Title: legatum de maladie

Genre: Romance/Drama/Angst

Pairing: HP/DM

Rating: M

Summary: AU. There was never a boy who lived, only a boy who died.

Draco Malfoy is ill. Harry Potter is a Healer. Lucius Malfoy is desperate. Slash.

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. It's all the property of J.K Rowling, and this story is being written for entertainment purposes only. Not a dime is being made.

xxxx

March 1999

"The curse is about four thousand years old, give or take. I discovered it by accident, really. All of my best finds in my research have pretty much been fluke up until this point."

"So, if you've discovered this curse already, why are you here asking for funding to go on expedition, Mr. Potter?"

"Well, though I know the curse exists, and I have a few texts that list its properties and what it's supposed to do, there is known to be a very ancient scroll that has more details than any other text currently available. My theory is that this curse could indeed prove useful in the field of memory loss. Not all aging patients have the benefit of a Pensieve, and like muggles, some of our older patients are prone to Alzheimer's disease. If I can find this scroll, the information would be invaluable to my research."

"You're certain this scroll you seek is in Asia?"

"Given that the curse itself originated there, yes. All of the text written on this particular curse is from Asian scholars. I've seen no other curse like this one anywhere else in the world, and I have no reason to believe that this particular scroll I'm seeking has ever left the Asian continent. I've taken a great deal of care in plotting my course, but I'm certain that the scroll will be somewhere in the Himalayas."

"You're proposed guide is once against Mr. Sirius Black?"

"I wouldn't trust anyone else. Sirius is a master curse breaker and he's been through the area before."

"Alright then, everything seems to be in order, but we will need time to look over the paperwork and ensure your details are precise. Give us three days deliberation, Mr. Potter, and we will meet back here on Thursday afternoon at which point we will deliver our final decision."

"Thank you, Madam."

xxxx

Kate Potter was bored. When her brother had been announced as the new DADA Professor, she'd been very excited. Things always picked up at Hogwarts when Harry was around. He was notorious for getting into trouble, and despite his newfound Professor-dom, she hadn't expected his adventurous streak to die down any. Yet, she'd seen him twice in the past two days, and both instances had been rather dull on the scale of Harry Potter pizzazz, and there had been no news of anything untoward happening at Hogwarts since his arrival. It was all very disappointing.

She'd just received a letter from her mother asking her to keep an eye out for her older brother, and maybe temper his antics. Lily Potter knew her son was up to something, but he hadn't told anyone what that something was, and she was worried. Her mother had expressed her usual bitterness when she spoke about Harry, and not for the first time, Kate wondered why Harry was so separated from their parents. He appeared to get on okay with them, but whenever he was in a fix, or if he needed advice, he always went to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Years ago, when Harry had still been in school, he'd gotten into a huge fight with their parents over some trivial teenage thing. She'd only been around nine years old at the time, but she remembered climbing upstairs to find her older brother in tears. He'd whispered something to her then that she would never forget. Harry had told her that he didn't feel any paternal or maternal links to their parents. His heart kept telling him that they weren't supposed to be there, and he couldn't figure out why that was. He was drawn to Sirius for the very same reason. Inside, it felt like Sirius was the one he was supposed to go to for paternal advice, and failing him, Remus Lupin. Kate hadn't understood at the time, but she'd given her brother a big hug, and had promised not to tell anyone if asked. She'd had years to mull over Harry's revelation, and she still wasn't any closer to an answer. Her brother had always been weird though. He'd be the first person to jump up and save a baby kitten from the doom of a tall tree. He'd gone into medicine because he wanted to help people, but what no one had known at the time of Harry's college registration was that he was planning to study Dark Magic and its application to medicine. Harry Potter was a Gryffindor-Slytherin enigma, and no one in the family could fully grasp the idea of Harry being so completely two-sided. While the first to save kittens, he was also one of the first to make sure the kitten wouldn't bite him first.

Kate looked around the Ravenclaw common room and sighed. Usually when she couldn't stop thinking about Harry that meant Harry was in trouble; which figured, because he was always in trouble. She already had all of her work done, but everyone else was still buried in books. Not for the first time she cursed her Potter genes. Her mother, despite being a Gryffindor, had always been very laid back and reserved, but her father was the standard foolhardy Gryffindor, and every so often, Kate got the itch to follow in her father's footsteps. Tonight, the itch was particularly strong. She just knew that something was up with Harry, and she was determined to find out what it was. She stood up and gathered her notes and books. She had something special in her dorm that might help her adventurous streak, and since she'd never used it before, she was mildly excited, and terrified, of the idea. She dumped her books on her bed and opened her school trunk, looking around to make sure no one was watching.

She pulled out her father's invisibility cloak, admiring the sheer volume of the fabric, and then before she could change her mind, she tiptoed down the stairs beneath the shimmery curtain, and disappeared out the portrait hole. Her fellow students were far too busy revising for their newts, over a year and a half away, to notice.

She was feeling rather naughty, traveling around at night when she ought to be tucked away safe, and if she were caught….well she was a Prefect. She could probably find some practical reason for being out at night, but there was no way to explain the invisibility cloak.

She was so deep into planning the speech she'd give should she be caught that she didn't notice the couple coming round the corner until she had smacked right into them.

"Oi, fuck! What the hell!" Oleander peered into the darkened corridor, but couldn't see any reason for his falling flat on his face. He looked up at his companion, who was doing her best to stifle a giggle. "Did you see anything?"

Rhoswen shook her head. "If I'm not mistaken, you've just tripped on your own two feet, you oaf."

Olli glared at her. "You ought to have a bit more respect for your elders." He quickly pulled himself off the floor and smoothed his robes irritably. "You're sure you didn't see anything? I could have sworn there was something. Maybe Filch's bloody cat."

"I think Mr. Filch has gone away. I overheard the Professor's talking about it."

"Never mind it, let's get to the infirmary. You promised me you'd show me Draco was okay."

The younger girl sighed. "Only because you wouldn't leave me alone."

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure it's your fault that he's in there in the first place, isn't it?"

Rhoswen didn't answer, but the colour drained from her already pale face. Kate watched the proceedings in fascination. They couldn't see her. She was flat on her backside in the corridor, miles of shimmery fabric around her, and they couldn't see her. This invisible thing was bloody brilliant! The topic of their conversation concerned her though. Malfoy was sick again? She mulled that over. Her brother was studying healing, even if his line of work was a bit questionable. Maybe he was with Malfoy. Since she had no where else she had to be, she decided to follow the Slytherin duo to the infirmary. Even if Harry wasn't involved, she might learn something valuable while she was there.

xxxx

Lucius stared out a window at the east side of his large estate. There was a storm rolling in and it reminded him severely of the one currently rolling over inside his head. By now, a message was halfway to Hogwarts for the young Rainwater girl. He allowed himself a brief smile when he thought of the look on her face when she learned of her parent's fate. No one messed with a Malfoy, least of all some pathetic whelp of a girl with delusions of grandeur.

Both the child's and the mediwitch's contracts has started to glow early that afternoon. That was Lucius' sign to alert him when they tried to open their mouths and reveal their secrets. He had used a variant on an Indian voodoo spell to trigger a case of severe throat infection on the mediwitch. He couldn't harm her as much as he'd like, given that he still required her services at Hogwarts.

The girl was another story. Her parents had been at his doorstep three times that year alone demanding more money for the secret services of their prized daughter. He'd had enough of listening to them, and when the contract had shimmered in an eerie shade of orange that afternoon, he'd snapped. He didn't have to deal with them anymore. One of his contacts was very good at arranging accidents. It really was a shame about the younger child though. He was a pure blood, and young enough that he might have turned out well with the proper education. Some things could not be prevented however. Lucius smirked. He was pleased to see that Potter's contract hadn't bled a trace of unsavory colour. Obviously, the boy was more Slytherin than he'd ever given him credit for.

"Lucius darling, are you in here?"

He sighed and rubbed his temples in exasperation. "Yes darling, I'm here." He winced when the study door squeaked open. He'd asked the damned house elves to take care of it a week ago. Apparently, he was becoming far too lax.

"Darling husband mine, I have some wonderful news." Narcissa swept into the room in a glorious array of soft pinks that complimented her delicate complexion. Her robes were of the finest quality silk money could buy, and even at her age, she looked absolutely ravishing.

"I could use some good news my darling. What is it?" Lucius sat at his desk and glanced over some financing documents while his wife blubbered on about her appointments of the day. She hardly ever said anything of interest, and in the decades that they'd been married, he'd become an expert at tuning her out. "Darling," he interrupted her finally. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I have an appointment myself with one of my solicitor's in twenty minutes that I need to prepare for, so if you could get to the point?"

Narcissa scowled, but quickly adjusted her facial muscles. Scowling caused premature wrinkles. "You never do listen to a word I say, do you Lucius?"

Lucius stood up and swept her into his arms. A bit of romance placated her nerves every time. "I worship you my darling, but I've been very distracted. Draco's not doing very well this year, and with the Halloween coming up-"

"Well, if you'd have been paying attention, you would have realized that you don't have to worry about it anymore." She smiled sweetly at him and kissed the tip of his nose. "Lucius love, I'm pregnant."

xxxx

August 2000

"Sirius, you do of course realize what this means for the medical community, don't you?" Harry's hands were trembling in excitement as he gazed over the scroll one more time. It had taken a complex measure of translation charms and every bit of language study known between the two of them to read it, but now that they could…the results were astounding.

Sirius sighed and rubbed at his swollen ankles. "Harry, I honestly fail to see how some dark wizard's crack-pot scheme for immortality could do anything for medicine in the modern world, but I'm sure you'll write a fabulous paper on it, get a decent grade and make your folks proud. Right now though, I really just want to get back to England and have a pint, does that sound alright with you?"

"Sure thing," Harry replied, but it was obvious that he wasn't paying attention. The scroll was so much more important than the key to his thesis, and he just knew he would be able to figure out the puzzle. It had taken three appeals and miles of red tape to get the go ahead to come here and find it. Now it was in his hands, and he wasn't letting it go.

He couldn't wait to begin his research.

xxxx

Draco moaned and sat up in bed. Everything was dark and he couldn't see, but he'd recognize the rough texture of hospital linens anywhere. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones. The pain had left him, but now he was feeling so strange…like he didn't weigh anything, like he'd float away. The feeling was frightening, and even though his body didn't hurt anymore, this strange indescribable sensation was so much worse.

"Hello!" He called out, and then squeaked in fear at the horrible sound of his own voice. Could that pathetic whisper really be him? It couldn't be. "Hello!" He tried again, and then shuddered as the hollow sound bounced off his own ears. What was wrong with him? He huddled up in the covers, suddenly feeling very cold. He lay back down on his pillow and listened carefully. He could vaguely make out voices, but they sounded very far away. This was rubbish. Something was obviously very wrong with him, and there was no one around to help. What were they paying that damned mediwitch for anyhow? He allowed himself to pout. It was that stupid girl's fault that he was here. The stupid bloody bint had had a forgetful moment and now he was royally fucked. He couldn't wait to talk to his father. His father would come and make them make him better. Right now though, he was all alone, and feeling so very strange. He buried his face under his sheets and sobbed softly to himself. Why was it that when he needed it most, there was never anyone around to hold him?

xxxx

A half-full glass of scotch sat on the smooth wood surface, a small puddle of the amber liquid seeped around its base. The bottle the liquor had come from was an inch away, ready to refill the glass at a moments notice. The owner of the glass was currently slouched in his usual chair with one hand in his thick black hair and the other holding onto a student's medical file whose contents were most interesting indeed.

Harry had been rereading the same few pages of coded medical text for the last half hour and he still couldn't believe what it said. But then, his mind had been working overtime, pulling together all of the clues he'd had dropped in the last three days. He sighed, exhausted, and threw the file onto his desk.

Draco Malfoy was dead.

At least, that was the just of what the file had said. Suddenly, Harry had a reason to fear Lucius Malfoy very much. Why had the man kept this secret from him? If Draco Malfoy was already dead, then there was certainly no means of giving him life other than through Necromancy, and the arts of soul binding. Harry had no idea how Lucius had managed to put Draco back together, but if the boy was already dead…

Obviously, Lucius had already brought him back once. The man had searched the Earth for the information and he'd accomplished what Harry had always assumed was the impossible. He'd done it, and now he wanted Harry to clean up. Harry sighed. He was in way over his head. He knew nothing about soul magic or Necromancy. He studied Dark Magic that would have effects on living bodies, not dead ones. His thoughts turned again to the young boy who was certain to die again within the next few days if Harry couldn't figure out how to help him.

He was obviously the same boy that Lucius had given to the Dark Lord. Everything made sense now. What scared Harry the most was that the sickly young man he'd held in his arms was supposed to have been the same age as Harry…to have gone to school with Harry. What would it have been like to be in the same class as Draco Malfoy? Kate always griped about him. He was a pretty smart kid, and apparently he wasn't a half bad seeker either, at least when he could work up the energy to play. Harry suddenly choked as he felt a wave of magic surge from the walls of the school and enclose around him. He watched, trapped, as a series of images pushed their way into his head, flying past his eyes at a mile a minute.

He suddenly knew very much what it would have been like to be classmates with Draco Malfoy, and exactly what sort of changes he himself would have had to go through to live that life. The life that played out before his eyes in scant seconds scared the hell out of him. He saw himself as a baby; saw his mother screaming and the ominous green flash that could only ever be associated with the Avada Kedavra curse. He saw himself in Gryffindor Red. He saw a laughing, smirking face that he had to look up to see. Haunted grey eyes followed by dark red irises and slithering snakes.

Blood, death and destruction.

War.

Harry shook his head and looked down at his desk in awe. He'd heard of magical loopholes that could move between various forms of realty. Apparently he'd triggered a very powerful one with his musings. Somewhere, in another version of life, The Dark Lord had attacked him as a baby instead of setting his sights on Draco Malfoy, and it had produced a very different world, at least from Harry's perspective. Harry peered at the stone walls of the school and wondered suddenly if they were the reason Albus Dumbledore always appeared to know so much. If his thoughts could trigger a reaction, he could only just imagine what Dumbledore was capable of when he sat down to mull over a day's events. Harry shuddered to think of it. He reached wearily for his glass and downed the remaining contents in one go. Sirius would be ashamed to see him wasting quality liquor. His godfather always had enjoyed a good drink, especially after a long journey. Harry smiled lightly, allowing the liquor to relax him. He couldn't think unless he was relaxed. He suddenly wished that he were elsewhere, and that this problem had fallen onto someone else's shoulders. Surely there was someone else out there better equipped to deal with saving Draco Malfoy's soul? To think, he could have been working on his thesis, or maybe Sirius would have called and asked for company on his latest expedition…

Harry bolted right out of his seat.

xxxx