The Bonds That Tie
The week passed slow and everyone knew Harry was angry. Severus felt it instantly, but knew he couldn't just show up to the Headmaster's office. Voldemort too felt it, and had tried to talk to Harry through their link to ask if he was alright. Harry closed him out, but left things open with Severus after telling the man he needed some time to calm down. Severus, of course, was happy to give Harry whatever he needed. Lucius and Narcissa hadn't spoke of what happened either, out of respect for Harry. Ginny did miscarry willingly, spent a few days in the hospital wing with blood replenishing and pain relief potions. Arthur filed for divorce, which went through easy enough, and now he was arguing custody with Lucius helping him out. Arthur had explained to his children that Molly and Ginny worked together to try and trap Harry and they all understood without knowing the full situation. Arthur promised to reveal the truth after Harry said it was okay to do so. Lucius also had the restraining order in place, if Ginny broke it; she was as good as arrested. Today was the 14th of June. Exams were over, thankfully, but the rest of the week was spent preparing to get in all last minute work and pack to go home for the summer. The only people still testing were the fifth years for their OWL exams. Harry was beyond grateful that he only had a year left and then he never had to step foot in Hogwarts again. If Albus wasn't there, Harry wouldn't care. However, Harry got word the investigation hit a snag from Kingsley and Amelia. It was fine, Harry expected it so and was ready for whatever happened. Harry knew Albus would lose, it was just a matter of time.
It was Saturday night, around 9:30 pm as Harry was beginning his packing up early since his work was completed and he knew he'd passed his exams for the year.
"Harry?" Asked Voldemort.
"What, Tom? I didn't reopen the link for you to harass me." Harry replied.
"I've got news pertaining to the movement, if you'd be amendable to venturing out tonight? Preferably with Severus?" Voldemort hoped.
"Is this good or bad news?" Harry questioned.
"There's rumor floating around the ministry that a raid is going to be launched against the Dark side. We're preparing for battle, thought you might like to be part of things." Voldemort stated.
"I'll be there by 10," Harry informed.
"Much obliged." Voldemort said.
Harry sighed as he grabbed his coin and let it levitate in the air, writing out the message to Severus, then sending the alert to just him. Yes, Severus was using a coin since he didn't carry the mark anymore. It wasn't more than ten minutes later when Severus reached Harry's room and knocked lightly. Harry opened the door for his mate, then let him in before closing the door again.
"I'm happy to see you," Severus greeted lightly. "I've been worried."
"Sorry. I planned on telling you what happened tonight, but Tom just called. Possible raid on our side from the ministry, need to discuss it." Harry informed. "I'll tell you after, though. Or just while everyone is there."
"Am I going to want to hurt someone?" Severus inquired.
"No, but it's gonna tick you off." Harry revealed.
"Dumbledore's antics again?" Severus muttered.
"Something like that. Come on, I told Tom we'd be there by 10." Harry linked his arm to Severus's.
With a slight tug, Severus and Harry were gone from the room.
. . .
Harry and Severus appeared in the dining room of Malfoy Manor and walked forward to their seats, then sat down. "Mother, Father." Harry greeted Narcissa and Lucius, who secretly loved that Harry had come around to calling them that after almost a year.
"You didn't bring Draco or the others?" Narcissa inquired.
"Tom didn't ask for them. Just me, and Severus." Harry replied. "It's too risky to bring the army during the year. Next week, we'll get everyone here to update them and get acquainted."
"Fair." Lucius nodded. "Oh, that order is in effect, Harry. She can't be within a foot of you, nor speak to. I've ensured Arthur has a copy and he made sure she knows."
"Thanks." Harry nodded. "Now, let's get down to why you summoned me."
"My contacts in the ministry have told me that there's talk of a raid about to happen. All we know is that it will be soon, and it's targeted at death eaters. There's claim to know where they are residing." Voldemort informed.
"It's possible that this raid isn't so much targeted to a single location. Not everyone lives together, except the Malfoy's, you, Bella, and the Lestrange brothers. Everyone else has their own residence." Severus mentioned. "There's been no mentions of this from the Order and more than a few of them are aurors."
"Tonks hasn't sent word, but I can ask." Harry lifted his Black ring. "You there, Uncle Siri?"
"Pup!" Sirius greeted.
"You with Moony and Tonks at Grimmauld?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, why? You need Moony?"
"Need 'em both. Send them to the manor? You can come too, of course." Harry stated.
"You got it, pup." Sirius said.
It was five minutes later when the fireplace flared in the dining room as Remus and Tonks walked through together. Sirius showed up into his portrait hung there as Remus came around to Harry's side and put a hand on his head.
"Hello, cub." Remus smiled.
"Hi, Uncle Remy." Harry replied.
"Oh, so he can call you Remy, but not me?" Tonks teased.
"He's my best friend's son, and unofficial nephew. He gets special privileges." Remus chuckled.
"He's my godson!" Sirius interjected.
"Quiet, Snuffles." Remus grinned.
"Why don't you come into my picture and say that to my-," Sirius started.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Boys!" He scolded. "Knock it off. I love you both equally…Both my uncles. Dad entrusted you both to take care of me if he and mum couldn't. There's no need to fight who has higher rank in my life."
"Sorry, pup," Sirius bowed his head.
"Me too, cub," Remus nodded.
"What did you need us for, Harry?" Tonks inquired.
"Voldemort's ministry contact says the death eaters are gonna be raided sometime soon. Wanted to know if the order has said anything on that, or aurors themselves." Harry questioned.
"Moody was talking about it." Tonks nodded. "Big raid coming up by the end of June to find and capture all death eaters." She confirmed. "All the aurors are getting ready in groups to storm, unforgivables are being permitted to be used on sight. Ordered by the minster himself."
"Storm where?" Lucius questioned.
"Anywhere with suspected death eaters." Tonks remarked. "Manors, houses…Anyone suspected from the first war."
"Happen to know specifically? Places already planned to hit?" Bellatrix wondered.
"That's not been released yet." Tonks replied. "They're cracking down, but it sounds like they're going after anything abandoned, large to house for meetings. Those who were in the first war who claimed imperious…Escapees from Azkaban. They're going all out in this raid."
"Definitely a problem." Voldemort sighed. "Harry, what do we do? If any of my followers are captured, we lose the edge to-,"
"Move everyone to one place." Harry interrupted him. "Somewhere safe, and unknown."
"Like?" Corban pushed.
"Here." Narcissa said, then looked at her husband. "We've got the advantage of being hidden. Only four people are secret keepers. Those four are you, me, Draco, and Harry."
"For a while, until it's completely safe." Lucius agreed. "All current death eaters will take up residence here, unless they want to take their chances."
"Lord Malfoy, thank you." Antonin bowed his head.
"I'm not marked, but I'll reside with the packs." Fenrir stated.
"Now, how are we to ever prepare so many extra rooms?" Lucius looked to his wife.
"We have Zimmy," Narcissa reminded.
"She already handles the entire house…" Lucius said.
"Mother, Father…Please, no need to argue." Harry told them. "I'm happy to donate the Potter elves on loan to assist with the transition."
"Harry, we couldn't ask that of you." Narcissa stated.
"You don't have to. I'm offering." Harry replied. "Dobby!"
"Lord Potter has summoned his friend?" Dobby bowed with a pop.
"With the exception of Booky, would you be so kind to bring yourself and the other elves from my house here? My parents are in need of some elf-specialized assistance to accommodate more housemates." Harry inquired.
"Dobby be most pleased to do this!" Dobby replied. "I'll get them now!" Dobby then vanished for a moment and returned with seven other elves.
"Lord Potter, how may we assist?" The elves asked.
"For a short while, I'm loaning you guys to my parents so they can get their house ready for extra guests. You don't mind helping out, do you?" Harry smiled.
"Of course not! We're happy to serve Lord Potter's parents!" The eight agreed.
"See, easy." Harry shrugged. "Dobby knows the manor well, he can direct with Zimmy. Get it done twice as fast."
"Thank you, sweetie." Narcissa kissed Harry's cheek. "You're such a good boy."
"Well then, all is well. We'll stake out here until the danger passes." Voldemort grinned. "Those staying should get home and grab what they'll need for an extended stay. I assume those with children are also not taking the chance?"
"Of course. We'll prepare over the week and come at the end, if that is alright with you two?" Mrs. Parkinson asked.
"Absolutely." Lucius stated. "We have more than enough room for everything. Those with families will be on the second floor while single residents can be on the third."
"We'll go and get ready then. If that is alright with you, my lord?" Goyle Sr hoped.
"Yes, yes. Go on." Voldemort dismissed them. Soon, the death eaters had left except those who already lived there. Remus and Tonks remained to spend time with Harry, for however long he was going to stay there. It was only 10:15 pm.
"Cissy, you never told why you got summoned to Hogwarts. What happened? Something with Draco or Harry?" Bellatrix inquired.
"Just a situation that's been handled." Lucius told his sister in law.
Harry looked over to his adoptive folks. "You didn't tell them?"
"It was your business, son. We were involved as your parents, but nothing to do with us. We've stayed quiet for you." Narcissa informed.
"Is this why you've been angry for days?" Severus questioned.
"It was worth being angry about. I needed time to cool off," Harry told his mate. "I told you I'd tell you tonight, might as well tell everyone. Ginerva pulled that card I told you she might try to play."
"Trying to trap you someway?" Rabastan asked.
"Tell me, Harry…" Severus asked softly.
"Remember the chat we all had sitting around the main room before Easter holiday ended? How I stated a theory on what might happen?" Harry paused. "It happened."
"S-She got herself pregnant b-by you?" Severus's eyes widened some.
"Not in the way you think, Severus," Lucius assured. "Don't get angry until you hear what this girl tried to pull with Dumbledore and Molly Weasley. It's quite laughable that they even tried this."
"It was not funny. It was desperate and petty, and low." Harry muttered.
"I'd like to hear this," Sirius said.
"Me too," Remus added.
"I got called to Albus's office on the 9th, finding Minerva, Mother, Father, Molly, Albus, Ginerva, and Arthur there." Harry began. "Albus tried to beat around the bush, and Ginerva just jumped in and said she was pregnant and it was my baby. This bitch tried to tell them that I attacked her fiending for blood and raped her."
"What?!" Remus and Sirius yelled.
"Impossible, I just fed you that night everyone arrived back at school." Severus claimed.
"Relax, Sev. I know it was a lie. I laughed." Harry informed and then went onto explain the situation for the next fifteen minutes, then stopped. "So it ended with me storming out."
"We left right afterward." Lucius said. "But I talked to Arthur; he said Minerva was disappointed and left, then he told Molly he was going to divorce her and take custody of Ginerva. The divorce is finalized, custody is under investigation."
"She won't bother you again." Severus huffed.
"Of course not. There's a restraining and no contact order in place, if she violates it; she gets arrested for various things." Harry informed. "I warned her not to test me or I'd get the order issued."
"I can't believe she went this far…" Remus snorted in disgust.
"I didn't know you could use Polyjuice potion like that." Tonks remarked.
"Learned something new." Harry told her calmly. "Doesn't matter. Baby is gone, she miscarried exactly at three months, like I said she would. I told her she'd die and I wouldn't change her to save her during delivery."
"What was Dumbledore's reaction? Was he in on this?" Severus wondered.
"He seemed shocked that we figured out that the only way the girl could have gotten pregnant with Harry's child without ever sleeping with Harry himself. But I think the more surprising factor was learning Harry's been bonded since Christmas, to his soulmate." Narcissa mentioned.
"But they don't know it's me?" Severus asked.
"If we reveal that you're my bonded now, Albus will fire you." Harry told him.
"I was leaving next year anyway, after you graduate." Severus reminded.
"But factor in that you're still my teacher, Sev. Teacher bonded to their student, plus there is the matter me not being seventeen yet. I know I'm technically always fifteen…But Griphook stated that my birthday passes each year, so that counts. I rather not risk you ending up in Azkaban." Harry said.
"True." Severus nodded.
"For now, they only know how long we've been bonded and that you're my soulmate. But not that it's you." Harry informed. "Best keep it that way until I graduate."
"Harry's right." Voldemort interjected. "We don't want to run the risk of you getting fired or sent to Azkaban. I still need you on the inside of the school until Albus is dealt with."
"I suppose we'll have to be careful then. If they know all this, then they know you only feed from your mate…They'll be looking for who that is." Severus enlightened.
"How are we dealing with Albus?" Bellatrix asked now.
"I think he's behind this raid." Harry scoffed. "I know he was behind this idea for Ginny to get herself pregnant by someone who was Polyjuiced as me. I think Molly was in on it too. I think that ticked me off more than what Ginny did."
"That Molly was part of it?" Narcissa stared.
Harry nodded. "I met Molly my first year, at King's Cross, trying to figure out how to get on the platform for the Hogwarts Express. Hagrid left me there without explaining. I heard her call out to her kids that the platform was this way, so I went over to ask. Next time I saw her was second year when Ron, Fred, and George broke me out of relative's house with the flying car. She's always been so loving and motherly to me…I used to spend the rest of the summer there, starting after my birthday, all the holiday vacations. To know she had a part in trying to help Ginny trap me kind'a really sucks." He explained.
"Arthur is on your side, so are all the male children." Lucius stated.
"It doesn't change that someone I had considered a mother, who always told me I was family to them, betrayed me. I should have seen it at the beginning of the year, she was with Ginny and Albus for that fake marriage contract signing on my sixteenth birthday." Harry muttered. "And they did all this for money. Ginny wanted a lavish lifestyle. Money for whatever, being called Lady Potter-Black."
"Well, it doesn't matter." Narcissa told her adoptive son gently. "You have us, and I'm sure Draco isn't going to try and get himself pregnant to marry you. He already has money and a fancy title." She smiled. "And all the Weasley males are on your side, probably still see you as family to them."
"Well, difference between Draco and Ginny is that Draco is actually Harry's brother. And he couldn't claim Harry's titles because he is already Heir Malfoy, in line for Lord after me." Lucius remarked. "At that point the only way Harry's titles get claimed were if it was by his own kids when he retires or dies."
"It would be retirement," Harry confirmed. "Moving on, with Albus…We just need to catch him in something he's done against me or those innocent."
"And how are we going to do that? We couldn't prove he poisoned Draco's blood. We haven't heard anything on him plotting to kidnap Remus, even with those two fake death eaters being captured and taken to the ministry. We can't prove that he had anything to do with this plot of Ginerva's." Severus informed.
"Exactly. He's being careful, but he's getting desperate…He'll make his own mistake soon enough. We just have to sit back and wait." Harry told the others. "We still have the ace up our sleeves that he knows I'm carrying a horcrux of Tom's. Something he doesn't think I know about, nor does he know that the others have been remerged back to Tom. When this comes out, he will try to kill me and someone other than the dark lord trying to kill me, such as Albus Dumbledore himself, is going to cause an uproar that he attacked the boy who lived, the one prophesized to vanquish the dark lord." He revealed.
"But how long until he makes that move?" Rodolphus inquired.
"Not long. Albus is still aiming to get me under his control. He can't do it as my guardian because I'm adopted by the Malfoy's. And he can't do it by me marrying Ginny because he knows I'm already bonded…That means he'll try to go after whoever I'm bonded to and he doesn't know who that is. That is his next plan, break the bond by killing who I'm mated to. He's not stupid, he knows what a soulmate bond is and that if he were to break mine; it would hurt me." Harry mentioned. "We should be safe here…Even if it ends up revealing you, Severus, you know I'll kill him if he tries to hurt you."
"I prefer you don't kill him, or he can't rot for all he's done." Severus said.
"Fine…I'll enjoy hurting him then." Harry said. "All is well. Dumbledore's downfall is coming soon, I can feel it. Won't be easy, but we'll prevail. Evil never wins."