Authors Notes

--Wow! Reviews already! Goodness! I'm very glad everyone seems to like my story; I tried to make it "real." This chapter should explain the transition and its effects. If you still have questions, though, by all means ask. Perhaps a question or comment shall inspire me to change or add…stuff.

--This is a Harry/Draco/Severus centric story. I hadn't really planned to add much more than asides about the reactions of others, e.g. Lucius, Ron, Hermione, Albus. I'll give it some thought, though…

--As for the meaning of the title. Well, I'm sorry to say you'll have to wait until the very very end to understand. Is it unusual to have to the last line of your fic already written before you're even half done?

Chapter 4 – Saturday, 12 October 1996

Harry blinked his eyes open, momentarily confused about his surroundings and why he had someone in his arms. He quickly remembered and, yawning himself somewhat awake, rolled over onto his back, flinging out his right arm in search of his wand. Finding it, Harry cast a quick tempus and noted the time of 1:37.

"S'good," Harry mumbled, pleased that both he and Draco had managed to sleep for so long. Dropping his wand back onto the bed, and thankful for the dim lighting the room provided simply with a quick phrase, Harry turned and raised himself up to check on his charge.

Harry examined what he could see of Draco. There was no question that transition had started. Draco's face was flushed, likely from the small but still noticeable increase in body temperature, and his brows were furrowed slightly in discomfort. He was also becoming restless. No doubt he would wake soon.

Harry lay back down and waited for Draco to wake, contemplating what the next twenty-odd hours would bring for them both. The blond would wake, restless and uncomfortable, peevish and jittery. Things would go downhill from there. Likely they would go downhill fast and far. Draco was, after all, a powerful wizard and the more powerful the wizard, the more powerful the transition. Harry was certain Draco would be receiving a specific gift, just as Harry had. In the whole of the student population, Draco was second only to Harry in raw magical power. They had both held those positions since they entered Hogwarts at age eleven. Harry never could decide if that said a lot about them as wizards or whether that said little about other wizards.

Most witches and wizards simply received a power boost, some more than others. It depended upon the individual's magical strength and fitness entering into transition. Rather like a muggle body-builder's ability to lift greater weights than his fellows, a highly magically fit wizard could endure the strain of the invading transition magics for a longer period than a weaker or less focused wizard. This led to the possibility of absorbing sufficient power for a Gift to manifest. Draco's arranged partner, Pansy, for instance, being a relatively low-powered witch, not to mention rather undisciplined magically, probably received hardly anything. Perhaps a flush of power for several long minutes before her transition net collapsed, seizing her magic channels and keeping her from absorbing more power.

Draco woke suddenly with a gasp and a jerk of limbs. Harry quickly dismissed his musings and tightened his hold on the blond and spoke lowly, "Shh. You're safe. No need to worry. How are you feeling?"

"How do you think I'm feeling?" Draco responded sharply. He sighed and apologized softly, "Sorry. I've got a bit of a headache and I'm feeling a bit warm. Other than that, all right. Do you know what time it is?"

"It's close to two o'clock."

"Hmm." Draco moved a bit, bringing his hand up to rub his forehead, then abruptly froze.

"Uh, Harry? Why…? When…?" Draco stopped, swallowed his sudden anxiety and spoke again, banishing the squeak that had crept into his voice. "Why are we both naked and when did that happen?"

Harry smiled and kept the amusement out of his voice as he answered evenly, "When I first undressed you and because it was easier stripping us both then than having to hassle with it when it became a necessity."

"I see."

Harry waited, wondering if Draco would have the guts to ask him straight out not to have sex with him during transition.

"You know, a transition bond is stronger and deeper if sex is delayed until later in the week."

Harry was impressed that Draco had managed the whole sentence sounding for all the world as if he was discussing the advantages of silk over cotton. Harry replied with a non-committal, "Hmmm."

Silence. A nervous swallow. "The transitionee will also be more empowered if their partner doesn't siphon off some of the magics during sex."

"Hmmm," Harry replied, thinking he really shouldn't be teasing Draco at a time like this but being unable to help himself.

A shaky breath. "I'd really appreciate it if you didn't have sex with me during my transition."

"All right."

Draco was still a moment in his disbelief of Harry's easy acquiescence, then flipped abruptly and gave Harry's smiling face an outraged look. "You prat!" he exclaimed, "You weren't ever going to have sex with me, were you! I can't believe you made me ask you not to!"

"Well, technically, you didn't. But, no, I wasn't going to have sex with you. During your transition, anyway. It's my guess that we'll definitely get around to it later, though," Harry replied, his amusement at the situation finally coloring his tone.

Draco blushed, turned back around and said, "Uh, well, about that…"

Harry's eyebrows rose at Draco's blush and the nervousness in his voice. Wrapping his arms more securely around his stiff bed companion, he said, "Let me guess. You've never?"

"Yes, I have!" was Draco's indignant reply.

"With a guy," Harry clarified.

"Well, no," Draco answered nervously, "not with a guy."

"Well, we can talk about the mechanics, if you like," Harry offered obligingly.

"No!"

"I don't see why not. The topic surely needs to be discussed before we engage in any sexual activities," Harry replied reasonably.

"Later! Much later!" Draco demanded desperately.

Harry chuckled and said agreeably, "Sure. Later. Before we have sex, though, all right?"

"Uh…"

"It really is important to talk about before we do anything. I want you to know what to expect when you bottom and what to do when you top. No need to be embarrassed. I had a good teacher and I'll teach you," Harry said.

"Harry, please!" Draco begged.

"All right, all right. No more sex talk for now. You have anything you want to talk about?" Harry asked.

Draco sighed. "I don't know. I'm not feeling in the mood to talk right now. I'm rather irritated, actually."

"That's normal," Harry said reassuringly.

"I know that!" Draco snapped back then winced and said, "Sorry."

"S'all right. I'll try not to take offense at anything you say or do."

"Good luck with that. I can be a downright nasty piece of work, you know. I've taken lessons from Severus on how to cut someone to ribbons in three sentences or less. I imagine I'll be using that skill before long to curse the world in general, transition in particular, and you specifically," Draco replied, a bit of rueful humor seeping into his voice.

Harry laughed. "Yes, I imagine you will. Still, I'll do my best and we'll spend day two repairing the sore spots you hit. How's that?"

"Yes. All right. Sounds like a plan," Draco agreed. "I want to walk around," he added a moment later.

"No. Your balance will be off. Best if you just stay in bed," Harry said.

Draco flopped onto his back, disrupting Harry's embrace, bent his knees and started tapping his feet. "I know that. I didn't say I would do it, I just said I wanted to," he replied testily.

"How about you scoot over to the middle of the bed, instead," Harry offered, tugging lightly on the blond's right arm.

Draco looked at Harry in aggravation but complied with the suggestion before returning to his feet tapping. "Can you turn the lights up?" he asked abruptly.

"Yeah." A quick parseltongue command and the lights were at maximum.

"You know, it's fascinating hearing you speak parseltongue. What did you say?" Draco asked as he sat up, almost falling over before catching himself with one arm, scowling at his impaired coordination.

"Lights on."

Draco looked over in incredulity. "Lights on?"

"Yeah," Harry replied with a grin.

"What do you say to turn them off? Lights off?" Draco demanded.

"Yes," Harry answered with an even bigger grin. Then volunteered, "There's also "lights quarter", "lights half", and "lights three". I'm guessing Salazar didn't feel like saying the whole "lights three-quarter" when that's what he wanted."

"Well, at least the password to the door wasn't "open" or something else like that," Draco said in disgust.

Harry swallowed his laughter and said, "Actually…"

"No way!"

"The password usually is "open" but I had to tell the guardian why I was bringing you so we had a bit of a conversation afterwards," Harry explained.

Draco stared at Harry in disbelief, then shook his head and took a look around the room. It was just as nice as the study and decorated similarly. Idly, he watched the carved snakes in the bed posts slither up to the canopy and back down. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he started tapping his fingers as well as his feet. Already, he could feel the magics building under his skin, thrumming through the net his magics had built throughout his body over the last week to catch the magics as they bombarded him during his transition. He imagined he could actually feel the net shunting the magic into his current magic channels, stretching them into new areas of his body, expanding them to allow greater power to flow through him, branching into new abilities.

Draco was startled out of his observations when Harry sat up beside him. "Want me to rub your back a bit," Harry offered.

Draco stared at Harry, recognizing the offer for what it was – an attempt to sooth Draco's nerves from the invading magics. Draco turned back to watching the moving snakes and stated with utmost conviction, "This day is going to suck."

Moving behind Draco and placing his hands on the blond's shoulders, Harry replied with equal conviction, "Yes. This day is going to suck."


Two hours later, Draco's opinion of the probable ugliness of the day had trebled.

"Damn it all, Potter! Let me go! I don't want to stay in this sodding bed another minute! If you're not going to help me walk around then bloody well let me go and I'll do it myself!" Draco demanded shrilly, struggling against Harry's hold.

"No," Harry replied through gritted teeth, keeping his grip firmly on the wildly struggling blond. Currently Harry was kneeling behind Draco, who had managed to get his own legs out from his previous similar kneeling position and was pushing against the bed trying to knock Harry over backwards. It wasn't working well as Harry was not only bigger and stronger but determined and, unlike the desperate boy in his arms, in full control of all his faculties.

"You get off on dominating people, Potter?" Draco asked snidely.

"No, not really," Harry answered. "Ah, so now the insults are starting. Progress," Harry thought to himself clinically. The first hour after Draco had woken, Harry had been able to mostly sooth him with words and massage. The second hour had deteriorated into a fight to keep the blond abed until now Harry was using physical force to restrain Draco from getting up and inadvertently hurting himself through what would be a supreme lack of coordination. It would probably be another hour before the blond would be too tired to continue fighting so strenuously on a continual basis. After that, Draco would calm down but still make occasional escape attempts. Harry figured that would probably be more nerve-wracking than having to keep Draco restrained at all times.

He was right.


An hour and a half, a dozen escape attempts, and countless insults later, Harry was straddled across the back of Draco's thighs, holding Draco's wrists firmly to the small of his back and trying not to scowl fiercely at the still struggling, swearing blond. Draco yelled in frustration but Harry would be damned if he let the other boy up even an inch. This had been a hard won position and he wasn't giving it up.

"Potter, you bastard! Get the bloody hell off me! I do not need you sitting on me like some common barroom bouncer! I will finish this by myself! I don't know why I asked you to be here!"

"You asked me because you knew I could kick your scrawny, stubborn arse!" Harry said viciously, getting a bit frustrated himself.

"Like hell, Potter! You couldn't beat me in a fair fight if your life depended on it! You and your stupid luck is the only reason you're not a spot on the Dark Lord's shoe!"

Harry gritted his teeth and stayed silent and reminded himself that he had been cursing Salazar and his idiotic ideas to the nine hells at this time. "Maybe. You're still not getting up."

"Selfish, arrogant, stupid Gryffindor!"

Harry smiled with grim amusement. "You said that already. Probably a good dozen times. You need new insults."

Nearly a quarter hour later Harry mused to himself that he probably shouldn't have said what he did. Draco had obviously taken it as a challenge. Harry's ancestry, predictably, as well as his capacity to create descendants, had been belittled. His intellectual and magical capabilities, also predictably, had been denigrated. His choice of friends and his house had been slandered with impressive virulence. His future prospects had been attacked mercilessly. His general looks, hygiene, fashion sense, social skills, etiquette, morals, sexual appetites, and common sense had all been roundly condemned. All this had been done quite creatively and in several different languages, some of which Harry didn't speak. All in all, Harry was rather impressed with Draco's vituperative prowess. It was a good thing he had a fairly strong sense of self.

"Please, Merlin, let's get to the begging stage soon," Harry pleaded in his mind while Draco continued his verbal rampage.


"Please, Harry, it itches!"

"I know it itches. You can't scratch, though, or you'll tear off your skin," Harry replied, once again intercepting Draco's hands.

"I don't care! Please!"

"I care, so no."

Draco had finished insulting him some time ago, then started begging for Harry to let him move around, was now complaining about the itching all over his body, and would soon start crying about the prickling energy under his skin. Harry figured, using his own experience as a guide, that they were halfway to noon.

The incessant prickling, once it started, was going to drive Draco crazy, just as it had him. The unrelenting prickling, as if every cell in his body had fallen asleep and was waking up all at once, had been the worst phase of transition. It lasted twelve hours. He had screamed his pain unreservedly, sobbed his frustration unabashedly, begged shamelessly for the sensations to stop, and promised anything if he was given even momentary relief. He had, essentially, been delirious for the greater part of half a day.

He didn't figure Draco would be any better off.


Draco was sobbing harshly while Harry held his hands and rocked him, trying to give as much comfort as possible. Harry had known it would be bad but he was unprepared for just how much it hurt him to listen to Draco's distress…and have to deny him.

"Please, Harry. Just once? It'll be better after that, I'm sure," Draco pleaded desperately.

"No, Draco," Harry replied, squeezing his eyes shut in sorrow.

"Please. Please. Just once."

"No, Draco. You asked me not to, remember?"

"I take it back. I take it back. Please. Just fuck me. Just once. Please," Draco begged piteously.

"No. You'll be angry at me later," Harry replied.

"I won't. I promise. Please. I promise," Draco denied frantically.

"No." Harry did his best to block out the continued pleas, keeping his eyes closed and concentrating on keeping the blond's hands trapped while rocking him gently. A shift in the magics made Harry's eyes shoot open.

"Noon," he thought with relief, "It must be."

The magics Harry had been feeling surrounding Draco had all had the sensation of being from without, adding power to Draco's skin. Now it felt as if the magics were exuding from Draco. Presently the magics would start to stabilize and any physical manifestations of Draco's gift would begin.

"Wonder what he received? Probably not fire," Harry mused, glad to be entering the downswing of Draco's transition.

Harry continued to rock the other boy. He figured it would be at least a couple hours before he would be able to see even a hint of the manifestation of Draco's gift.


Draco cried tiredly while Harry rubbed his hands all over Draco's body trying to ease the newly perceived muscle aches as well as the lingering prickles. When Draco was able to gather enough energy he would try to move away from Harry's hands, his skin extra sensitive.

Harry was aware that his rather light massage was causing Draco great discomfort; it probably felt like sandpaper running across his skin. Nevertheless, he continued with his task, knowing that the attention now would pay off in a shorter recovery time. Draco would thank him for it later in the week, he was sure, even if at the moment he occasionally managed to beg Harry to stop. A few more hours of this and Draco's magic channels would be healed enough for the boy to fall unconscious. Likely the time would be a couple hours from midnight, same as when everything started.

As he continued his ministrations, Harry stared in wonder at Draco's hair; it was now a pure white. White. Amazing. And to Harry's intense amusement, it was pure white everywhere.


"Harry?" Draco fluttered his eyes open, trying to find his companion, whose touch was suddenly gone.

"Shh. I'm right here," Harry replied soothingly, "I'm just getting the blankets."

Harry pulled the bedclothes up off the floor where they had been strewn sometime during the day and covered both Draco and himself as he lay down beside the blond. Wrapping an arm around Draco, Harry got himself comfortable. He was beyond ready to get some sleep and could feel, in an awareness at the back of his mind, that Draco was ready as well, the new magics coursing through his body finally calming enough for sleep to be possible.

Draco sighed, Harry wasn't sure if it was in contentment, satisfaction, or relief, and said his name again softly, "Harry."

"Sleep now. For as long as you like. All right?"

Draco didn't answer and Harry could feel through their new bond as Draco slipped into unconsciousness. Harry hissed the lights off and gratefully followed minutes later.