For My Loved Ones by Spelljammer
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
WARNING~~THIS IS A SLASH FICTION (YOU WERE WARNED!!)
Author Notes: Pairings will be Sirius/Remus and Harry/Draco...but the majority of the story will still focus on Harry and Sirius.
CHAPTER 9: Enemies Closer
Life at 4 Privet Drive, the new Marauder's Hold settled into a comfortable routine over the next few days. Harry, still baffled at his vision of Draco and Severus' breakfast a few days ago, devoted one portion of his time to his homework from Hogwart's and the other portion to bringing Sirius up to speed on muggle pop-culture.
"So you're saying the first Star Wars was the fourth and the first came out with the second one recently?
"Yeah, but some people pretend the first one doesn't exist. I don't think that's fair cause I liked Darth Maul. I would have shelled out the pounds to see just him." Harry said with a huff, remembering the special that aired on television because he never stepped one foot inside a theatre.
"What do you think were the finest groups of the eighties?"
"U2 and The Police, no question. We'll have to get you a CD player."
"Okay, what kind of device is a CD player?"
"Like a record player except it plays the music using light instead of a needle. Dudley had five of them. I'd take a listen when he wasn't there." Harry and Sirius were having their discussion in the living room, while Remus was in the study writing letters, a reply to Arthur Weasley and the subscription department of the Daily Prophet. The Monday afternoon sun poured into the sheer curtains of the living room. Harry was glad that the rain had finally moved out and the sun was making a reappearance. Harry knew that Dumbledore could call upon either Sirius or Remus anytime to go on a mission for the Order so Harry was making the most of his time with both of them. Everything was normal as long Harry didn't think of Cedric Diggory and of the high risk missions Sirius would have to take soon. Sirius noticed Harry's red and black Rugby shirt was way bigger than it should be, so loose around the shoulders it looked like it was coming off.
"Oversized clothing the rage now?" Sirius asked knowing it was a sign of Harry's shabby treatment.
"No, the Dursleys were just cheap. Every piece of clothing once belonged to that fat cow Dudley." Harry gasped surprised how bitter that came out. He tried his best not to be the next Tom Riddle, but every so often...
"Don't be afraid of being angry. God knows I'm angry at...my life such as it is." Sirius wanted to say so many things he raged about. Left to rot in Azkaban, losing James and Lily, Peter's betrayal. "The important thing is to move forward and focus on the here and now, despite your longing to see tomorrow today." Sirius paused then said "Padfoot's rede: Live your life everyday like it was your last one on earth, learn it." Despite the horrors of the hell that was prison that were driven into him Sirius lived his advice before the imprisonment. That carefree spirit was totally destroyed now, but in its place that the man in the white tank top and blue jeans had was a newfound hope for the future...one that might not end in bloodshed and tears.
"You give good counsel." Harry said. All that a rede was simply counsel or advice given.
"Apparently you're the only person who thinks so." Sirius said with a snort. Remus came downstairs
"His advice always ends with liquor, rock and roll, or setting things on fire." Remus joked. And sex, mustn't forget about that. "Having seen your clothing and room furnishings I thought we could see about changing things with a shopping trip in London, Wednesday provided we get all of our work done today and tomorrow." He then paused. Both Sirius and Harry looked curious. I suppose I should tell them. Remus thought "As you know the full moon is coming next week, so in preparation...I've asked Professor Snape to bring over some Wolfsbane potion soon as it must be taken a week before the moon. We can't have Moony and Padfoot running around the streets you know."
"Yes, that's a good idea." Harry said evenly. Sirius simply nodded giving a blank expression. He'd swallow his disgust if only so Remus could get his medicine. This was one of the scenarios that Sirius had in mind for Moony's full moon condition. Harry was nervous, after seeing Professor Snape in a new light, a positive light; he wasn't sure how to act in front of him. Remus wasn't at all thrilled with Severus and Sirius in the same room together. Hopefully Severus could forgive him again and try to move on. The massive debacle of the Shrieking Shack really set Severus into poison mode, which saddened Remus especially since he knew the true Severus Snape was a good man.
He should know, since he secretly knew the potions master has been longing for him since they were attending Hogwarts, Whomping Willow and Shrieking Shack notwithstanding. Remus honestly cared about Severus too despite his poisonous disposition.
Sirius would be incredibly disgusted with me. Remus thought as he sent Hedwig out with the letters. Monday and Tuesday skipped by and Wednesday arrived. Sirius had one task to do for The Order and that was locating Arabella Figg a senior member and a very strong witch. Remus and Harry were going to meet Hermione in London then go on a shopping spree which included buying a television and DVD player in addition to bedroom furnishings and new clothes. Remus also had his meeting with Arthur Weasley to look forward to. In order to kill two birds with one stone he had Arthur meet him at a muggle occult bookstore/Starbucks combo so Harry and Hermione could have some free time to themselves while the two could still look after them and talk.
"Good luck on the mission." Harry said to Sirius as Harry stood by the fireplace with Remus getting ready for their trip. Harry had on a blue-gray shirt on with khaki pants. The long sleeved shirt was very oversized. Sirius noticed this and before they left and stood next to Harry and borrowed his wand. Sirius passed the wand over Harry's clothes like a metal detector.
"Reducio Vestitus" Sirius chanted and the very loose clothing shrank to size. Harry took his wand back.
"Thanks." He said warmly. Sirius brushed Harry's clothes.
"Don't mention it, can't have my poppet running around like a gutter tramp anymore." Sirius said quietly. Remus smiled at the warm scene.
"We'll be back for dinner. Watch yourself." Remus added this last part emphatically. Even though this mission would be simple there was no room for carelessness.
"Same to you guys. Just cause it's quiet doesn't mean it's safe." Sirius replied. Remus and Harry both nodded and Remus turned to the fireplace.
"Incendio!" Harry chanted as Remus sprinkled the floo powder in the now lit fireplace.
Meanwhile in an old dusty mansion somewhere in the United Kingdom, a frail demon lord was having a dream...
// Harry Potter in Muggle London escorted by a werewolf.
Meeting with a disgusting mudblood. Shopping for pitiful rags.
Walking among the crowds with the cattle that are muggle born. //
The Dark Lord, Voldemort woke from his sleep. His bedroom was bare except for the massive four poster bed covered in black silk. The first thing he saw was Pettigrew on his knees on the ground. Voldemort snorted. He wanted to perform a Cruciatus just seeing his pathetic face trembling. Since he always gave into his impulses, he did. Pettigrew rolling on the floor screaming gave Voldemort no satisfaction whatsoever. It was pointless to break the weak minded. His absolute favorite pet Death Eater was naturally the godlike Lucius Malfoy, nobody else coming close. Not even the prodigal, Severus.
"Up. Now." Voldemort seethed. Peter complied even though he hadn't fully recovered from the curse. He looked up to see a naked corpse like figure draped in black silk sheets. The bed itself was reminiscent of a coffin. "I'm going to call for him." He growled.
"Y...y..yes m'lord." Peter said as he left the room like a bat out of hell. When he exited the bedroom and went into the hallways of the dimly lit mansion many unpleasant thoughts came into the one-handed wizard. It's always him. I revived him, gave him my hand, would give him my life...and all he wants is damn Malfoy. Peter made his way to the library and waited there. Voldemort was going to summon Lucius Malfoy personally. Across time and space Voldemort made his influence known to Lucius. A moment later Lucius Malfoy apparated into the nearly pitch black bedroom. He immediately fell on his knee.
"Yes my lord. What do you desire?" Lucius mind was an iron wall that the Dark Lord could not penetrate, although he penetrated other parts of this pureblooded aristocrat. Voldemort trusted no one, especially Lucius. Breaking Lucius Malfoy and Harry Potter were very high priorities on Voldemort's list, whereas whelps like Pettigrew and Snape would be thrown aside into the green flame once their usefulness wore out. Not to mention the fact that Pettigrew and Snape were disgusting to look at.
Once I kill Potter and control this world I'll see about creating a whole race of men like Lucifer here. "It seems the connection to Potter works both ways now. That wretch's dismal powers increased somehow. That child! He couldn't even advance properly. He's now prone to delusions instead of throwing fire or telekinesis." Lucius' head was bowed down with the silken platinum hair draped on his shoulders, cold gray eyes cast to the floor. He knew the routine by heart now. An entire hour ranting about Potter, a few plans would be hatched and then some...entertainment. Same as the in first War, except the Potter in question that time was James. The ranting lasted for an hour and a half this time. "I'll have Peter deal with that werewolf that guards Potter now, a pity since Dark Creatures are so lovely, especially when they succumb to the bloodlust, I'm sure you can relate."
"I have you to thank for that, my liege." Lucius replied with a voice rich and as smooth as red wine. Despite his words he could feel the Dark Lord trying to enter his mind. He kept it blank. After ten minutes of silence he heard an iron hissing come from Voldemort's lips after the failed attempt. Another three minutes of silence transpired as a prelude to what Lucius knew was going to come.
"Lucifer."
"Yes, master."
"Come closer to me."
Meanwhile in London, Harry got a cold chill while going into a trendy young people's clothing store with Remus and Hermione. She agreed to be his personal clothing assistant for the day before they raided the home stores and the bookstore. His forehead broke out in a cold sweat, but the scar didn't hurt. Harry's personal instinct was sounding an alarm though.
"Is something wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked as they made their way through the racks.
"I think someone is watching us." Harry said as he started to search around to see if someone is spying on them. Hermione then directed Harry's attention to the security cameras in the store. Harry just nodded in silent agreement.
"Your powers must make you sensitive to things unseen. How's life in the Dead Zone been treating you?" she said as they started examining some clothes on the racks in the young men's section.
"I'm doing well so far, nothing terribly shocking or strange." As long as I refuse to acknowledge Snape and Malfoy. "I like the lucid, powerful feeling I get when they show up." Harry and Hermione were careful with the magic talk. Harry noticed how flamboyant some clothes for young men were these days. Phrases like I'm with stupid! Or Butthole and Proud of It! plastered on gaudy colored clothing. The baggy denim pants confirmed Sirius' theory that oversized clothing was the rage now. Harry himself was a conservative dresser, not that he had a choice usually, but he liked plain clothes. He liked Hermione's new look which all it was really was the new straight smooth long hair. She wore a large denim jumper with white shirt underneath and a straw hat with flowers. Harry did like the new low rise jeans that were in style now and bought several of them along with some sleeveless shirts and some quite form fitting clothes that showed off certain "attributes". He left the shop wearing a sleeveless black shirt and vintage wash low rise jeans and black steel toe combat boots. The clothes made him look really thin now. Remus very discreetly bought two impulse buy shirts for him and Sirius and refused to divulge to the kids what he bought. At Diagon Alley they went to a store called "Everything but the Elf" because it had everything a wizarding home needed except the house elf to run it. Harry bought red sheets and blankets, and pillows of crushed red velvet. Strangely he didn't buy gold anything, just red, black or beige and before he left he bought a large wall tapestry of a phoenix. The goods would be delivered to the house tomorrow. The three met up with Arthur and proceeded to the muggle occult bookstore trying to calm a hyper Arthur from squealing with delight every two minutes. The store was called "Moonglow" and had a heavy Wiccan influence. Remus led Arthur into the adjoining Starbucks and proceeded to talk with the scent of sandalwood and rose incense floating through the air between the two places. The kids walked to opposite ends of the store. After getting some coffee the two were in discussion.
"Never thought muggles were interested in our world." Arthur said with concerned eyes as he spied two teenage boys looking at crystals.
"Some are almost fanatical about acquiring magical power." Remus was nursing his house blend. "Thank you for supporting us." He said somberly "Sirius may not be the most tactful person but he would unquestionably give his life for Harry as would I." The small crowd of people in both places made it cozy.
"Molly really feels badly for Harry and Ron would be here if not for the fact he promised to be with Molly and Ginny going to their Grandmother's house."
Remus nodded at this. "I'm really sorry for the letter writing campaign, I'm sure Molly at one point wanted to crucify you for being near our kids." This made Remus flinch slightly and two wizards sat in an uneasy silence for awhile. Hermione was looking at histories of Witches and Pagans noticing how accurate some things were and how other things missed the mark completely. She was totally absorbed. Harry liked this place as it reminded him of a poor man's Flourish and Blotts. Harry went to the back where they kept all the ceremonial magick texts and right there on a couch in a sharp black sports jacket with a caramel mocha frappuccino reading The Magus by Francis Barrett was the poster child for Voldemort Youth, Draco Malfoy, sitting on the couch as like he owned the place. Harry just stared blankly at Draco for a good four minutes. He looked like some fashion model or a playboy and he was just sitting there as an ordinary muggle like it was nothing. Draco saw Harry come in the store and was waiting for this moment.
"So, come to take in the glory that is Malfoy, Potter, or did your brain finally just give out from disuse?" He quietly drawled without even looking up from his book. No mistaking it, this was Draco.
"That was total crap you gave me on the train wasn't it?" Draco still didn't look up from his book.
"Perhaps, of course you personally have to take responsibility for your role last time out too."
"What are you talking about?" Harry sighed as he looked through the bookself without facing Draco.
"Diggory, he died because you were the enemy. Wake up, Potter you're going to destroy us all." Draco said calmly as he turned the page, still not looking up. Harry wanted to throw a book at Malfoy's face...if what he said wasn't heartbreakingly true, at least that's what Harry thought. Harry's good mood was obliterated single-handedly by Draco.
"Here I thought you hated muggle things." Harry said coolly noticing Draco sipping his iced coffee.
"Closet addiction, I guess. Mudbloods, wizards...it doesn't matter anymore." Harry's head turned around. Maybe...maybe that shining boy he saw in the vision would....
"I am superior to them both." Harry's stomach dropped. "I think with the protection charms Professor Snape put on me I got a world record for breaking multiple curses in a span of fourteen minutes too." The overlapping curses and hexes that were placed on Draco and his henchmen were lifted in a short time thanks to a secret charm placed by Snape. Good thing too otherwise Draco would still be under.
"I wouldn't have done anything to you. It was them."
"Maybe it should have been you. Just you. I think hatred is the best sin. It brings a passionate fire comparable to love." Draco snorted at his own statement.
"Well I'm not a sadistic fuck like you, your father and Voldemort."
"I think you are total grade A masochist. With the wretched life you lead you must enjoy pain inflicted on yourself. I would have fought harder not to go into the tournament, seeing how insane it's gotten." Draco's attitude was markedly distant, like he wasn't even bother by Harry anymore. You couldn't guess it by the malice they were tossing back and forth. "Oh, I know you're not the spoiled, arrogant shithead anymore. You don't have the spark for that kind of disposition. It's 'I'm The Boy Who Lived, the Dark Lord is back feel sorry for me.' Professor Snape is a fucking brilliant man but he sorely misjudged you as being spoiled, I know that now."
"Thanks for the concern. Since you're so concerned I just thought you liked to know that when we get back to Hogwarts I'll deal with you myself without the guys since you actually asked for it." Draco closed the book and then gave a witheringly sardonic smile.
"I would enjoy that. Oh yeah, now I remember as of now my transfer papers to Durmstrang should be in process."
Harry almost collapsed from the shock. "N...No fucking way!"
"You win Potter. We're through." Draco said unceremoniously. "Leaving my friends, my classmates...' my beloved secret Uncle, Severus Draco thought bitterly 'and all my fond memories of us together for one reason only." Draco spat with pure malice.
"Which is?"
"You and the filth you surround yourself in are no longer worth the time and effort anymore. Harry Potter..."
"What?" Harry was now in 'stunned' mode.
"You are hereby officially declared Beneath Me. I want nothing more to do with you. After all the hurt you imparted to me you simply are not going to be the center of my universe anymore and I'm moving on. I'm staying as far away from you as possible and letting Father and his associates deal with you promptly. Goodbye Potter. I'm not sure if you'll see me again, even on the battlefield.
A long silence then Harry spoke.
"Am I really that disgusting to you?"
"Of course not. If you weren't with them I could have been the best thing in your life ever." Draco said with a hard iron tone in his voice. "You would have been safe, protected. We could have split this world in half and drank from it like the sweetest butterbeer. All of your secrets would have gone to the grave, Potter, you'd never had to be the Boy Who Lived with me, fuck Potter I think you would have learned to appreciate worship and praise from the masses and used it like a weapon. You could have learned to be strong and not just survive what life brings; you can't really say you like this half life you're leading now."
More silence.
Then hot tears flowing down from emerald eyes. Draco just snorted at this.
"You're right. I love being hurt. Why in God's name why I'd ever listen to you otherwise." Harry said with much bitterness.
"Because you want to listen." Draco's expression didn't soften one bit. He'd finally broke Harry but felt no satisfaction whatsoever. Breaking the weak minded brought no pleasure. This rivalry was under the assumption that Harry dared to be an equal. Now what was he? A legend who was melting down in public. Draco knew his father would be on Harry's case and get a blistering speech on dignity and pride of the pureblood. More like the inbred. Draco thought as in the private corner Harry was going sit down and just cry. This farce must end. For the sake of the pure ones.
Even if Father and Severus scold me.
Even if Granger and Weasley will try and kill me.
Even if The Master will kill me...he was never my master to start with anyway.
In the end I just wanted you to notice me. Only me.
"Get up, Potter." Harry turned around and saw a strange sight. Draco's gray eyes and ivory face were softened with concern.
A lone immaculate, alabaster hand was outstretched to Harry. An unholy pact was being offered up.
"Last chance, take it or leave it. We can still break this world in half and lap up the milk and honey that flows inside of it. Together." Draco whispered.