Prompt by Q-35712 on r/HPfanfiction: Harry is a empty shell. The Curse left him as a soul-less shell.

Soulless Survivor

Voldemort was gone. The war was over. The Death Eaters were being arrested wholesale. And it was all thanks to the sacrifice of one family.

James and Lily Potter, who had thrice defied the Dark Lord, were dead. Their only son, the prophesied hero, the Chosen One, defeated the Dark Lord in their one and only confrontation.

But for Harry Potter the victory was hollow.
As hollow as the eyes that now stared uncaring at the weeping giant who held him.

Hagrid wept for the loss of his friends, and he wept for the child who could not mourn his own parents.

Harry was lauded as The Lone Survivor, and hundreds of families vied for the privilege of caring for him. The Ministry accepted eighty-seven applications - with accompanying donations of funding - and eventually narrowed down the options to three families.

Sirius Black stood at the top of the list, as his family resources made him ideally suited to ensure Harry's survival and care were the best possible under the trying conditions. The only mark against him was his violent massacre of several known and suspected Death Eaters on the night the war ended. He had voluntarily submitted to evaluation at the St. Mungo's psyche ward, and passed their tests sufficiently to be deemed sane, but it was still a mark against him.

The claim by Albus Dumledore was widely considered to be the front-runner. Despite his lack of worldly possessions - and the meagerness of his accompanying donation - as the foremost sorcerer in Britain he was ideally placed to work toward Harry's eventual recovery. His not-so-subtle hints reminding everyone of his connections to Nicholas Flamel were seen by many as the promise of finding a cure to the seeming soullessness of the young hero.

The third claimant had the least qualifications, and the deepest pockets. Lucius Malfoy was one of the first Death Eaters to publicly denounce the fallen Dark Lord, and insisted that his involvement had only ever been without his consent and enforced by the Imperius. He met with the Minister of Magic in a private conference, providing sufficient evidence of the truth of his claims and purity of his future intentions that the Minister personally vouched for his suitability as a guardian for The Lone Survivor.

Harry himself was not consulted. Magical and mundane examination had concluded that he was incapable of thought, had no memory, and behaved only on physical impulse. He could swallow when food was placed in his mouth, but either could not or did not chew. He twitched when touched, but had no voluntary control over his body.

After much deliberation, and many more private meetings with the individuals involved, an arrangement was reached. Harry would be given to shared custody between the houses of Black and Malfoy, with Narcissa as the primary caregiver and Sirius permitted unlimited access to him. The arrangement suited both parties, with only Dumbledore protesting the decision.

Harry was given a room at Malfoy Manor, fed and clothed and kept warm. He never spoke, never moved, hardly blinked.

Sirius visited often, bringing extravagant gifts, and traveled far.

Narcissa, though at first resigned to the task of caring for a soulless child for her husband's machinations, grew to love the empty, undemanding boy.

Harry never argued, never fought her, only stared with that same open expression. She could imagine it meant happiness, some days, or that he was curious on others. She began speaking to him, telling him about the frustrations of raising the headstrong Draco, or of her political activities with the Ministry on behalf of the family. She asked him questions, sometimes, and searched his soulless gaze for any hint of a reply. She often found this helped her to work through her problems.

Harry became her confidant, sharing her victories and troubles, her refuge and comfort whenever life grew too heavy or frustrating. When he was still young, she would carry him and sing to him. As he grew older, she required the aid of magic to lift his increasingly heavy body.

Some days Sirius would sit with them, and those days were quieter and more somber. Sirius didn't visit as often, the longer time went on. Narcissa knew it pained him to see Harry in such a condition. He'd begun optimistic that the boy's state could be reversed, but continued evidence against such a miracle wore on him. He continued to provide financial support for Harry's needs and she didn't mind him leaving the rest to her.

Narcissa hummed as she cast the charms to stimulate his muscles and prevent atrophy, no longer considering them a chore. She kept hoping that one day he'd sit up and smile at her, but she knew it would never happen. He would never stop needing her.

And like so much else she'd once deemed unthinkable, the thought did not trouble her at all.