Chapter IX: War before Christmas Break
After Harry and Draco had fallen asleep in the room of requirement, the school's spirit blessed their bonding quietly amid the chaos happening in many minds both in and out of the school. Harry had known the spirit would not have been able to hide their bonding all the way through, so he had asked her to hide it just until after the bond was permanently sealed and to then hide them from whomever in the castle came to search for them.
Harry had been right in assuming the headmaster would be infuriated by his and Draco's bonding underneath his watch and so he had personally deigned to find him little to their awareness of it, but then the headmaster must have realized the spirit was hiding him and Draco herself from him because the spirit no longer agreed with his plans for the war and Harry's involvement in it. He had cursed the spirit under his breath and went back to his office to plan on how to regain control of Harry without his mate knowing he had done so.
This was all being done as Severus felt the same wave of massive magical energy down in the dungeons and he sat in shock to what he felt. Harry, as Severus well knew to a point, was powerful as a wizard…but this powerful; he hadn't had any idea until now why the headmaster wanted him under his control if he was truly this powerful and he also made up his mind to set things right by his treatment of Harry as much as was allowed now due to the peace between the houses.
For Severus though, Harry to have Draco as his mate was something even more shocking to him. They had seemed no more close to the other than as was usual at the beginning of the year before Harry was in the hospital wing for three days. In that time, Lucius had been killed and Draco was uncertain of his future. Severus had been sure his godson would have come to him for advice, but he never did and that had worried him somewhat.
The more Severus thought about this, the more he saw much more clearly at just how heavily he had misjudged Harry over the years. In all likelihood, Harry's visions had led him to confront Draco after he witnessed Lucius's death firsthand. Severus once thought these visions were not as real as the headmaster had made them seem like, but in truth, these visions were both blessings and curses for their side. They had allowed them to spare innocent lives and plan counterattacks effectively to Riddles's raids. Severus knew he owed much to James now for allowing him to live all those years ago when he saved his life from Sirius's childish antics and to allow him see his son grow to the man he was today. It was with new resolve Severus found in himself to keep his promises to James and Lily before they died and to break his ties from the headmaster like Harry had done. The promise that if things should turn for the worst, that he would protect their son even if Harry was just unaware of it.
James and Lily knew the headmaster would use their family and that it might cost them their lives, but they had never figured out just far Albus was willing to go. Harry could have let Draco drown in his uncertainty until ultimately his godson likely would have chosen his father's path out of fear because he thought he had no other choices left now that his father's protection of his family was absent. But Harry was now Lord Peverell, and so he offered Draco friendship and security in return for his allegiance and a united front from all the houses.
It made sense to the Potion Master now as he realized exactly how often Draco disappeared around lunchtime, and only to reappear for afternoon classes. On time too though it was close call for some days. Harry and Draco were likely together formulating on how to convince Draco's housemates that they had other options now and it wasn't required of them to sacrifice their lives and freedom to man who would kill them all eventually anyhow. Draco and Harry must have realized their bond to each other at some point or else they would not have bonded so soon.
Severus smiled to himself inside his chambers. The war was about to drastically change now that Harry would no longer allow himself to be manipulated. Either by Voldemort or Albus Dumbledore. At least the students were asleep now and they all had missed the pass of extreme energy or else there would be a number of questions being directed at both of the two tomorrow.
Meanwhile, outside of the school, Tom Riddle felt the bond cement permanently from his connection to Harry and he then grit his teeth together in knowing he had assuredly lost the Malfoy family's support when Draco bound himself for life to his mate since Lucius was now dead and knew the truth of his death by his hands from Potter, which meant his monetary means were going to quickly dry up if he didn't do something fast to find a new source of money.
Tom now regretted killing Lucius out of his anger before, and he never regretted anything generally. Emotions were a frivolous thing and waste of time if you contemplated on them too much. He had never really had many emotions other than anger, so regret was new for him. If he had known that killing Lucius would have come to this, he would not have done it so hastily.
He knew he had to act faster now if he wanted to go and win the war and soon.
The next morning came much too quickly for either Harry or Draco's liking. The blonde veela smiled softly as he breathed in the scent of lilies and jasmine. The unique scent of his mate that he loved more than he cared to admit. Even though it wasn't a very masculine scent to define Harry by; he didn't care as long as it was there to comfort him when it was needed the most.
Draco turned over to see Harry smiling at him and so he wondered what time it was.
"Morning dragon, how are you feeling?" Harry asked softly
Draco smiled, "Sore, but in a very nice way and that's to be expected considering last evening. What time is it?" he asked with smile
Harry sighed now, "Almost eight o' clock. I need to go see the headmaster soon though and before everyone else is awake too, so are you able to join me for a bath before I go."
Draco nodded, "Yes, just let me get up."
Harry nodded silently and drew his arms from his mate who then wanted them back almost immediately and wished they had more time to just lie there and hold the other. Draco stood slowly as well and winced at his sore backside, but then smiled to Harry showing he was alright and he didn't mind the slight pain he had when he saw Harry's eyes watch him in concern.
Harry had also asked the room to provide a bath for them and soon enough a door connecting to the side of the main room appeared. Once inside, they nearly smiled as they found a bath already run within the tub and bubbles were already floating in the tub as well. Harry stepped in first and then helped Draco somewhat considering his soreness much to the blonde's chagrin and annoyed looked; though internally he was secretly pleased by this gesture. Harry, however, let him ease himself into the bath as best as he could.
"Draco, I have a feeling the headmaster may already know of us and so I fear there is danger ahead, but I still need to see him. I know you don't trust the headmaster, and quite frankly; I don't trust him as much as I used to, but you also need to trust me in the sense that if he does know of our bond and tries to do something about it regarding me; that I know how to divert his attention from it long enough to warn him of the attack to the school and to escape his notice before he has a chance to start it." Harry said softly
Draco tensed somewhat at this, "Harry, I do trust you. As odd as it is, I do truly trust you and my promises during our mating last night were not one-sided at all. Just promise me you'll be at Malfoy Manor later alright?" He asked softly
Harry smiled, "I will do my absolute best to be there. You said normally after the train ride you would apparate with you mother to the house, correct?"
Draco nodded quietly.
"I'm going to get the headmaster to allow us to leave after breakfast, so we should arrive by noon to king's cross station. If I do not appear at breakfast, you can reserve suspicions that something went wrong during my time in his office, but I want you to go home with your mother anyway and if I do not appear at the house by two pm, you can send Severus after me. He'll know how to get the headmaster to answer to him about my whereabouts without further suspicions on him arising yet."
Draco nodded, "Be careful though, the headmaster is still a powerful wizard as loathe-some as he is."
"I know." Harry sighed
The two finished washing quickly and sat in the tub with a comfortable silence as the last of the bubbles disappeared. They then dressed for the day ahead with a tense and uneasy feeling in both of them. Harry gave Draco a pain potion to avoid his friends from asking questions and kissed his cheek before they departed separately. Draco sincerely thanked him silently for the gift and made a note to himself to actually verbalize his thanks later on. Draco went back to his common room with a sense of unease in his steps though he didn't say much when Pansy and Blaise cornered him about where he disappeared to last night in hushed voices.
Harry walked down to the headmaster's office with a determined mindset and hoped that everything went smoother than he believed they were going to go.
As Harry approached the office entryway, he felt uneasy of this, but he had no choice but to confront the headmaster this morning if he wished to protect the students here of the raid who were unaware of the impending attack. As he stood outside the stone gargoyle he hesitated some but found his resolve quickly and then said the password with a strong tone that hid his underlying fear of what would come to pass.
"Ice Mice."
The gargoyle had moved aside and allowed him entry at the stated password and Harry allowed the staircase to take him to the doorway without him jumping stairs to get there quicker. He raised a hand to knock but was allowed entry before it made contact with the door as he heard the headmaster's voice from within.
Harry rolled his eyes to this one. How typical of the headmaster since he did it to nearly everyone who came to the door as if he knew he was expecting them to come anyways.
Harry entered the office cautiously and the headmaster seemed surprised by his being there though Harry knew he truly wasn't.
"Harry, I am surprised to see you. How are you doing?" Albus asked pleasantly though internally he was seething by Harry actions against him last night.
"Headmaster, I am doing fine. However, I came to warn you that the student body needs to leave here after breakfast immediately." Harry said, "Riddle is on his way here to Hogwarts through the Forbidden forest to assault the school with his new vampiric and werewolf allies and they will be here by ten sharp unless the vampiric allies are not ones that can walk in sunlight; though I highly doubt it."
The headmaster seemed to pale at this, "How many are there coming here to assault us, Harry?"
Harry seemed to think about it, "I would say enough to put the staff in danger without back-up if the students went home. If the Order were to be here, however, we stand a fair chance at winning against their assault without the need to have the students remain here in locked dorms, but the students are the first priority here and they should go home because there is still risk involved no matter how prepared we are." He said
"I also ask that I go with the students on the train since the DA and I can eliminate any threats from death eaters that may await us on the platform when we arrive there. First and second years should not have to fend for themselves with only stunning spells to use against them as I did previously. You well know this by now, I hope." Harry said sternly with a hardened gaze to the elderly wizard
The headmaster gazed at Harry momentarily before he sighed, "Very well, I will have the students who were in your defense group be notified by you to take your orders for the battle at the platform and the plan you have for it if it arises once on the train lands at the station. The staff and the order will congregate here to prepare for battle to defend the castle itself."
Harry nodded as he turned to leave.
"One more thing Harry?" Albus said softly as he pretended to care
Harry turned to him.
"I have made many mistakes in my lifetime that I can never fix even if I wanted to do so, and so I trust you to know what you are doing out there among the students Lord Peverell as it is you who have faced him more times than any other and survived his wrath. With my saying this, I hope that yours and Draco's bonding will last and Tom will be defeated in time once and for all. Our world needs to change from its old and more traditional ways as a more accommodating society and you know of this as well as I do. Good luck and let us bring peace to our homes finally."
Harry was internally shocked by these words but nodded with slight move of his head and left for the Great Hall to eat as he tried to figure out the motive behind Albus's words if there truly was any to be had. He suspected there was, so he needed to be extra cautious now if he wanted to survive the war.
When Harry entered the hall for the morning meal, Draco felt internal relief and his body relaxed some more. Harry sat with Ron and Hermione so nothing seemed out of place. Now all appeared normal as the headmaster entered for the meal as well though the vibe in the hall was anything but normal. After the meal was over and the dishes were cleared away, Albus stood to say something to the staff and student body and Harry grimaced to the reaction it might have.
"I wish all the students to know you will be leaving right now instead of this afternoon like normal as I have been forewarned of an attack to the school by the Dark Lord Voldemort and his new werewolf and Vampiric allies that will be arriving here shortly." Albus told them calmly but with a grave tone
The student body seemed eerily silent now and Harry noticed the new tension in the room with the colors of many fluctuating auras. Draco noticed the new tension as well though he appeared indifferent to it all. However, he did notice his mate's irritation now from the auras he likely sensed that were changing rapidly as emotions tore through the students in the hall. The blonde felt sympathetic even though he had no idea how these auras made Harry feel. It must be hard on him though since Harry seemed like he wanted to scream at them to wise up and show some courage.
Draco returned his attention to the headmaster as he continued speaking when the student body calmed some. Harry seemed to not care as he glared at the Gryffindor table like it should burst into fire. Draco smirked to this; his mate was too predictable at times.
"Know that I have already made preparations to protect the school from the assault and the staff here along with some other on their way will not let Hogwarts fall, but we also aren't risking your lives to protect it even if you'd want to stay to defend the castle. There's a chance the station will be ambushed as well. So, I have left a warning with Mr. Potter of the attack and so he is the one going to be in charge of the protection of the Hogwarts express with his plan of action against the death eaters there if any."
"Some of the older students besides him know what to expect in a death eater raid as they have also faced this kind of adversity in their time here or at home, and so they will know what to do if the death eaters should attack the platform. I leave it to Mr. Potter and all whom wish to fight from fifth year up to listen to his advice with close attention and to be on guard for anything out of place. Mr. Potter has long since been fighting the death eaters and the dark lord as we are all aware, so it should be common sense that if he says you need to do something that it should be done. I do not expect fourth years and under to take part in the battle if it should come to this, but if you feel you want to take part; that is your decision and I cannot stop you."
"Other than this grave news I have brought you all this morning, I wish all of you a happy holidays with your families and I hope to see each and every single one of you back after them healthy and happy as well."
Albus said this to them all as he gave a sad smile to the many students in front of him. Harry seemed to get a sense of foreboding now as he watched the headmaster's actions and as his aura seemed to tone down in brightness. Something was already suspicious here and he knew it. The students overall seemed not to notice it because they did not know Albus the way he did, but some of the more intuitive ones picked up on it easily if they knew what to look for in the headmaster, like Hermione or Draco for instance.
The train was already at the Hogwarts station by the time the students were ready to board it, so they had all been hastily pushed onto the train by their heads of house. Minerva gave Harry a last minute talk as he boarded and then Severus gave Harry a look that said to him that he trusted him to take care of his students in his stead now that they all sided with him in the war, and Harry nodded back as he understood the meaning in the gaze. Harry then immediately told Ron and Hermione of what he'd felt last night before he reached the Slytherin Common Room where Draco waited outside for him and then they set to forewarn the other DA members and any other fifth, sixth, and seventh years who wished to fight with them along with the plan of action he had made during breakfast and as the headmaster spoke to the students. this was all being done in a hurried fashion whilst Harry went to find Draco and the older Slytherins who were willing to stand up to their own parents in this war now.
Harry found the Slytherin seventh years and sixth years easily as they had grouped together in a compartment towards the middle of the train along with a few fifth years he recognized and who were proficient enough at dueling to stand on their own from what he knew of them.
"I see you've all already made up your minds then?" he asked with amusement
Draco smiled, "My mother will remain hidden and not get involved in the fight unless she feels it is necessary for her to do so, but the others here are going to fight by your side today as I will. They gave their word to you and they meant it. This means freedom for their lineages as much as my own."
Harry nodded with a reserved smile, "I see that. However, just know that right now it is too early for us to use any form of dark magic without causing more suspicions on you not truly being on our side or on me from turning into the next dark lord as the newspaper thinks will happen. So, you'll need mostly light offensive magic to fight with as much as all the others will be doing."
The group stared at this, "We knew this, but why would you categorize yourself as one of the ones who would use such magic?" Blaise asked curiously
Harry smirked at them all as Draco remained silent and appeared indifferent to the question, "Just because I know the Cruciatus curse and have used it a couple of times does not mean that is where my knowledge of dark magic ends. Keep in mind what I said earlier about how once the Peverell clan was known to have some of the darkest of the dark witches and wizards in it."
Blaise nodded as did the rest, "So it was true then, that the Peverell lineage had the nickname the 'the Bloodmoon Clan' after all."
Harry smirked to the group, "Very much so, though I do not enjoy dark magic usage for the purposes they did. However, in relativity, my knowledge of the dark arts probably rivals our resident dark lord's own knowledge of them. In fact, I would bet that now I know more than he could dare to hope to know on the topic, but I digress as we'll never get an answer to that. Know thy enemy, after all." Harry said nonchalantly as the others paled some whilst Draco remained calm to this.
"I have no intention of marking you all or using you as Tom does his followers. In fact, I find the idea atrocious since it strips others of their freedom to choose. So relax a little." Harry said exasperatedly
They all nodded and relaxed to this.
"I need you all to for a group for yourselves and to help the defense group I trained two years ago against the attackers. They likely will wonder what you're doing as they are unaware of your allegiances to me except for select few, but don't let this and their behavior throw you off guard. This will be a chance for you all to be showing the student body the first united front from our houses in over many centuries as I will be associating to you by your names now."
"There can be no doubt that when we arrive some of your parents will be there to try and attack the younger years to get at me. Death Eaters, as you may or may not know, do not intentionally hurt their own but they also have no qualms over hurting or killing those they deem unworthy. I want your group to cover the students and the other group of Slytherins to focus on the younger students and getting them all out of there as fast as possible with as little collateral damage as possible along with those I set up to do with the others."
"Like I said before, Death eaters may not attack their own, but they have no qualms about hurting children who aren't of their ideals and so killing them means less unworthy blood to the world we live in to them. Draco, Ron, Hermione, Pansy, Blaise, and I will be going into the front-line of fire to show the united stand and will provide the basis of cover to allow all of you to get the others away from the battlefield as I suspect that we will be forced to engage them and there will be blood spilled today no matter how hard we try not to allow it."
"I also suspect a chance that the dark lord may also have sent dementor's with them, and if so, leave them me as I can conjure the most powerful Patronus charm among the group of us." Harry said heavily as the other notice his stress levels hike up and his shoulders tense
The group of students nodded as Harry turned to the three mentioned before whilst Draco wanted to badly ease Harry's stress and rub his shoulders. he didn't like seeing his mate so worried like this, even if there was cause to be so.
"Blaise, Pansy; I am asking you here and now to swear to me that if you come face to face with your parents that you will not think twice of betraying Draco and I whilst on the front lines with us." Harry asked tightly with an edge to voice
The two seemed nervous and shivered by the tone he had directed at them but resolved themselves easily.
"We're only nervous since this will be the first time we'll have truly seen the battlefield from the light side perspective. As most of us here are as well, but know that Pansy and I won't abandon Draco and your side if he decided the light was worthy of his allegiance as he doesn't give it easily." Blaise said
Harry nodded as he turned to leave, " Then I will take my leave to speak with the rest now and leave all of you to prepare yourselves mentally for what is to come. Draco, I want to speak to you alone outside a moment if you will?" Harry asked courteously
Draco nodded his head as the others wondered where this new friendship Harry and Draco seemed to have formed came from and followed Harry outside the compartment. Once outside, Harry sighed "The headmaster already knew about us and instead of trying to capture me on sight, he gave us a sideways blessing and said some things that are highly suspicious to his motives as he was acting odd when he spoke before he left. His aura was also off in color tone when in the hall as well. Be on your guard today, and I think you need to tell your friends about us so there isn't any more secrets left to keep between all of you."
"Ron and Hermione already guessed we were soul-mates and so I had no choice but to confirm it as you know." Harry told him seriously now
Draco stared in question to the request, "Are you sure about this?"
Harry sighed, "No, I'm not sure this is the right thing to do yet but I have no choice in case the headmaster has something planned too that I did not foresee and I don't want to take chances that it will come to haunt us. I know this is not an ideal place for you to tell them of all the prior on-goings between us last term, but it cannot wait further and warn them about us not returning after brteak as well since my friends are aware and do not begrudge me of the decision I made." Harry said
Draco nodded in understanding, "I see. Very well, I'll do it as you requested, but you'll owe me big time for it." Draco smirked at him now as he walked by him and his breath ghosted Harry's neck
Harry's eyes gleamed in desire, "I'll make sure you're compensated in full later, but for now I must go." Harry whispered with desire as he kissed his cheek
Draco went back into the compartment and tried to decide how was the best way to tell Blaise and Pansy about what they'd missed during the first half of the term with as little invasion to their privacy as possible. This was as Harry went to gear up for battle mentally whilst he ironed out the plan with his other fellow classmates they would now fight alongside of.