Disclaimer: I do not own any part, nor character, of the Harry Potter universe. Talk to J.K. Rowling and her publishers. They are the ones making the big big bucks (or pounds) as the case may be, on this amazing franchise.
This fic has been relentlessly beating around my head for a while now and I finally found the inspiration to write it. The chapter is the longest chapter for any piece of fiction I have ever written and I apologize if I don't explain it as clearly as I intended to do. If you have any questions feel free to leave me a review and I will get back to you. I address all reviews from a current chapter when I post new chapters so you will be heard I promise.
WARNING: Some very dark, disturbing content ahead. You have been warned.
I love reviews! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, please I beg you all! Don't leave me hanging.
On with the story!
"Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after."
Harry sighed heavily as the words to an old muggle nursery rhythm fluttered through his weary mind. He vaguely remembered a day, many years ago, when he had been a child and he heard his aunt read that short sentence to her precious son. He wasn't a child anymore, in fact he really wasn't anything anymore. He shifted slightly and wrapped the thin blanket around his skeletal shoulders. Five years ago he would have never seen himself in this position. Five years ago he had been their golden boy, the child who had survived the killing curse and destroyed the dark lord Voldemort. Now he was "the boy who lived to join the dark lord"! It was absurd and a dry choked cough that might pass for laughter escaped his parched and broken lips.
His life and the world as a whole was just like that stupid rythm. The people were just like Jack and Jill. They worked their way up the hill in hopes of getting the ultimate reward that waited at the top. Life didn't work that way, it never worked that way. All the work that was put into achieving the reward always seemed to fall just short of the goal before everything crumbled and people are left right back where they started. Sadly picking one's self up after the fall isn't always as easy as it sounds. Take Jack for example. According to the rhyme he broke his crown. This could have an infinite number of meanings. It could be that Jack lost all his worldly possesions or he could have been badly injured in the fall. The ryhme doesn't give its reader the details of what came after the fall. It doesn't tell them what they are supposed to do after the fall happens to them.
The wizarding world now thought their boy savior was as dark and dangerous as the dark lord he had helped defeat as an infant. No one had cared when he had stood defiantly at his trial and told the judges that what had happened wasn't his fault, that it had all been a trap by Voldemort to frame him. Fudge had declared him guilty before he even walked into the courtroom. The whole trial process had been a mockery from the very second it had started and Harry wouldn't put it past Fudge to be in Voldemort's pocket. Sadly his farce of a trial had most likely been due to the stupidity of individuals within the ministry itself rather than political corruption.
Fudge believed that surviving the killing curse as an infant had left him mentally unsound and that he had finally lost what little sanity remained to him. Fudge also claimed that Harry had been further corrupted by Draco and Severus who were accused of collaborating with Harry's plan to kill five wizards and eleven muggles. Harry and Draco had been eighteen at the time of their arrest and it made perfect sense in the eyes of the ministry that the two heirs to traditionally pure blood families would adopt the radical views of Voldemort and his followers. They completely disregarded the fact that Harry's mother had been a muggle born, he had obviously hated his half-blood status since his former friend Hermione Granger had been amongst the deceased.
Draco had unwillingly recieved the mark during the summer between fifth and sixth year and had joined Severus as a spy almost immediatly afterward. Harry had not been marked until the fateful night that had earned him a life sentence in Azkaban. That was the night that Voldemort had tortured those poor wizards and muggles before framing Harry, Draco, and Severus for the murders. It was Voldemort's grand plan to get rid of not only the traitors in his midst but also Harry in one fell stroke. The dark lord had used his carefully hidden spy within the order of the phoenix to lure Harry into the trap that would effectively end Harry's career as a wizard of the light.
Harry would never forget the day that he, Draco, and Severus had been dragged before the wizarding court to face charges for the supposed killing of five wizards and eleven muggles. The evidence against them was obvious. The three of them had been found in the center of a circle of their supposed victims and their wands showed clear evidence of having been used to cast a number of dark curses. It should have been obvious that Harry Potter would never take part in killing five of the people closest to him. He would never forget the looks of horror and pain on the faces of Percy, Hagrid, Tonks, and Hermione as they were tortured and killed one after the other. It didn't help that he, Severus, and Draco were also forced to watch as a number of muggles were also killed.
What had hurt him more was to find out the truth about Ron. It had been Ron Weasley, his one time best friend, who had turned him over to Voldemort. The weasel had even gone so far as to rat out Draco and Severus in the process. Harry would never forget Voldemort's smirking, snakelike face, as he gloated about how his spy within the order had personally brought him the great Harry Potter. He, Severus, and Draco had watched in growing apprehension as Voldemort motioned for one of his masked death eaters to come forward and remove his mask. To see Ron Weasley standing before them had left the three wizards speechless and it was not until Harry heard Hermione screaming Ron's name that he had finally reacted.
The surge of magic that escaped his body as his anger against Ron manifested itself had freed him of his bonds but he had been too disoriented by the sudden surge of power to properly use his new found freedom to his advantage. He had been quickly subdued once again and then forced to watch as each of his friends was tortured and their lives finally ended with one of the wands that had formally belonged to he, Severus, and Draco. The use of their wands to cast the unforgiveable curses had been the damning evidence against them in court.
The only vindication that Harry had received from that whole episode was knowing that Ron got what he deserved for being a traitor. He had gotten the pleasure of watching as Ron knelt before his lord waiting to accept praise for a job well done. He had gotten his praise all right, but not as he had expected to. Voldemort had begun by praising Ron's good work but had ended on a note that had sent Ron into a panic. The dark lord did not like traitors, whether they were on his side or not, and had decided to make sure that Ronald Weasley lived to betray no one else. Ron had fallen at the hands of Voldemort and a well timed killing curse. The moment had been rather ironic for Harry and he was surprised how little Ron's death had hurt him. He supposed that he had been pretty much numb to all emotion at that point and the fact that his friend had turned traitor and gotten himself killed for it had not sunk in until later.
The faces of his friends had become engraved in his memory the second they had joined the long list of things that Harry saw when the Dementors neared his cell. He was just like Jack when he fell from the hill he had brought everyone he had ever cared about along with him. He vaguely wandered what thoughts had passed through the minds of Jack and Jill as they plummeted. Did they see their lives flash before their eyes like he did whenever a dementor came near his cell? He hoped they did and he hoped that their lives had been more pleasant then his had turned out to be. He hoped that they had had happy memories and most of all he hoped that they were able to pick themselves up, despite Jack's broken crown, and go on with their lives. He had to think that because if he thought anything else he would find less and less reason to keep fighting.
In all truth he was amazed that he could still think clearly with all the horror that haunted his past. His sorrow attracted the dementors of Azkaban like moths to a flame. If it weren't for Draco and Severus he probably would have gone insane long ago but the three of them were bonded and it was through their bond that they kept each other alive. The day they had bonded was one of the few days in his life that made Harry feel complete. He had known from that day forward that he would always have someone to turn to.
Harry had never intended to become bonded to two of the wizards he had hated most in the world. He was glad it had happened now but at the beginning of his sixth year it was definitly not what he had planned to happen.It had all happened because of his stupidity. The same stupidity that had gotten Sirius killed in the Department of Mysteries. If Harry hadn't been so stubborn when Snape had tried to teach himocclumency the first time then Sirius might still be alive and none of them would be in this situation.
He had never fully gotten over his godfather's death. It had been his fault after all. If he had listened then Sirius might still be alive. Guilt ate at his soul every second of his existence and it had done far more damage then the dementors could ever hope to do. He had spent the summer following Sirius' death chin deep in self pity. His relatives had tried to snap him out of it by giving him a list of chores that was miles long but he had simply ignored them and eventually they had left him alone. He had enjoyed the solitude that they gave him. It was a welcome relief that allowed him to concentrate on nothing but his own grief.
It wasn't until the final weeks before school that he finally snapped out of it. He had come up with a plan and that plan was that he wasn't going to take anyone else down with him when he went down. He would defeat Voldemort and make him pay for what he had taken away from him if it was the last thing he ever did. To do that he would first have to make sure that Voldemort couldn't influence him anymore. He had finally realized the danger that Snape had been trying to drill into his thick skull. Therevelation that Snape had actually been right about something that been an epiphany for Harry and it had awakened the Slytherin in him that he had tried so hard to bury. To beat Voldemort he had to think like the darklord and he had to do it in a manner that Voldemort would never see coming. It required Slytherin cunning which was something that Harry severely lacked. That was why the first thing that Harry did at the beginning of his seventh year was seek out his most hated professor.
What he had done to approach the professor had been akin to suicide. Thinking back on it now he realized that he probably did have a death wish at the time. If Snape had killed him for his tactics then his fight would have been over and if he had gotten expelled then his friends wouldn't be there to go down with him. He had barged into Snape's office shortly after the students were supposed to have been in bed and immediatly cast a body bind and a silencing charm on the man. The look of shock and anger in Snape's eyes was something he would laugh about now if he could. If looks could kill he would have been dead a thousand times over in a single second. It was a look that he never wanted to be on the recieving end of again.
After properly securing Snape and making sure that no one was going to interupt them he had begun talking. He had told Snape everything about himself. He told him about life with the Dursleys,and about how much he hated the role he played in the wizarding world. He had talked for the first time about Sirius and he had ended their little chat by telling Snape just how much he wanted Voldemort gone and that to do that he would have to learn occlumency and he would have to learn it from the one person who would push him the hardest to do it right. To prove it he had been willing to show Snape every memory in his mind if it would convince Snape to train him again.
When he had finally released Snape he had expected the man to start screaming, or cursing him, or proceed with expelling him but Snape had done nothing but sit there with an introspective look on his face. That had scared Harry more than anything. He was not used to sitting there in silence as he waited for the axe stroke that would end his life. Finally Snape had chosen to speak and the single word that exited his lips continued to haunt Harry. When Snape had whispered "Legilimens!" Harry had been forced to relive his whole brutal life. It had been his choice to do so and he made no attempt to stop Snape from taking whatever he wanted from his mind. He had known that it had to be done. Snape would have never taken him on again without anything less.
Reliving his life in an instant had finally showed shown Snape that he was serious and that he was definitly not the boy who Snape believed him to be. Harry may have been a carbon copy of James Potter but he was definitly not James Potter. There was too much of Lily Evans in him and Harry knew that that fact alone probably saved his life. Severus may have disliked his mother but he did respect her and she did the same for him. When no one else had stood up for him Severus had found a silent friend. She might not have defended him out right but she would usually try to stop things before they went to far. The memory that Harry had seen in his fifth year had been one of the few times where she had failed.
After that eye opening session Snape had started rigorously training him in occlumency. The two of them had found a common ground that allowed them to be civil to one another and it was only during their sessions that they allowed that respect to show. During classes things appeared as they always had. Snape ridiculed his dismal potions skills while Harry sat there and took it. In truth he had actually gotten much better at potions and Snape recognized that fact. However it would have been suspicious if they had suddenly become friends so they allowed their old relationship to continue.
It had been during one of their training sessions that Draco stumbled upon the truth. It had happened duringt he first practice session following Christmas break of Harry and Draco's sixth year. Harry and Severus had warded Snape's quarters as they always did but Draco had barged right past the wards like they weren't even there and had started ranting before he had even realized that Harry was in the room. By the time that Severus got the boy silenced he had already blurted out more than Harry should have been privy to. What he found out in those few seconds changed his whole opinion of Draco Malfoy. Underneath the pure-bred exterior Draco was really just a scared child who had seen too many things he didn't want to see and whose father had forced him to take Voldemort's mark.
When Draco had realized that Harry was in the room Harry had come face to face with the tip of the other boy's wand. If it hadn't been for Severus' quick action Harry was sure that he would have been the focus of more than one dark curse. His presence had terrified the younger Malfoy who definitly did not want his worst enemy knowing that he was marked. When Severus had stopped him from attacking Harry the boy had completely broken down and Harry had watched as Severus took charge by moving the distraught youth to the couch and preparing tea which he spiked with a large quantity of calming potion.
The potion had brought Malfoy back to some semblance of his normal pure-bred ways and he quickly tried to put his masks back in place.He had done a decent job of it as well but Harry knew they were masks and knew how to look past them and still see the pale scared boy who was playing at being brave. Harry had known the feeling all too well but he had known that if he confronted Malfoy about his masks at that time then Malfoy would have snapped even further. Over the years Harry had learned that you didn't kick a person when they were down. It only made them want to get back at you more then they already did and he didn't really want Draco to hate him. If he had met Draco before he had met Ron there might have been a good chance that he and Draco could have been friends, not the enemies they had grown to be.
Harry hadcome out of his thoughts when he had heard Draco and Severus begin talking. The two them were discussing Draco's options and it wasn't long before they had decided that Draco would join Severus as a spy. It really had been the only logical course of action if Draco wanted to avoid serving Voldemort. The conversation had then turned to Harry. Draco did not want the Gryffindor knowing his deepest secret and telling the whole school about his mark.
When Draco had insinuated that Harry would go about telling everyone he knew the truth Harry had become angry. He may not have liked Malfoy all that much at the time but he had had no intention of telling the whole school about something that Draco clearly didn't want to be public information, especially when the dark mark was not something that Draco had wanted in the first place. Draco had of course been a little shocked by Harry's angry response and Severus had had to intervene once again when the boys had found themselves at the points of each other's wands.
The professor had then suggested a solution that would guarantee secrecy on all sides. Severus had been nervous about taking Draco on as a spy. He had not wanted to be responsible for the younger boy but he had known that if he did not take Draco under his wing then the boy would probably do something that would reveal himself as disloyal to Voldemort and Severus would not allow himself to knowingly lead a student into danger. Draco had been understandably nervous and Harry just hadn't wanted to go about his day to day business without worrying about when Draco was going to snap under the pressure and come after him because he knew the truth.
What Severus had suggested, and what he and Draco had agreed to was a blood bonding ritual. It was a spell that required the blood of the participants and invoked a complex and unbreakable pact between the wizards whotook partin it. If any of the participants gave away the secrets of the others involved than the ones who had been betrayed would become aware of the fact that they had been betrayed. Thepact that was formed also invoked a mental link between thewizards that entered into it.Due to this factor thespellhad beenclassified as dark magic but Severushad been willing to perform the spell if it meant added safety for the three of them. He had even been able to provide a copy of the spell for the teenagers to look over.
Harry had been the most reluctant to enter into a pact but he knew what Severus and Draco were risking to help end the war. It probably hadn't been the wisest decision he had ever made but he had agreed. He had just wanted the feud between himself and Draco to end so they could concentrate on winning the war. That time hadn't been right for stupid rivalries and Harry had been willing to put the past behind him if Draco agreed. The other boy had been less than happy about the idea of being bonded to his nemesis but he had been more worried about Harry revealing his secret so he had agreed as well. Once they had agreed Severus had given them both detentions for the following evening and had told him to meet him in his classroom. Harry remembered that night and he knew that he would never forget that night even if the dementors of Azkaban completely destroyed his mind. Bonding to another wizard was something one did not forget, no matter what the circumstances.
flashback
Harry walked quickly through the cold dark corridors of the dungeons. He had told Ron and Hermione about his detention with Snape the night before and neither of them had been happy with him. Hermione had lectured him for what seemed like hours about how he would eventually have to put aside his feelings for Snape while Ron had just been Ron. The other boy's attitude of late had disturbed Harry but Harry could not figure out what upset him so greatly about his friend's attitude. Ron had been so angry lately and it just didn't make sense to Harry.
For now though he pushed the thoughts of Ron to the back of his mind. He had more important things to worry about. The idea of using blood to bind himself to Snape and Malfoy didn't set well with him but he knew that it was the only way to get Malfoy to trust him. He knew what it was like to carry the weight of the world on one's shoulders and to do so alone was something that Harry did not want another student like himself to experience.
He finally reached the potions classroom and took a few deep breaths to settle his stomach before he reached up to knock on the heavy door. As he waited for a response he became more and more nervous and had to force himself not to run. The door finally opened and he saw Severus looking at him with piercing ebony eyes. Harry suddenly felt very small and unguarded but he pushed the feelings away and entered the room. He saw Draco sitting near the front and silently went to sit near the other boy. Neither of them spoke as Severus moved around the room and gathered what they would need to complete the ritual. When he had finally collected what he needed he placed the various jars on his desk and began putting them inside a small bag. Once he had done that he motioned for the boys to follow him. They had done so but it was obvious that they were confused by his actions so Severus was quick to explain.
"This ritual cannot be performed within the castle. It has a dark magical signature and it will be noticed by the wards. To avoid that we must go outside the wards. I have prepared a clearing in the forest. It is a safe place to perform the spell. I have recieved permission from the headmaster to take you two into the forest to help me collect potions ingredients. It is the perfect excuse so we must go quickly. When we reach the forest stay close to me. Dumbledore does not lie when he says the forest is dangerous.
Harry and Draco exchanged a glance. Each of them remembered their experience with Hagrid and the forest during first year and neither of them was eager to return there now or anytime in the future. For a second Harry thought that Draco would back out but the boy's internal struggle seemed to be over before it began and the boy nodded for Severus to lead the way. The three of them were silent as they walked through the halls and out of the school. As they exited the building they could see that the sun was already starting its descent towards the horizon and there was only a couple hours of daytime left. Knowing that they were entering the forest so close to evening caused a chill to pass down Harry's spine and he wrapped his cloak a little tighter around himself. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Draco doing the same thing.
Together they followed Snape across the grounds and as they approached the forest each of them moved a little closer to the professor. It may have sounded stupid but the closer they got the better they felt. Neither of them wanted to get separated from Severus and the man was moving rather quickly into the rapidly developing underbrush. It took a lot longer then Harry thought to reach the clearing that Snape had prepared. He had had no idea just how far into the forest the wards of the castle spread until that night and he could feel the difference when they finally left them. It was like the temperature had suddenly dropped about ten degrees and Harry could see small puffs of steam as his breath escaped him.
The clearing that Severus had prepared was small and a patch of sky was visible through the thick overhanging of branches. Severus removed several items from his bag and immediatly began creating an elaborate pattern of symbols on the ground with a thick powder. As he moved he muttered a continuous dialogue that Harry recognized as latin. When Severus finished making the design he turned to Harry and Draco.
"Potter stand in that pattern and Malfoy in that one." The boys did as they were told and moved to stand in the open centers of the two spell patterns. Each of them could feel the magic rising from the ground as they stepped into place and they watched as Severus added a few more lines to the pattern before stepping into the circle he had prepared for himself. Once Severus was ready the pattern around their feet glowed a bright white and each of them felt waves of magic wash over them. It was a disorienting experience and Harry suddenly realized that he could see the magic around him. It was like looking through falling water and he could see Severus as the older wizard removed a dagger from somewhere within his robes.
The sight of the dagger frightened Harry and he suddenly realized exactly what he had agreed to do. He reached out to stop Severus but when his hand reached the magic barrier surrounding him he realized that he could not pass through it. He glanced over at Draco who had a similiar look of anxiety on his face and Harry had to force himself to swallow past the lump in this throat as he realized that they were both trapped and that the only way to end the ritual was to complete it. Draco looked up and their gazes met for a brief second. It was a look of acceptance as each of them agreed that since they had to see this through then they would make the best of it.
Harry trained his gaze back on Severus who was using his wand to cast a series of spells on the dagger in his hand. As the spells were cast the blade flashed a blinding white and the three of them were forced to shadow their eyes until the light dimmed. When it finally did it left behind a dagger that was glowing soflty and Harry could see the magic radiating from the gleaming surface. Severus glanced at both boys and they both confirmed with a nod that they were ready to proceed. Harry noticed that Draco seemed a little hesitant but he did agree and Harry felt a little relief flow through him. He Draco was willing to do this then so was he. He was supposed to be the brave one of them afterall. It would be un-Gryffindor like to back down. It was at that instant that he also cursed his personality. He would have to work on being more Slytherin if he wanted to survive the coming war.
While Harry had been cursing his Gryffindor side Severus had seen their nods of approval and had raised the dagger and placed the blade against his palm. As he did so the blade caught the dying red rays of the sun and Harry forced himself to pay attention to what was going on around him. He would have to repeat whatever Snape said word for word if he didn't want the spell to go wrong and he knew that he had to pay attention. When Severus finally spoke his voice was clear and strong. He spoke the actual words of the spell in latin and cut into his hand.
"I, Severus Snape agree to enter into a bond pact with Harry Potter and Draconis Malfoy. By doing so I am agreeing to keep the secrets that are entrusted to me unless I have consent to reveal those secrets with the other members involved in the pact.. There will be no way to circumvent this without the others knowing and anyone who reveals information learned through the pact will be instantly revealed as a traitor. This pact is made final."
Severus wrapped his hand around the blade before he waved the blade through the curtain of magic surrounding him. The knife passed through easily and Severus was able to step outside his circle and into the center of the ritual circle. He opened his hand and allowedthe crimsondropletsto flow freely over the glyph on the ground and where the droplets hit the glyph began to glow a bright blue. Severus then approached the circle where Draco stood. He passed the dagger through the curtain of magic and Draco reached out to take the weapon from his mentor. He looked slightly disturbed but he raised the blade to his hand and repeated the same latin spell that Severus had performed earlier.
"I, Draconis Malfoy agree to enter into a bond pact with Harry Potter and Severus Snape. By doing so I am agreeing to keep the secrets that are entrusted to me unless I have consent to reveal those secrets with the other members involved in the pact. There will be no way to circumvent this without the others knowing and anyone who reveals information learned through the pact will be instatnly revealed as a traitor. This pact is made final."
He repeated the motions that Severus had performed and exited his circle to stand beside the older wizard. He extended his palm and allowed the droplets of his blood to fall onto the glyph. Where they landed the glyph turned a bright green. He then approached Harry and passed the dagger to him. Harry swallowed hard as he gripped the weapon's slick handle and held the blade to his hand. He repeated the latin of spell and placed the dagger to his hand.
"I, Harry Potter agree to enter into a bond pact with Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy. By doing so I am agreeing to keep the secrets that are entrusted to me unless I have consent to reveal those secrets from the other members in the pact. There will be no way to circumvent this without the others knowing and anyone who reveals information learned through the pact will be instantly revealed as a traitor. This pact is final."
He then performed the motion and stepped outside his circle. The places where his blood fell caused the glyph to turnan odd violet colorand Harry held out the dagger for Severus to take from him. The older man did so and held the dagger between them.
"The pact is final."
As quickly as the words were spoken the glyph that surrounded their feet glowed whiter then ever before turning a dark red color. The three wizards shared looks of apprehension as they were suddenly lifted off their feet and held in the air by the powerful magic they had invoked. Each of them felt a pull on their minds as the spell began to form the mental connection that would bond them together until their deaths. As quickly as the connection was formed a feeling of peace descended over the three of them. It madeeach of them feel complete and safe. It was an exhausting process that left each of them unable to stand when he magic finally exhausted itself. The only marks they found from the ordeal were the thin white scars that stretched the length of their palms and they spent the return trip to the castle in silence.
End Flashback
Maybe it would have been better if he had never confronted Severus about teaching him occlumency. He doubted that the current situation they found themselves would be any different if he had not though. The only difference would be that instead of friends, he, Severus, and Draco would have been enemies. The past five years under the sway of the dementors had taken their toll on Harry's mind and the poor conditions of the prison had taken their toll on his body. Despite it all Harry was glad to have Severus and Draco by his side. The three of them had kept each other sane throughout their time in the hellhole that was Azkaban and they had vowed to continue doing so as long as they had to remain there.
Harry knew that the samethe same things that were happening to him were also happening to hs friends. The mental link that they shared gave them a pretty vivid picture into each other's thoughts. The three of them shared cells that stood beside one another. As far as they knew they were the only three prisoners in their wing and the only contact they had with anything other than a dementor was when a guard brought them their meager rations. It was a degrading existence but the three of them kept each other's spirits up as much as possible. It had become a kind of game for them at times. If they failed in the game they would undoubtably go insane. The stakes were high but the reward that kept them going would be worth it.
Each of them looked forward to the day that somebody on the outside realized a mistake had been made. It had to happen sooner or later that someone in Voldemort's organization would let the truth slip. Once that happened the wizarding world would be all to happy to welcome the three of them back with open arms. It was a kindness that the wizarding world would not receive. He, Severus, and Draco had decided that a long time ago. When they were released they were not going to help either side. Neither side would get the aid of the boy who lived and the two wizards who had become most loyal to him. Harry saw it as a form of vindication for all that he, Severus, and Draco had suffered. He was not about to help a world that had betrayed him.
Harry flat out refused to serve a master while Severus and Draco had no master to return to. Their former lord knew that they were traitors and he would never accept them back into his fold. Dumbledore had lost their loyalty when he had them thrown in Azkaban without a proper trial. It had been a shattering blow, especially to Severus who had served Dumbledore for longer than Harry and Draco had been alive. They had made the collective decision that neither side would recieve their help and they planned to stick to that decision. Their loyalty now lied solely to each other and to the few people who had supported them when no one else would. That list was extremely short but it had helped knowing that not everyone in the wizarding world was blind.
Despite the odds that faced them, Harry was confindant, that when they were released that they would recover. It wouldn't be life as it was before but they would have each other and they would embrace the few who had never given up on them into their fellowship as well. The price that the wizarding world paid for neglecting him would be great but Harry did not particularily care at the moment nor saw himself caring again anytime in the near future. Harry's only goalwas to not be like Jack. Despite the hardships that he had faced, and the shattering fall down the hill he would pick himself up and start his life over again. It was his promise to himself and it was his promise to Severus and Draco and he knew that the two other men supported his vision. They would bounce back and they would do it together.
That was the first chapter of what I hope will be a well received story. Please review and let you know if I should continue or not. If you don't like it feel free to tell me why but try to do so nicely. Thanks to everyone who reads this and enjoys it.