Disclaimer: As much as I would love too, I don't own anything that has been previously mentioned in the Harry Potter Books.
Author's Note(s): I know you've been waiting for everything to get back to 'Draco killed Hermione's parents' thing, but I wanted to explain the bonding thing first. They'll find out about it in this chapter.
The Tale of a Dragon
Ch17: Love Is Blind
Kath had her arm around Severus's waist to help him walk to the Death Eater's headquarters, since he was still sick and didn't think he could make it by himself. Even though he didn't say it outright, Kath could see it in her eyes.
Even his robes didn't feel up to billowing like they usually did, and they fell limply around his feet.
"We're almost there."
They joined the others in the meeting room ten seconds before Voldemort walked in with his robes billowing healthily. The Death Eaters lined up along the wall in their proper order. Kath stood in front of the window, five people away from Severus.
"My plan," Voldemort began, "Has revealed a spy in our ranks." Two people went stiff. "By tapping into Young Mr Malfoy's mind during out torturing session, it allowed me to see through his eyes, to put it simply."
During these statements Voldemort had been pacing along the line. He came to a stop in front of his victim.
"Out of everyone here. It had to be you." He pointed his wand.
Severus swallowed, 'Please, no.' He thought,'Don't do anything. Or let something distract him so he puts his wand down.'
"How DARE YOU?" He raised his hand and brought it down on Kath's face. He ripped the mask off to show her face and pushed her hood back, grabbing the back of her neck in a pincer-like grip. He got close to her that they were almost touching. She could feel his breath on her lips. "How dare you." He said again, softer this time.
He flung her onto the ground. Kath's stomach jolted horribly. Severus felt sweat gathering at the back of his neck.
Voldemort swung around to look at her with his wand still pointed at her. "Crucio."
Kath's screams rung out and echoed through the room. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and threw up violently. He lifted the curse and laughed coldly.
"You're a strong spirited woman Katherine Elizabeth." He taunted her with he middle name. "I would have thought you'd last longer." Kath's body shook, she gave a strangled whimper and curled up into the foetal position, her grip on her stomach tightening.
Severus's nose twitched and he slowly raised his hands to cover his nose. He let out a shaky breath of relief as the tickling grew.
"Ah-AH-ACHOO! Achoo!"
Everyone winced and turned away from Kath to look at him. Kath thanked her lucky stars that he had gone into a sneezing fit, and didn't seem to be in any hurry to stop.
She dragged herself across the floor, got out her wand and banished the glass. It shattered and it brought everyone's attention back to her. Even Severus seemed to be able to stifle his sneezes to look.
"Stop Her!" The Death Eaters were too late. Kath had stood up shakily and jumped. Her Vampire instincts making her land on her feet and no one dared jump three floors after her.
By the time they got down there, she was gone.
Draco woke up feeling lost. He reached out to see if Harry was there, but found no one. He raised his head off the pillow.
"Harry."
Someone moved in one of the chairs in the corner. "Hey," said Harry. "About time you woke up."
Draco groaned, rolled over and threw the blankets over his head. The mattress moved as Harry sat down.
"Kath was summoned. It's been hours and she hasn't come back yet." Draco rolled over, threw the blankets off and looked into the two pools of emerald.
"You worried?"
Harry sighed, "Yeah, Something's up. I can feel it."
"… All I know is I need a shower." Harry laughed as Draco got up and went into the bathroom, messing up his hair as he went.
Harry decided it was about time to fill Ron and Hermione in about everything, so he went downstairs to the lounge.
Ron sat and listened in horror. Hermione and everyone else in the room seemed to understand, especially the twins, who were trying to hold back their laughter. They obviously remembered the sheet incident.
"Malfoy?"
"Oh, Harry that's wonderful. Maybe now you won't mope around as much."
"Malfoy?"
"It's very romantic. It reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, sacrificing their lives for each other."
"Malfoy!"
"Ron!" Hermione and Harry turned to face him. "Shut up!"
"Ron's ears glowed red. "Did you hear about Kath?" he asked, to get off the topic of Draco.
"Yeah, Dumbledore came in and told us briefly. Didn't give us any details though."
"She pregnant. You-Know-Who's the father. She doesn't know if she should abort or not, so we have to give her some space… that's all we know."
"That's all we were told, too."
"I hope Voldemort hasn't done anything."
Kath curled up into a ball to shield herself from the harsh winds. She was sitting in an old stable close to the headquarters.
Her stomach seemed to have settled down, but it felt like bruised on the inside.
A figure came towards her and crouched down next to her. She couldn't see his face because he was hunched over and seemed to be trying to burry himself in his cloak as much as he could.
His breathing was harsh. "Are you alright?" Severus asked.
"What are you doing out in the wind, Sev?"
"Are. You. Alright." He asked slowly, pronouncing every syllable carefully.
She shook her head and rested it on her hand. "Yeah. I'm fine."
"What was wrong?"
"It just… hurt. I don't know why. Thanks for sneezing, by the way."
Severus laughed hoarsely, sat down and wrapped his arms around Kath to keep her and the baby warm. "Any time, dearest."
She pulled away and looked at him. "Did you just call me 'dearest'?"
Severus tried not to shift uncomfortably. "Yes."
She rested her head back on his chest and he wrapped his arm around her again.
"You haven't called me that since we were engaged."
He blushed slightly. "The order should be sending a portkey soon."
Draco entered the room and hesitated. Harry was sitting with Ron, who would surely still hate him, and Hermione, who made him feel like he had been punched in the stomach because of the guilt.
He went over to the bookshelf and looked for a book, any book, which would keep his mind off Hermione. Unfortunately, just books in general reminded him of the bushy-haired muggleborn.
There was the sound of two people landing in the hall out side. Kath's voice sent someone (who she didn't name) up stairs then everyone heard footsteps going up to the second floor.
Kath entered and looked over everyone. No one had ever seen her look as serious as he did then.
"Where's Albus?" she asked the adults.
"He's gone back to Hogwarts." Responded Arthur. "Why?"
"I know what Voldemort's plan is."
"You can use floo powder to talk to him." Remus reminded her, while pointing to the fireplace and the small container with the powder in it.
"I'll talk to him from Harry's room, since it's the only bedroom with a fireplace." She turned and left, after sparing a glance at Draco.
"Wonder what that bastard's done, or's going to do." Put in Moody.
Several minutes later Kath came back in, still looking as solemn as before. "I'm supposed to tell you all what he's doing."
"What Dumbledore or Voldemort's doing?"
"Voldemort." Everyone sat up straighter. Kath stood in the way all Death Eaters were supposed to stand. Looking forward with their back straight, hands behind their back, and face expressionless.
"During the time Voldemort spent torturing Draco he used a number of spells that tapped into his mind. Voldemort has been looking through Draco's eyes, so to speak."
Draco expected every one to start yelling at him straight away, but instead they all just turned to him silently. He didn't blush, though he wanted to.
"Did you know about this?" Harry asked him softly. He had gone extremely pale.
"OF COURSE HE DID." yelled Ron. "He's a Malfoy!" He addressed everyone in the room. "That's why he was getting close to Harry! To spy on him! He seduced him and then used the imperius curse to tell him he had to become a werewolf!"
Everyone looked like they believed Ron. "You all don't honestly believe that." Draco remained calm and used a superior tone of voice out of habit. But everyone else didn't see it as just a habit.
"Get out." Snarled Moody.
Harry looked very confused. "It makes sense. You wouldn't have killed Hermione parents for no reason." Harry's eyes dulled with betrayal and hurt while Dracos' shone with restrained tears at what his mate was saying.
Hermione gasped and stood up. "YOU KILLED THEM! YOU PATHETIC PIECE OF SHIT!" she screamed, startling everyone with her volume and choice of words. "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Tears streamed down her face and she turned and fell face first into the couch, sobbing softly into the pillows and talking to herself.
Ron rose from his seat and Arthur got ready to stop his son if things got to out of hand, no matter how tempting it was to let Ron tear Draco to shreds.
"I should have known! Not only do you have to wreck Harry's life, you have to wreck Hermione's too!" He closed the space between them and dragged Draco up by his collar. He punched him as hard as he could in the eye, then the nose, then anywhere else he could reach.
Draco disappeared with a pop and a ferret ran as fast as he could to a mouse hole in the wall, dodging Ron's feet as it went.
Through the walls and out into the yard, down the street and blocks away, Draco transformed back into a human. The wind froze him and stung his eyes, but not as much as the building tears were. He still refused to cry.
He had to be able to keep his mind clear and be able to think logically if he was going to survive. He was too accustomed to being waited on by a House-Elf, and didn't know how to look after himself. He knew the basics, eat, drink, sleep, stay warm, but that's as far as his knowledge of the real world went.
Now they knew he was the one that killed the Grangers, the Ministry would be able to tell when and where he did magic from now on.
He had to live as a homeless muggle.
He thought about Harry and suddenly the urge to cry disappeared. His pain was beyond tears now.
Draco walked over to an old phone booth and smashed the glass without wincing. He picked up a shard and looked at it emotionlessly. He wanted to die, to end it all because there was no going back to the happiness he had. But he'd promised himself when he was fourteen that he wouldn't die with the mark of a lunatic on his arm.
Harry closed his eyes as chaos erupted around him. Ron comforted Hermione while Remus was verbally beating himself up for being tricked.
Kath and Harry seemed to be the only ones silent. Until she crossed over to where Harry was sitting. "Do you believe he knew about the spells on him?" Harry shook his head slowly. "Then go get him." Another head shake from the boy. Kath gritted her teeth in frustration.
Snape entered the room. He handed a torn page out of a book and a full potion vial to Kath and whispered something in her ear and left. Coughing as he went.
"This is a spell to undo the ones Voldemort did." Harry snapped out his daze and looked at the paper. "This is a potion to help him. Now. Take it and go. Quickly. Before he does anything stupid."
Harry kissed Kath on the cheek, snatched the page and vial out of her hands, jumped up and ran at an inhuman speed outside.
He followed the smell of Draco and blood to inside a phone booth, where a half-transformed Draco was trying to carve the Dark Mark out of his arm with a sharp piece of glass.
Harry quickly cast the spell Kath had given him and called out
"Draco." His mate seemed to be in a world of his own, so didn't acknowledge him. Draco was swaying slightly and breathing heavily, his eyelids fluttered and he fought to keep them open until the job was done.
Harry grabbed the wrist of the hand/paw with the glass and moved it away. Carefully taking the glass of Draco, he tipped the potion down his throat and Draco swallowed it without thinking.
Harry felt himself transforming but fought it. He needed to fight it to save the one he loved.
The cuts healed on Draco's arm, but if it scraped against anything they would open up again so Harry ripped a bit of his shirt off and wrapped the arm up carefully.
Draco was fully conscious now, and with the blood cleaned up by Harry, he was fully human too.
Harry took the blonde's hands in his, his tanned skin contrasted with the pale skin of Draco.
"I'm sorry." Whispered Harry. "I didn't mean to tell them and I should have stood up for you, but it was a bit of a shock finding out Voldemort saw us make out, and from your point of view too. I don't believe you knew about the spells, if you had me under imperius I would have known and been able to fight it."
He put his head down to hide his face and lifted Draco hands up and kissed them. "I'm so, so sorry." When he looked up and saw tears flowing down Draco's face he pulled him close and rested his mate's head on his chest.
Harry wrapped his arms around Draco and held him as close as he could and Draco felt safer then, then he ever had in his entire life. But he couldn't say anything. He could just cry with full force into Harry's shirt. Not quietly either.
"Just let it all out, Love." He rubbed Draco's back soothingly. "It's ok to cry."
A/N/2: Well, there you go.
The end's coming up very soon. I wanted to make it twenty chapters, but I think I'll only be able to do eighteen and an epilogue/very short chapter nineteen.
The next chapter will explain Kath'sdecision and what it's got to do with Draco and Harry.
It will also have Harry & Draco bonding, but nothing graphic, cause I don't know a lot of stuff about that and I'll probably screw (no pun intended) it up if I do.
