Chapter 9
Harry blinked uncertainly at the hand outstretched to him, before he raised his eyes to look at the woman.
Draco's mother, Narcissa Malfoy. It had been so long since he had seen her, but she hadn't changed much. She still was a beautiful woman, an eye-catcher in her green and silver dress with delicate embroidery around the sleeves and the neck.
And her eyes...
Harry felt his cheeks heat up as is eyes locked with hers. They seemed to look right through him, into his very soul. He knew just one who caused the same feeling in him, when he looked at them, Professor Dumbledore.
Narcissa smiled and lowered her hand, as Harry didn't make a move to take it. "It seems you always turn down a handshake from a Malfoy." She teased, her smile widening as Harry blushed again, this time from embarrassment. "But I don't mind. Sit down, Harry. I want to know my new son-in-law better."
Harry grimaced. Son-in-law. Draco' mother seemed to be quite pleased with her sons choice of a partner for life. Why didn't anybody ask him what he thought about the whole thing?
"I think you will have a lot of questions." Said Narcissa, smiling as Draco kissed her on the cheek, before he placed himself at the other side of Harry. "Especially about the bond placed on you. I have the same, you know."
She laid a hand on her stomach and Harry found himself mirroring her movement, touching his own belly.
He nodded. The question about the bond itself didn't really belong to the important ones circling in his mind, but he greeted every answer he received without asking.
"The bond is more than just a magic tattoo, as you may have guessed or maybe my son had told you. And it is not just a sign from the always jealous Malfoys," Narcissa smiled at her husband, "marking their property. The magic in this bond let the snake move herself, but not only. It also makes sure that the Malfoy you're bonded with keeps feeling you."
"What?" yelled Harry. Shocked he stared at Draco. The blond Slytherin returned his gaze calmly, smiling softly. Harry shuddered as he saw the tenderness in these remarkable silver eyes and hurried to turn his gaze away again.
Draco could feel him? What..
"What do you mean?" Harry choked out.
"It means that I always sense where you are and what you feel." Draco smiled wistfully. He placed his chin onto his hand and looked Harry over. "So I can tell, that you are now a bit confused and shocked about what I tell you. But when I kiss you, you.."
Horrified Harry stared at Draco, his eyes widening. He just grinned, without ending the sentence.
Draco could feel what Harry felt! He could sense where Harry was at all time!
This whole bond story was more awful and complicated than Harry had feared. It meant that he had to be careful what he felt from now on. How should he do that, when he wasn't exactly sure what he felt when he was with the young Malfoy. His mind hated him, but his body……
/Do I really hate him still…/
"Damn you, Malfoy." Harry pressed, glaring at Draco. "This, you never mentioned."
Draco smirked and leaned forward. "I'm sorry, love, but what would you have done if you had known? You never have been able to hide your feelings successfully, and you never will be. And after all, it's not as if you can change something."
Harry narrowed his eyes, not able to say anything against it.
"Don't tease him, Draco, this is new to him." Harry fought down his laughter. New to him?
"This is not new to me." He said, looking at Narcissa. "This I can't believe. I was shocked when I discovered the tattoo and that it bonds me to a Malfoy, a family that never did anything good, as long as I know. But that just now." Harry stopped, not knowing the right words to say what he felt. He shook his head. This had to be a nightmare.
"What I still can't believe is, why? How can a person totally change their feelings for someone in one summer! I have hated Draco since our first year and he hates me. Now, this, and I never receive a proper answer when I ask a question."
"Four years? What a waste of time." Harry heard Lucius Malfoy mumble.
Harry gaped at him.
Narcissa nodded. "It sounds complicated and unbelievable, but I know my son and I know that his feelings are true. He is not lying."
"You know what you must do, so that I tell you everything." Draco leaned further forward until his face was just a few inches from Harry's. "And I will feel when you do."
A shudder ran through Harry's body as Draco's warm breath touched his face. Unable to move he stared in the silver eyes so close to his own, silently cursing his body as he felt the well known heat spreading in his whole body.
"Just trust me, Harry." Draco whispered. He smiled gently as Harry closed his eyes with another shudder through his body and breathed softly on the trembling lips. "I don't ask for your love, not yet. Is it really so difficult to give me a little trust?"
Harry sighed, keeping his eyes closed. If Draco only knew. His parents had trusted Peter Pettigrew and he had betrayed them. Trust was so hard to give.
"How can I trust you after all the things you have done to me and my friends? You have said and done so much to hurt us and you never..."
"I'm sorry."
Harry's eyes shot open. Confused he stared at Draco. Had he really heard that?
"What?"
Draco's eyes wore an earnest look that Harry had never seen before. "I apologize for what I have done to you and your friends. I'm really sorry. I was nothing more than a spoiled arrogant brat, who didn't know how cruel Voldemort really is, but I do now. I saw with my own eyes what he is able do to, what he is capable of, and you can believe me. I will fight the Dark Lord."
Harry could just stare. Draco smirked and put a finger under Harry's chin, closing the open mouth that so begged to be kissed.
Harry blinked. "I never heard you use the word sorry before."
"There is a first time for everything, isn't there?"
Harry nodded dumbly.
"Now that that seems to be resolved I would like to speak further about the bond." Narcissa said. She smiled gently as she watched how reluctantly her son withdrew from Harry. "There is still one thing you should know, Harry, you, too, are able to feel Draco. You are not trained in using just the strength of your mind, for in Hogwarts you just learn to use the wand, like Draco can. We trained him using his mind long before he got his own wand, because it was clear that he would bond with his life partner, instead of just a plain marriage. Now that you have the bond, Draco will teach you."
Narcissa fought against a smirk as she saw Harry's wide-eyed expression. A thought came to her mind, turning her smile to a teasing smirk. "Believe me, Harry, sex will be much more fun when you don't just feel your own pleasure, but that of your partner too."
Harry had the feeling of standing in flames, as a fierce blush spread out over his whole body. Beside him Draco grinned brightly and Harry fought the urge to hit him.
"Sometimes I think you aren't older than Draco." Lucius Malfoy shook his head, sending a glare at his wife. But Harry saw the twinkle in his eyes and nearly choked on his own spit. Lucius turned to Harry. "Don't mind my wife. She, too, had blushed on our first night together, as she discovered she could feel my..." He cleared his throat. "You know what I mean."
Harry groaned inwardly, avoiding any look towards Draco's parents. Why was everybody so determined to make him blush?
"I have a question." He murmured. "Professor Dumbledore said something about, that I'm now more safe with this bond. What does that mean?"
Lucius send his wife another annoyed look. "Since my wife is unable, I will answer this question." Narcissa just smiled and shared an amused look with her son. "I'm not sure why the Headmaster knows this, but he is right. With the tattoo and the bond you are safer, more protected. You know, Harry, every wizard has a natural protection against magic, some more than others. It depends on how strong the wizard is. That is the reason why spells cause slightly different reactions on different people. And now, because of the bond you share with my son, you share this natural protection, too. You strengthen the protection of each other. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded, the thoughts in his head racing. Natural protection? Why had he never heard about that?
But when he thought about it, every wizard had some magic in his blood, otherwise he wouldn't be able to use magic at all. So why shouldn't this magic create a slight immunity against other magic.
Harry turned his head and looked at Draco. So, now he wasn't just sharing his feelings with the Slytherin, but they were also protecting one another.
That was so unbelievable.
"I..."
Draco held his hand out, placing it gently on Harry's mouth, before he could voice more than a single word. "You still haven't answered my question, Harry. I asked you for the third time and now I want an answer."
Harry gulped, feeling lightly dazed from Draco's light herb scent under his nose and the warmness on his lips. It was intoxicating.
He drew in a deep breath and nodded shortly, so that Draco removed his hand. I have given you a few answers, not many, but a few. So I think I have the right to demand one from you."
Harry swallowed again, unsuccessful trying to get rid of the sudden dryness in his mouth. "I may not hate you anymore, Draco, but…this doesn't mean I like you."
Draco flinched and Harry felt a strange twinge in his mind as he saw the sadness in his silver eyes. "But, I have to say the truth, there is a little trust in me for you." Harry turned his eyes away, aware of the beginning blush in his cheeks. "That is the only explanation I have, otherwise I don't know why I feel so safe when you hold me in your arms."
A warm hand grabbed his chin, gently tilting his head up, until he looked in Draco's silver eyes, just inches from his own.
/I don't like him./ Harry reminded himself wildly, trying to ignore his wild pounding heart. /I don't like him./
Draco smiled tenderly, the sadness in his eyes gone. "You really feel safe when I hold you?" He whispered, his mouth so near that his lips brushed feather-like over Harry's with every word. "That is good to hear. So your hate can't be that big any more, what do you think?"
Unable to control his trembling body, Harry cursed his helplessness-and the awareness of his body. Every touch of Draco's lips he felt like a jolt letting his body twitch, even when it was just barely. Wasn't it time that he got to know Draco's touch? Why he felt that every time they touched it was like the first time?
"Damn you, Malfoy." Harry whispered with- what he hoped-loathing in his voice. But, he doubted it. "And damn my own body who keeps betraying me."
Harry couldn't suppress a light groan as Draco breathed between his slightly parted lips.
Draco's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Do you like that?" He purred, teasingly tugging at Harry's lips and enjoying how lust and anger alternated each other in the huge green eyes. "Or do you want me to stop teasing you and kiss you properly?"
Harry's eyes widened. Draco tilted his head a bit, covering Harry's mouth with his own, his tongue touched his...
Harry slid out of his chair and it landed loudly on the stone ground. "I must use the toilet." Harry stuttered, avoiding any look at the Malfoys. As fast as he could he hurried into Fortesque, painfully aware of the brief silence around him and that everybody was watching him. He had to get away from Draco, the reason why he had no control over his body any more.
The worst was he didn't know why. He hated the blond Slytherin, he felt the hate like a flame in his body, but when Draco touched him...
"This can't be happening." Harry sighed and closed the door of the toilet behind him, using his wand to lock it, so that nobody could get in. "I have to stop this before it gets out of hand. But how?" Confused Harry looked into his own reflection in the mirror. He raised a finger and slowly began to trail his own features. "What I can't understand, is, why me? I'm nothing but a freak. A freak with a disgusting scar on my forehead. What does he see in me, that he wanted to bond with me?" He reached the scar and frowned. How he hated this thing.
"Maybe Sirius is right and this all is just a trick to get me to Voldemort easier."
"Do you really think that?"
Harry flinched in shock. That voice. Slowly he adverted his eyes from his own face to the black hooded figure suddenly standing behind him.
The man smiled coldly, his lips the only thing to see.
Harry stiffened. "You! What are you doing here?"
The man ignored his question and simply lowered and raised his head. Harry couldn't see his eyes, but he could see what he was doing, nearly feeling the eyes of the stranger going up and down his body.
Harry suppressed a shudder. Maybe he wasn't able to defend himself against Draco, but this guy...
Harry didn't know him, but this he was sure: He hated him.
"I see why he has placed that bond on you, even when you can't." The stranger said after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. His lips widened to a hard grin. "You are a bit small, but surely not ugly. Not a bit."
Harry grimaced. "I don't need any kind of compliment from you, especially when I don't know who you are, but I know one thing for sure: I hate you."
"How nice." The stranger stepped nearer and before Harry could move out of the way, their bodies touched. Harry's eyes widened in disgust and raised his wand to hex, but a pair of arms wrapped themselves around him, pinning his arms to his body.
How safe he had felt in Draco's arms, the feeling now was totally opposite. He felt scared and disgusted, though both feelings were nothing compared to the hate and anger he felt.
"Let go of me! How dare you to touch me!" Harry struggled and a sharp hissing intake from behind showed him that he had hit something with his feet. He tried to move his hand with the wand, but it was useless. And he couldn't hex someone he couldn't see.
"And here I thought you didn't have any backbone at all, but now I see that I had been wrong." The stranger sneered, showing his teeth. And then pushed Harry against the mirror with such violence, that it shattered. Harry yelped in pain as pieces of the broken glass tore into the side of his face.
"Do you like that?"
Harry pushed the tears away and glared at the stranger out of the one eye not pressed against the mirror with all the hate he felt. How could he use the same sentence Draco had just minutes ago?
The man just grinned at his look and continued to press Harry's face to the broken mirror with one hand, gripping some of the black hair painfully tight. He looked down at the wand lying on the ground. "Poor boy. Have you lost your weapon? Now you are completely helpless, aren't you?" He leaned forward until his face was so near that Harry could feel his breath. "How does it feel to have the glass in your face? Does it hurt badly?"
Harry just glared and placed his hands onto the wall to steady his body, which was leaning awkwardly over the sink under the mirror. He cursed himself for losing hold of his wand. The side of his face hurt like hell, like when the skin was cut from his face, but that, he wouldn't tell.
"I tell you something, boy." Hissed the man. "You mustn't fear that Draco would hand you to Voldemort, his feelings are true. When he says he wants to fight against the Dark Lord, he will do so. But, you know what." He continued with such a hate-filled voice that Harry shuddered in slight fear. "He is using you. He placed that bond on you to control you, so that his heart will never be broken again. And it doesn't interest him that he took your freedom away. Do you understand, boy? You are a prisoner. You will never be able to have sex with other people, because Draco would feel it. Doesn't that make you angry?"
Harry's eyes widened in hate and disgust as the man slipped one hand under his robe. Again he felt the unusual cold emanating from the stranger, though he was wearing Leather gloves. It hurt as he touched the bare skin of his belly and Harry flinched.
"I said it already: Don't touch me. And don't call me boy." Harry balled his hands into fists. "My name is Harry Potter." Harry pushed against the hand holding him. He ignored the new waves of pain that shot through him because of his movements. He must get away from this man.
The man just laughed and tightened his grip around Harry's belly, around the tattoo, burying his fingers in the soft skin.
Harry hissed as he felt the fingernails tearing into his skin.
"I know your name, boy. But I will not use it." A sickening grin appeared on his face. "You know, I could free you from this tattoo. All I have to do, is, tear it out of your flesh."
He sniggered. "I know it would hurt Draco badly if I did and I love to see him hurt." The man leaned forward and slowly brushed his tongue over Harry's cheek, grinning as Harry winced from the contact. "But I will not kill you. Not yet. Because it is much more fun..."
"Harry!"
Harry gasped. Draco.
The stranger whirled around to the door. Harry felt his stomach clench in slight fear as he noticed the sudden excited smile on his face. What did he...
The man withdrew his hand from Harry's belly and made a movement at the door. And under Harry's astonished gaze the door swung open to reveal Draco's tall figure standing in the doorway.
"Come in, Draco." The man purred. "We were just talking about you."
Carefully Draco stepped into the small bathroom -and his silver eyes widened in shock, horrified at the picture before him. Harry, his face pressed into a broken mirror, blood slowly running down the cold tiles, his wand lying a few feet behind him on the ground.
Draco's eyes narrowed in pure rage. All he felt was cold hate. How could he?
"Let him go! Now!"
The stranger chuckled and, to Harry's surprise, stepped back from him, releasing him.
He was gone so fast that Harry had to grip tightly at the sides of the sink as a wave of dizziness overcame him. Trying to catch his breath Harry leaned back from the mirror, slowly, his eyes straight. He feared to look, but he had to.
The broken mirror was like the net of a spider, except from the fact that it was red. Red from Harry's blood. With horror creeping up his spine Harry looked at the hundreds of pictures of himself in the glass splinters. The whole side of his face was smeared with blood, covered with several cuts. Blood even covered the side of his neck and had started to leak into the collar of his robe and his t-shirt. Blood all over.
Harry tightened his grip around the sink, fighting to stand on his trembling legs. He had never been sick by the sight of blood and he had seen his own blood quite often. But this...
Harry swallowed down a bitter tasting lump.
"Going to puke in the sink!" Asked the stranger in a mock worried tone. He grinned at Harry's white face. "Can't stand to see your own blood?"
"Can't stand to see you." Harry croaked. Slowly he turned around to avoid any further look into the mirror.
Draco let out a deep pained groan as he saw Harry's battered face.
"Harry..."
Harry fought up a smile, but he feared it was more a grimace. "Don't worry, Draco. I'm not gonna die."
A warm feeling grew in Harry's stomach as he noticed the worry in Draco's eyes. Somehow it felt good to know that Draco seemed to care for him. Harry fought down a sudden grin. The feeling that of all people Draco Malfoy cared the most for him, Harry was the top priority made him happy.
Draco's face hardened as he changed his gaze from Harry to the stranger in the black robe. Slowly he stepped before Harry, shielding him with his body. "You must desperately wish for me to kill you." Draco sneered. "Otherwise you wouldn't have hurt Harry like this. But you always had a bit of a sadist in you."
"Of all people you should know it. Because of you I live in constant pain."
A nasty grin appeared on the strangers face as Draco stiffened. "You remember, don't you? If you don't it would be a pleasure for me to explain it to you again. I'm sure the boy wants to know what we are talking about, too."
"Shut your mouth!" Draco raged. With one swift motion he pulled his wand out of his robe. "I will not allow you to tell Harry lies!"
"I would tell him nothing but the truth. But I can understand why you wouldn't want that."
Harry frowned. What were they talking about? What had Draco done to this man?
He shifted his gaze to Draco's back, just a few feet before him. Even through the wide robe he noticed the tension in the blond Slytherin. Harry had the sudden urge to step forward, to lean against Draco's back, to bury his hurting face in the folds of the cloth and smell his comforting scent.
Carefully Harry shook his head. It was really time that he got back to Hogwarts, and that Ron and Hermione would come back. He needed somebody to talk to, to help figure his feelings out. To figure out why he felt so safe and secure in the arms of his rival, when he hated him.
But before he could go back...
"You just would tell what you think is true, your side of the story." Draco steadily pointed his wand at the hooded man before him. "But I won't let it happen. I will tell Harry myself, when the time is right."
The man sniggered condescendingly. "You think you can stop me this time? I tell you what: You will lose, and never get your wish fulfilled." The man stepped slowly nearer to Draco. Standing face to face with him, he slowly wrapped his hand around the hand where Draco held his wand. "And now lower that wand. You don't need..."
"Don't move or..."
Draco and the stranger flinched at the same time and turned their heads around to the voice, to Harry kneeling behind Draco, his wand in one bloody hand. The tip of the wand quivered in his hand, and was pointed at the stranger.
"I give you two choices." Harry said. "Choice one, you finally tell me who you are or Choice two, go and leave me alone. What will it be?"
Silently the stranger stared at Harry-or Harry suspected he was staring. Without seeing the eyes he couldn't tell whether or not. But he thought he could feel his eyes on him, just like a few minutes earlier. A shudder ran through his body at the thought. He didn't want to be checked out by this man. This...
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. Harry gasped and held his other hand out to steady himself. To collapse in front of the stranger was the last thing he wanted.
"Harry!"
Draco pushed the man away from him and rushed to Harry's side, kneeling beside him, holding him. "Damn, we must get you to Madame Pomfrey." Draco shook his head and tapped carefully at Harry's bloodied face with the hem of his sleeve. Then he threw a hate-filled look at the still silent man. "You know what my opinion on this thing is. I would prefer that you go. I will deal with you later."
Harry gulped back another bad tasting lump. He though wanted to know who this man was, but...
Giving in to another urge Harry leaned into Draco's arms, breathing in... BOOM. Suddenly a loud explosion filled the air. The ground jumped up and down in vibrations, stealing the last bit of steadiness from Harry. Some tiles fell down from the walls, bursting to pieces on the ground. Shards from the bloody mirror broke away and shattered into more pieces. Harry cried out, startled and threw his arms around Draco, who returned the embrace comfortable. His cry went down under hundreds of screams from outside the bathroom, shouts full of panic and shock.
All of a sudden it was over.
The ground lie still again, but the cries remained. Now, mixed with pain and agony.
Fear rose in Harry as he listened to the screams, his face buried in Draco's chest. What had happened?
What had happened?
"Harry?"
A hand gently brushed through Harry's hair. Harry shuddered and tightened his grip around Draco's body. "I'm okay." He muffled. "What was that? Why..."
Draco shrugged, but Harry could feel the stiffness of his body.
"I don't know. But it sounded like something exploded out on the alley."
So it really was an explosion, a great one at that seeing as even the ground had been shaking. What...
Panic rose in Harry. He pulled away from Draco and looked at his face.
"Draco, what about your parents? They were out there."
Fear and panic appeared in Draco's silver eyes, mirroring Harry's own. He gazed at the closed door. "I have to look for them." Carefully Draco stood up. "You wait here. I will go."
"No!" Drawing in a deep breath Harry fought to stand on his feet. As Draco took his arms to help him, he gave him a smile. "We will go together. I, " He swallowed. "I fear what we will find out there, but I want to go with you. I, too, want to know what has happened to your parents." His smile broadened a bit as he noticed the slight astonishment in Draco's eyes. "I can't forgive you for forcing this bond on me, but I know that I must live with it, and your parents are part of your life, therefore part of mine."
Harry hesitated a moment. Then he placed his hand on Draco's. Draco returned his smile, this time with relief, and squeezed his hand a bit.
"Okay."
As Draco made his way to the door-and to the screams-Harry let his gaze wander a last time through the bathroom. He noticed what had been missing as he reached the door.
"Hey. Where is the man?" he asked, at the same time worried and relieved.
Draco shrugged and opened the door.
"He has vanished, as he always does. And before you asked, no, he has not aparated." Draco's hand tightened around Harry's. "But you can be sure that he will come back when you least expect it."
Harry winced a bit. Every time the Blond spoke about the hooded man, his voice was like poison. What had happened between those two?
A sudden thought came to Harry. It was time to...
"Draco?"
Draco stopped at Harry's small voice-and was surprised from the warmness he saw as he looked in Harry's eyes, a warmness that had never been there, when he had looked into the green eyes. His heart clenched. Maybe...
"Draco," Harry continued softly, "I wanted to thank you. It has now been the second time you have saved me from this man. Thank you."
Harry bit his upper lip, before he stepped forward and placed a tender kiss on Draco's cheek.
Draco raised his hand and touched his cheek. Harry blushed; embarrassed from the sudden tenderness he had shown. He desperately needed to talk with somebody about his feelings.
But he was grateful. Who knew what could have happened if Draco had not come.
Draco smiled at his embarrassment. His choice had been right.
The smile vanished as he turned again to the now open door.
"Let us go now, Harry."
Harry nodded and followed Draco out of the bathroom.