Cc’d

by Taihxhxhxhx

Dhdhdh

Chapter 1/3 A New Look

Chapter Text

In front of Harry lay a boy, the one his eyes always followed, the one whose scowl was buried deeply into his eye, the one whose name made his whole muscles tighten in awareness, the one who with just one word drew his focus, attention, eyes and thoughts to himself.

The one who harry almost murdered.

Draco lay on the wet bathroom floor, the water pooling around him. His own blood seeping out of his cuts and mixing in the water beneath. The skin which was moments ago as pale and smooth as jade, was now torn at places such that the bones inside were visible with cripples on it like wrinkled cotton due to being wet for long. His ragged breath echoed in the enclosed space, serving as a witness to his pain and life seeping away. For an instant, something like relief shone in his eyes. Relief – that he didn't need to suffer anymore, that the act he so much wanted to do but was too scared to perform was, now, gifted to him by someone else. Maybe he thought this was his last deed. Maybe not. No witness was present to tell us ultimately what those emotions in his eyes told. The only other person was too lost to recognize even himself. So the only hope we have is if the person himself survives. Maybe he will tell us?

Harry stared at the Draco. His eyes were blank and his thoughts had the picture of Draco crying before he made his appearance. He stumbled back with a jolt as his body was pushed backwards and Snape ran to Draco. His eyes panicked before changing to anger as he looked at Harry, scornfully saying, " Have you done enough damage? If so, please leave, Mr. Potter, and return to your dormitory." The words were spat out by Snape as his whole being exuded furious anger. He would have hexed Harry if not for the barely breathing Draco.

These words, as if a spell, bought Harry's consciousness back, enabling him to react. He realized that many students had already gathered outside. the loud noises drawing their curiosity. Scared as they already were, this commotion caused by him and Draco drew much attention. He took a step back followed by another and soon his boots were hitting the stone floor one after the other in rapid succession as he ran. His mind was a mess. With disoriented thoughts, confused emotions and a lost sense of direction, he ran. That was all he could do at the moment. Desperate, as if the answer for his erratic turmoil lay just beyond.

When Harry finally came to a stop, he was exhausted and heaving heavily. His muscles burned and calves wobbled but that did nothing to garner his attention, even temporarily. He stood there, as still as a statue, bathing in moonlight spilling out of the huge windows, drowning his body with it. He did not understand what he was feeling, did not understand his own emotions. Was that even possible?

Questions jumbled in his head. Why was Draco crying? What happened? What was he himself feeling? It was as if the arrows were shot but without an aim.

Was it guilt that made his throat clog up and heart squeeze? Guilt? Sympathy? Anger? Hate? Resentment? ….No. It was none of these. It was entirely different or maybe a well-stirred potion made of all of these.

Harry sat down on the hard ground, head leaning on the evenly checkered glass of the window beside him. He remembered how broken and helpless Draco looked minutes ago. Body in shreds, heart shattered and soul torn, just laying there. Harry did not want to sympathize with him. He did not want to feel guilty. After all, it was Draco who attacked first. He was the one standing on the wrong side. He was the one who made all the wrong choices. It was him who bore the mark. Harry was just defending himself. But what he thought and what he saw did not match. Was what he saw true or just another farce? Regardless of all these speculations, one emotion was still prominent. He wanted to fight Draco in such a way. He didn't want Draco to cry. He wanted Draco to scowl at him with disgust, to mock him mercilessly. Just like all those months back, not crying and helpless. He was not the Draco Harry knew. His Draco did not cry alone in the bathroom. He might hate people and bully them but would never try to kill them. No. This was not Draco. With this revelation in his heart, Harry drew up his knees and silently thought about the silver haired bastard whom he liked to call 'Malfoy'. He thought about the moments when all that was between them were a petty rivalry and not war like it was now. Suddenly, those fights seemed like a privilege to him. They had the power to draw his every thought to them. Maybe it wasn't the fight itself that drew his attention but the person with whom he fought.

The clock ticked away and the silver rays turned to golden ones. It was already the start of another day. With this, Harry finally sorted out the jumble in his head and decided to find out the answers to his questions from the source himself. He hurriedly made his was to the Griffindor common room. On entering, he immediately came face to face with Hermione and Ron.

Registering how he looked and remembering the situation last night, Hermione worriedly asked, "Where were you Harry? We searched for you all around. Are you okay? You are not hurt, are you ?"

Simultaneously, Ron said, "What was all that last night, mate? What happened?"

Ignoring them, Harry remembered Draco's condition last night and asked, "How is Draco? Is he fine?"

Hearing the anxiety in his voice, Ron frowned and Hermione replied with a horrified face, "His condition was quite bad. He was taken to Madam Pomfrey. The rumors have already spread all around the school. Everyone is terribly scared. Harry, What exactly happened?"

Before anyone could say anymore, Harry spoke up, "Hermione, I need to see Malfoy."

Hermione could hear the urgency and anxiety in his voice. Her brows frowned at the sudden worry she sensed for Draco in the voice. But Hermione was a smart girl, she knew when to step ahead and when to step back.

"Right now, Professor Snape and Madame Pomfrey are still tending to him. The best time to break in would be at midnight but Professor Snape might still be there. The Dinner might be next best. We could cover up for you.", Her voice was serious and reply accurate to Harry's need.

With the plan ready, the only thing to do now was to wait. The day passed by student questioning Harry about last night and what happened, trying to know everything that was there. But regardless of their efforts, Harry only had the tears sliding off pale cheeks in his thoughts. Dinner soon came. The hallways emptied as students rushed to sate their hunger.

Harry silently made his way to the infirmary. With the invisibility cloak sneaking out was as easy as breathing.

Draco was sitting on his bed. A book was floating in front of him but his eyes looked empty, lost in another world. He did not seem to realize Harry's presence even after he took off the cloak.

Deciding to draw his attention, Harry gruffly said, "Malfoy"

Startled, Draco snapped his head towards the voice. His eyes wide after registering Harry. He asked, "What are you doing here, Potter?" His words were angry but his voice was pained and gruff from the toll he took yesterday. His face into turning into a scowl at the sight of Harry's face.

Harry's voice was neutral, not revealing even a bit of his actual intention, "Why were you crying, Malfoy ?"

Draco stared at Harry, processing what he heard. Not believing that Harry would take it upon himself to interrogate him and even more so after hearing his question. He could not make the head or tail of Harry's question but it was the answer that made his heart squeeze all over again. Seconds passed and Draco eventually said, "What is it to you, Potter? Looking for another chance to show off your heroism?" He said in an equally monotone voice, all the while struggling to get out of bed. To get away from the question, away from Harry.

Emerald eyes gleamed darkly, reflecting the pale figure scrambling to get out of bed. And before Draco could know what was happening, strong hands forcefully pulled him back on the bed, grasping his elbow with a frighteningly tight grip. He tried to pull back and struggled fiercely, all the while his other hand searched for his wand.

Getting closer, Harry asked again, "Why?"

Draco's struggles increased. At this point, he wildly flailed his arms and legs around, hitting harry, shouting insults at him, doing anything that could help get him free. But all of this could not even budge his captor.

Minutes passed but neither gave up. Draco could feel his muscles weaken due to his lack of energy, could feel Harry's grip bruising his arms. His eyes burned but he did not know if it was from anger or pain at his situation. It was as if years of emotions which were choked up in his heart, all threatened to break free. They were clogging up his throat and pooling in his eyes. The dam he had built around his emotions was starting to overflow. With its opening shut tight, refusing to let even a drop escape, the dam was filled to the brim, threatening to shatter completely. As the first crack appeared, the first drop slid down the sickly pale cheeks. More cracks appeared as more drops fell. Soon a part of the dam fell and a strangled voice echoed the infirmary. As the dam shattered completely, so did the struggles .

Now, the only thing that remained were the tears and cries rushing out of a boy in another's arms.

Harry looked down at Draco. The arms which were moments ago hitting his back in an attempt to break free now tightly held his shirt as he tightened his arms around Draco. He had got his answers. He got them in the most purest and crudest way. He could feel his magic shake with Draco's every wail. He had questioned himself if this was a farce staged to trap him or not. Now, he felt the answer to this question. These tears were not a farce. These emotions, this magic around him swirling with desperation, these were not false. Draco did not change but he was pushed to this point. Pushed to the point that he broke.

Draco did not stop and Harry did not leave. Both too lost, too in pain to even think about letting go of the only anchor present.

Outside the infirmary, two figures stood with their heads down. The taller one holding onto the more petite one as she muffled her cries in his shirt. They were both overwhelmed by the scene. Ron and Hermione had left the dinner early to warn Harry about Professor McGonagall requesting all the professors for an urgent meeting and witnessed this scene after getting here. They were first shocked and then grieving for someone they never thought they would. The figures soon left as it was getting hard to just be there hearing their enemy's hoarse cries as he wept on their best friend's chest.

Inside the infirmary, Draco tried to lock up his emotions in his chest again but failed miserably to the constant heat and pressure surrounding him. He did not know what Harry wanted. Did not know why he was still here. He wanted to run away, wanted to stop, but he did not know how. So, for the first time in his life, Draco Malfoy let go. He cried and cried thinking that this might be his only chance he cried on someone's shoulder, let someone know his pain, even if that someone was his enemy for years. There were no words spoken but he knew Harry understood, maybe he found them false, but at least he understood.

Harry held Draco, not once loosening his arms. He made no effort to comfort Draco, with actions or words. His head down and chin touching Draco's ear, he stayed in the same position, not moving an inch.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours as the cries stopped and Draco slumped in Harry's embrace, unconscious from exhaustion. He got out of bed and gently laid Draco down, slowly pulling the covers up. Standing at the bedside, he looking at the puffy eyes and wet cheeks. At that moment something rose in Harry's heart. It was dark, cruel and sinister but it wasn't wrong.

In the silent night, a small whisper was heard by the walls, "Just wait, Malfoy. Just wait "

In the haze of tiredness and slumber, Draco heard a deep voice whisper to him, "...Wait~ ...Just wait~"

And Draco thought in the engulfing darkness, ' Wait ? Wait for what? Death or a life worse than death?'

Chapter 2: Puffy , scowly kitty

Summary:

This chapter is Draco's POV with little Harry's POV. Draco feels that what happened that night in infirmary was a dream and is quite sure of it and dismisses it just like that but harry remembers and now he views Draco as innocent but is not entirely sure what Draco really is. All he knows is that Draco does not want to do what he is doing. On the other hand Draco tries his best to find ways to remove dark mark for his mother and other Slytherins in Hogward's whom he considers his sworn siblings, whose parents no longer care if they lived or died. Draco feels this is his responsibility as these people have seen him as their leader consciously or unconsciously for years and now that they have no one to rely on and no political support or guarantee of life, Draco will not leave them alone for the ministry to catch and blame. They are his people, his snakes, after all.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The moon soon disappeared and a new day started. Draco woke up to the fluttering of curtains and warm sunlight on his face.

Madam Pomfrey walked to him with a brand new uniform and with her eyes checking for any discomfort on his body and said, "You are already healed and can attend your classes, Mr. Malfoy. But remember to not tire yourself and take care of your health. In addition, take this once a day before sleep to regain the lost energy."

Saying this, she kept the neatly folded uniform down and walked away to soon return with a bottle of red pills. There were hardly 10 pills inside. Keeping the bottle beside his clothes, she continued, "By the time you empty his bottle, your body will fully recover from the physical injuries and magical deficiency. Now, hurry up. Breakfast will be served within the next hour."

Draco hurriedly changes his clothes behind his bed curtains and left the infirmary. He walked towards the Slytherin dormitory. His mind wandered to the events of last night. He was still not clear if it was reality. The bruises on his arms were throbbing but he did not know if it was just the residual psychic sensation from a weird dream or actual pain.

There was a reason why Draco never asked for help, why he never pursued friendship with people not connected to Voldemort, why he made an enemy of Harry even after growing out of his immaturity. And he was not going to change that anytime soon. Draco was bound in one way or another to all of this that was happening. And he knew that if he kept going the same, he was going to end up in tragedy, if he wanted or not, possibly even lose everything. The only way to be safe was to somehow cut all the connections he had with Voldemort. It seemed almost impossible but he was going to try. He wasn't going to give up just like that.

Last summer he searched through the whole library in Malfoy mansion, wanting to know anything and everything that could help. The pro was that everyone thought that he was doing it to spend the summer away and no one suspected anything. Con was that it took too much time.

The first thing he has to do was to find a way to get rid of the dark mark. The library back at the mansion barely had anything. With this option gone , the other option he had was the school library. The book Draco needed was probably in the restricted section but to get there he needed the permission from a professor, which was nearly impossible. He cannot go to his godfather even if he knew that Snape would never do anything to harm him, still the risk was too great. So, the only other way was to make another professor give him permission.

Draco's head was running miles per second thinking about this when he realized that he had reached the dormitory. He swiftly made his way into his room to change his clothes and groom himself to perfection. Grabbing his books, he made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast, taking his seat at the Slytherin table beside Blaise. His head was still running in a thousand directions while he piled his plate and made the usual greetings.

No one asked him about his stay at the infirmary. It was an unspoken rule between the Slytherins that privacy is above all. Being in Slytherin was automatically swearing loyalty to your group and peers. If one goes down, all go down with him. If one rises up, he pulls the rest with him.

Draco knows that they care and worry and he also wants to tell them but this might unknowingly pull someone totally away from it into the mess, if it spreads. So he keeps his mouth shut as his friends keep giving him glances and stares but do not utter a word.

The breakfast ends and 'the silver trio', as they like to call themselves, make their way to their first class. With Blaise on his left and Pansy on his right, Draco walked the corridor as if it was a ramp. His lithe body moving like how a leopard had its leisure walks.

Draco felt a sharp gaze on his neck which sent a cold shiver down his back. The feeling of being watched was so intense that it made him scared. He turned around and happened to catch Harry's eyes who turned to Ron and pretended as nothing happened. Seeing Harry, Draco's brain short-circuited and every memory that he forgot for last night came rushing back. His mouth fell open and in his head was running a marathon of "no no no no no no no no no no no NO !!!". He struggled with giving his usual scowl to Harry when he again caught his eyes and this time the dangerous feeling was so strong that he was paralyzed.

Did he really cry on Harry? Was yesterday really not an absurd dream? Before Draco was sure that it was a dream, but now met with such a gaze, he wavered and doubted himself. At this moment Draco really wanted to crack Harry's brain open and see what's inside. Maybe even slip poison in his food to ensure the matter hushed once and for all. His doubtful gaze looked at Harry squinting like a cat. He searched for any abnormal signs but found none. Seeing this Draco relaxed slightly , thinking that his pureblood young master, the Malfoy heir and the perfect Slytherin pride was still intact and he did not cry like a princess in the hero's arms in reality. Just thinking that he dreamt this was shameful enough that he could feel his ears burn, the horror of it being reality was too much for Draco to handle, so much so that he would leave the nose-less devil to rot and find ways to strangle Harry and bury his body.

Harry had always thought Draco as someone vile and crafty, someone who will grovel at the feet of Voldemort just for power, someone without morals. But what he saw that night had inevitably planted a seed of doubt. He speculated what made Draco do all this. What forced him? His own life? His family? Surely, it might be his mother. Draco was not a self sacrificing person. Harry could not tell what it ultimately was. So he decided to observe Draco for now. See if his speculations were true or not.

Harry kept looking at Draco as he stared at him in a daze. At some point a slight, almost unnoticeable, pink bloomed on his neck and up to his cheeks and ears and at the same time a pair of pale red lips shaped into a full blown scowl directed at Harry with such intensity as if plotting his murder, which Draco was.

In Harry's brain wheels turned after seeing the scowl. With a slight smirk and bright eyes, Harry relaxed thinking ,' Indeed it was me that made puffy, scowling kitty blush'. The thought satisfied him to an extent that even he was unaware of.

On the other hand, with the slight upturn of lips, the bright eyes and an impossibly smug face looked like when a husband who had won a fight against his wife and wore it on his face with- 'Look I'm better than you ' literally written on his forehead. Harry made a weird sight for his friends and students around him and it was even weirder when they noticed that this gaze was directed towards Draco who was scowling back like he is gonna chew him whole. The students around looked from Harry to Draco and then again to Harry. They kept looking back and forth as if watching a tennis match .

Student 1 : "Is it just me or is the pink fog real?"

Student 2 : "No, I think I see it too!"

Student 3 : "Definitely real. Just the flower rain is missing and it will be a perfect fairy tale."

Student 1 : "What? Why should there be flowers?"

Student 3 : *gives her a look*

Student 1 : "OHhhhhhh~" *eyes wide *

Student 2 : *patting her back* "You have a long way to go."

And this sight of obvious sparks flying at once made the unprecedented ability of imagination in Hogwarts students awaken and take up the task. And knowing the grand ability of these students, the results are sure going to be top notch.

Draco saw the self satisfied smirk on Harry and finally felt a very bad premonition in his heart. It felt as if he was slowly, unknowingly leered into a trap to be eaten whole. It was better to keep his distance from Harry. He's not as simple as before. Draco's instincts were on full edge and more so was his magic. Everything in his body was telling him to run. So, he grabbed a confused Blaise and dazed Pansy and walked as fast and as calmly as was required for a pureblood young master while dragging his dumb struck friends with both hands. But He could feel the gaze all the way through.

Night soon fell. Draco sat in his bed ready for a deep slumber but unexpectedly, thinking. He remembered standing before the dark lord who was demanding him to kill, portraying it like an honor. Commanding him to curse an innocent girl, to kill Dumbledore. Draco never wanted to do this. But he had no choice but to stay silent and let nature take its course. He had no choice but to shove the guilt at the back of his mind and keep going because if he dwelled in this then his mother and sworn slytherin siblings will be the same . If Katie Bell was cursed then several people will be trying to save her, they will give their best for her. She will have a chance. Dumbledore was the greatest wizard of their time, as powerful as the dark lord, he can surely save himself if he wants so. But what about him? What about his people? They will be killed without a second thought. No one will try their best to save him. If they die then they weren't strong enough, weren't loyal enough. But if Katie or Dumbledore die then it was a tragedy, a reason to harass and kill every Slytherin around.

Draco admits that he feels guilty but not to an extent to make him cry or mourn because he had always known that Dumbledore was never as simple as he made himself look. Dumbledore had knowingly let people suffer but did nothing to stop them even when he could and sometimes even send them right in the beast's belly. He was as disgusting as the death eaters. Never to be trusted. Draco could help and trust but what guarantee did he have that he would not be made into a virgin offering to the devil in the name of being a righteous sacrifice. What guarantee did he have that another Dumbledore would not come around. No, he could not put their life on line.

Currently, most of the upper pureblood circle has lost their minds. In addition, most of the Slytherins students in the Hogward's do not even want all this. They are being forced by their parents just like him. Sooner or later, if he does not find a leeway, the ministry won't let anyone go. They will be made to bear the burn of the mistakes that were not even theirs to appease the hearts of the hypocritical wizarding crowd. And no proof will be enough to prove their innocence with this cursed mark on their arms. No one will help. No one will believe.

Maybe it is better that Dumbledore die. At least no one will actively push them in the pit. With Dumbledore gone, they will be more or less one step closer to safety and one step further from danger. But with this kind of risk, if was more of a harm than benefit.

If one thing that Draco is sure of is that the dark mark is not as simple as it seems. He saw with his own eyes how his once reasonable father gradually started to get sick in the mind. How his craze got up to the point where he wouldn't even care if his family died for the cause of victory of Voldemort. He would happily accept that they died as martyrs. The same goes for other followers of Voldemort. They don't care if their children lived or died . They all were already crazy , making their children more or less orphans. Only some of them still have their senses like his mother and Snape , but even they are not completely unaffected. The longer the mark stays, the more they go crazy. Therefore, the filthy mark on his arm has to go. So that he can get my mother and the Slytherins in Hogward's out of here because these are the last people he considers family. With these thoughts, the pair of silver eyes shone even brighter in the same silver rays with a decisiveness clear in them. Draco gently lay on his bed and pulled up the covers, silently waiting for everyone to drift into their dream worlds so that he could easily make his way to his destination.

Notes:

So, I decided to make it a little spicy and comedy and as well as mixture of original elements and characters. Now the story will not just be limited to Hogward's but would go all over the Europe for the search of horcruxes and on gain many advantages.

As well, Draco and Harry have slight character changes. Draco now is more practical and straightforward. He is willing to do something to get his mother out and not just give up to fate. He is scared but willing to be braver, also he is haughty and prideful as always but now more tactful.

Harry now is more dark. He does not just blindly follow. He seeks and hides his true thoughts. Harry now is protective over his people and not as softhearted as before. He will punish the people who hurt him and ignore who don't. He is on the path to greatness even bigger that in the novel and will soon become the Magical Overlord. He is someone to fear as well as respect. Fear for what he can do and respect for what he has done.

My dear cupcakes, please leave comments and kudos. I would love to communicate and know your opinion as well assure my heart that the chapters are not terrible.

-Dr. Shipper.

Chapter 3: Two oldmen

Summary:

Another detail is that here Harry and Ginny were never together. They are ambiguous but have never done anything remotely like a couple.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The moonlight filled the room as Draco slowly sat up from bed. Checking that his roommates were still deep asleep, he got out of bed. Silently draped his school robes over himself, took his wand and made his way out of the dormitory towards the library.

Last summer, while reading at the Malfoy manor, he found some useful spells. One of them taught how to entirely conceal your magic and presence. This method called 'Concealment' was taught for the purpose of spying, assassinations and other such tasks. It was a kind of wandless magic. In the turning wheel of time, it was slowly forgotten as it can be only used by low wizards which, more or less, mean immature or apprentice wizards with weak magic and presence. If a wizard with strong magic performed this method, it will result in death from magic suppression and his body will literally burst as the suppressed magic explodes. It was similar to a container that cannot hold water more than its volume and if forced, it will burst apart, spilling the water out. Luckily, he is still a student and his magic is very subtle and gentle making it easy to perform this.

In his thinking, Draco did not even realize that he was already at the library. Stopping in front of the restricted section, Draco remembered what he read in the book. He followed his instinctual memory and slowly relaxed his mind as he let his magic spread in the air around him. He then closed his eyes and felt everything his magic touched as he surveyed the surrounding. It felt as if he did not have two eyes but ten, so that he could look all around him and even feel the sound of slight flutter of wing from outside the window. It was a novel experience, Draco admitted. Then, inch by inch, he retracted his magic within his body, precisely at the center of his chest. Gradually, No magic was left out and all of it was tightly looked in that small space. Draco could feel his magic forming a small, marble sized, pale turquoise ball in his chest. His magic swirling as a silent tornado in it.

Finally done, Draco opened his eyes and made his way into the restricted section, not alarming any barrier and activating any array. Everything was as it was before, silently asleep in the dead of night.

In the Gryffindor dormitory, Harry lay in his bed staring at nothing and unable to sleep. His insomnia was getting worse. He was just about to close his eyes when he caught the sight of the invisibility cloak laying on top of his desk. At once, he got up and started to think about good night walk places in the Hogward's and eventually decided on the room of requirements. Harry hid in his cloak as he made his way to the room of requirements. After entering, the room was still empty. Looks like he does not need anything. So, he just sat down and unexpectedly thought of the scowling kitty he saw this morning. Harry knows that it's weird calling Malfoy 'kitty', but it definitely suits him well.

Suddenly, a robust voice rang through the space, startling Harry.

"Hmmm, you are an interesting child. Some guts you must have to call a Malfoy 'kitty' ! But, I have to say it quite suits Malfoys to be a bunch of kitties."

"Who's there?!"

The voice spoke again, this time as if making fun of Harry, "Worry not, child. I do not come to harm you. But do tell me, is there nothing you need?"

Harry could feel the power of this man and he was no match. He could feel that he was powerful but couldn't tell how powerful. All he knows is that he is trapped. Even though suspicious, he can do nothing. So he asks again, "Who are you ?"

"Ahh, such is the vigor of youth. Sure, I am getting on my years. And for the courtesy of your question, I am a memory."

"A memory ? Of whom ?"

"Have you heard of The Golden Warrior? Eloise Herewósa, The Great Golden Warrior! That who I am.", The voice boasts with a prideful and awe-inspiring tone.

"The golden warrior? Who?", Harry asked with a confused voice while scratching his head.

The surrounding fell silent and Harry could feel the subtle pressure in the air rising.

"YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE GOLDEN WARRIOR ? YOU DISGRACE TO MAGIC ITSELF !!! HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW ME ?! DO I LOOK LIKE A FOOL TO YOU?", The voice, now furious, asked loudly. His anger was evident in his tone. One can imagine the scene to be perfect had there been an old man with red face and shaking beard in front of Harry, glaring at him with such anger that could burn the entire Hogwart's to dust.

Harry was astonished at the sudden shout and froze completely. His stunned eyes looked up, clear and pure, without an inch of falsehood. It was clear that he really did not know.

The voice saw this sight with his invisible eyes and huffed but compromised and continued in a wronged childlike tone, giving people an unshakable urge to coax, if not for the voice indicating that the person was at the age of one's grandpa.

"Anyway let bygones be bygones and let the dead be dead. So, let's look at you now. Hmm~ Harry Potter, is it? Parents are dead, giving a difficult childhood, bought to Hogwarts at eleven. Strong magic, stable body, Sharp mind. Hmm~ Hmm~ Interesting, very interesting. Child, you sure are a once in a century genius. Such power, such mind but unfortunately not much of control. But that can be fixed and in no time you will be my first student, carrying on my great legac-"

But before, it could say anything else Harry questions again, "What do you want from me? And how do you know this?", Anxious but steady.

"I do have a want. But, it is not a want to take from you but to give. I wish to give you my knowledge. I have been searching for centuries for a person willing and able to pass my knowledge to, but found none. Today is the first time I see someone so suitable, in both character and strength to be my successor. So tell me, child. Do you wish to accept this blessing that I send? I do not wish to haste you. But remember, even if this gives you a power few could imagine, it's not a path of weak. If you have even an ounce of hesitation, then leave. I won't stop you even if you are the last person that could be my successor. I see that you have a need that cannot be given by this room. You need power, don't you? To kill your enemies, To protect your near and dear. Power always follows effort. So do you wish?"

With just some sentences, this man could teach Harry so much. it's no doubt that this is a man who has experienced many things and knows much more. by the way he speaks, Harry could at least deduce that Dumbledore is no where near where he stands.

This man, The Golden Warrior as he said, is clearly very powerful. Harry already had an inkling of it when he silently read Harry's memories without him even suspecting anything. Struggling to calm his throbbing heart, Harry thought that agreeing to this old man is not detrimental in any sense. Even if he doesn't have the solution to Harry's problems, at least he will do no harm. Harry decisively made up his mind. But a smart man always cross-checks before giving a definite answer.

"There are many idiots in this world. Stupid people who trust blindly and suffer terribly. And we are in no hurry to join their team. Don't you agree?"

"You fool! Do you think you would be alive right now if I had any malice for you? Voldemort, isn't he the one you fear? Such a nuisance! I could crush such a fly with my bare fingers, if I wished so!", It said to Harry in a much calmer but irritated tone as if an elder reprimanding his own family's child. He seemed to be losing his patience fast.

"You truly can?" Sure enough. After hearing his tone, Harry tacitly decided to talk freely this time. Not trying to hide anything. This is an obvious acceptance of the teaching. Therefore, it's also a silent acceptance of his proposition.

"I don't answer to brats who aren't my apprentice."

Harry: "..."

" Fine. If it can help me gain an upper hand on Voldemort, then I am willing. But! Before that, you have to make an unbreakable vow that whatever you said is true."

"Tsk. Such a spoilt brat. Fine! I vow on the sky above, earth below, air around and magic within that what I said is as true as the blue of sky and the power of magic. If I said even a word false, may my soul tear in a thousand piece and disappear completely to punish my insolence!", The voice said echoing around.

Seconds passed, nothing happened. The memory was still there. This proved that each and everything the man say was absolute truth. Initially, Harry had put forward such a condition as a joke to irk the man. But he had never anticipated that the said man would actually take the vow.

"Hmph! Are you finally at ease? If not then rot! I will not bother do anything else for you!" The voice knew that Harry would agree after this much so it swiftly put a foot forward to regain its lost pride.

"Hmm~ Its fine", Harry said so leisurely that the old voice felt that let alone it's pride he had already lost, the remaining scarps of pride was also gone. And now he felt like he was stripped bare and standing in plain view of this gigantic world. The feeling of cold air between its legs was particularly strong.

The old voice was so angry that he did not even give Harry a warning and directly threw him in the illusion of life and death. The room again fell silent as the figure that was there suddenly disappeared.

On the other end, Draco was going through books at the speed of light. Books piled beside him but he found nothing. Finishing another book, he got up to pull the next book from the shelf when he noticed the scribble on the shelf beneath the book. It looked old and almost faded and hand written. The language was unknown, he noticed. Just as he touched it, an array lit up right beneath his feet. Draco's eyes blew wide in fear.'Oh no. Oh no no No !', was the only thought in Draco's head as a bright light enveloped him. And the next second, he disappeared. The books Draco was reading slowly rose by themselves and took their given places in the shelves, even his robes disappeared.

Some time had gone by till Draco felt his consciousness come back. At the same time he felt his tired and heavy body. His eyelids refused to open and his limbs felt as heavy as rocks. Finally coming to himself, Draco remembered what happened and inevitably started to panic. 'Was he found out ? No, this can't be it !', was the first though. He felt his eyes slightly water at the frantic fear. Being found out was equal to death to someone in his position.

Just then he felt a slight intrusion enter his head. He could feel the gentle and cool caress on his head as a gentle elderly voice spoke in his head.

"Hush, now. It's fine. Its all is fine." The voice was elderly and gentle but still held with it some playfulness.

Draco was startled at the voice but an unknown something did not let him panic. It was like someone had fed him a calming potion to stabilize all his emotions. Extreme fear and anger were impossible, a struggle even more so. As Draco relaxed and regained some of his rationality, he immediately started a round of rapid fire nearly enabling his captor, as he believed, from catching up.

"Who are you? Why are you in my head? Did I get caught? What are you doing to me?"

"Little one, you sure are restless. By doing this, I only meant to heal you a little faster. I mean no ill intention. After all, it were my inscribes which harmed you. And no, you did not get caught." It said as it chuckled gently at the last bit. A somewhat foolish amusement lingering in the sound.

"How did I get here? What happened? What inscribes?" Out of infinite questions in his head, Draco chose the ones that will possibly help to extend his lifetime if needed. It is better to be wary of landmines when in unknown territory.

"Ah, that. Well, you touched one of my inscribes and teleported here through the array below it. But, unfortunately, the array is quite old and rusty, also the installment of a bigger array around the section caused it to become unstable and take a toll on your body. But do not worry, little one. I am already trying my best healing you. Though I am slower as I am a soul, I can still heal you well."

The voice gave off an image of a elderly man apologizing with wrinkled eyebrows and downwards tilted mouth. The pair of glassy, regret filled eyes was a big fat cherry on top. Instead of making a delicious pastry, the image was that of a near to tears, regretful old man, making people feel guilty enough to just kill themselves with emotions without even moving a finger.

This trick absolutely did not work on Draco but made him narrow his imaginary eyes instead. Draco was still wary but powerless as well. His body was still unable to move and his magic still locked inside. He had no way to defend himself if the voice attacked him. He was defenseless and vulnerable. Now, he could only wait and watch. This could as well be the day of his death. Thousands of scenarios flashed by in Draco's head as he grew restless. Hopefully he will he able to celebrate his next birthday.

Sensing his agitation, the voice hurriedly lulled him into sleep as if in the next second he was going to sit up and kill a man already dead, "Sleep now. I will wake you up. Rest."

As he heard this, Draco's mind grew heavy as sleep evaded his consciousness. Not wanting to sleep, he desperately fought back. Fiercely counterattacking, the fatigue suddenly increased by leaps and bounds. Losing his foothold, Draco weakly mumbled, "Wait ……" before he succumbed to it and his breathing grew steady and heart beat calm.

Next time Draco woke up, he was lying on the ground in an unknown place. The room was as big as the great hall with marble pillars standing on both sides. Slowly, he sat up and looked around. His body felt like it was run over by the Hogwarts express. It hurt everywhere. Standing up, he noticed that many objects were carefully kept in here, they looked meticulously cared for. The room itself was dusty and dirty, but the objects were clean without a speck of dirt. Cautiously, he did not touch the objects but looked around and spotted a man in white robes sitting on a stone chair in the far front. The man wore white robes with gold embroidery similar to wizarding robes. He had blond hair a tint darker that Draco's, somewhat similar to his father. The man sat in a perfect and stiff posture. His back straight, head up and had his back to Draco. He seemed to be reading something. He could see through the man, Draco noticed. He came to a stop behind him and was thinking of calling out, when the man spoke, "You finally woke up, little one." It was the same gentle voice that spoke in his head. With this, Draco assumed that it was him. The voice did say it was a soul.

Draco was just wondering if he was still in the castle or not. And if they were, why had he not heard of this soul with the number of books he had read? Exactly how old was he for people and history to completely erase the traces of him or his life? It was just then that the man stood up and turned to Draco. He was an elderly man looking close to the age of his father and had a sophisticated face with a gentle expression just like his voice. Looking down at Draco, he spoke, "How are you? Do you feel any pain, any discomfort? Is there any headache?"

"Was it you in my head?"

Amused, the voice replied, "Yes. It was me. Did I do a bad job?"

"You healed me?"

"Yes, little one" the man said and Draco's head took up its job of producing a million questions per second. 'How can he get in my head ? And healing without potions ? Is this ancient magic? Did this man know ancient magic ?' Draco's eyes brightened at this. Knowing anything from this man was akin to finding a precious treasure which even Voldemort and Dumbledore will be desperate to have. But Draco was not so daft to just go for it without knowing the catch.

"Why ?"

"So many questions, little Malfoy."

"How do you know I am a Malfoy?! Did you read my memories!?" ,The speculations can be clearly heard in his voice.

"I know because I am one as well."

"You are a Malfoy?!"

The soul made a gesture with his hands and immediately a ring flew to him. The ring shone bright with a blue-green light. It had a turquoise stone embedded within the silver. At once, Draco was astonished. It was a Malfoy ring! Every Malfoy is given this ring on their twelfth birthday as a recognition of their talent and expertise by their elders. And another thing about this ring is that only its owner or his spouse can command and touch it. It has been a sacred ornament in the Malfoy Family for years. This ring signifies the sweat, blood and tears it's owner flows to achieve his/her goal. It signifies the reason to live for the one who wears it. It signifies everything they are and they own. Giving this ring to another signifies giving your everything to another, heart, body and soul as well making the person their sole purpose from now. Opposite to contrary belief, Malfoys are absolutely hopeless romantics. The same goes with the Blacks. And Draco, being the perfect spawn of Malfoys and Blacks, is not only hopeless but absolutely wrecked romantic.

Draco thought of his own ring securely hanging on his neck. He always had it but he never wore it. On his twelfth birthday when he got it, he swore that he would wear this ring on the day he became the greatest potion master in the wizarding world, not just Europe. He knew that it was a big dream but he worked hard for it. He touched his chest to feel the ring inside. His eyes lowered and he appeared to be reminiscing in a memory with a melancholic feel. The look only lasted for a second before it flew away and Draco lifted his head and looked at the soul in front of him.

"What's your name?"

"That's irrelevant, little one. You do not need to know that."

Hearing this, Draco understood that he did not want to reveal his name, so he smoothly diverted the question and asked instead, "How do I get out of here?"

"The same way you came in. You will be transported through one of my arrays. But I advise you not to do so. The reasons the array harmed you so much that you fainted was because of the instability of your body which further aided the instability of the array and ultimately got distorted."

"I have an unstable body? What do you mean?"

"Tell me little one. You went through something horrible, didn't you? The aura of death is so thick on you but it is not your. It was left by someone close to you. You are hurt inside out, aren't you?"

Remembering the things he had seen and experienced, Draco's face sank and his eyes lost the remaining light. He said in an emotionless voice, "What's your purpose? It's not like you can help for free."

"I can. I can help you if you let me."

Draco's face radiated doubt but still held slight hope, "Y-you can?"

"Yes, it's a slave mark, is it not? It can be removed but it has some conditions and success is very rare. I cannot tell you much as it is not my area of expertise but I have books regarding it. I can give them to you."

Saying this, he again flicked his fingers and some books flew over. Each of them wide enough for at least a thousand pages. Draco looked at them and then looked up with doubt but still some gratitude and worship in his eyes. Even if he demanded a price for the favor, it was fine as long as he helps even a little bit. As soon as those books landed in his arms, he sat down and started to browse through the books. The books were very elaborate on the topics. It did not have specific information on the mark but each topic had several paragraphs on it. The information was totally scattered. Draco kept his attention on the books and did not notice the look out of appreciation and approval in the man's eyes as he looked at Draco trying to understand something way above his ability. Even if Draco did not understand, he was, at the minimum, trying.

When Draco looked up again the man had disappeared. He did not know how much time had passed by, so he made the conclusion that the soul had other tasks to do. After all, Malfoys are never idle. Then, he thought about what was written in the books. The dark mark was a kind of mark that is called 'the Slave marks'. The marks of this kind are center oriented. In other words, they are beneficial to the caster but typically harmful to the bearer. It complies the bearer to obey the caster's every command and disables the bearer to harm the caster in any form. It literally brands the bearer as a slave. Fortunately, the dark mark is the most weak kind of slave mark. It is only half a slave mark and not a complete one. These marks are cast by embedding the caster's magic into the bearer's nerves and skin. Thus, if the bearer's magic subconsciously tries to remove the mark, it will harm the nerves of the bearer and immediately kill them.

Ultimately confused and finding no answer, Draco called the soul, "Umm…. Respected ancestor, are you there?"

The sound of gentle laughter filled the air as the white robed man, who is actually a soul, appeared out of thin air in front of Draco who was still sitting on the floor.

" Yes, little one?" The smile was still there on his face as he looked at Draco in amusement.

Not noticing anything unusual, Draco replied while scanning the books again.

"I don't understand many things in here, like what does embedding the magic into the skin and nerve means? Also there is no specific information or way to remove the mark."

A look of realization flashed through his eyes as the man said, "Ahh, that must be my negligence. Do they not teach you the basics of healing anymore? Who is your master boy? Did he not teach you basic healing?"

Confused, Draco thought about the syllabus at the Hogwards .

"No. Is there a need for that?"

"Yes"

At once, Draco was at loss at what to do. Then, he remembered that the man with him was indeed a healer! He could learn what was needed from him! Yes! So simple! Why didn't he think of this before?!

"You are a healer, aren't you? You can teach me the basics, right?"

Hearing Draco's words, conflicted emotions passed through his eyes as he hesitantly replied, "That - Well, I can but - I don't know."

"Please. Help me. I can make an exchange with you. I-I can give you anything you want unless I couldn't somehow have it. Please, it's a fair trade. You are a Malfoy, you can see how desperate I am. Please, at least in the name of being my ancestor."

The man's eyes hardened, "The way ahead is tough. You can't back away even if you want. Is this your final decision?"

Seeing the slightly darker eyes, Draco, with clear eyes, nodded firmly.

The man sighed defeatedly, "Fine"

He sat opposite of Draco with his legs folded and waited for Draco to do the same.

Draco understood his intentions and hurriedly copied him and sat in the same position.

Now facing each other, the man asked in a stern tone, "I am only doing this because I believe that you can pass the tests. My teachings are not easy to achieve. Now, you have two ways. First, bear pain enough to kill you a thousand times. Second, learn from me step by step and take a thousand years to master it just the basics. Which one will you choose?"

The look in the man's eyes was cold, dark, disciplined. It was the first time Draco had seen him like this since he came here. Although Draco only knew him for half a day, still somehow he knew that the man was as soft and sweet as a marshmallow in hot chocolate. Seeing the look on his face, Draco was stunned. He thought, ' Now he looks like a Malfoy'. Draco calmly replied, "I don't have much time. I choose the first one. Even if it hurts me like death."

The man looked in his eyes as if searching for even a bit of invisible fear or hesitance, not finding any, he finally started.

Draco silently closed his eyes and waited for the next instruction when he felt a foreign entity entering his body and mind, mixing in his blood and seeping in his magic. He felt searing pain in his body. His brow frowned and mouth pressed in a straight line. He could feel his brain burning from the inside and his magic stirring endlessly. He bit his tongue in an effort to not let any scream escape his throat and soundless whimpered.

Time passed and the pain continued to mount. He could not feel his body. The pain numbed everything. Unable to hold on anymore, Draco swayed slightly.

"Hold on a little longer. Do not give up." A stern but worried voice sounded in his ear.

Due to the pain, Draco was barely able to understand the words. He did not have energy or support. The only thing making Draco still persist was his will. Every second was an endless effort to live.

After an unknown amount of time, the pain gradually subsided as Draco, understanding that it was over, let his consciousness slip as a subtle magic caught him and lay him down.

A haggard but proud and worried face smiled as it looked at Draco. The soul lovingly stroked Draco's hair as he let the boy rest. His eyes held unfathomable emotions as he looked at his newly adopted son. He did not know why but Draco struck something in him. The need of cherishing him was unavoidable. So, he did something he could not have done in a thousand years. He adopted Draco. It was not because he felt like it but more because he knew Draco needed someone beside him desperately just like he did. The plague of loneliness and helplessness was hard to bear. He knew it well beforehand and he did not wish to let Draco go through it alone.

The child was truly pitiful. The love he received from his family was evident from the condition of his soul. Every magical being has an amazing soul, different from the non magical beings. A magical soul produces magic from his or her emotions. The kind of emotion one feels the same his magic behaves. But even if magic is produced from within, it's not enough. The soul needs a link, a connection to nature, to another being. This is usually fulfilled when a parent or people around feel such love for a person that their magic acts on it and forms a connection between their souls. It can be a familial one, romantic one or one showing respect and admiration depending on the emotions. The parental soul connections are the most necessary as they flow of emotions between parent and children are extreme, fulfilling the need for protection and love a child needs when young. But astonishingly, Draco neither had a maternal nor fraternal connection. Draco only had three connections, where the two sibling connections are weak and withered showing the terrible condition of the people on the other side. The last one was still strong but isn't a sibling connection or parental connection. It only shows fierce protectiveness and care for Draco but not like a parent or family. It was different and difficult to know what the other person saw Draco as.

The soul sighed and looked at Draco pitifully as he sat down and began replenishing his magic.

He did know what the future holds but he knows that this boy is destined for a difficult and deadly but great and powerful path.

Notes:

Next chapter will be updated soon. Also remember to share, bookmark, subscribe, comment and leave kudos !!!

Most importantly, have a GOOD DAY !!!

Chapter 4/6 Gains and Advantages

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Harry found himself sitting in a small compartment. In further observation, he realized that it was The Hogwart's Express. He lifted his head to see Ron and Hermione sitting in front of him. One asleep while the other reading. He was clear that this was an illusion, still he was about to call out to his friends when a familiar voice sounded.

"Brat, ready for the first test?"

"Yes?" ,Harry was no stranger to tests. He had gone through plenty under Dumbledore's hand. Not finding it odd, he remained surprisingly calmy. But he would have liked a warning.

Suddenly, the voice grew serious as it said in a grave voice.

"Look, brat. This is a test, an exam. And an extremely difficult one at that. Many people have died inhere because they gave up in the middle of it. If you want to be a warrior, you have to go through it, have to stand in the face of death without flinching. No one knows what it actually is. It's different for everyone. And this is just the start. The future will be worse. So, I ask you for the last time. Do you still wish to do this?"

"Yes. I will not back up from something I have promised."

Harry did not hesitate to answer. In the numerous tests with Dumbledore, he was never given an option. He was just thrust right into it, without a warning or help, where he either had to move ahead or die. He hated that part of Dumbledore, of people. The part where they think that they know what should be done. This simple action gave Harry a favorable impression of the old man's morals.

With a satisfied hum, he continued.

"Good, it has been a long tradition in The Phenix Warriors. My master had me take it. I will have you take it. This test is made to push your limits in the most overwhelming way. It may be your deepest desire or your greatest fear or all of it together. I do not have tricks or clues to give you, kid. This is all about you. The only piece of advice I give you is - no matter what, Do Not Give Up. Keep going even if you feel you can't anymore."

Harry solemnly nodded as the voice faded. In his heart, he already accepted the Oldman as his teacher. Up till now he has given Harry no reason to not believe him and has also taken the vow. This shows where his interests lay clearly.

Harry noticed that the train stopped. With a newfound determination, he stood up.

"Get up Ron. We are here." He said while shaking Ron awake.

"Hmm"

With a sigh, Harry turned to Hermione as she closed her book and smacked Ron with it, immediately waking the boy. Ron shot up and looked at Hermione.

"Could you not do that?" The look in Ron's eyes was of anger as he stood up and grabbed his luggage and turned to leave without a word to either of them.

They looked at each other after Ron left, shrugged and got busy collecting their own belongings.

Stepping out of the compartment, Harry looked ahead and the scene ahead stunned him to no end. Ahead of him were the two figures which were the only ones he saw in the mirror of Irsed.

His parents were here.

They looked older than the pictures he had of them. Time gifting them the wrinkles and reverence. They were talking with the Weasleys as they stood waiting for someone. Him maybe.

Wishing to indulge a little longer, he moved towards them. He did not know if the decision was right or wrong. As he came closer, he drew their attention.

"Harry. How was school? A good year or not?" A voice he never heard but always imagined.

His mother came forward and tenderly hugged him. Her frail arms could not even entirely wrap his shoulders as she whispered in a lovingly melody .

"Oh, Harry. My baby. Mother missed you so much. Look how thin you have gotten. Does Dumbledore not feed you? My poor baby."

"Lily, he is a growing boy. Give it a rest. Let's go home, he must be tired."

"Yes, let's go. I have made all your favorites. Meat pie, baked chicken and your favorite chocolate cake and much more."

Seeing this, Harry finally opened his clogged throat and said in a rough voice, "Yes, let's go home, mom. I missed you guys."

Unknowingly, a tear had slipped from his eyes.

"Harry, Why are you crying? Harry? Baby?"

He was still staring at his father. He had always imagined his mother from what everyone told him but imagining his father always had been a tough task.

Seeing that Harry was staring at his father, his mother said in an angry voice while hitting him, "James, What did you do? Why did my baby cry?"

His father stepped back while holding his arm, as if his mother's frail arms broke his bones.

"I did not do anything!"

Such hilarious and stupid people. Who would be able to keep a straight face in front of them? Even a goblin would laugh.

Harry started laughing while wiping his eyes. Seeing him laugh, his parents relaxed and hugged him while his father kept a soothing hand on this head.

His father said in a gentle but worried voice, "What happened, son? Did something happen at school?"

"It's nothing, dad. I just missed you so much."

"Silly child. It's good that no one bullied you or this father would have come himself to see who has the guts to bully my son!!!"

Harry and his mother laughed at his father as he, in an attempt to show his manliness, puffed his chest so wide that they thought it might burst.

Now that the reunion was completed, they turned their attention towards the Weasley family who were standing there silently spectating, not willing to spoil their moment.

His father stepped forward and shook Mr. Weasley's hand and bid their goodbyes.

They soon reached home. It was a two floor house with a lawn and backyard. Harry had never come here before but he knew where his room was. He walked to the room as he heard his mom telling him to wash up and come down for dinner.

Reaching his bed, he plopped in it. Arms and legs spread wide like the stick figure babies drew.

He calmed his head and kept it completely blank. It was overwhelming him. This situation, his parents, this life. It was all overwhelming him.

Getting up, he washed up, he changed his clothes and finally went down for dinner. He will think about what to do later. For now, let's go with the flow.

His mother was setting the plates while his father was sitting in one of the chairs, eagerly waiting for the delicacies.

Looking up, his mom said, "Come, Harry. Sit down. Let's pray and start dinner."

Sitting down, they closed their eyes as she said, "We are thankful to you, mother, for giving us the food on our table, air to breath, water to drink, people to cherish and magic to protect."

Finally tasting the dishes, Harry could feel his eyes burning. So this is what mom's cooking tastes like. He knew that it might not actually taste like this but this what he imagined and he did admit that it tasted a bit like Mrs. Weasley's, since she was his only inspiration for the taste of a mother's hand.

That night Harry ate till his stomach was bulging. He could never get enough of this taste. And he also understood what master meant by 'keep walking'. There was a door right next to the couch. Harry could always see it but it seemed to be invisible to his parents. He knew that walking through it will break the illusion. But he was still reluctant to do it.

Days passed and Harry grew more and more indulged, slowly forgetting his real world. His parents broke the news that his mom was pregnant with a baby girl and the whole family was in a mood for celebration and happiness. He always wanted a younger sibling. Right now, they were sitting on the couch discussing who will name the baby. They excitedly suggested names and bickered about whose choice was better. The door still silently stood there, waiting. Still only visible to Harry.

Harry looked at it and finally he turned to his parents and softly said, "Mom"

Smiling, his mom turned to him, "What is it, Harry?"

"Mom, I have to go."

"Where? Are you going to Ron?"

" No, mom. I have to go now." He said silently, solemnly.

Seeing the look in his eyes, his parents frowned and quietly exchanged a worried glance.

His dad said, "What happened, son?"

"I have to go now. You know I can't stay here." This alerted his parents as a look of shock and worry passing through their eyes.

"Harry? What are you saying? Go where?" His mom asked again.

Harry calmly stood up and smiled bitterly. His eyes sank, deepening the green to look like a bottomless lake. He turned his back to them and walked to the door.

Harry had always wanted this. This house, his room, his parents, his soon-to-be born sister, his mom's food, his dad's pats, this life. He always wanted it. He prayed, pleaded, begged and dreamt. While he was in the cupboard crying due to pain, at Hogwart's in his bed unable to sleep, in front of The mirror of Irsed looking at his deepest desires, with the Weasley family seeing how they are, at the Hogwart's station finding numerous students hug their parents with joy, he was always there, wishing for this, even if just for a bit. Even if it was only a crumb left of the original bread. Harry always thought that even if he got the chance to experience it for a bit, he will be satisfied.

But now, after seeing them, living with them, he understood that it will never be enough.

He didn't know if this test was a blessed pleasure or a painful torture. Harry was fortunate to have a glimpse of what he always wished for but mournful that he will never have it. It was somewhat like how he felt towards Draco, he saw bits and pieces of that incredible puzzle but will never see what the whole picture will look like. It was torturous.

Every step he took away from them felt like walking through fire, every breath felt like he was inhaling the same fire which was burning his skin. He was hurting from inside-out.

Standing in front of the door, he gripped the knob. Just as he was about to open the door, a hand gripped his wrist. He turned and saw his mother, tearfully looking at him.

She spoke softly, pleadingly, "Please don't. You belong here, with us. Don't you want to see your younger sister? Please stay. Harry, you are my baby. How can I let you go? Have I done something? Has James done anything? D-don't worry. We won't do it again. We-we will even repent it. Just tell us what happened. Don't just leave the house."

It was getting harder to leave, to take even a step away. He knew it was the illusion making it harder, testing his limit. Still he could not bear to leave just like that. So he cupped her face in his hands and said, "You know I love you, right. I was happy here. But now I have to go. This isn't where I belong and you aren't real, are you?"

His mom looked shocked, then slowly the shock melted away to a tearful smile.

"We love you as well. Now go. Any longer and I won't be able to take it."

He hugged her one last time and looked at his dad to see him looking at Harry with the same sad smile as his mother.

Harry twisted the knob to open the door while taking a last look at his parents. He gave them a bittersweet smile to see them return it back to him. He turned back, closed his eyes and stepped through.

He again opened his eyes to find himself back at his dorm, in his bed. His invisibility cloak still at the table. It was like nothing happened and it was all a dream if not for the presence he now felt in his consciousness. He somehow knew it was that old man. It was like a ball of light, tightly snuggling in a corner. He tried knocking on it. To his surprise, the ball of light took the shape of a human, a man. Harry observed that the man looked like in his early forties and wore something like a wizarding robe but shorter with the front closed, better fitted and tight sleeves as well as without the hood. He looked like a rough and wild man, untamed and unmannered. Just like him. Ahh, well looks like a Gryffindor, Harry thought.

Seeing Harry stare at him, the man raised a sword like eyebrow at him and coughed awkwardly.

Looking back up again, Harry said, "Hey Eloise."

"Looks like you are back. I did not expect you to take so long. And it's master or teacher to you, brat."

Harry just shrugged and asked in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "You know you have to ask permission before free loading at someone's place?"

"Well, you can't do anything about it." He said smugly.

"Didn't you say that you are bound to the walls. How are you in my head?"

"You are still inside the castle. So why can't I?"

"You are going to stay here?"

"Yes"

"Are you going to read my mind again?"

"Don't worry, I won't."

Harry narrowed his eyes again. His disbelief was clear. Eloise did it once. So, Why not again?

Eloise tsked and waved his hand. A book appeared in his palm. He gave it to Harry and said, "This is your first lesson. Learn it properly. The first lesson for any warrior is of defense on the outside as well as inside. He should know to protect his mind from the known and the unknown. Now, don't disturb. Forming an illusion is not an easy task, even for me."

With this, Eloise again shrunk into a ball and did not respond even after repeated knocking.

Harry opened the book and realized it was on Legilimency and Occlumency. Surprisingly, it was handwritten. The book itself was only imaginary. He could not take it out of his mind.

Harry opened the book and started reading. The first part was about occlumency. He kept reading and did not even realize how time passed.

After reading about ten pages, Harry was convinced that he knew all about basic occlumency and how to use it. Fortunately, this book was of a special type. He did not know if it was originally like this or it was because it was in his head. The book had a particular way of giving examples. After every chapter the book will play out a realistic example. This greatly helped Harry to learn from somewhat practical examples. The book also had descriptions of barriers against mind attacks. Even if mind attacks are rare and almost extinct, they are very much a threat. The attacker had the ability to control the body of the victim and if it is an expert, even possession is possible. In fact, mind attacks are itself an advanced type of Legilimency. They originate from the same roots.

In all this, Harry did not forget what was going outside of his personal bubble. He did not forget that he had a knife hanging above his head which could fall at any time. Looks like he had to speed things up. But that was not a problem. Harry had always been fast.

When Draco woke up, he found himself lying on the ground. The man, his ancestor, was sitting beside him, eyes closed and hands on his chest. Draco slowly sat up and called, "Respected Ancestor?"

The man opened his eyes and leisurely smiled at Draco, even if it was slightly strained. He stood up and walked to Draco.

"You are up? Good. Now that you woke up. It is time for you to leave."

It felt like his company was unwanted and he was being pushed out. Draco had never felt like this, it was strangely awkward. He understood where he was unwelcomed but this was the first time he did not suspect this and literally got a blow in the gut. It was an embarrassingly painful feeling.

"Am I healed?"

"Yes, little one"

"You will stay here?"

"Yes"

"Why won't you leave?"

The man looked uncomfortable being asked this question. But looking at Draco's clear and shining eyes, the man sighed and gave up.

"I am waiting for someone. He promised to come back. I am waiting for him."

Hearing this Draco was shocked. 'Is this what I think it is?', He thought. Again looking at the man's downcast look, he confirmed his speculations. 'Respected ancestor had a lover. Who, for some reason, went far away. To a war maybe? He promised respected ancestor to return to him again. So, respected ancestor kept waiting. Years flashed by but he did not stop waiting and did not move on. Ultimately, respected ancestor died waiting for his beloved and is still waiting for him after his death!!! A tragic love story, indeed.' Draco's thoughts were rapidly derailing from the sane track to the track of what people of 2020 call 'shipping'. Then suddenly, a lightbulb appeared on his head. 'So this is what father said about Malfoys only having one or none in their life. At that time he looked at mother and she blushed! So this was it! Such determination! Even waiting for his beloved in death. A true Malfoy, he was!'

The man, still thinking, failed to notice the changes in Draco's face in the span of seconds. Draco's face first flashed shock, then understanding, awe and finally pity.

With this, Draco realized that it was indeed his responsibility as the descendant of Malfoys to help his own ancestor. Also, respected ancestor had helped him so much. The least he could do was to free the soul of his ancestor to join his beloved in the netherworld. And if they truly were in love then the soul of the beloved might be trapped somewhere as well. Maybe he could find it so that both of them could fulfill their last wish and depart to the land of souls together.

Determined, Draco spoke drawing the man's attention towards himself again, "Respected ancestor, why don't you come with me? Maybe the one you are waiting for is trapped somewhere and is unable to come? You should leave this place and find him!"

Looking at Draco's innocent face urging him, the man fell in deep thought. What use was it staying here? For all he knew, he might be in the netherworld, already. He might not even remember their promise. He might not even remember him. But then again, he was a Malfoy and Malfoys do not give up just because they were scared. If he was here, he can be found. If he was in the netherworld, he can be followed. If he did not remember, he can be reminded.

Then he looked up to Draco. This child really was the heaven's golden son. If Draco had not come here, he might not even think about this. He might just be wallowing in the memories like he did for the past hundreds of years. He was really thankful to destiny for giving him a chance to meet Draco, this lovely child.

"So, what do you think, respected ancestor?"

Such a cute one Draco was. Calling him 'respected ancestor'. A perfect little Malfoy, was he? It was amusing at the least, seeing Draco act like a child and a respectable Malfoy at the same time. He wanted to know exactly how cute this little Malfoy can be.

With a mischievous glint, he said to Draco, "Of course, little descendant. After all, I am far too old. One can be quite forgetful in old-age, needing a little descendant to take care of him. Ahh, little descendant, forgive this old man, I will let you be the responsible one. I am very grateful for your care, little one."

After saying this, the man sat down and looked at Draco. Draco, understanding what had happened, turned beet red. And for a second the man even thought that he was going to puff his cheeks up. OH, What a sight it would be!!! Draco with red puffed cheek and glaring at you, all the while standing in his pajamas!!!

Draco, with a face as red as tomato, glared at the giggling man. His eyes were literally spitting fire. Was it that entertaining to jab fun at him!? Hmph. If he hadn't been his ancestor, Draco would have hexed him for sure!

AAHHH! It was truly embarrassing! Being treated like a child! It was infuriating! Could he not see that Draco was almost as tall as him!?

Draco again looked at the man to see him looking at Draco with adoration in his eyes. And he stilled for a second. When was the last time someone looked at him like that? When was the last time someone looked at him with the gaze of an elder looking at the child of his family? Then he remembered. It was probably in third year. So long ago. At this time, Draco realised truly how lonely he was, how he was forced to grow up sooner, how many responsibilities were on his tender shoulders. But, then again, it wasn't just him. It was all of them. Potter, Granger, Weasley, Blaise, Pansy, everyone. They were children of war. Here, they either grow up or die. It was the truth and Draco understood that.

The man did not miss the complex emotions flashing in Draco's eyes. If anything, the slave mark was definitely a clue as to why. The man stood up and walked to Draco and slowly embraced him. Giving him silent support.

Draco was shocked at first and then thankful. In a time like this, every comfort was a privilege. He could not physically feel the touch but he could feel a cool sensation, like a summer breeze brushing his skin. He understood that it was the man's magic. He could feel it comforting him as he was completely enveloped in it.
He let himself relish in the comfort for some moments.

After a few minutes, he drew back and lifted his head to say, "Thank you. Although it is quite weird for Malfoys to give and receive hugs."

"Not with family. Always remember, you are a Malfoy to the world, but you are just Draco to another Malfoy. You are family."

Draco smiled and nodded his head. Even if he never experienced it with his family, he somehow understood. It was how the Slytherins were amongst other houses but to a milder extent.

Draco was about to call ' respected ancestor' again when he remembered the fresh scar that the humiliation left and said fumingly instead, "What do I call you?"

The man raised an eyebrow and said, " Tired of "respected ancestor", are we? It truly was a mouthful, wasn't it?"

This time, Draco's cheeks really puffed. As he frowned and glared at the man. Seeing this the man howled without reservation. An act of truly accepting someone as family.

"You know, little one, I always wanted a son but as you can see, I was never able to fulfill this dream of mine. So can you call me father?" The man said with soft eyes and words.

Draco's eyes widened as he looked at him. Then thinking how his own father was, it wasn't wrong thinking that he had never received even a touch of fraternal love.
Looking at the man in front of him, Draco thought, 'I wish he was really my father by blood as well' Well, Draco had already accepted him as family and he was a Malfoy as well.

With a very happy expression, Draco said, "Yes. But can I call you papa? It is more comfortable."

Before the man could reply, he very quickly added, "That is, if you don't mind."

The man smiled and said, "Anything you want, son."

Hearing this, Draco's smile blew so wide that it almost reached his ears. He was about to continue when again stopped in his tracks and realized that he did not even know his Papa's name! Before he was reserved, but now that they are family, it should be fine. So he asked, "Papa, now can you tell me about yourself?"

'Papa' rolled off his tongue so smoothly that it did not even feel like it was his first time. Feeling pleased, the man continued, "My name is Luar Malfoy. I was primarily a healer, but to support my task, have the mastery of potions, legilimency and occlumency. I was alive from 890 AC till 938 AC and was the head healer of Wizarding Europe."

Draco was once again stunned to shock. His mouth falling open as his eyes became as wide as saucers, looking especially like a tarsier*. What!?! He was a healer, a potion master, a legilimens and occlumens all together!!! What kind of monster was this? And he lived only 48 years out of which at the very least 11 years went without magic. So that means he had masteries over four very difficult and powerful topics that people sometimes spent their whole lives learning!?! WHAT THE FUCK!!! Even Snape had only potions mastery and basic legilimency and occlumency! And Snape was the smartest person he knew! This is not a wizard, well, once-upon-a-time-now-soul-wizard. Draco barely resisted the urge to drop on his knees and pray.

And this, people, was how Draco unknowingly picked up not only an ancient monster but literally a god to be his father.

Still wide-eyed and open-mouthed , Draco took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes and then his mouth and gulped as if swallowing the leftover shock. If he really did somehow swallow the shock, then Merlin's sure that Draco Malfoy's death certificate will go something like this :-

Certification of Death

Name - Draco Lucius Malfoy

Age - 16yrs

Cause of death - choking on his own shock somehow.

Imagery of this thought seemed terrifying in Draco's head even if it would seem terrific in other's heads. Shaking his head and blowing his thoughts away, Draco opened his eyes and looked up at his newly acquired papa with even more newly acquired awe.

Seeing the look of pure admiration directed towards him, Luar felt like he was swimming in honey. Sweet, sweet honey! Even sweeter that sweet - no, the sweetest Draco!!!! OHHH, His old heart couldn't bear this. He felt that with this look the possibility of a second death was not too less!!!

Seeing his second death near, Luar hurriedly said, wanting to divert Draco's attention, "Do you have something you always carry with you? Maybe jewellery? I can't go out like this. I will be visible to everyone. I need something to hide."

Sporting a worried look, Draco frowned, "Well, I have my Malfoy ring."

"No, not that. Malfoy rings are enchanted. Going in there is not hiding but imprisoning yourself"

"Then do you have anything else. I don't have any other jewellery."

"Well, I do but it is rather unsuitable for you."

"At least let me see."

"Ok"

After saying this, Luar took Draco to one of the glass shelves kept against the pillars. Inside the shelf were many small and medium men's jewellery and other accessories. All of them were elegant, refined and suited for aristocratic gentlemen like Luar and Draco. It was just then that Draco's gaze drifted over and stopped on a green-coloured, diamond and gold immured ribbon with a silver and emerald brooch on it. He had never seen this kind of jewellery before. Was it men's or was it women's? Maybe it was a hair ribbon?

Seeing Draco's gaze stop, Luar asked, "Do you like this? I have to say this will definitely look good on you. It's not too gaudy and can be used daily. Do you choose this one?"

"But what is it?"

"It's a pin-en-groom*. It's worn like a bowtie."

"Oh. But I don't know how to wear it."

"It's easy. Just tie it like a ribbon."

After being instructed, Draco quickly learned that it wasn't as hard as he thought. Casting a mirror spell, Draco checked if he could wear it right and found that he looked somewhat different with the bowtie. Not-so-stiff, but still demanding respect. Elegant, mannered and aristocratic, that's what he looked like. A true son of nobility. Even if he was wearing it on silk pajamas.

Giving his papa a satisfied grin and getting one in return as well, he moved on the next task.

"What to do with all these? Do you want to keep them here?"

"They all belong to me and now that you are my son, they all belong to you."

Saying this, he walked towards another shelf and picked up a gold band-like ring and soon all the things started disappearing. Finally when the room emptied, he walked to Draco and demanded his right hand to place the ring on his index finger.

"Now, put your magic into it to claim ownership."

Draco did as told and found that he could see the inside of the ring. The space was as big as his dorm and had the shelves placed properly in it. Just to experiment, he tried to pull an object with his magic and found it immediately in his hand .

"This is like a travelling trunk, just more convenient. You do not have to worry about theft as it can only be accessed by you. Anyone else cannot open it, it has recognized your magic and won't follow another. Rest assured"

Draco was very thankful to Luar. He had only stumbled here by mistake. If it was any other, magic forbid what might have happened to him. He might not even be alive right now. Instead, he not only got a father but also gained a truckload of precious ancient treasures! And most importantly got very valuable information on the dark mark.

Luar, rolled his eyes again, and said, "Don't look at me like that! Is there anything wrong with giving my property to my heir?"

The look in Draco's eyes intensified as he heard these words. He was sure that with this he had exhausted all his good luck points in Merlin's bank. But it was worth it.

"How do you hide in this pin-en-groom?"

"Right, before that, Let's go over the rules. Let me get the father-feeling as well!"

Draco giggled at his antics.

"Listen carefully, son. Do not go anywhere without this necktie. Do not take the things in the ring out carelessly. Do not use the ring in public. The books I gave you should be kept hidden as well. They are my personal notes. Do not go anywhere near the caster of the slave mark. We will work on it later. And last but not the least, do not go near your parents, either of them." Luar said sternly, face stiff.

Hearing the last one, Draco asked, "What? Why?"

"There's something wrong with them. You briefly read about soul connections, didn't you? There is something strange with your parental soul connections. Which is quite baffling. Tell me Draco. Do your parents pay attention to you?"

Draco lowered his head and said, "Father doesn't but mother does. She is all I have."

A deep look appeared on Luar's face. He did not tell Draco that there were no connections at all as he did not want to panic the boy. But now hearing what Draco said, he fell into all the possibilities that can happen and realized that most of them indicated a problem with Draco's mother's character and intentions. Staying away is the most suitable now for Draco.

Not wishing to dwell, he brightened up and gestured Draco against a pillar and asked him to tightly hold it.

Draco tightened his hold on the pillar while resting his back on it. He looked as Luar turned into a swirling ball of light and rushed into the brooch on this new necktie as Draco was pushed back by the force and firmly planted against the pillar. When it ended, the silence prevailed again. The once kind-of-full room, now completely empty. Draco walked towards an array drawn on the ground, stood in the center and said the words he read on the shelf. With this, a bright light shone and the remaining occupant disappeared as well, leaving the room with only dirt.

Heaven's golden son - an extremely fortunate person who brings good luck to himself as well as people around him.

Tarsier - a monkey-like small animal with very wide eyes .here

Pin-en-groom - Here

Notes:

Share , Comment , Bookmark , Subscribe and leave kudos . Most importantly, HAVE A GOOD DAY !!!!

Chapter 5: The egg

Summary:

- Harry has started to feel more intensely towards Draco .

- They have their second confrontation after chapter 1 .

- They kinda fight leading to a short adventure .

- the first bun appears !!!!
( Even though in egg form )

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Draco found himself dropping outside the Slytherin dormitory and barely managed to steady himself . Looking around for any presence but finding none , he concluded that it must be the early hours of the day .

Silently whispering the password and walking inside , Draco somehow managed to get into his bed without waking anyone up . Now , under the covers , He lazily thought about the classes of tomorrow and the homeworks when he found himself wondering if anyone can sense Luar's magic or presence . If anyone , especially Dumbledore or Voldemort , did then the result would be disastrous . Just thinking about it gave him goosebumps . Doubting himself , he silently whispered , " Hey , Papa ?"

" Yes " ; Luar's voice sounded in Draco's ear .

" What if someone powerful senses you ?"

" They can't . My magic is far superior to anyone in this castle . If there had been someone like that here , I would have already sensed him the moment I got out was of the buried treasury ."

" Oh . Wait , You can sense the people around you ? How ?"

" It's like an extra sense you get when your magic is powerful enough ."

"..."

Please don't parade your 5 course menu when people only have bread !!!! Tsk ! Such a show-off !!!!

" Also , you might have noticed that your magic seems more free and at ease than before ?"

This garnered Draco's attention as he subconsciously felt the magic in his body and around it , finding that his magic did feel more at ease . It was like before his magic could not move very fluidly in his body but now it moved around more freely and his body lost some of its rigidity . He was not particularly rigid , in fact , was physically very flexible , but he did not feel very comfortable in his own skin before . Now , his muscles were loose and his magic was more adapted . Overall , it felt much better .

Seeing Draco's happy expression and as if dumping cold water on his head , Luar explained ," Due to constant pressure , nervousness and unstable emotions , your body and magic were in a highly alert state for a long time . Adding to that , you are in your growing stage where your magic is particularly active as it adapts to nature , tries to form bonds and become stronger , same as yourself . But due to these circumstances , it's behaviour changed according to your emotions , making your body somewhat reject it , making it harder to move within and ultimately , making it harder to grow stronger . "

Draco didn't seem surprised at this . He had read about this before but did not expect that he himself was suffering from the same condition . He was slightly above average among his peers and thought that was his original strength . Above that , he did not notice any symptoms at all . Looking at the curtains covering the top of the bed , he blinked and remained silent , urging Luar to keep going .

Understanding him , Luar continued ," Over that is the anomaly of your soulbonds which makes it worse . If you go like this , the consequences will be bad . It can even handicap your magic , making you a squib . We should first treat this before our next step ."

Growing solemnly , Draco said in a decided tone ," No , I don't have time for this . I need to do so much . This will only delay things , it won't make anything better ."

Luar , who was troubled by Draco's words , sounded ," You don't understand , Draco . Let alone defend yourself , you won't even be able to survive removing that slave mark !! "

" What does this have to do with removing the dark mark ?" ; Losing his temper , Draco hissed angrily . If not for his roommates sleeping just beyond the covers , he would have shouted it out .

" The slave marks are embedded in your magic , removing them will feel like removing a parasite stuck on your skin . We have to cut away the chunk of magic it is stuck on , so that not even a bit of it remains within . And at that time your magic will start slipping away , it will bleed . Doing it with such a condition will kill you . " ; Voice still calm , Luar said .

Giving up , he asked ," Is there no other way ? Anyway to do it faster ?"

Understanding Draco's thinking , Luar said ," Recovery and treatment cannot hurry , Draco . It is a process . Doing it faster or with an alternative will only mess it up. What you can do is to find the cure as well as train yourself to be stronger . So when the time comes you can be ready and not lacking."

Draco gave a resigned sigh and remained quiet . Was fate playing with him ? First giving him a disaster and then a fortune but not letting him do anything . It was ridiculous . Utterly ridiculous , How his whole life has come to be .

But it felt nice to have someone worry about him and give him advice . It felt nice to be cared for . Thinking this , he fell asleep , thanking and resenting fate .

Harry woke up to a hand shaking him roughly . Opening his eyes , he gave the offender a harsh glare but still sat up .

" Mate , get up . It's almost breakfast ." ; Seeing he was up , Ron informed but shut up as soon as he met with Harry's glare .

Bathing and getting ready , Harry made his way to the great hall with Ron and Hermione in tow .

Sitting at the Gryffindor table , He started having his food with frowned brows and a tight jaw .

From the lack of acknowledgment , Ron as well as Hermione's silence and the look in Harry's eyes , people understood that it was better to stay away from him today .

Roaming his eyes over the hall , Harry's eyes rested on Draco who was silently eating his food with bags beneath his eyes , looking a bit less perfect and bit more human .

Harry's thoughts drifted towards all the possible thoughts why . Had Malfoy not slept enough ? Did he have insomnia like Harry ? Nightmares maybe ? And then thinking about the possibility of Draco not trying to sleep at all and doing something else , like plotting schemes and possible murders or maybe a pleasant night with a lover , had Harry's eyes visibly darkening . But a big part of him was bothered about Draco being with another person , with a lover having a moonlit tryst . ' So he was up to something last night ? What a fool I was to think that Malfoy was anything other than a shrew .' , he thought as a grim smile stretched across his face .

At this point , Harry had terrified the whole gryffindor table and some students in his proximity even had cold sweat dripping down their back . Sitting beside him , Ron had a HD and ultra definition view of the horror scene . It was a miracle he did not start crying like Neville four seats ahead .

The gryffindor table was oddly silent today and this did not escape Draco as he racked his eyes around them . Catching Harry's eyes , Draco almost jerked back from fright but caught himself and forcibly retracted his gaze . But this did not stop Harry from staring at him . And Draco felt a heavy gloom surround him , finding the reason for the silence at the other side . Hasty but mannered , Draco finished his breakfast and fled to the first class . Seeing Draco finish , Blaise and pansy rushed to follow him . Now-a-days, he had learnt not to try and decipher the saviour's glares towards him . They can cause extreme fright , nightmares and if in a bad shape , even fainting is possible .

The day went as always even with the helpful inputs from Luar every now and then . Draco had been somewhat absent these days , thinking about the information he read , his condition and the dark mark . This did not go unnoticed by Blaise and Pansy , who silently approached him in the potions classroom .

" Draco , Are you alright ?" , Pansy asked with a frown and worried eyes .

" Ah - yes . Don't worry . I am fine . " ; Draco said , blinking out from his daze .

" Draco , we know that a lot is going on and you are trying but please don't make yourself sick . We as well as you cannot afford it ." Blaise followed practically .

Giving them a very rare and small smile , Draco placated them ," I am fine . It's nothing a nap cannot cure. Just found some very interesting books yesterday and spent the night reading them ."

Giving him a worried glance but choosing to believe him , Blaise and Pansy continued their work . Unknown to them , Harry , who was seated just behind them , had heard their conversation and also seen Draco's smile , making his mood slightly better than before . It was better enough that people did not run away seeing his face but not better enough that they will willingly stay there . Harry was not fully convinced by this , it seems . For the next days , He always had an eye on Draco , thoroughly observing him , searching for anything different .

Draco has been feeling eyes on him for some time now . Given his hypersensitivity to a certain Savior-slash-golden boy-turned-stalker , he knew exactly to whom these eyes belonged . This had Draco sighing in exaggeration .He knew how Harry saw him and of his guard against Draco . Putting it bluntly , he knew why Harry did all of this . And this did nothing other than Luar demanding to curse the supposed saviour to save his son from a perverse stalker who , according to him , was going to corner Draco and then dirty his precious body and ruin his prestige by ravaging him . OH!!!! Such a tragedy ! Though certain people would definitely rejoice that . As to who , you and I both know that , don't we ?

(T/N - I would definitely rejoice . Comment your opinion about an early smut scene .)

After much coddling and reassurance to Potter's integrity , Luar finally continued his daily lessons . He had already started steadily improving his magic and also learning from Luar . It was when Luar started teaching him that Draco realised that he was a natural talent . Relaying the same to Luar , he waited for an answer .

" A natural talent cannot be identified just by looking at the face , Draco . It is something that will be known when you finally master it - if you master it . And by that time , even if you are , it's of no use . Talent can be cultivated but determination cannot . That's what you need Draco ."

Frowning , Draco nodded and continued . He agreed with Luar . Then though about Potter being natural at , let's say , everything that could attract a harem of top notch beauties and gave a scowl-pout-sneer hybrid which looked positively cute and negatively weird .

Turning his attention back to the book in his hands , he started reading. According to it , healing was not just about spells and potions . A potent healer should know everything that harms a wizard and should be able to reverse it as well . That includes curses , spells , physical and mental injuries , mind attacks , legilimens , occlumens , potions , etc . It was a very wide , if not infinite , study . Thus , there can always be a good healer , a miraculous healer but never a perfect healer .

Another thing Draco noticed was that it did not distinguish between light and dark magic . It was all in there and it was all helpful . It seems people from ancient times did not differentiate between dark and light magic . It was all the same to them .

It was becoming a habit for Draco to learn from Luar's books and then try the cures on the small animals that so needed it . There was not a shortage of them in the school gardens or at the edge of forbidden forest . Draco did not go in there , better to be safe as it was a delicate time . Days passed as Luar's personal library was falling short on Draco's progress and now Draco scanned the Hogward's library as well. Him and Luar had noticed that every time they wandered by him , Harry's eyes always followed them till out of sight . It was up to the point that it was starting to get creepy and harder to ignore. He chose to ignore it as Potter did not do anything else other than stare . Confronting Potter right now will be making an enemy out of the whole wizarding world . Potter had an unparalleled importance in this time . Draco cannot afford to offend him . Maintaining his distance is the only option and safe retreat .

Well , it wasn't everyday you get the golden boy as your stalker !!! Draco swore that it was a medal worthy feat !!!!

Draco had a very sound understanding on his position . Right now , the thing he needed the most was knowledge . And he was snatching it from wherever possible . At this point , Draco had almost raided some of the most vast libraries in the world . The only ones remaining was the black library and the lost library of Pennsylvania , if that fairytale was real . Raiding Hogward's library , including restricted section was as easy as swallowing a dozen of his mother's vanilla pudding . Ahh !!! He could feel the saliva dripping from his mouth just by remembering the taste . Well , that luxury is for another time .

It has almost been two months since the bathroom incident . The time was spent effectively and not wasted but the thing needed was still not obtained. The information on the marks were so rare that he had only found about 5-6 books with anything about them and most of them repeated the same theory . It was all the same as Luar's book . Nothing more was ever sighted but less was frequently found . Almost all of the ancient magic was lost and Luar's texts would easily pass for a treasure .

Draco was on his own on the edge of forbidden forest trying remedy spells on small injured and infected animals .

In front of him was an infected eagle with swollen wings which he stumbled upon some time ago . Apparently lep it had caught an infection from an injury . Fortunately , it was fairly common and easy to cure . Draco closed his eyes and waved his hand over the wary bird as he let his magic cover it , telling it that he meant no harm . Slowly lowering his hand and resting it on the bird , he let his magic flow in it's body and kill the infection in it , gently healing the worst wounds and letting the small ones heal on their own . Taking the herbs he bought from Hogsmead last week , he crushed them in his hands before lathering it on the wounds . The eagle looked up at Draco with its beady eyes and he thought that it might not leave . It felt like the bird was silently thanking him . But this proves wrong as it flew away . Draco looked as it flew higher and higher . Someday he will be the same. He will heal all his wounds and fly higher than anyone and nothing could stop him then .

A twig crunched behind him . Draco turned back and found a very confused potter there standing there . Stunned , Draco stood there , staring at Potter as he stared back . His mind in a panick as he wondered if Potter saw what him perform wandless magic but then decided against it and struggled to squash his anxiety .A small moment from potter brought him back as he quickly analysed his situation and decided on getting out of here as fast as possible .

Schooling his face to put on the usual cold and expressionless mask , Draco moved past Potter to get back to the castle . He did not wish to speak or banter with Potter right now . He had better things to do . It was then that he felt a rough hand grab his elbow and a slight intrusion in his mind . Draco broadened his occlumens sheild as he looked back at Potter and demanded ," What is the meaning of this ,Potter ?"

" How did you do that ?" ; Voice only a hushed whisper , Potter asked .

Your mother's eggs* !!! He saw !!! What to do now ??!!

(Your mother's eggs*- just a stupid slang i made myself .)

Feigning negligence , Draco replied ," Do what , Potter? And would you mind letting my arm go ? This is highly inappropriate . "

Harry stoned his face as he stared at Draco with cold and unmoving eyes. Trying to unveil what he actually was .

Harry let his magic surround Draco trapping him there , unable to move . It crackled in the air around as it let Draco feel it's power . Draco was stunned at this .

Fuck !!! Your father's eggs* !!!! He even knew how to use it !!! With this Draco felt his legs trembling slightly .

(Your father's eggs*- another stupid slang .)

How did Potter do this ? Draco knew about this phenomenon . But using wandless magic like this was nothing more that a fairytale in this age . He was able to do it because of Luar's help . How did Potter know this ?

Draco's eyes flashed a calculative gleam as he again assessed Potter from head to toe . It was better not to provoke him . Draco didn't want any attention to himself right now . Revealing the tip of the iceberg did not seem a bad option if it meant getting Potter's hands and eyes off him . It was seriously scaring him .Looking in his eyes , Draco spoke ," What do you want to know ?"

" Why did you become a death Eater ?" This was the question that had been up in Harry's head for a long time , it had been there like a poison , slowly flowing through his blood , spreading across his body , as it maddened him more and more everyday .

Draco was momentarily dazed . He didn't expect Potter to ask this . It seem that Gryffindors were even more stupid than a fat pig !!! Hitting right on the sore spot !!! He was tempted to bite back but closed his mouth and replied ," Destiny is not as kind to everyone as it is to you "

Draco lowered his head as his eyes turned dark and hazy , lost at the bottom of an ocean of memories , dark , isolated and cold . He did not have any care for his pureblood image anymore . All he wanted was to get out , get away .

Harry looked at the silver head , something unpredictable swirling in his eyes . Slightly letting loose the grip on Draco's wrist .

Draco wanked his hand back and gave Harry a seething glare as he walked past him as he followed Draco . Jumbled in their own emotions , none of them noticed that they were making their way right into the beast's stomach , right into the forbidden forest .

Draco kept walking and Harry kept following . Why was Potter following him ? Was interrogating him not enough , that now he needed to escort him as well ? He was too busy in his gloating that he did not notice Harry lifting his head and looking around with wary eyes .

Harry walked to Draco , grasping his shoulder ,said ," Draco , wait "

Draco shrugged his hand off and turned around to face him . His eyes were glowing as if containing silver embers . Mouth set in a scowl and muscles all over his body tight as he said ," keep your hand to yourself , Potter . They won't be attached to your body the next time " ; His voice low and tight .

Draco had finally lost it . He knew that Potter was stronger than him , knew that he could not afford to offend him , but it did nothing to stop him. Draco could keep his cool even in the face of death but could not do it in front of Potter , could do nothing to stop himself . If Potter was a bright spark than Draco was a lush forest . Just a touch was enough to destroy his every barrier , every resolution . It was enough to burn him down to dust and he could do nothing to stop it , because it wasn't the spark that fuels the fire but the forest itself .

The threat did not even faze Harry as his eyes remained the same , hard , cold and resolut . He looked right in Draco's eyes as he grabbed his forearm and pulled him . Draco's back collided with a hard chest . Harry had his right hand holding Draco's left wrist trapping his waist and his left hand on Draco's mouth . This position had entirely trapped Draco .

Draco was already screaming in his head ' I have never been disrespected like this before !!! How dare he hold me as such !??!! Shameless !! Pervert !!! Molester !!! You fraud of a saviour !! Such things might be fine in muggles but such behaviour towards a pureblood is absolutely indecent !!! ' Draco had his eyes wide as he struggled to get free . He realised his magic and tried to push himself forward but it was promptly suppressed by Harry .

It was then that Luar , sensing the disturbance , woke up from his sleep and immediately knew something was wrong .

Voice serious , he said ," Draco , wait . Something's not right . Don't struggle . "

Hearing Luar's voice in his head , Draco calmed down slightly as Harry said into his ear ," Don't move and take a look around . Don't be stupid enough to invite your own doom "

Looking around , Draco was surprised to see the thick canopy of trees and plants . He did not even notice walking into the forbidden forest . By the size of tree trunks they were deep into the forest , possibly right at the center of it . But this was not what caught his attention , it was the slight purple hue on the tree trunks and the leaves of plants that intrigued him . These species of plants are not supposed to develop any kind of hues . Curious , he tries to move forward but was immediately tugged back , entirely plastered against the one and only Harry Potter . Right now he felt like the bread dough made by , Jack , a house elf back at the Malfoy manor . When he made bread , he would tug , turn and sqaush the dough harshly every time as if it was his worst enemy there instead of a dough . He felt the same being manhandled by Potter . But he did not protest and stayed still as Harry cautiously tugged him forwards towards a clearing .

Draco noticed more of the purple hue but now on the ground as it made a trail ending inside a dark cave nearby .

Silently entering the cave , they already had their wands pointing ahead . Reaching deeper in the cave a bizarre sight made its way into their eyes .

An enchanting and beautiful woman was laying on the hard ground , curled up against a huge egg . She was cleary wounded greatly by the blood polling around her . The sight was gruesome but beautiful in a sick and bloody way . A blood-bathed beauty .

Draco walked closer and this time Harry did not stop him but stood in place keeping his eyes on the woman for any movement . He knelt beside her and lightly felt her pulse and found a thin and very weak pulse . He couldn't have noticed if not for his recent practice on different species of creatures . She was still alive but only barely . Looking again at her , he noticed that she had two slanted wounds in her shoulder bone . Her bone was clearly visible and looked like a piece of it was ripped out .

" A veela . It seems whatever happened to her seemed to aim for either torture or her life . Maybe both . It was because of her that the magic around here was unstable . It was her magic doing that " ; Luar's voice sounded .

Draco closed his eyes and infused his magic inside her , trying to maybe heal some of her injuries . He knew that Harry was there and exposing himself like this can bring unimaginable consequences , but all his life he had seen people died . Just like that , their eyes losing the light and body crumpling down . He always wished to do something , save someone but could not . This time there was no one stopping him , he could atleast try to save her . And for Harry , what was the worst thing that could happen ? He would have a additional tension on his head but he knew that no matter what , Harry will not sell him out .

He could hear Luar screaming in his head to not expose himself but Draco ignored him and continued . He quickly stopped the bleeding and tried to heal the internal injuries . Realising that only his magic will not do the job , he opened his bag to take out all the herbs and potions he had. Crushing some herbs and lathering it in her wounds and force-feeding her the potions , he finally moved back . He noticed that Luar had stopped talking , looks like he gave up . Turning his head to see a cold but burning gaze directed at him , Draco almost toppled back but steeled himself rigid . Catching Potter's gaze , he looked right into his eyes , not willing to admit defeat .

Seeing Malfoy keeping his gaze , Harry felt his eyebrows twitch . It was always like this .Each and every time . Those silver eyes always did something to him . It gave him the illusion that Draco was like a prey staring at his predator . He was so innocent , thinking he can take Harry on , thinking that he was a hunter and Harry was his catch . If anything he should be thankful that he thought so . If he showed even a grain of fear ….. if he just dared to turn his eyes away , Harry knew that he would pounce on him like a lion on his prey , aiming for his throat , aiming for a kill .

Harry's throat bobbed up and down as he gulped , thinking of his teeth sinking in the Draco's throat .

" -cough-cough- " ; a feeble sound came from behind Draco drawing their attention .

Harry walked forward and knelt beside Draco . He looked as the woman barely opened her eyes and looked at them . She seemed startled and clutched the egg tighter to scramble back . Draco leant forward with his hand outstretched as though to bring her back . But seeing the terrified look in her eyes stopped and lightly let loose his magic , covering her , caressing her , comforting her . The woman relaxed slightly but was still wary .

She looked at the herbs on her body and looked back up . Her eyes turned from wary to confused and to grateful as realisation dawned on her .

Struggling to lift herself up , she moved and squirmed . Seeing her difficulty , Harry gently lifted her to sit up and let her back rest on the stone wall behind her .

" Did you help me ?" ; Still holding the egg , she asked . The egg seemed very important to her .

"Yes" , it was Harry's voice that replied .

"Thank you , but I don't have much time . The poison is still in my body . It cannot be cured . Half of my body is already useless . I am sorry to waste your efforts -cough-"

Draco hurriedly soothed her back , saying," Don't speak if it hurts . Just lie down ."

She smiled wryly as Draco again washed her with his soothing magic .

" You are good people , aren't you ? -cough- Fortunately , I met you here . Please-cough-cough-help me . Please take him and hide him. "

Now she was wheezing but still unwilling to leave her sentence incomplete . Her hand clutched Draco as she pleaded them .

Her request shocked both of them as they looked at each other before she continued .

" Please . I cannot live anymore . haaaa-cough- save him . Please save my child " She wheezed with tears running down her bloody cheeks . Her breath grew laboured as she tried to force her words out . It was then that her neck rapidly started turning purple and she clutched it in a frenzy , her arms and legs thrashing around , withering from agony .

The sudden change panicked Draco and Harry as they tried to find what was wrong . Draco kept giving his magic as it kept bouncing back and her pulse kept growing weaker.

At a point it completely stopped as did the woman's thrashing . Draco slowly backed away . Still dazed from the suddenness of all of this . The egg was still there . He looked at it and remembered the woman's words "please save my child " Was this her child ? How could there be a child inside this egg ? Draco first thought that it was a creature's egg but did not expect it was the veela's . He knew that veela's gave birth and were not oviparous . Maybe it was adopted .

Harry was looking at the egg as well and he could hear a faint heartbeat from it . He was sure that something was inside it . Casting a lumos , he put the wand tip on the egg . The inside of the egg became somewhat visible . The egg had a translucent yellow substance inside it with a dense irregular shape in the center with red branches coming from it to spread in the egg .

A gasp was heard from Draco . Draco looked at the sight in wonder . Putting his magic in the egg he tried to examine what it was . But as soon as his magic entered the egg it was rapidly absorbed by it .

Jerking his hand back , he looked wide-eyed at the egg and turned his eyes to Harry . Understanding his intentions , Harry repeated what Draco did and soon mirrored his expression .

"What should we do ?" Harry asked .

" She is already dead . We can only take it back . " ; Draco said in a small voice .

"Hhmmm" Harry replied as he stood up and handed the egg to Draco . He soon dug a pit to bury the woman . After burying her , both he and draco knelt in front of the grave and silently paid their respects .

Heading out , Draco held the egg in both his arms . The egg was as big as a person's torso and was hard and smooth shelled . It gave off a peculiar warmth . It was a soft and gentle warmth . The kind newborn babies give off. Well , it was a newborn baby just with a shell over it .

Thinking that inside of this is a baby made Draco feel a sweet warmth in his chest as he tucked the egg inside his robes to keep it warm .

It was then that he heard a chuckle from beside him that he remembered that he wasn't alone . Glaring at Harry , he squinted his eyes as he tucked the egg even closer , making it completely disappear in his robes , leaving only and big bump on his torso . He thought ,' I am a Malfoy and Malfoys did what they promised even if it was extremely embarrassing !!! HMPH !! '

Harry who had been watching the aristocratic pureblood coddle an egg like a real child could not help but chuckle . And his chuckle turned into a laugh when the same aristocrat turned to glare at him and somehow held the egg like he wasn't holding an egg but a pregnant tummy . In all of this he did not miss the bright red Labrinth of his ears hiding behind silver hair . It pleased him greatly to see such a different Malfoy .

' Malfoy is different after all . All these years I saw what he showed me . And now that I really see who he is , it seems surreal . I was such an idiot to not see his real self sooner ' Harry thought as he smiled at the scowling Draco as he buried his head behind the egg .

Notes:

Hello , everyone ! Sorry for the late update and I kinda started to make Harry a bit dark as promised . Also , the first bun finally appeared !!!!

Hope you enjoy reading !!!!!!!!!

Chapter 6: A threat is made

Summary:

In this chapter , you will notice :-

1. A noticeable personality change Harry gained after meeting and learning from Eloise .

2. A more funny Draco from outside pov .

3. Harry's behavior change when it comes to Draco .

4. A cunning and practical Harry as promised !

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Draco and Harry walked side by side to the edge of the forbidden forest . Both in their heads thinking what to do now.

Stopping at the edge of the thick vegetation , Harry turned to Draco .

" We need to talk " ; Harry said in a resolut tone ,leaving no space for refusal .

They both knew that there was no way to hide things now . Both of them had revealed their ace cards . The only option they now had was a co-operation to attain their respective goals . Over that , they were handed this mysterious egg of unknown origin .

Harry stood there , searching Malfoy's eyes . He could see the helplessness , the tiredness and risk swirling in those silver eyes , like the dark blemishes on the face of fair moon . He kept his lips pursed tightly , his head bowed down.

" You know it's inevitable "; with a monotone voice Harry lists .

" I know what the situation demands of me , Potter . But what I do not know is your credibility . How do I trust you ?" ; Malfoy's voice was a mere whisper , filled with an empty void . The words brushing his ears like a frigid wind .

As they say , the one who experiences heavenly tribulation is the one most fearful as well as most thankful to the Heavens .Malfoy is still wary after the ordeal with his father .

"I believe I've proven my credibility enough , haven't I ? "; And it was true . Harry had no wish for unnecessary actions .

" Do not jest , Potter . There is no one alive who will not use a leverage in the time of peril . If you do not have a reason now then what about when you do ?" ; Malfoy said with a giggle in his voice like a fleeting mirth . He was still looking ahead , avoiding Harry's gaze .

The ones who don't understand the honeyed words will surely understand the language of threat. And Malfoy was exactly of this kind . And Harry was proficient in both .

Stepping forward to stand behind Malfoy , Harry caressed his ears , his fingers barely touching the skin , cold from the gloomy winds . His face so close to Draco's nape that he could see the faint veins running down beside his ears .

Harry's eyes darkened as he said in a voice similar to silence at the bottom of a deep dark sea , captivatingly haunting ," Carefully weigh your words , Malfoy . Once inside other's ears , they always stay there , no matter how much you wish you hadn't delivered them so "

Malfoy forgot that Harry had enough strength to turn the tables against him , in political situations as well as public image . Harry's word was enough to destroy him . He did not need leverage over Malfoy . He forgot that no matter how brave or good or righteous Harry was , power is an inevitable lure , especially in the form of control over his arch-nemesis , over someone like Draco Malfoy , especially Draco Malfoy .

Hand running down to Draco's throat , gently rubbing the small protrusion . It was a wonder that the tiny ball wasn't running up and down but slightly trembling .

" Ahhh~ ever so perceptive , aren't you ?" ; Whispered Harry . He wanted Malfoy to remember this fear. Wanted him to remember what Harry could do to his life . But no matter how much he reminded , Malfoy always forgot . Such was the anatomy of Draco Malfoy , the threat was remembered but the fear it brought forgotten . The calamity was lost but the disaster it bought always stayed behind . But it didn't matter , Harry will keep on reminding him .

His hand lay on Malfoy's throat as he gently curled his fingers over it to cover the delicately translucent skin .

Malfoy was stiff as a rock . Harry , satisfied with his demonstration , smiled shallowly . His threat firmly grounded in Malfoy's skin , his nerves and memory .

Stepping aside , Harry moved to stand in front of him to see his eyes wide and face pale . He looked Malfoy in the eyes and smiled a very gentle smile looking especially innocent in glasses as big as half of his face and unkept hair splayed across his forehead.

"Wait here while I fetch something " ; Harry commanded as he made his way to the school leaving him to stand there . He was not worried about Malfoy running away . He was smart enough to understand what he should and shouldn't do. Soon retrieving the invisibility cloak , he made his way back.

Seeing Malfoy still in the same place , Harry made his way towards him .He had his 'calm even in the face of disaster' mask up again as he looked up at Harry . Malfoy may think that his mask is perfect but he did not miss the way his pupils contracted the moment he caught the sight of Harry.

" Come inside the cloak " ; Harry said as he put the cloak over his head , beckoning him to step closer .

Malfoy's eyes narrowed as he squinted at Harry . Realising his hesitation , Harry sighed as he pulled a startled Draco right into his chest . He did not have time for a 'too proud to be near you' pureblood and didn't realise that it was actually a 'too close to be comfortable near you ' Draco .

Drawing the cloak to completely cover them , he looked down to see a very stiff Malfoy holding the egg in an awkward way so as to not touch Harry .

Ignoring the awkwardness , they slowly made their way to the castle . Entering the huge hallways , Harry slowly guided a very awkward Draco to the seventh floor .

Silently walking through the wide corridor , Harry had an inkling that something was coming . Which proved correct as the next moment Snape made his way across them . He hurriedly pulled Malfoy behind a statue as he vigilantly eyed Snape's moments .

Hearing a silent 'tsk' from Draco as he shifted slightly to better accommodate the egg , Harry put his hand on his mouth to mute him for good . Snape , probably hearing the 'tsk' , had stopped walking and was now looking around . He kept his grip on Draco as he squirmed and struggled to get Harry's hands off him .

Looks like Malfoy did not like being touched . Finding such a good opportunity for years of revenge !!! How could he let it go so easily ?!?!

Smirking slightly , Harry slowly dropped one of his hands down as he watched Malfoy's eyes warily following it . Slowly closing it just beside Draco's waist , he smirked as Draco looked up to give him a burning glare before returning his eyes on the hand .

" NO ! Don't you dare ! You pig !!!" ; Malfoy said in a whispered angry hiss . His eyes darting to look at Harry before going back to the offending hand still hovering over his waist .

Harry was having quite a fun . It was vividly amusing to watch the perfect proud pureblood being so twitchy .

" Pig ? To believe such atrocious words to be heard from the Slytherin Prince !!! What will the other snakes say ? I guess such behaviour is to be expected considering that Slytherin are a bunch of species lacking in decency" ; Harry irked whisperingly as his other hand drew closer as if to lay on top of Draco's head. It was obviously a threat . If he willed to utter anything else , he won't have one but two hands on himself .

Sensing the warmth on his scalp , Draco lifted his head again to give Harry a last scathing look before tightly closing his eyes and burying his face in the egg between them . Harry looked on as Draco's whole body stretched tight , readying itself for his hands , for his touch .

The general must run away when he has no soldiers to fight the war and surrender when ambushed with no chance of escape . And Draco is very much ambushed . Surrender ~ is the decision taken by Malfoy , it seems .

Smirking, Harry gradually lowered his hand . It was just about a hair's breadth away from Malfoy's head when it stopped and slowly drew back by itself.

Harry looked at the person in front of him and then at his own hand. He was confused .

Why ?

. Why was his reaction so different for Malfoy ? What did he have to make Harry behave in such an abnormal way ? Why was Harry's own body defying his will for Malfoy ? First was the incident in the girl's lavatory and now this . What was wrong with Harry ? No . What was wrong with Malfoy ?

Finally , Harry still did not touch Draco because it truly did feel inappropriate to touch Malfoy in such a way . Instead , if it had been Ron , Harry would not have thought twice. His eyebrows scrunched slightly with this thought which soon disappeared with the departure of a very grumpy Snape who didn't find anything , promoting them to continue their journey .

Stopping in front of the tapestry , Harry opened the wide doors of the room of requirements . Leading Malfoy inside and closing the door again , they came inside to the sight of a very cosy room with a fireplace and a couch in front of it with tons of soft blankets .

Raising an eyebrow , He looked down at a similarly confused Malfoy looking around . He had not wished for anything thus it must've been Malfoy's wish for this room to appear . Still , to feign surprise is too much of an anomaly . Harry exclaimed in his thoughts ,' Malfoy is such an antique piece* !!!'

{ Being an antique piece* - having a different or peculiar personality compared to others . Like an rare antique art piece between hundreds of commonly found art pieces .}

Sitting on the couch to make themselves comfortable , Draco started to wrap the egg up with a blanket , thinking ,' It is an egg , surely it needs to keep warm ! And the weather is so cold , what if it freezes ? When I take him down to the Slytherin dormitories , I will have to cast several warming charms , won't I ? After all , dungeons are considerably colder than here .' Draco mused with a concentrated expression and scrunched brows as he again undid the whole wrapping to do it all over again.

Harry watched as Malfoy wrapped the egg in thick blankets as he moved to again settle it on his lap . Waiting silently , Harry looked on .

" what should we do with the egg?" ; Harry asked.

"I don't know the future but I will take it back for now " , answered Malfoy in a troubled tone .

"Do you have any idea about what's inside ?"

"No . But that woman was a veela . I saw scars on her back. Her wings were ripped out and considering the wounds on her body , she must have been tortured ." ; Draco presented his analysis .

" Probably because of the egg by her protectiveness over it . Also did you notice the purple hue on the trees making a trail to her ?", Harry further questioned trying to ultimately estimate Malfoy's knowledge and worth .

"Yes , It was probably the poison in her blood which turned the plants purple . When the woman died she had the same hue in her neck . I can only conclude that she choked on her own blood which turned purple due to the poison and killed her almost immediately ." ; Frowning , Malfoy supplied .

Harry looked at Malfoy , silently assessing his views and alertness . His eyes flashed a surprised gleam , thinking,' Such knowledge and practical vigilance . An unpolished gem , he is ! '

" The egg is probably of a bird or reptile but the size indicates it being of a larger species . Can you assess it again ?"

"Hmm " ; replied Malfoy as he again closed his eyes and Harry could already feel his magic surrounding the egg .

Harry could feel Malfoy's magic , cool and calm . If comparing Harry's magic to Draco's then Harry's was like the magma swirling and boiling in the depth of earth , tightly controlled while Draco's magic was like a single pearl at the bottom of a deep dark sea , silent and cold . One inexorably dangerous and the other cryptically mysterious .

He watched as Draco supplied his magic inside it . Some time passed as Draco , still in the same position with his palm on top of the egg , scrunched his eyebrows and pursed his lips tightly . By the looks of it , he was having quite a difficulty meaning they were about to gain some information .

Opening his eyes , Draco looked at Harry . The egg was acting very peculiarly . It was actively absorbing all of his magic . No matter how much Draco supplied . Sighing , he silently called out in his head ," papa , Can you help me with this ?"

" Finally remembering someone as me exists , is it ?" ; Luar answered in a very monotone voice.

" I am sorry . I won't do it again ."

" Do what ?"

"Ignore you and not listen to you . Please , I already regret it "

"You ungrateful child !!!! I told you not to do it because I sensed this boy ! He might look simple but he is hiding much ! Even I am unable to guess what it is ! But he feels very similar to a person I knew , a very powerful person . And look where he got you ! You are right in his grasp ! Like a fool jumping right into the well , full well knowing that it already has a beast !!! "

Malfoy winced again and silently regretted his decisions . Why was he such a fool ? Now he not only got himself exposed to Potter but also threatened . He was a shame to Slytherins , wasn't he ?

To Draco , quite a time passed but actually it was only a moment . Looking at Potter , he said ," I could not find anything . It keeps consuming all my magic . I was not even able to check it's health."

Draco stopped before continuing ," Maybe you should try it ?"

Putting his hand on top , Harry silently closed his eyes . He tried to enter into the dense mass of the egg . That was when he felt a very strong backlash as his magic was rapidly being sucked out of him . He tried to withdraw his hand but it was stuck on the egg . Before he could call Malfoy , his vision blurred and blacked out . The magic from his entire body was sucked dry as he fell unconscious .

Draco looked as one second Potter was alright while the next he fell like a sack of potatoes . Panicked Draco moved to him . The golden boy cannot die on him !!! He did not need another murder charge !!! Checking his body to find that not only was his magic entirely depleted , his body was in a weak condition as well. Potter not only had deformed bones but also had many internal injuries yet to heal completely.

' Heavens , How many times did he come near to death to have so many injuries and still live along with it ? Is he even aware what a strain his body is going through ?'

Taking out several potions he ideally made , he fed Harry a potion to replenish his health and another nutrient potion . Finally done , he stood up and looked down at the unconscious Potter . Now that Potter was asleep , it was the perfect time to slip out and avoid disclosing anymore than he already did . He did not care from where Potter learnt to perform wandless magic . For all he cared , it was the best as long as he did not interface with Draco's life .

So Draco being the little slimy snake he was , ran away with his tail between his legs , very much like a fleeing kitten , jumpy and puffed up .

Taking the egg with him , he silently slipped out . Once out of the room , he put the egg in his ring storage and made a run for the dormitories . Reaching his bed he slipped inside the drapes to pull them down and cast spells to keep them so .

Now sitting in absolute silence , he thought. ' How did my great self land in this situation ? How the fuck !?! Over that I not only got exposed but also now I will have extra attention from Potter himself !!! Let's hope that he hit his head when he fell and has temporary ~ no , permanent amnesia . That will make everything so much easier . And not to forget , he also a very grumpy oldman to convince that he was truly apologetic '

In the room of requirements , Harry woke up to see an empty room with no Draco and no egg .

' The kitty ran away , it seems . No matter . Where will he go ? To his dormitory ? To class? If he is in Hogwarts he cannot escape , can he ?'

Just then an oldman living in his head who had illegally hijacked his head space , finally spoke after consecutive days of complete silence .

" Finally , time that you woke up , brat . That boy of yours already went off running as soon as you fell " ; Eloise supplied.

" Did he ?" , Harry expected no less . It did not surprise him in the least .

" Sure did . A good choice to be an ally if you ask me . Even fed you healing potions before he went . He at least cares about you by the looks of it ."

" He fed me healing potions ?" ; Now this truly astonishedd Harry . He did not expect Malfoy to actually care about him as such . It was a novel feeling .

" He did . A vitality increasing potion and a nutrient potion . "

' Draco Malfoy , what else are you hiding in your pandora's box ? ' , Harry mused as his eyes turned an unfathomable shade .

Sitting up , he dusted his clothes and nonchalantly walked away .

The next morning sitting down on the gryffindor table , Harry looked at Malfoy to see him eating his meal . He looked fine and pointedly ignored even glancing at anything other than his plate . Harry kept his eyes on him throughout .

That night , Harry silently sneaked out after curfew to make his way towards Slytherin dormitories . It was fairly easy with the cloak and the boon of parseltongue .

Standing before the four-posture bed , Harry slowly parted the curtains . Inside lay Draco deep in his sleep , buried under the covers and a large white egg tucked under his arm . The sight unknowingly brought him a deep solace .

He came here to do and find out what he couldn't yesterday. But looking at this sight all his will dissipated as if warm steam into air . Sighing , he pulled the covers further up , as he looked at Draco as he fell in deeper sleep .

Harry stepped a small step back as he whispered in the darkness ," I leave you for today , Malfoy , for the sole acknowledgement to your care . I won't let you off the next time ."

As they say , for doing something only a reason is enough but for avoiding something a thousand excuses are listed .

That night Draco dreamt that he was in a very huge cave with a mighty black lion . The lion confined him there and he did not move because of the fear he had for it . Everyday the lion brought him different types of fruit and berries . Days passed like this and nothing happened , the lion did not eat him and Draco steadily grew into a fat, round, jiggly vanilla pudding . His cheeks grew round and rosy , his skin grew a healthy pale . He thought that if the lion was always like this then he wouldn't mind staying with him . After all , he just wished for a truthful friend . But then , one day this thoughts changed . That day after the lion came back , he slowly walked to Draco . Draco was scared but he thought that it wouldn't do anything to him after being so good to him for such a long time . But then it stopped right in front of Draco's face with it's snout touching his nose and opened it's mouth wide . Draco could see all its big sharp teeth and smell it's horrid breath . It was then that he realised that the lion did not want a friend but a fat , healthy and bulky prey to fill his stomach !!! He was only a very luxurious Delish which the lion made a lot of effort , time and patience in preparing !!!! He was a sheep fattented for slaughter!!! Now Draco could see inside the lion's mouth as it closed its mouth over the Draco's head . And -SNAP !!!!

Draco woke up with a jerk to see it was early morning with the first rays of sun . He remembered his late grandmother telling him that dreams seen at the first rays of sun are not dream but visions . Draco felt immense dread at this .

Looking up , he imagined his late , blond , stiff but awesome-when-she-scared-father grandmother and prayed ,' If you are somewhere hearing me , grandmother , then please bless your humble grandson for good luck and smooth sailing days . I promise to offer you a vintage bottle of 300 years old red wine next Samhain '

And this is when in the land of the dead , an old blond lady was looking into a wide mirror to see a young blond boy . Hearing him , she exclaimed ," This boy !!! Grew up to be such an unfilial brat ! Bribing his own dead grandmother ! He must have learn it from that idiot father of his ! I am going to curse Lucius from here ! He spoiled my good grandson !!! That good for nothing show-off son of mine ! He and his father , both the same !!! My dear Draco was such a sweet boy ~ grew to be such a gremlin ! HMPH !!! "

She said effective cursing three generations of Malfoy family lords and heirs .

But still she plucked a small petal from the vase beside the mirror to lightly kiss and blow it off into the mirror , watching as it passes through to land on the head of an unfilial blonde , glowing and shrouding him in gentle light before disappearing .

She elegantly stood up , muttering something like " well , I wouldn't mind the wine " before fading away and another soul taking her place in front of the mirror resulting in it changing the picture reflected .

Notes:

Hi , Folks !

How is it going till now ? I expect all of you to be well and healthy and thankyou for reading my fanfiction .

Now that we are soon going to start the main arc and adventure , how are your reviews on the fic till now ?

I know that it's not much but still I would like a reassurance .

see you till next time ! Keep warm and stay healthy !

- Dr. Shipper