A/N - possibly disturbing stuff. Just so you know.
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Chapter 49
Harry hurried to catch up with Hermione as she made her way out the gates and down the path towards Hogsmeade. "Hermione..." He said a bit breathlessly, slowing to match her pace as he came abreast of her.
She looked over at him, her eyes apprehensive as she altered her direction a bit to put more room between them. Harry noted it and his face fell. "Why didn't you tell me that thing was still in you?" she asked, fear and anger warring in her voice.
Harry let out a pained sigh. "Well your reaction should be enough explanation why..." He said morosely.
"Harry..." She said sadly, "That thing nearly killed us both! You can't expect me to be comfortable around it!"
"But it's under control now!" He said in a soft, pleading voice.
She looked over at him sharply, "If you hadn't noticed, it just nearly killed a man!"
His expression darkened. "No one would have mourned that one..."
She looked over at Harry in shock. "He's still a person, Harry! You couldn't possible condone that thing's actions just because you don't like the man!"
Harry kept his face and voice carefully neutral. "You don't know what all that man has done, Hermione."
"What could he possibly have done to deserve having his soul ripped out?" She said crossly, folding her arms over her chest.
"He was planning on trapping it in a student and then killing them just to try to kill the demon! And you know what?" He said, his expression darkening, "It wouldn't have even worked! Once he had incinerated whatever poor bastard it was stuck in, it would have been free to flee again with at most minor damage from the brief exposure to the sun. Not to mention he used every means at his disposal to keep them from curing Blaise!"
"Did you even know Blaise?"
"I didn't have to! Ron loves him Hermione! If you could have seen the pain in him when Blaise lay dying while that pompous bastard made sure they couldn't get what they needed to cure him you would understand! And then there was Delse..." His voice dropped away, his eyes dropping. "I'd rather die than see that pain in their eyes again..." he said softly.
Hermione let out a sigh of frustration, "Harry... yes that was horrible, but it still doesn't justify allowing that thing to commit murder!"
He looked back up at her, his eyes filling with anger, "Ya, well you didn't have to put up with his little tests either!" He said, stopping in front of her and making her come to a stop as well, his voice dropping. "He stood there and ordered test after bloody test... knowing full well the whole time there was no trace of that bloody demon in me! Do you have any idea what he did to me? Let's see you get over two dozen poisons and deadly venoms inserted under your skin just because some old crackpot once theorized that if someone was brought close enough to death any demons present would flee their body. Do you know what it feels like when your heart stops beating? To feel your dying breath rattle from your chest, only to be brought back and put through it all over again? What it's like to have Vipertooth venom blazing through your veins? Feeling your entire body burning so fiercely you were sure you would burst into flame at any moment? I do! Ninety eight tests he put me through! Ninety eight scars etched into my body! And you know what his reply was when they told him the count in the end? He chuckled and asked if they had two more tests so it could be a nice round number! At least he thought to have an antidote around for those!"
He unbuttoned his collar angrily, pulling it open so she could see the fine filigree that appeared to be no more than a tattoo on his skin, "This he didn't bother finding a counter to before using! This bloody demon is here to stay, and nothing short of my death will remove it, so if you want me to stay away from you, fine! But as far as Fudge goes, not only would I let it take out that bastard, I gave it permission!"
Hermione was just staring at him, wide eyed with shock and horror. He turned, tears streaming from his eyes as he pushed through the Slytherins who had formed a shielding circle around them unnoticed to keep the other students from witnessing the scene.
Ron gave her a pained, disappointed look, then hurried off after Harry. He had to follow the footprints in the snow as they veered off into the wooded area to one side of the road, the surrounding trees just dense enough to block direct sight. After a few minutes he came to a stop as he saw Harry ahead, sitting slumped against an old downed tree. He sighed, noting how his shoulders were shaking, and walked towards him. When he reached him he crouched beside him. "Harry..." He said softly, reaching out and putting his hand on his trembling shoulder.
Harry scrubbed his tears away angrily with his sleeve. "I'm fine." He said hoarsely.
Ron sighed. "She didn't know Harry... no one knew... I never even imagined he would do something like that! Why didn't you tell us?"
Harry gave a humorless snort of laughter. "Does it really matter?"
"Of course it does!" Ron said, shocked he would ever think it didn't.
Harry looked over at him, an aching sadness in his eyes, "I can't live like this Ron... seeing the people close to me living in fear of me... wondering if I will turn on them at any moment. And I can't even reassure them I won't! How could I ever be absolutely sure this thing is really in check? I might wake one morning and find it's slaughtered the whole lot of you! Maybe Fudge was right... maybe I do need to be confined..."
"Don't say that Harry..." Ron said, wrapping his arms around him and holding him gently, "Don't ever say that..."
Harry didn't resist, letting his head rest against Ron's shoulder as tears stung his eyes once more.
"Harry..."
Harry looked up and saw Hermione walking over. She crouched to the other side of him, reaching out and tentatively stroking her hand down his cheek. "I'm sorry Harry..." She said softly, "I was just so surprised..."
He dropped his eyes.
She let out a pained sigh and leaned forward, hugging him as well, "I'm so sorry..." She said again, pressing her cheek to his damp one. "You can kill Fudge all you want..." She said consolingly.
Harry couldn't help but let out a little laugh, slipping his arm around her and pulling her close.
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Ron, Pansy and Blaise strolled into Hogsmeade arm in arm, ignoring the odd glances they got from a number of people. They did have Pansy in the middle to cut down on the shock value, but otherwise didn't really care what anyone else thought. Ron had kept an eye on Harry and Hermione for the rest of the trip into town. Draco hadn't been happy with Harry running off, but didn't say anything since he returned on his own before he had to go searching for him. Hermione was walking by Harry's side again. If she still feared the demon within him, she hid it well. Ron was reluctant to let Blaise lead him off in the opposite direction as Draco's little group when they entered town, but relented after some coaxing.
Blaise led them off purposefully, obviously not just window shopping. When he turned them towards the door of the jewelry shop Pansy balked. "Blaise... I was only..."
"Oh come on..." Blaise said with a smirk, "Ever since I took that little charm away from you, you keep feeling for it whenever you're nervous or upset. It was cute when you used to fiddle with it, but now it just makes me feel guilty when you reach up and find nothing there... I insist on replacing it. Well, with a regular charm that is." he said, smirking.
She grinned, blushing, "Oh... that... ok." She said, letting him lead her into the shop.
Ron looked around in awe when they had entered the shop. It was obviously a very high end jewelry shop. Ron had never dared do more than press his face against the window of such an establishment before. He felt decidedly out of place amongst such riches. The shop keeper obviously recognized Blaise and was almost tripping over himself to please Pansy, showing her a dazzling array of sparkling charms and enumerating the merits of each lavishly.
Ron wandered over to the other side of the small shop, looking down at the display case before him. There were hundreds of rings in the immaculate, well lit case, each with a price tag before it that was even more dazzling than the ring itself. Ron looked them over and shook his head ruefully. The absolute cheapest ring in the entire case, which was so tiny it had to be intended for a small child, cost more than his father made in an entire month.
"See anything you like?" Blaise said, coming up beside him and gazing down in the case as well.
Ron just chuckled, "How could anyone actually feel right wearing one of these? I mean you see the price tag on that one there?" He said, pointing to a thin banded platinum ring with a unpretentious diamond mounted in it in a very subdued, traditional style. "The big farm down the road from the Burrow sold for less than that!"
Blaise laughed. "Well the prices might not be exactly modest, but they have some of the finest jewelry in Europe."
"For that much I'd certainly hope so." He said, smirking over at Blaise.
"Seriously though, do you see anything you'd like? Christmas is coming up you know..." He asked with a smirk.
Ron's eyes went round and he straightened up. "I couldn't possibly get anything here! It's far too expensive!"
Blaise chuckled. "These are trifles, Ron." He paused, looking at him with a little smirk slipping onto his lips, "You have no idea just how much money I have, do you?"
Ron shifted uneasily, "Well you and your mum haven't had to get jobs since your dad died... so I supposed you did alright for yourselves..."
Blaise laughed, "You really don't... that's so cute! And kind of refreshing actually." He slipped his arm around Ron's waist, pulling him close. "Your family owns a decent plot of land, right?"
Ron looked at him, his brow furrowed, wondering where this was leading. "Ya... all the way past the pond and quite a bit of the surrounding forest..."
Blaise nodded, "Well, not to be making comparisons, but just to give you an idea... my house is about a third again the size of all the land your family owns." Blaise said with a smirk.
Ron's eyes went wide. "What would you possibly need a house that big for?"
Blaise grinned. "We don't. It was mostly to show off for father's friends. We actually pretty much stick to the smaller central portion... leave the wings for guests and such... and the grounds expand for a good few miles in every direction... then of course there is the summer house on the coast... hell, I even own a mountain! But then that was really kind of a gift." He said with a shrug. "But as far as finances... ok, Draco has me beat, but not by all that much. I have twelve large vaults in the London Gringotts, all at full capacity. Then of course there are all of the other vaults and accounts I have scattered all over the world. Father didn't believe in centralizing all of his assets. As I'm sure I've told you, he was a bit paranoid. And of course there's the businesses I own. Couldn't tell you right off hand what they all are, as the staff I have taking care of that occasionally buy and sell them depending on performance, but suffice it to say that at any given time I own at least a dozen thriving businesses. Actually, I'm really glad I was here when your brothers left last year. The minute they said they were opening a shop on Diagon Alley I had my people sell Zonko's. It's market value dropped about ten percent the minute their doors opened. Zonko's profits didn't go down over night, but it's lost a good quarter of it's business since they opened their doors. Not that the loss would have hurt me, but no sense throwing money away when you know something like that is coming."
Ron was just staring at him, thunderstruck. Blaise looked absolutely tickled by his reaction. He couldn't help but add one more little tidbit. "You know, between us, Draco and I command a bit overa third of theassets in all of Wizarding Europe. And of course after centuries of working for the most influential families in the entire Wizarding world, Kulia probably owns about ten percent of the remainder. You Weasleys certainly know how to pick 'em!" He said with a roguish grin. He stood there, watching Ron's shocked expression with amusement for a moment, then hugged him a bit closer, "Well, I've got to go over and finish up with the proprietor, but when we're done here I plan on getting you some decent clothing, so get over this whole fixation on how much everything costs, because I fully intend to spoil the hell out of you!" he said, giving him a playful swat on the butt and strolling back over to where Pansy was, leaving Ron staring after him mutely.
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Ron came out of the changing room, his cheeks pink with embarrassment despite the fact that this was what felt like the hundredth outfit he'd tried on. Blaise was sitting in a large overstuffed velvet chair, one of the girls who worked there offering him a tray of snacks and sweets. He waved it off, rising and walking over to Ron, a wide grin on his face. "I still can't get over how good you look in green..." He said smirkingly. "I told you you would..."
Ron shifted uncomfortably, though the clothing fit like a dream, the cloth and cut far beyond anything he had ever worn. They had measured every last inch of him it seemed, and since then everything he had tried on had fit as if it were made for him. Blaise led him over to the mirrors, slipping his arms around his waist and hugging him from behind. "You'll definitely have to wear these clothes today. And as far as dress robes for tonight..." he said, looking over at the four exquisite sets they had left hanging there for his approval, three in shades of green and one a dark midnight blue not unlike the set Harry had. He rested his chin on Ron's shoulder, peering at them contemplatively, "The darkest green set is to be delivered to Hogwarts. And the outfit with the slate trousers and that bluish sweater as well. And of course the shoes. I'd like those in green to match the dress robes, black, dark blue, dark brown and the more casual pair he liked in both light and dark natural leather."
The chipper girl nodded, her quill scratching over the pad in her hand swiftly. Ron couldn't help but notice that none of the shop workers here so much as raised an eyebrow at them, though Blaise had been showing him affection quite openly. Then again, in such a classy establishment he supposed they were used to the eccentric behavior of the wealthy.
"Oh, and there was a robe over there I had my eye on... could you show it to Pansy?" He said, pointing over towards a emerald green robe with amazingly intricate embroidery flowing around the edges that looked reminiscent of Celtic designs.
"Of course sir." She said, slipping the pad in the leather pouch hanging at her waist that was obviously intended for it, tucking the quill into place in the finely wrought golden barrette that held her dark hair up, the plume looking as if it were meant to be there... which it probably was. She hurried over and fetched the robe, carrying it gingerly across her arms as if it were a garment intended for royalty as she whisked off to the changing room Pansy was in.
"Blaise... this really isn't necessary..." Ron said uneasily when they were alone.
Blaise chuckled, "No offense, but yes it is."
Ron sighed, dropping his eyes. "Can't we at least go somewhere a bit less expensive? I mean these clothes..." He said, running his hand over the butter soft material of the shirt, "They can't be cheap... I mean how much do these things cost anyway? Nothing has price tags on it!"
Blaise laughed. "I haven't a clue. I had them remove all the tags before giving them to you to try on. Didn't want you to get all uncomfortable."
"Blaise..." Ron sighed.
Blaise sighed, resting his cheek on Ron's shoulder and looking at him in the mirror. "Ron... please... I want to buy these things... can't you just accept them and be happy? I mean I wouldn't be offended if you went into Honeydukes and bought me a chocolate frog, and I certainly wouldn't refuse it!"
"There's a big difference between a chocolate frog and these clothes! I mean this outfit alone has to cost at least twenty galleons!"
Blaise smirked, very glad he had thought to have the tags removed. He happened to have seen the tag on this particular outfit, and knew it actually cost about three times that. "It's not that significant a difference to me, Ron. I could practically buy this entire store with pocket change! Why are my presents so hard for you to accept?"
Ron took a deep breath and sighed it out. "You just... you don't need to buy me things!"
"If I did have to buy you things to get your affection, I certainly wouldn't be with you! I've had to deal with more than my share of gold diggers in my life, Ron. Love is one thing I refuse to pay for. Besides, who said I was buying these things for you? I happen to think of it as buying myself some tantalizing eye candy." Blaise said, giving him a mischievous smirk in the mirror, then nibbling on his neck playfully.
They looked over as they heard footsteps. Pansy walked out, dressing in an amazing strapless green gown of some kind of floating, shimmering material, the embroidered robe accenting it perfectly. She beamed at their hungry stares, giving them a little twirl, making the material float around her shapely legs like smoke.
Blaise gave a groan of longing, his cheek still resting on Ron's shoulder. "Perfect example..." He said wistfully. "You think that gown is for her? I'd say that's my present to us..." he said, letting his eyes trail down her again.
Ron chuckled. "Ok... I guess I can't refute that..."
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"Playing dress up again Zabini?" Draco laughed as he spotted them coming into the Three Broomsticks where they had planned to meet up.
Ron blushed bright red, but Pansy just smirked, sporting her new tailored outfit and fine winter cloak unabashedly. She slipped into one of the open seats. Ron hurried to push it in for her, then took the seat beside her.
"I'm not the only one." Blaise replied, eyeing the new green blouse peeking out of Ginny's robes. She blushed, self consciously pulling her robe closed a bit better. "Just something about redheads in green, isn't there?" He asked with a smirk, taking the last open seat.
Draco smirked. "We were beginning to wonder if you would show. You're late."
"Yes, well I had to make a couple more stops. Went by the Quidditch supply shop. They have a new broom out, did you see?" When they shook their heads, Blaise grinned, "It's called the Celestial. Jet black and the bar-none fastest and best maneuvering broom ever produced. Makes the Firebolt look like a horse and buggy. It's absolutely brilliant!"
Draco smirked. "Sounds like. How many did you get?"
"I just ordered an even dozen." Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione all stared at him wide eyed. He saw their shock and laughed, "What? I needed stocking stuffers!"
Draco chuckled, then knocked back the last dregs of his Butterbeer. He set it down, "Well, are we done for the day? They'll probably be rounding us up soon anyway. I think most of the other students have already left. Besides, Ginny and I have to be back soon..."
"We do?" Ginny asked, surprised. "Why?"
Draco smiled, "Well I've met your mum..."
Her eyes widened, "We're going to see your mum? Today?"
He grinned. "Ya, well I have to tell her about us... and invite her to Christmas at Blaise's. I kind of doubt she'll come, but I have to ask, and since it's so last minute I thought it'd only be proper if I did it in person... Dumbledore has arranged for us to be able to Floo there. Hopefully we'll make it back before dinner."
"Oh..." Ginny said, blushing, "Ok... I just... meeting your mum..." She said, looking intimidated. She hadn't seen the woman since the Quidditch World Cup a couple years back, and she'd been positively frigid towards Ginny then. Well, of course she had just been another Weasley to her then, but how would she react to her marrying her only son?
Draco put his hand on hers where it rested on the table. "You'll be fine. If she gets rude we'll just leave."
Ginny bit her lip. "Is that a real possibility?"
Draco looked thoughtful. "Well, I never know what she's going to do because to be quite honest she's a bit of a lush, so I can't tell you for sure. She's likely to say just about anything when she's been hitting the bottle... which is pretty much constantly..." He said with a shrug.
"I'd say!" Blaise said with a snort of laughter.
"Gee thanks guys. That's comforting." Ginny said, downing the rest of her Butterbeer. Draco just smirked at her.
The waitress came over with a tray that had several butterbeers on it. "Butterbeer I presume?" She asked with a warm smile.
Pansy reached for one, but Blaise's hand caught her wrist before she could take it. "Not bloody likely." He said with a smirk.
Pansy rolled her eyes and sighed, "Oh come on! It has like three drops of liquor in it!"
"And that's three drops too many." Blaise said with a smirk.
The waitress was looking back and forth between them, puzzled.
Blaise smiled at her, pulling out a couple of galleons and tossing them on the tray. "Sorry, but no thanks. Looks like we're leaving."
She smirked and shook her head, walking off.
"We'll stop by the shop down the way and I'll get you one of those frothy drinks you like. We've probably missed lunch already anyway, so we can grab a bite to eat while we're at it." Blaise said, giving her knee a squeeze under the table.
"Sounds good." Draco said with a nod, rising and offering Ginny his hand. She took it with a smirk.
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They didn't have a lot of time, but since most of the other students had indeed cleared out, there was very little wait for their food. Hogsmeade was surprisingly quiet during the week. Less than a dozen people passed by the shop the entire time they were in there, and there were no other customers. They left the shop less than twenty minutes later, chatting happily as Pansy showed off her new charm to the girls. It was a tiny platinum dragon in flight.
"We better hurry back," Ron said, looking around at the virtually deserted town, the only signs of life he could see were the store keepers restocking their shelves through the windows in the shops they passed. "I don't even see any teachers left. They must be starting their final sweep to gather up the stragglers."
They quickened their pace, none of them eager to have to be lectured on promptness.
As they made their way towards the edge of town, Harry sped up until he was able to fall into step beside Draco. "Do you happen to have my wand on you?"
Draco eyed him. "You're not getting it until I'm sure that bloody demon will be good."
Harry gave a belabored sigh. "How could you doubt me like that master?" He asked with a smirk, his eyes beginning to glow.
Draco narrowed his eyes, "Potter telling you you can kill Fudge doesn't give you license to take over his body whenever you please! What are you doing in control again?"
Harry shrugged, "Ok, have it your way then. No wand. Just out of curiosity, which one of these people do you want to live?"
Draco's eyes widened and he came to a stop, "Was that a threat?" He growled angrily.
"No." Harry said with a grin, stopping as well, "It's just that I am but one person without it, and Harry's not that big..." He sighed, "Oh this is taking too long. You really must learn to make your decisions quicker. I'll just have to guess then, but just so you know, Potter will be really pissed if you let his friends die..."
Draco grabbed for his wand as Harry darted at Ginny, wrapping his arms around her, but at that very moment he heard someone yell, "Avada Kedavra!"
Almost instantly a surge of green light darted from thin alley between two of the buildings, hitting Harry squarely in the back and sending him sprawling on top of Ginny. The warning sirens the Ministry had installed immediately wailed to life, triggered to be set off by any forbidden curses cast within the town.
They all whipped out their wands and began casting curses towards the alley. Blaise pulled Pansy around behind him, not giving her a choice in the matter. Ron tried to block Hermione, but she would have none of it, stepping around him and casting angrily, tears in her eyes as she tried to steal a glance down at Harry.
Ginny was stunned and terrified, feeling Harry's full weight on her. "Harry?" She said in a horrified whisper.
After a moment he let out a cough and drew a ragged breath. "Bloody Hell that one hurts..." He gasped in a pained voice, levering himself up and off of her shakily.
"Ginny?" Draco asked, his voice rife with concern as he glanced down.
"I'm ok." She said, shaken. She pulled out her wand, but there had been no further curses since the first and she was unsure what direction to cast.
Harry struggled to his feet, "Ya, I'm fine too... thanks so much for asking. Now hand over the bloody wand or watch them all die because there's a lot more than you have any hope of besting alone, and from the sound of it, they're circling around behind you like the little cowards they are."
Draco looked around, realizing just how much of a tactical nightmare the town was. The low roofs would make idea sniper cover, though luckily he didn't see anyone on them at the moment. There were also little breaks between the buildings every two or three shops, each little alley wide enough to let a man pass easily, and would protect him from return fire by simply taking a quick step backwards. If there were more than a couple of men the demon was right, they were in trouble. They couldn't even run into one of the shops for fear they were being herded into an ambush. He pulled out Harry's wand and tossed it to him.
The look of malicious glee that came over Harry's face as he caught it was enough to make even Draco nervous. This nervousness increased as Harry strolled over to him. Without a word, he grabbed Draco's arm and tossed him over towards the others, sending him sprawling beside Ginny. Then he grinned as he pointed the wand at the group. They watched in shock as he hissed a spell in his demonic tongue and swirled the wand in their direction. Before they could even react, a cloud of yellowish smoke course out of the tip of his wand and darted towards them. Much to their surprise, it stopped several feet shy of Draco and darted up and around, spreading out. As they watched, it flowed around them forming a dome.
They could vaguely see Harry stroll up to the murky barrier, reaching out and tapping it with the tip of his wand. It instantly went clear, virtually disappearing. "Do have the sense to stay put, and no touching..." He said, pointing to the thin line cut into the fine layer of snow on the ground, which was the only remaining evidence of the dome, "Oh, and no casting. That would be truly daft in an enclosed space. Now I'm going hunting, so be good bait and act like they actually have a chance at you." He said with a purely demonic grin. He turned and sprinted away between a couple of the buildings.
People were coming out of the shops, wands in hand and looking around. Draco quickly got to his feet. "Get back inside!" He yelled, "Death Eaters!"
That sent most of them back inside as the cry of "Death Eaters" spread down the street. Doors and windows were clapping shut all throughout Hogsmeade, shutters and bars springing up over the windows of many of the shops and the sounds of heavy bolts being locked into place.
They tensed as they heard explosions and shrieks of pain in the direction Harry had headed.
"He better be on our side..." Draco muttered darkly, settling back down on the ground and pulling Ginny into his lap. "No casting. I doubt it was joking." Ginny slipped her arm around him under his winter cloak, but kept her wand out, staring around fearfully.
Ron, Blaise and Hermione acknowledged the warning with a nod. Pansy had little chance of casting anything since Ron and Blaise were on either side of her, bodily blocking her from any possible attack.
They all tensed a few minutes later as a Death Eater ran out of one of the alleys. He spotted them, looking a bit surprised to see that they hadn't fled. He grinned and cast the Cruciatus curse towards Ron, who was closest.
Ron flinched, but the spell hit the invisible shield and rebounded, hitting the Death Eater. He let out a shriek and dropped to the ground in obvious agony. Unfortunately, that curse had to be maintained, and his wand had cut it off the second he was hit, so in moments he was struggling back to his feet, cursing angrily.
He eyed them thoughtfully for a moment, noting the line in the snow, then smirked. He looked so confident that his next spell would work that Draco quickly shifted Ginny around behind him.
The Death Eater raised his wand and opened his mouth, but only a strange, inarticulate noise emerged from his mouth. They stared in shock as the front of his black shirt tented suddenly out. He staggered forward and fell face first onto the snowy ground, about four feet of a Hogsmeade street sign protruding from the middle of his back.
Harry stood at the mouth of the alley, smirking. He walked over, completely ignoring the Death Eater who was now making soft gurgling noises as the once pristine snow beneath him rapidly changed to red. Harry had a bounce in his step as he shifted his wand back over to his right hand, another cloaked figure thrown over his left shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
He stopped at the edge of the shield, "Sorry it's taking a while..." He said merrily, his expression and attitude in sharp contrast with his burnt, ripped and thoroughly bloodied clothing. "I admit I've been having a bit of fun. I'll finish up in a minute... just wanted to drop this by..."
He leaned down, touching his wand tip to the bottom of the shield and drawing it up. The shield split open, making it look almost as if he were using a razor on clear plastic. When he had it almost to his shoulder height, he held the wand steady, shifting the body off his shoulder and tossing it unceremoniously in with them. When it landed Hermione let out a cry, recognizing the hair. She dropped to her knees, gingerly turning the limp form over. "Professor McGonagall!" She breathed in horror, quickly feeling for a pulse. She let out a little sigh of relief when she found one.
"You can thank me later." Harry said with a smirk. He pulled his wand away and the shield snapped shut, sealing once again. He grinned down at Draco. "Extreme prejudice... I love it. You have such a way with words... You should have seen it! I caught one out behind Zonko's and used a severing charm on his wand arm, and then before he could even..." he blinked, then rolled his eyes and sighed, glancing over at Hermione and noting her wide eyed, horrified stare. "Harry doesn't feel it's the proper time to discuss it..." He said with a rueful smirk, then looked back at Draco and lowered his voice, "I'll tell you about it later... it was bloody brilliant! Now that is going to take a lot of scouring spells... but I've been good... avoiding property damage and not playing with the townies, just as requested." He said with a mischievous chuckle.
"Ya, that sounds great, and I'm really proud of you and all, but that one's still moving. Get over there and finish him off!" Draco said, nodding to the downed Death Eater who's hand was trying to inch towards his dropped wand.
Harry took a deep breath and let out a happy sigh. "I just have to say... you are a bloody brilliant master... I would kiss you, but then Harry would evict me!" He said with a smirk. Without another word, he turned and walked back to the skewered Death Eater. He knelt, and appeared to brush his fingers over his back, but they could tell there was more to it by the little pained sound that gurgled from the man's mouth before he went completely slack.
Harry rose again, planting a foot on the man's back and yanking the post out with one hand. "Muggle deaths are just too bloody perfect for these purist bastards..." Harry chuckled, twirling the post like a baton, leaving a little arch of blood spatter on the nearby snow, then tucking it under his arm and strolling away, whistling merrily as he disappeared back down the alley.
Ron and Blaise moved Pansy down next to Hermione, shifting her around so she didn't have a good view of the corpse laying just a few meters from them. She buried her face in Blaise's shoulder, having seen quite enough of it. They sat there in silence, listening to the occasional burst of explosions which inevitably led to shrieks of pain... occasionally extended shrieks... the only thing breaking it up being the healing spells Hermione was casting on McGonagall's still form.
"I think she'll be ok if we can get her back to Madam Pomfrey..." Hermione said when she had cast all the spells she could think of that would help. "They must have taken her down before. That's why we didn't see her when we left the shop. It's a good thing I suppose..."
"Good thing?" Ron asked incredulously.
"I meant the timing. They would have known the sirens would go off if they used an Unforgivable, otherwise they probably would have just hit her with Avada Kedavra and been done with it."
"Oh..." He said softly. He looked over and swallowed, feeling queasy. The Death Eater's blood had made a trail towards them since the street angled down ever so slightly in this spot. The little stream of crimson had been stopped by the shield, and was now creeping around the edge of it, looking very odd since you couldn't really see the shield itself.
After a few more minutes all was silent.
"Draco..."
Draco tensed, his blood going cold at the sound of the all too familiar voice. He looked over, spotting a shrouded figure stepping out of the shadows. He strode forwards, lowering his hood so his long white-blond hair made him unmistakable.
"Is this any way to treat your entourage?"
"Father!" Draco growled, shifting Ginny off of him and standing. "This was your doing?"
Lucius smirked. "I had a feeling you might not have thought to take measures to protect yourself yet... I had always planned on it happening at Christmas anyway... just told you your birthday so you wouldn't be expecting it yet. You were always complaining I never got you any Christmas presents... of course I gave you everything you needed every day of the year, so I really thought it was a rather ungrateful attitude, but this year I decided to make an exception. Come along now before I lose my patience."
Draco scowled at him. "I'm not going anywhere with you, and as far as your bloody Master is concerned, he can kiss my arse, because I'm never going to bow before him!"
Lucius glared at him. "I wouldn't say such things if I were you Draco. The Dark Lord doesn't take kindly to such talk."
"Fuck 'em!" Draco said stonily.
"What have you done to your eyes?" Lucius asked distractedly, peering at the wildly swirling irises with interest.
Draco smirked. "Like I'm going to tell you! This isn't a social visit!"
Lucius gave a little snort. "Like it matters. As I said, it's time to come along, and bring the girl. Might as well mark her as well. Makes them easier to control."
"You aren't touching Ginny!" Draco growled.
Lucius laughed, "I didn't mean little Weasley slut! It's bad enough you've been shagging her, we're certainly not going to waste a mark on her! The little tryst between you two ends here and now. Don't make me slaughter her entire family. Those Muggle loving redheads breed like animals. It would take ages to hunt them all down!"
Hermione had to quickly grab ahold of Ginny and hold her back as her cheeks went red, a murderous look in her eyes. Blaise was likewise restraining Ron.
"You're not going to touch a hair on her head, nor that of any of her family!" Draco growled furiously, "I've had enough of doing everything you tell me to! I am in love with her and I'm going to marry her! Go ruin someone else's life! You're done leading mine!"
Lucius laughed again. "A Malfoy... marry a Weasley... I've never heard of anything so ludicrous in my life. Quit being ridiculous. You can't possibly marry her. You're already betrothed."
Draco's eyes went wide, "I'm what?"
"Betrothed... engaged to be married... honestly, didn't those tutors teach you anything? I certainly paid enough for them!"
"I know what it means!" Draco said hotly, "I'm betrothed to Ginny!" He said, showing him the ring.
Lucius smirked. "Oh please. You're rash, purely hormonal teenaged infatuations are meaningless. You've been betrothed since you were born!"
"To who?" Draco asked, curious despite himself.
"To precious little Pansy over there of course." Lucius said with a smirk.
Everyone but Pansy looked stunned. Pansy was just staring at the ground, her cheeks blazing.
Draco looked back at his father, "Well too bad! She's with Blaise and Ron now."
Lucius gave a little snort of laughter. "Both of them?" He looked over at her, noting the way Ron and Blaise were holding her protectively between them, "Guess I broke you in a bit too well." He said with a malicious smirk, "Come to think of it, you didn't put up much of a struggle..."
Pansy was beet red, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I was only twelve you bastard! How much of a struggled was I supposed to be able to put up?!?" She shrieked at him, Blaise's grasp the only thing keeping her from springing up and lunging at him. Blaise's other hand was still holding onto Ron, though his grasp was obviously strained. Blaise was sorely tempted to go after him himself, but he appeared to be the only one of the three with the presence of mind to remember the barrier.
"You raped a twelve year old girl?" Draco asked, shocked despite what he'd already learned about his father.
Lucius just smiled, "Well I couldn't go letting my only son marry a girl unless I'd tried her out and made sure she was decent in bed, now could I? Wouldn't want you getting stuck with a cold fish like your mother. She just lies there... Honestly, you're lucky I was able to put up with it long enough for you to be conceived! Don't worry, your little bride to be is plenty lively... of course it's been a couple of years... I could check again if you'd like." he said with a smirk.
"Keep your filthy hands off her!" Draco growled. He was fervently wishing he could get through the barrier... at that moment he truly believed himself fully capable of beating his father to death with his bare hands. Movement caught his eyed, but he quickly moved them back to his father.
His father smirked, having caught the shift in his eyes. "Tell me Draco... do you really think any of your little friends here would still be breathing if I didn't know there was a barrier between us?" He looked down significantly at the thin stream of blood that now outlined over a quarter of the shield. "And of course I know what it means... though how it was accomplished escapes me for the moment..." He leaned forward, dropping his voice to a stage whisper and smirking, "I also am well aware it's right behind me... so why hasn't it attacked yet I wonder?" He said with obvious amusement. "Go on... tell it to..."
Draco didn't like this one bit. Harry was less than a meter behind Lucius, grasping his wand tightly, but doing nothing. He fervently hoped it was because he had told it he wanted the first try. "Go on. Kill him." He said.
Harry just stood there, his eyes locked on Lucius' back, his breath panting in his chest. He was looking even worse than before. His cloak was gone, one sleeve nearly torn off and the rest of his clothes ripped, singed and liberally spattered with blood.
Draco let out a frustrated breath, "I give you explicit permission to kill Lucius Malfoy!"
Harry continued to stand there, trembling slightly. His eyes were staring at Lucius with bottled hatred and fury... and yet he didn't attack. Something seemed to hold him there, preventing it.
Lucius, who hadn't even bothered to turn and look, smirked. "You kept it in the family, Draco... I would have thought you would have been smart enough to bond him to a different bloodline..." He leaned forward again, his face about as close as it could get before touching the barrier. "It can't touch me. The blood bond wasn't severed, the course of it was just altered a bit... I may not command it, but it will never be able to harm me... what magnificent torture this must be for it... you telling it to do what it so desperately wants to do... and yet finding itself unable to do it... unable to lay so much as a finger on me..." He straightened. "Of course, the opposite is not true... and I was smart enough to make copies of that little book before that treacherous elvin whore stole it back. It's much easier the second time. Renewing an old bond is quick and simple, so soon it will be mine again..."
Harry's eyes widened and he immediately turned and darted away.
Lucius spun, whipping his wand around, "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, knocking Harry to the ground with a surge of green light before he'd gotten a dozen paces. He walked over to him, smirking, and cast the spell again point blank into Harry's back.
"Harry!" Hermione and Ron cried in near perfect unison. They were all on their feet, but the shield was holding, keeping them in and preventing them from helping.
Lucius kicked Harry over. Harry was limp, barely having enough strength to take small, shallow breaths, coughing raggedly, his face a mask of pain. Lucius chuckled. "Well well... it brought me a present..." He said, obviously pleased to see who it had possessed. He glanced over at the trapped teens. "Let's have a little fun, shall we?" He said, looking down at Harry, "Crucio!" He called out, casting at him.
Harry just lay there, staring back up at him, defiant despite the obvious pain from the previous spells still apparent on his face.
Lucius stopped the spell. "Stop blocking it!" He growled, "I still owe Potter a little bit of quality time." He said with a malicious smirk. He cast again, but to the same effect. "Stop blocking or I guarantee your re-education will be ten times as bad!" He growled dangerously.
"No!" Harry hissed, "He's MINE!"
Lucius growled. "Fine. Have it your way. Just for that, you get the pleasure of accompanying Potter to have a bit of fun with my Lord. I'm sure the little practice run will be nothing in comparison!"
"No!" Harry said, his face filling with undisguised terror.
Lucius whipped his wand at Harry and a thin line of white light emerged, curling around Harry's legs like rope. Lucius then started simply walking away, the light dragging Harry along behind him with little apparent effort on Lucius' part.
"No!" Harry shrieked, jerking around and scrabbling for purchase on the road, trying desperately to escape. "Master!" He screamed, looking back at Draco, his voice and face full of terror and pleading.
Lucius stopped, smirking back at him. He moved back, planting his boot in the middle of Harry's back, "That's right... beg your master for help... but he can't help, can he? Not from behind that shield... go on... drop the shield so he can help you... look at him... look at the way he's standing there... it's obvious he wants out... implied consent. Drop it and we'll see what happens... either he'll die and you'll be free to run off and crawl back down whatever hole you came out of, or he'll kill me... which I'm sure you'd enjoy. Either way you'll be happy... you'll be safe... save your own hide demon..."
Harry stared back at Draco, tears crowding his eyes. He let out a piteous sound and dropped his head, his struggling ceasing as he started sobbing softly.
Lucius let out a hiss of irritation, "Fine!" He growled, then started walking again, dragging Harry behind. Harry just let himself roll onto his back, looking over at Draco tearfully as Lucius dragged him out of sight through an alleyway.
"Why didn't it drop the shield?" Hermione asked, staring at the alley they had disappeared through helplessly, "We probably could have taken him together!"
"He was protecting me..." Draco said softly, staring after them thoughtfully, "It could have set us against eachother and come out on top either way... and yet it chose not to."
"Isn't it required to protect you?" She asked.
He shook his head, "Demons are known for worming their way around such rules through any loophole available... and my father just offered him just such a loop hole. What he said was true. It could have released the shield and let us battle to the death without breaking any rules. It wouldn't have even had to try to defend me since it's still bonded to father. Demon's are neutral when bonds conflict."
They all tensed as the sound of an explosion sounded in the direction they had gone. More explosions and sounds of battle followed. They turned as group of Aurors stormed into town from the other direction.
"About bloody time!" Draco yelled when they were close enough, "He's got Harry Potter!" He said, pointing to the alley they had gone through. They headed in the direction indicated, the lead Auror giving him a curt nod in passing. In a moment they could hear the Aurors join whatever battle was raging, and the shield around them suddenly collapsed with a sound not unlike a huge soap bubble popping.
They looked at eachother with surprise and fear for what the loss of the barrier might mean, then Draco instinctively took command, "You three, stay with McGonagall." He said, indicating Hermione, Pansy and Blaise. "Ron, you're with me!" He barked out, sprinting off in pursuit.
Ron followed, too worried about Harry to even think to object at being ordered around by Draco. Blaise watched them go worriedly, not wanting to be parted from Ron at a time like this, but knowing the girls were probably in greater need of protection, and this would be the perfect opportunity for some sneaky Death Eater to take them out.
As Ron and Draco came out on the other side of the buildings they could see the trailing end of the group of Aurors disappearing into the woods, shouts and flashes still sounding. Draco started after them, but Ron quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him. Draco looked over in surprise and then followed Ron's gaze. There were old packing crates stacked behind one of the buildings, half of which and been scorched or destroyed. There was a large on with it's side completely stoved in... and he could see a leg with a familiar looking sneaker protruding from it.
They hurried over and Ron quickly ripped the top and most of one side of the wooden crate off in his haste to get a better look. Harry was laying there amidst pieces of shattered wood and straw-like packing material. "Harry!" He said, dropping to his knees beside him and checking him over.
"Is he alive?" Draco asked, standing there and peering down at Harry.
Ron let out a sigh of relief. "Ya..." He said bringing his wand to bear. "Ennervate!"
Harry coughed weakly, then let out a groan.
"Harry! You alright?" Ron asked pensively.
Harry blinked his eyes open, then reached up weakly, batting some of the packing away from his face. "Just peachy." He grumbled.
"What happened?" Draco asked.
"I almost had the bastard, then he got me with a cheap shot when those bloody Aurors came running out and casting like nearsighted gimboids."
"I thought you couldn't fight my father!" Draco said, suddenly much more interested, pulling his eyes from the woods where he'd been trying to catch any glimpse of what might be happening.
Harry gave a snort. "The demon can't. Bloody thing was so terrified I couldn't break it's hold until it finally got all fatalistic and gave up... now it's hiding in some little dark corner of my mind or something. Just what the bloody Hell did your father DO to that thing?"
Draco eyed him for a moment. "Weren't you listening?"
Harry furrowed his brow, "When?"
"Right after I bonded it to me."
Harry blinked, "No... I went to sleep or something during the ceremony... You were there when it hand control back over when I was just outside my room." Harry said, looking puzzled.
Draco nodded. "Let's talk about it later. For now, back to the school before any more bloody Death Eaters pop up."
Harry gave a little nod and winced, then started trying to lever himself up. Ron took ahold of him and all but lifted him to his feet. As soon as he released him, however, Harry started tilting over to one side and Ron had to quickly take hold of him again. "You ok?" Ron asked, alarmed as Harry's eyes lost focus.
"Everything's gone all pear shaped..." Harry said faintly, He shook his head to clear it, but promptly desisted, staggering against Ron and looking as if he were about to pass out.
Ron noticed the blood trailing down from Harry's ear for the first time and sighed, sweeping him up into his arms without even bothering to ask. "Looks like you're ear's a right mess. There'll be no keeping you on your feet until that's put back to rights."
Harry sighed and rolled his eyes, but didn't deny it. His head was swimming every time he tried to so much as tell which way was up. Ron started slowly back the way they had come, trying not to jar Harry.
Harry looked back at Draco, letting his head dangle limply. It wouldn't improve his vision to hold it still anyway. "You owe me." He said with a smirk.
Draco furrowed his brow. "The demon did all the work."
"Ok..." Harry said agreeably. "You owe us..."
"Owe you what?" Draco asked carefully.
"A favor..."
Draco narrowed his eyes. "What kind of a favor?"
Harry grinned, "Enough of the camping out shite already. I want a bloody bed!"
Draco let out a bark of laughter, then smirked. "Ok, Potter. That I can do."
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A/N - Well, I certainly hope I can keep posting... my computer has been going a bit wonky. It's relatively old and the fan has recently begun to periodically stop working, so I have to be real careful to keep it from overheating (and of course it refuses to act up when it's in the shop!!! They won't fix what they can't see!). That along with my ancient car acting up means that if this computer goes I don't know when I'll be able to post again. I really can't afford much of anything right now since I was so recently unemployed for such a long period, so a new or even decent used computer is out of the question. I know, I know. Cry me a river right? Just wanted to tell you so you had a heads up on the situation. So in essence, channel all your good luck wishes and charms towards my computer, cause if it dies... (cringes at the thought). Well either that or you can make donations to the get-me-a-new-computer fund! always accepted! :P jk.
Anyhow, so since I can only keep this thing on for a while at a time I hope to keep putting out chapters at a reasonable pace, but please don't complain if it takes a while. I'm frustrated enough already! Oh and in case you're wondering about why Harry couldn't keep upright near the end, your inner ear controls your equilibrium. Something damaging or otherwise messing up your inner ear can cause vertigo-like symptoms. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine. So on with a couple of replies to reviews:
First a note... Harry is not bonded to Draco/Darien, the demon is. If he is calling Draco master, it is the demon speaking. I call him Harry even when it's the demon sometimes because I get so tired of calling it it!
lil trindle - the time turner does not make you stop aging while you're back in time. If she, say, got a real kick arse time turner and turned time back a year and relived that year all over again, she would be physically a year older than she should be when she got back to the present time... because she lived that year twice. Her age would not stand still. In the book, hers was a tiny time turner that only moved her back one hour at a time, but those hours can add up... she appeared to be using it to turn back time for at least three or four hours a day, so I'd say over the course of the year it probably added weeks if not a month or two to her actual age. Her age might not change legally, but her body does age. And about Draco and calling off the demon, Dumbledore got there first. Draco wasn't right nearby, that's why Blaise called him over. The fact that it stopped immediately once informed that Fudge was a guest should have shown that it was under control as long as you don't say something completely stupid ;)
Amy-felton - it was implied before that they had looked into the device and the possibility of removing it. Snape told him before the binding ceremony that Fudge hadn't bothered to take into consideration that there was no way to remove it, otherwise they would have gotten it out of him as soon as they were ready to bind it to Darien. Fudge doesn't want the demon in Harry, so if he knew how to get it off he would have done it already. It wouldn't exactly make him look good if it were to get out that he had trapped a demon in the public's precious boy-who-lived, now would it?
Kitz-felton - Draco and Ginny just got engaged! Not to mention shagging right after. How is that not together anymore? Sure they aren't getting as much 'screen time' now, but as you can tell, they will be getting some more attention soon. Certain parts of the story just have to be carried by other characters for it to flow right.
Draco's girl - the demon is in Harry's body and in his mind... he doesn't have to speak aloud for it to hear. When Harry speaks to it aloud it's just out of habit, kind of like Draco did when first starting to talk to Darien.