Veles Vritra

Draco watched as Harry's hands clenched around the wooden bed posts, his fingers clinging on as his pale body arched up to meet the blonde's halfway. Harry's black hair was spread out on the pillow around his head, contrasting with the white pillowcases and his bright green eyes that had attracted Draco since he found out they were mates. A moan was released from the Gryffindor's throat as the Slytherin let his lips wander over the soft skin of his neck and shoulders. Draco loved Harry's skin, and his eyes, and those perfect lips which were curved into a perfect smile. Draco loved to run his hand down the length of Harry's body, ending on the curve of his thigh so that he could guide Harry's leg up to wrap around his hip.
"Draco," came the whisper from Harry's mouth followed by a soft laugh.
"Draco..." Harry's hands had left the bed posts and were wrapped around his arms but to Draco his mate seemed to be blurry as if he was fading from sight before his eyes.
"Harry?" Fading...
"Wake up."
"Harry?"
"Wake up!"

Draco woke up, his eyes opening immediately to seek out who had woken him from that amazing dream that seemed to appear nightly. His Harry, his love once again in his arms. Pansy was stood by the side of his bed wringing her hands together with a worried look on her face.
"He's going to come back to us Draco," She said as she sat down at the end of his bed, "We'll find out the spell and we'll bring him back." As much as Draco would have liked to believe it he knew that she was trying to convince herself more than him. But he couldn't help but reach out to her and pull her into a comforting hug in an attempt to calm them both down.

Draco would never be able to forget that look he was given when Harry had returned almost one month ago after disappearing for that one night. His hand was circled around the arm of a newly enrolled student who was wrapped in old, or should he say, ancient money. From what Draco could see, his husband looked to be in absolute perfect health and a large smile was in full bloom across his lips. Draco looked around to find Hermione at the other side of the foyer, standing on the bottom step of the grand staircase her gaze was alternating between looking down at Harry and back up at him before frowning and biting her lip. Pansy seemed to be doing the same thing at his side but to end the cycle she looked up at Hermione and the glance they seemed to share said 'this is not good'. Blaise was stood next to Ron in front of the Great Hall doors and they were both turned to the couple, like everyone else in the vicinity, and were glaring at the stranger Harry was clinging onto, unlike everyone else. As far as they were concerned the further Harry was from 'the disgusting Death Eater Malfoy' the better.

So of course, Draco had moved forward to pull him away from the other student and into a tight loving hug filled with as much relief as he could manage. Harry took one step away from him. The stranger's arm found its way to Harry's waist and as he dragged the small elf closer his fingers dug into Harry's side causing a slight flicker of pain to pass his features, so why wasn't he stepping away? Draco was frozen in his place, the look of ultimate revulsion that he was given from his mate as he began to take another step forward was enough to stop his heart. It was in that second that he realised, this wasn't his Husband. Hell this wasn't even Harry. This was some crude formation of Harry that there could ever possibly be and, as they walked away, Draco noticed that Harry's left hand was completely bare. He wasn't wearing his wedding ring.

"Draco?" Pansy whispered against his shoulder, "Do you think our Harry is somewhere in that shell?"
"I hope so Pans." He was counting on it, in fact.

The morning after Harry's first day back the new couple had proudly walked into the Great Hall and, to all those who didn't know Harry, it looked like the Gryffindor had dumped the Slytherin (even though they were married, but who really believed them anyway) to go after someone with more money and more power. This made him seem like the shallowest person in the world. Harry's hair had been forced to grow down to his waist once again, probably with the aid of a potion. Draco could only guess that the choice was influenced by this man, because he knew that if Harry had wanted it long then he would have used the potion that Draco offered to brew on their first night in the castle. The stranger's (Hermione had found out that he was called Veles Vritra) fingers were wrapped in Harry's hair, much like Draco's used to be, and his other hand was guiding Harry forcefully towards a seat at the end of the Ravenclaw table. When it looked like Harry was going to turn and sit at his own house table with his friends Vritra grabbed his arm and dragged him around with so much force that Harry almost fell over. Draco was fuming.

"I miss him you know, but I can't even imagine what you are going through." Pansy admitted in a soft voice.
"You probably can't." Draco stated in a practically monotone voice.
"But at least we know that he's not of sound mind and body, or else you wouldn't be here with us."

It was the afternoon after Harry had entered the Great Hall on the arm of the new Ravenclaw, and Draco, Pansy, Blaise and Hermione were sat in the Library while Ron was tailing the 'couple'. The group had taken it upon themselves to keep tabs on what this Vritra and Harry were doing and because they had no help from the headmaster they could only trust each other. As well as this, just to make sure that nothing else was happening to Harry, they were having help from the most loyal paintings in the castle that could move in and out of the private rooms that Vritra had somehow managed to charm, or pay, his way into.

The group was supposed to be researching who this person was and what could have possibly made Harry follow him like a love sick puppy, but they weren't getting very far, mostly because the majority of them were too depressed to actually focus, namely Draco. That was of course until Hermione slammed a book down onto the table in front of them making all of them jump (not that the Slytherins would admit it). She was glaring at them all because they were making her do the majority of the work when they were supposed to be working as a team, there was only so much one person could do after all.
"Snap out of it!" She commanded, "Read this." She pointed to a small paragraph at the bottom of the page.
"I'm okay thanks Hermione. I don't think we'll get very far, maybe this is what Harry wants. We never really considered that, did we?" Draco murmured as he rubbed his forehead and signed in defeat.
"Draco, don't you see? If Harry was himself, that is of sound mind and body, you would already be dead or at least on your way there. This passage states that any sexual outside relations of the bond or outward refusal of love would lead to death on both parts of the bonded."
"So?" Draco murmured as he pushed the book away.
"So Harry is not of sound mind. So we will research until we find out everything we can about Veles Vritra. So we can find our Harry and bring. Him. Back."

"I just can't believe that this is happening, to Harry of all people. He's been through so much."
"More then you know Pansy."
"More then I'll ever know. Do you think it's true though?"
"What?"
"That Vritra forces Harry to- Forget it. I'm sorry I brought it up, that was really stupid of me." Pansy pulled away from Draco as soon as she noticed the pained expression on his face.

Draco was sat next to Blaise in the Great Hall, it was a week after Vritra's first appearance with Harry and they were discussing areas to research next. So far they had found out that he was way older then Hogwarts age, in fact his name goes back in history to before Merlin's time, but they had yet to discover if it was actually him or if it was an old family name. If it was the same man then they had no chance of going up against him since he was older and more experienced than anyone they had ever heard of.

It was then that Harry had walked in, or limped, in might be a more accurate description. His 'lover' behind him pushing him forward every time it seemed that Harry was going to slow down or stop walking. It was a limp that came with rough and careless sex. And the bruises that Draco could make out on Harry's neck were perfect teeth shaped and were an angry purple colour. But, for some reason, Harry wasn't complaining about it. He had allowed this monster of a man to use him and abuse him as he wished and he was doing nothing to stop it. Draco took one look at his would-be mate and almost launched himself at Vritra. He would have done as well if it wasn't for Blaise's hand on his arm and comforting words in his ear.

This wasn't his Harry.
This wasn't what Harry wanted.
This wasn't Harry's choice.
They would get him back.
In one piece.

"Are you sure he's still carrying your child?" Pansy asked in that same low, soft voice that Draco reckoned every female had access to.
"Yes. I had one of the medical apprentices cast a spell on him when he was last in the hospital wing."
"Draco, you know there are spells and potions to change a baby's parentage while it's still in the womb."
"I know Pans." Draco lifted a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes, "Last time I checked he hadn't used any. Merlin, I don't even think Harry knows he's pregnant at the moment."
"He should be showing by now though. Oh no...You don't think...?"
"What?"
"You don't think Vritra's stopped the growth of the baby do you?"
"I honestly don't doubt it."
"But that could kill Harry."
"I know."
"His body is making its self ready for a baby that isn't even growing, not to mention all the potions that can do that are dangerous to the baby's life."
"I know Pansy. But the parental changing potions need at least a month to brew so we need to find out how to help Harry soon or else I think I'll have lost my child and my husband."
Pansy was silent for a few seconds before she said softly, "If only we could get through to Harry, make him see that Vritra isn't who he says he is. Even if he doesn't remember how much he loves you we could use his help in working out what happened."
"Pansy?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you go? I just need to try and sleep for tomorrow."
"Oh, yeah. Sure."
"Love you Pans."
"You too Draco."

A/N - Nothing else to say except ... I LOVE YOU GUYS for reading. I'm so glad I had you great people to beat me out of the block with all of your fabulous reviews.

So happy reading

E.V.S.