Author's Note: I'm slightly blocked about how to get between the courtroom to the many later scenes I've already written, so here's just a quick chapter to get the courtroom scene over.
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The Bodyguard
Chapter 7: Vow
Harry wanted to say something comforting to Draco, while Scrimgeour counted hands, but his tongue felt glued to the roof of his dry mouth.
At length the Minister nodded and spoke in a ringing voice, "Draco Malfoy, you are sentenced to take the Unbreakable Vow and become Harry James Potter's bodyguard. Sentence to be carried out immediately."
The chains holding Draco glowed golden and fell to the floor. Looking faint with relief, he tried to stand, but fell. Harry caught him and helped him up, recoiling slightly at the smell of his unwashed, bloodstained body.
Up on the podium, Umbridge took a tightly rolled scroll from Barnes. There was a nasty look of triumph on her face as she tapped the scroll with her wand, then gestured imperiously at the two Aurors, who had brought Draco into the courtroom.
"Prepare the prisoner for the Vow," she ordered. The two Aurors stepped forward. Draco gave an inarticulate yelp and tried to grab onto Harry, but the Aurors dragged him away and forced him down, brutally, to his knees. There was sneering laughter as Draco cried out in pain.
Harry glared at the Aurors, "I'll remember you two," he growled, and sank to his knees himself. On level with Draco's blood and tear stained face, he whispered, "I promise I'll get you out of here as soon as I can."
"Take his right hand in your right hand," Umbridge ordered Harry, who glared at her, and took Draco's sticky, trembling hand.
Umbridge took her time descending from the podium. She stood behind Harry and Draco and placed the tip of her wand on their clasped hands. Then she leaned over and handed Harry the scroll. "Read it!" she said.
Harry took the top of the scroll and was alarmed when it unrolled to his feet. Every part of it was covered with tiny writing. He looked up at Umbridge, "What does this all mean?"
"It means your complete protection, Chosen One," said Umbridge girlishly, in a voice intended for the entire courtroom. But then she leaned in close and with venomous eyes whispered, "Read every single word, or the boy dies in Azkaban."
Harry glared back, imagining Umbridge Transfigured into a toad. Then he started to read aloud from the scroll:
"With the understanding that it is completely irrevocable, the following Unbreakable Vow is entered into by Draco Malfoy (hereinafter Slave) for all, but not limited to, services requested, anticipated or expected on behalf of Harry James Potter (hereinafter Master) on this tenth day of July, in the Office of the Ministry of Magic, London, UK, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way, the Universe..."
It was the stupidest, dullest thing Harry had ever read and though the words gave him a sense of foreboding, they didn't appear to make the slightest bit of sense. He found his attention ebbing and after twenty minutes, he was reading without paying attention. He was distracted with concern for Draco, whose eyes were glazing over, and he hurried through the thousands of tedious words, in an effort to get the Slytherin out of the courtroom before he keeled over in a dead faint.
From the rising sound of conversation around them, it appeared even the courtroom had lost interest.
At length, Harry reached the end of the scroll, and looked up. Draco's eyes were closed, but he opened them when one of the Aurors nudged him in the shoulder.
"Uh, you finished?" Draco asked, looking at Harry in confusion.
Harry nodded.
A frantic look passed over Draco's face. What do I say? he mouthed frantically at Harry.
Yes, I suppose, Harry mouthed back.
In a rush, Draco said aloud, "Umm ... okay? Yes? I will?"
A thin tongue of flame issued from Umbridge's wand and wrapped around their hands like a red-hot wire.
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Author's notes: Umbridge's written Vows are just as boring and incomprehensible as her speeches! But equally as nasty...
I know it was just a quick chapter, but please don't let that stop you making a quick review!
Replies to comments:
Kit turned Mighty: Short? LOL! Chapter 6 was over 2000 words and the second longest chapter so far. ;-) Sorry that this chapter was so short but I felt I needed to submit SOMETHING rather than nothing. Longer chapters following, I promise. We'll be finding out more about the Vow soon. I suggest looking at Draco's face in the next chapter to see his immediate reaction. I agree about the possibilities too. But would a fine, upstanding Gryffindor like Harry think of as many possibilities as a slippery Slytherin? ;-) Miko23: Bluuuuush! You do write the nicest comments. Thank you very much. ;-) Kyla Mizuki: Thank you! The verdict's a case of out of the frying pan, into to the fire for Draco. He doesn't even know what he's Vowed to do. Yellowwolf: Thanks, please comment again:-) fragonknight01: I would love to see Dolores transfigured into a toad because a Vow like this makes her a sort of official Voldemort. Katharina-B: The Vow definitely isn't good! Thanks for your comment! Aimz: Yep, gotta have those cliff-hangers! ;-) Thanks:-) Evie Glacier Tako: I edited the story so I'm glad you didn't find any errors. I don't have a beta reader (uh, oh!) so I'm a bit worried that the story contains strangeness that I haven't picked up. It's very hard to write a HP fanfic that hasn't been written already. Even the books are looking more and more like fanfic (Book 6 - Severus Snape as a reclusive bookworm - how many hundreds fanfics predicted that?) I'm not trying to write an alternative universe so similarities between The Bodyguard and the real books are what I'm striving for. DestinyEntwinements: Again:-) Wish I knew what O.o... means. The Earth Mystic: Oooh, yeah, a big binding coming on! Thanks for your comment, must get back to...plotting again Harry and Draco. Bwahahaha! ;-) ItsaMiracle: Story will move on in the next chapter. Draco has to meet Harry's pals. Yeah, the ones he's put down in every book! Bwahahaha! Potter's Wifey: Thanks. I've been trying to imagine the effects of the Vow. I know Unbreakable Vows are supposed to kill, but how? I'm thinking - fiery garrote. NinjaoftheDarkness: Thanks. ;-) FizzyTopKyle: Not too much of a cliff-hanger this time! Thanks for commenting. :-)