, the scowl on her face not marring her beauty to any degree. A fact her mirror didn't cease to tell her, but she'd long ago tuned out its flattery. Of course she was the most beautiful of them all: she was a Malfoy after all. Her marriage to Lucius had guaranteed that in the most secure way known to wizards and witches.
At the thought of her marriage to Lucius her scowl deepened and she couldn't help sneering at her reflection. Who sneered back at her beautifully.
Their marriage had been quite satisfactory: she had provided him with an heir, and he her with the Malfoy name and all that came with it. The sex was good, and within the constraints of discretion there had been room for lovers on both sides. Narcissa fondly remembered the time they'd found out they had the same lover, and then in the name of efficiency continued that affair as a threesome. Ah, Severus.
Narcissa's scowl returned full force at the thought of her husband's most recent lover. Or soul mate to be more correct. Harry Potter.
Not ever before had any of Lucius' lovers provided such a threat to Narcissa's position in the Malfoy household. But now she had been ousted from her rightful place by that – that – that scruffy, goody-two-shoes, Dark Lord killing …. whelp. She had been moved from her chambers next to Lucius' into the most remote wing of the Manor. Wards had been put up to prevent her from returning! Although that may have been precipitated by the tantrum she'd thrown when she'd discovered her… relocation.
At least it hadn't hit the news yet. That bumbling fool Dumbledore at Hogwarts seemed to be keeping everything under wraps, and she got the impression from Lucius that nobody was supposed to even know that Potter was here. She would have gladly tattled that little secret, if it hadn't meant that her own humiliation would be revealed even sooner.
There was one comfort in this all, small though it may be. Lucius could not divorce her, the Malfoy wedding vows did not allow for such things. If it had been possible, she was sure Lucius would have done so immediately and she wouldn't even have this part of the Manor for herself. And that after all those years of loyalty to Lucius and his Dark Lord!
But although they legally might not be able to end the marriage, in reality this soul mate bond with Potter had done just that. She may still have the Malfoy name, but she could see all the privileges that went with it gradually but steadily being taken from her. Her place in bed with Lucius the first to go.
A knock on her door and Narcissa schooled her face into her most pleasant look. She put the brush down and turned towards the door, smoothing out an imaginary wrinkle in her robes. Like any Malfoy, by name or by birth, she was not about to give up without a fight. And like any Malfoy, when she set out to dispose of someone she would succeed.
"Come in, Draco."
~~ HP ~~ LM ~~
Harry hummed a tune as he walked through the woods behind Malfoy Manor with Draco. Lucius had been called away to the ministry on urgent business, concerning his past Death Eater activities, leaving Harry at the Manor. They had both agreed it would be safest for Harry to stay at home – and how wonderful was it that he now had a home – where there was no danger of his 'good-willing' friends interfering.
But in the meantime Harry missed Lucius. They owled nearly every day, but it just wasn't the same, couldn't be the same. And so Draco had proposed to go for a walk through the forests, get some fresh air and enjoy the autumn colours.
"Very Gryffindor, I'm sure you'll appreciate that," Draco had sneered, but without his usual scorn. At first Draco had been very hostile toward Harry, toward his new 'step-dad' as he'd spat out during an argument with Lucius, but recently he'd seemed to get over his prejudice and animosity.
Harry was glad, Draco was Lucius' son after all and he'd hoped they'd be able to get along better than they had in school. He had no illusions of ever being able to get along with Narcissa, she was Lucius' wife and the dislike was mutual. That had certainly been a disappointment; the fact Lucius couldn't divorce her. Only death could end that marriage and even Harry's hidden Slytherin side couldn't in good conscience ask Lucius to murder his son's mother. Which didn't stop Harry from fantasizing about doing it himself, the wretched woman just got on his nerves. He knew that with the soul bond and everything Lucius and he were as good as married, but damn it, he wanted the whole thing!
Harry shook his head, trying to dispel those decidedly un-Gryffindor thoughts. Being with a Slytherin the likes of Lucius Malfoy was definitely bringing out his own Slytherin tendencies. He'd have to talk about it with Lucius when he finally returned.
Draco had stopped walking and Harry saw that he'd been led to a clearing. There was a brief tingle of magic that made Harry frown, but then there was no time because Draco cast an 'expelliarmus' and was pointing both his own and Harry's wand at Harry.
"You have embarrassed my family for the last time, Potter! It is time to meet your doom! Avada – Ava – Avada Ke- Kedav – Avada - "
Draco stuttered, his hands shaking as he tried to pronounce the killing curse that would free his mother and himself from Potter's presence. But he couldn't. Despite his mother's whispering, despite his initial dislike for the Gryffindor, despite his secret envy of his father in being the one to be Harry's soul mate, despite it all, he couldn't do this. He'd never seen his father so happy, and he had to admit, Harry had become a good friend; even if Draco had only befriended him at first, at his mother's insistence, to gain his trust.
Draco threw up his hands dejectedly, while he cried out 'I can't do this'.
"No shit, you can't," Harry hissed. "Petrificus Totalis!"
Draco fell to the ground with a thump and Harry knelt down next to him, rolled him onto his back, and then retrieved both wands. He pursed his lips and looked down at his 'step-son' thoughtfully. Draco's eyes were wide and full of fear, and also seemed to beg his forgiveness. Harry looked away as he thought this predicament over.
Obviously Narcissa was behind this, and Harry was glad Draco hadn't been willing to see it through. He hadn't been scared, after all few knew that Harry was really resistant to the killing curse, and that it wasn't just his mother's sacrifice that had saved him. If Draco had indeed cast the curse it would have killed him, and while Draco was Lucius' son he wasn't about to warn Draco of that fact. If he was really prepared to kill Harry he was going to face the consequences. Harry didn't take kindly to attempts on his life; Voldemort had found that out the hard way.
But what to do now? He could hardly return to the Manor, with Narcissa plotting his demise. Of course, he could take care of her himself, but where was the fun in that? Besides, Harry was pretty sure Lucius would have one or two things to say to his wife when he found out about this, and his soul mate was so much more … experienced in these matters. What to do?
Then a truly wicked idea came to Harry's mind, and Harry was sure Lucius would just love its Slytherin nature. He would use Narcissa's plans against her, let her think she'd won and then….
Harry pointed his wand at Draco and Draco's eyes widened in fear.
"Don't worry," Harry said as he lowered his wand, before raising it again. "Imperio!"
It wasn't the first time Harry had used an Unforgivable – Voldemort had only fallen into that cauldron after quite a few rounds with the Cruciatus curse – but it was the first time he'd used this one. There was the decidedly muggle urge to make Draco cluck like a chicken, but he didn't have time for that kind of nonsense now, and he'd only cast the curse to make sure Draco spoke the truth.
"What did your mother tell you to do?"
Draco didn't speak, and Harry cursed his own thoughtlessness before taking off the full body bind with a curt 'finite incantatem'.
"She told me to lure you to this clearing and kill you with the killing curse. I was then to cut out your heart, destroy the rest of your body, and return your heart and your wand to her when I was done," Draco said in a toneless voice with glazed over eyes.
Harry made a face. Cut out his heart? The lack of Lucius in her bed had clearly driven the woman insane, if she hadn't been already. How decidedly primitive!
"Obliviate! Now, you will not remember what happened here. Instead you will return to your mother and tell her that you cast the killing curse on me, and that I spontaneously combusted," Harry had trouble keeping a straight face at that. "Tell her it must have had something to do with the unique way I reacted to the curse when I was a baby. That is why you don't have my heart or my wand, it burned along with me. You will act remorseful, and convince her to obliviate your memory."
Harry was pretty sure that Narcissa was planning to do that anyway, to Draco as well as herself, to prevent Lucius from finding out the true story of Harry's demise. But he wanted to make sure Draco didn't confess to Lucius, that wouldn't work well with his plans.
He put Draco's wand back in his hands and then pushed the boy off in the direction of the Manor. Just before Draco disappeared from sight he cast a quiet 'finite incantatem' to lift the Imperius curse. Then he set off in the opposite direction.
Harry wasn't worried Lucius would be fooled for a moment that Harry was dead; after all, their bond would let him know Harry was well and alive. Now all Harry had to do was find a place to hide-out until that idiot Fudge was finally done with Lucius. And he knew just where to go.
With a pop Harry apparated from one forest to another, having entirely forgotten about that tingle of magic he'd felt when he'd entered the forest clearing.
~~ HP ~~ LM ~~
It was night when Harry sneaked over Hogwarts' grounds to the small side door to the kitchens. He'd spent the rest of the afternoon in the Forbidden Forest waiting for the cover of darkness, his invisibility cloak at Malfoy Manor.
A house-elf opened the door for him and Harry told it to get Dobby for him, and not tell anybody else of his presence. The house-elf disappeared and Harry smiled. While he didn't feel like seeing Dumbledore or any of his friends from his time at Hogwarts, it was good to be back. He was sure Dobby could keep him hidden here without anybody else knowing.
At that thought Dobby appeared and started babbling how happy he was to see Harry again, and how was Harry, and was he happy with Lucius, and could Dobby come to the wedding? Harry laughed and motioned for the elf to calm down.
"Dobby, I need your help."
"Oh, Dobby will help Mr Harry Potter any way he can! Just tell Dobby what to do and he will do it!"
"Thank you, Dobby. Now, I need to hide-out here for a while, until Lucius is done with his affairs at the ministry. But I don't want anybody else to know I'm here, do you understand? Not Dumbledore, not any of the other teachers, none of the students, you have to hide me."
"That is no problem! Mr Harry Potter Sir can be staying with us house-elves! You can be staying with Dobby in Dobby's room! Nobody will find him there, not even Headmaster Dumbledore comes into house elves rooms! Headmaster Dumbledore knows house elves is liking their privacy." With that Dobby grabbed Harry's hand and led him through the kitchens to a small door.
"And Dobby will make sure no other house-elves tell on Harry Potter! We can keep secrets better than anybody! Harry Potter come with Dobby, Dobby is sure Dobby's wives will not mind sharing Dobby's room with Harry Potter!"
Dobby's Wives?
He was led to a modest room with a low ceiling and seven small beds. Dobby snapped his fingers so that the ceiling became high enough for Harry to stand up straight. With another snap of his fingers Dobby changed the seven small beds into one very large one – Harry could swear he heard the elf mutter 'Dobby is wanting to do this for ages' – and a second bed appeared on the other side of the wall, this one obviously meant for Harry. The quilt was red and gold and had snitches embroidered upon it.
"And now Dobby is introducing Harry Potter to Dobby's wives!"
At that six colourfully dressed house-elves entered the room and lined up before Harry as if for a muggle military inspection. Dobby beamed proudly and then proceeded to introduce them one by one. Harry plastered a smile on his face, while inside he started wondering whether this had been such a good idea after all.
"This is Hanky," Harry shook her hand, mumbled 'pleased to meet you', and she giggled and blushed. "And this is Oralee, Bondy, Twinky, Nookey," it was getting harder and harder to keep a straight face, "and Jean-Claude.
Now if Harry Potter is needing anything, anything at all, he is telling Dobby or Dobby's wives and they will be getting it for him or doing it for him! There is nothing Dobby and his wives wouldn't be doing for Harry Potter!"
The gleam in Dobby's - and his six wives' - eyes was, to say the least, disturbing. Harry quickly assured the elves that for the moment he was alright, although slightly tired and hungry, and whether he could maybe have some dinner and then some sleep, and that he would tell them the moment he needed anything.
~~ HP ~~ LM ~~
The next couple of days went by fairly quickly. Harry stayed in the kitchens with the house-elves, reading books from the restricted section that Harry had Dobby get for him. But all the while Harry missed Lucius and wondered what was taking him so long to come get him. He was sure Lucius would be able to locate him with their soul bond, and he'd told Dobby not to hide him from Lucius. Surely the ministry would be done with Lucius soon?
Harry missed his soul mate, missed his presence, missed the comfort and the conversations. But most of all he missed the sex. Sharing a room with Dobby and his six wives sure made him horny as hell, and he could understand Dumbledore steering clear of the house-elves private quarters. If all house-elves were this randy and kinky….
He'd politely had to decline Dobby's invitations to join them more than once, although he was tempted. Those elves were creative. That one thing Jean-Claude had done with just a sock, a photo of professor Snape and a potato …
Harry shook his head to clear his mind of that disturbing image, and returned his attention to the book he was reading: Hogwarts A History. He was reading about Lucius' school years and enjoying the antiques Lucius had got up to when he was a teenager.
A slight cough made Harry look up from the book and he froze at the sight of Dumbledore standing there, twinkling eyes and all. Damn, he should have stayed in Dobby's room instead of coming down to the general kitchen area. All he'd wanted was a few moments respite from the nearly never-ending hot house elf porn that Dobby seemed intent on providing him with. Surreptiously his hand slowly moved towards his wand. Harry wasn't about to let Dumbledore separate him from Lucius again.
Dumbledore gestured him to stay seated and sat down opposite him.
"Don't worry, Harry, I have no intentions of taking you away from Lucius Malfoy again. I can see how happy he makes you, please forgive me for doubting it in the first place. And know you're welcome to stay here and hide from Narcissa Malfoy as long as you want to."
Harry bristled at the remark that he was hiding from Narcissa, but there were more important things he wanted to know.
"How did you know I was here?"
"Ah, but I know all that goes on at Hogwarts," Harry blanched at the thought of the old man knowing about what went on in Dobby's room on a nearly hourly basis. "Chocolate Frog?"
Harry nodded and took the proffered candy. He was feeling slightly peckish and in the mood for chocolate. The frog squirmed to get away, but Harry popped it in his mouth and swallowed it whole. He opened his mouth to ask another question but all of a sudden he couldn't breathe. Harry scrabbled for his wand, then at his throat, desperately trying to take in air. He turned wide-eyes at Dumbledore whose eyes now had a most unholy twinkling and were grey instead of blue. His mouth formed a name just before everything went dark.
'Narcissa.'
~~ HP ~~ LM ~~
Narcissa Malfoy was feeling very pleased with herself as she walked back to Malfoy Manor. Finally she'd rid herself of the Potter boy.
A slight shudder ran through her as the Polyjuice Potion stopped working and she returned back to her own beautiful form.
At first she'd believed Draco's story that he'd indeed killed her rival, although she had been disappointed that he hadn't had the boy's heart or wand as a trophy. She'd obliviated her son's memory, he seemed quite distressed at what he'd done and she didn't need Lucius finding out what had happened to his soul mate. Or more precisely, who. She was already finishing the details of her plan to frame one of Potter's friends with the deed.
But she'd wanted to be sure Potter was truly gone, after all, he had killed the Dark Lord and it would not do to underestimate the brat. And so she'd gone to the clearing in the woods and checked the wards to make sure they'd worked to break all communication over the soul bond between her husband and Potter. Then she'd cast a spell to show her what had happened, and to her dismay learnt that not only had Potter cast an Unforgivable on her boy, but also that Draco hadn't been willing to do this one little favour his mother asked him to do.
So Potter was on the loose, and Narcissa couldn't have that. She needed him dead and out of the way more than ever now, and before he went to Lucius to tell on her.
Using Ancient Magicks that had been passed down from mother to daughter, enabling scorned women to seek there revenge, she'd cast a location spell to find out where the boy was hiding. No magic on earth would be able to conceal him from her. And she'd found his hide-out: with the house-elves at Hogwarts.
It had been little work then to sneak into the school and steal two potions from Severus' chambers while Severus was busy fucking her son – ah, Severus – and then one of Dumbledore's hairs for the polyjuice potion. She'd dipped a chocolate frog in the potion that would take care of her rival once and for all, and then headed down to the kitchens disguised as that ugly old man.
The sight of Harry Potter choking to death, his lips turning blue, while those stupid elves panicked at the sight of the venerable Headmaster Dumbledore poisoning the Boy-Who-Lived was one Narcissa wished she could remember forever. As it was unfortunately, she would have to obliviate herself to make sure Lucius never discovered the truth. He could get quite …. unreasonable when upset. Twirling Harry's wand in her hand she walked up to the front doors of Malfoy Manor; she hadn't been able to resist getting at least one trophy. She would dispose of it and those sweet, sweet memories soon enough. Tonight she was going to savour them.
But when she closed the Manor's main doors behind her, her blood ran cold. Lucius was standing there and she saw his eyes widen when they saw exactly whose wand she was holding. Draco was there as well, and had obviously been crying.
"You killed Harry," Lucius whispered in horror and disbelief. With a flick of his fingers he summoned Harry's wand to his hand.
Narcissa started edging nervously back toward the door. Maybe she had made a slight miscalculation in her plans.
"Draco, leave us," Lucius spoke softly, dangerously, as he started advancing on his wife.
"But, father –"
"Now Draco!"
Hurriedly Draco rushed up the stairs to his own rooms, leaving his parents to settle this on their own.
"You killed Harry," Lucius repeated menacingly, and Narcissa desperately tried to open the door at her back, and cursed the anti-apparition wards on the Manor. Her last coherent thought was that although hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, it certainly had none compared to a crossed Malfoy.
~~ HP ~~ LM ~~
Lucius Malfoy sat on the edge of his bed – his and Harry's bed – and gently stroked his soul mate's wand. The wand of his dead soul mate. Harry was dead. Gone. Lost forever. Or at least until they met in a next life time. But Lucius didn't want to wait, he wanted his Harry now!
And while extracting his revenge upon his treacherous wife had been fulfilling – the house elves were still trying to clean up the mess he'd made and get rid of all his wife's remains – it still couldn't change the fact that she had killed Harry and now Harry was dead and Lucius was alone again. Something wet landed on Lucius' hands and he was surprised to realise he was crying. A Malfoy never cried. 'Merlin, Harry, what have you done to me?' he thought as he wiped away the tears on his face.
A few days ago he'd suddenly felt a silence on the bond between Harry and himself. They hadn't yet been using it for real communication, but this sudden lack of a presence had worried Lucius. At first he'd thought Harry just wanted some privacy, or was maybe preparing a surprise for Lucius upon his return. Lucius loved Harry's surprises, his soul mate was so inventive in bed! There was that one thing he could do with his glasses…
But as the days continued and Harry didn't reply, Lucius had become worried and finally he'd just threatened that bumbling idiot fudge until he backed off, and then returned home. To find that Harry was nowhere to be found in the Manor or on the grounds. Lucius had questioned the house-elves, had cast locating spells, but it was as if Harry had disappeared off the face of the earth.
Then Draco had flooed in from another 'study-session' with Severus, and Lucius had detected the hint of dark magic left by the Imperius and Obliviate curse. A horrible suspicion began to form in Lucius' mind and he'd questioned Draco on Harry's whereabouts. Draco had denied knowing where Harry was, or any knowledge of what might have happened to him But a quick 'finite incantatem' that broke his wife's ill-disguised 'obliviate' soon had his son spilling the awful truth.
Draco had paled and looked up at him in horror, self-loathing and grief.
"Mother – She told me to kill Harry. And I – I killed him. Oh, father, forgive me."
Lucius' rage and grief had known no bounds, and only the realisation that Narcissa obviously must have cast Imperius on Draco to make him do this – after all, the two young men had been getting along very well the past few months after their initial hostility – had stopped him from casting Cruciatus on his son that very moment.
And then Narcissa herself had walked through the doors, brazenly twirling his beloved's wand, and any doubt or hope that Lucius had had that it might not be true, that Harry might still be alive, had been killed. Only death would allow for Harry to be parted from his wand, of that Lucius was sure. He was glad he'd had the presence of mind to send Draco to his rooms, he didn't want his son seeing what he was about to do to his wife. Being able to hear her scream for hours on end was enough punishment for Draco's unwitting accompliceship in Harry's death.
Lucius had taken his time exacting revenge upon his wife, and used every dark magic known to him. The Cruciatus curse was the very least of which Narcissa had had to suffer before he'd finally granted her death. Not that death had proven to be an escape for her. He'd cast one particularly dark spell that had anchored her ghost to a dungeon in the Malfoy Manor where she would be trapped to endure torture upon torture until the Malfoy name was no more. The Malfoys were one of the very oldest wizarding families and had been around for millennia, Narcissa wasn't going to be freed any time soon.
But now the only thing Lucius could think of was that Narcissa was dead and he was finally able to marry Harry, something they'd both wanted desperately. But Harry was dead, gone, taken away from him yet again. Lucius sank back on the bed and hugged Harry's pillow tightly, but it didn't smell of Harry any more. Damn those house-elves and their excessive cleaning!
Fighting to regain his composure Lucius sat up and wiped the tears from his eyes, cast a concealing charm on the tear tracks on his face. He needed a distraction and now, before he did something stupid like commit suicide – but it will enable you to join Harry his treacherous heart whispered – and torturing house elves was a time honoured tradition in the Malfoy household.
When he reached the kitchens however, he found the house elves all gathered in a tight circle and speaking in hushed tones with one another. When they saw him there faces lit up with relief. Now, house elves had looked at Lucius with many different feelings, but relief had certainly not ever been one of those feelings.
"Master Malfoy Sir! We is so glad you is here, we was just going to get you! Dobby has told us that Master Harry Potter is ill and won't wake up, how much Dobby and the other elves is kissing him! You must be coming with us to Hogwarts now!"
And before Lucius could protest, or question that most confusing statement, one of the elves grabbed his hand and suddenly he found himself in Hogwarts' kitchens. The Malfoy part of his brain made a mental note on the fact that apparently anti-apparition wards didn't work against elf-magic, and if only Voldemort had known about that they might have enlisted them into their service instead of torturing them all the time. But now Lucius was too preoccupied with thoughts of Harry to give it much more attention, and he let himself be led by the house elf, his hopes rising once more. Behind him he was aware of the large group of house elves following him.
He was led into a modest room with on one side a large bed, and on the other side an ordinary sized one upon which Harry lay. Lucius rushed to his side, knelt down beside Harry and gently touched his soul mate's face.
Harry was cold to his touch and Lucius saw that Harry's lips were blue and he wasn't breathing. But now that he was touching him he could sense Harry's presence over the bond once more, however weak, so Harry must still be alive. He quickly cast a 'finite incantatem' in the vain hope that this would wake Harry up, maybe Narcissa had only cast some kind of sleeping charm. Although why she'd confess to killing him if that wasn't the case? But the only thing that happened was that he felt the dampening on the bond lift, and now Lucius could feel Harry fully once more. But Harry was silent, as if asleep.
"Dumbledore is giving Harry Potter chocolate, but it is not Dumbledore, and then Harry Potter is no longer breathing and is sleeping and Dobby and the other elves is trying to wake Harry Potter up but they is not succeeding! Bad house elves!"
Upon this the elf started banging his head against the wall, as did all the other elves that had gathered in the small room. Lucius rolled his eyes.
"Silence, stop that this moment! I will wake Harry up but I want some peace and quiet!"
They obeyed immediately, looking at him hopefully.
Lucius turned back to Harry and brushed a lock of hair away from his forehead. It must have been some kind of poison, but whatever the case, Harry was alive, of that Lucius was sure. Now all he had to do was figure out a way to wake his soul mate up again. Well, a kiss had worked the first time, he might as well give it a try. And otherwise Severus should be able to help him; he was a potions master after all.
With reverence Lucius brushed his lips against Harry's. Unlike the last time they were cold and unyielding, and for a moment Lucius despaired that this time it wouldn't work. Then Harry began to cough, his green eyes snapping open, and he looked at Lucius in panic as he tried to dislodge whatever was caught in his throat. A last violent cough and something jumped out of Harry's throat and across the room; Lucius hexed the poisonous chocolate frog into oblivion so it could cause no further harm.
Harry gulped for air, trying to catch his breath again, while Lucius kissed away Harry's tears, unaware of those he was crying himself.
"You came for me," Harry finally managed, grasping Lucius tightly.
"Of course, I'll never let anybody take you away from me again my love." Lucius fought to get something out of his robes and then presented Harry with a small square box. "I love you more than life itself, Harry Potter, will you marry me?"
Harry's eyes widened and then lit up when he opened the box to find the Malfoy wedding ring. Only death could part it from its bearer; and it wasn't just the fact that he could finally marry Lucius that warmed Harry's heart, but also the knowledge that that wicked witch had finally been disposed of.
"Oh Merlin, yes, Lucius. Yes!"
Harry flung his arms around his soul mate and the two betrothed kissed each other breathless while around them the house elves erupted in cheer and happy tears.
And like in every good fairy tale they all lived happily ever after.
to be concluded in Harry Potter vs. Beatrix Potter: Fucking Like Bunnies