On Punching Gods and Absentee Dads
Enigmaris
Chapter 37: Harry's Excellent Plan
Summary:
Draco takes Harry's hands and the two boys are off on an adventure.
What could go wrong?
Notes:
Ya'll. The responses last week? Brilliant. Loved every bit of it.
BTW. I'm going to be at a geology conference next week for the full week. I am going to try and update on time but I don't know if I'll be able too. If there's no regular update just know it's cause I'm in San Francisco learning about volcanoes. At the very latest the update will be up on Saturday if it's not up on that Wednesday. Then we'll go back to our regular schedule!
I'm presenting my work on Tuesday so wish me luck!
Chapter Text
Malfoy took his hand.
Harry had actually been shocked by that. He'd thought that the guy would tell him off, maybe even try to start dueling again.
But no.
He'd taken Harry's hand and then demanded to know when they were leaving.
"Let me just go get…" Harry began.
"No. We're not involving anyone else." Draco said. "I can only sneak one other person beneath the wards, and I don't trust any of your friends."
"I still want to tell them that I-"
"Potter, either we go now, or we don't go at all. This is your one chance to prove your worth to me."
Harry sighed.
"Fine. I'll meet you in the astronomy tower in 30 minutes." Harry said. "Do you think you could get us a couple Death Eater robes?"
Malfoy frowned for a moment before nodding.
"I can get them, but they won't fit you."
"Not a problem." Harry said. "Get the stuff plus whatever else you think you'll need. We'll leave within the hour with our brooms."
"If this is a trap Potter…"
"Could say the same to you."
Malfoy scoffed and then began stalking away, as if Harry hadn't just saved his life and also offered to save his mum's life. Harry quickly pulled his invisibility cloak out of his magic pocket and swung it over his shoulders, he didn't have long. He snuck back into Gryffindor tower and found his friends hanging out in a corner of the common room.
"Mate." Ron said. "What's going on?"
Harry quickly told them explaining what he'd learnt about Malfoy and what plan (as much as he had one) he'd come up with and why they couldn't come. They argued for a bit, longer than Harry had wanted of course, but eventually they agreed to cover for him.
"If you're not back in six hours I'm telling your dad." Hermione declared.
"Thank you." Harry said. "You guys are brilliant."
"I only hope this doesn't go wrong."
"Don't worry." Harry said. "I've got a plan."
Famous last words.
In truth Harry did actually have a plan, or the beginning of one. He knew from the last Order Meeting that Voldemort was meant to be in America right now. Granted with magic that could change at any moment, but Harry was rather certain Voldemort would want to stay in America where his forces were in the most danger. As long as they didn't cause too much of a scene in Malfoy Manor then no one would know they'd even been in there until it was far too late.
Harry quickly dressed in his armor and put on his robes, hiding his sword carefully beneath them
(That was a trick Natasha had taught him!)
He carefully transfigured his school robes slightly so that they were now a simple black thing, closer to a dress than anything. Once he was certain he had all of the supplies he'd need in his pockets he nodded to himself and grabbed his broom. He flew out of the window and then up and around the castle to the astronomy tower. Draco arrived from the stairs moments after Harry had finished sneaking through the window.
"I have two robes and masks." He said. "We can put them on now."
"It's not for me." Harry said. "One's for you and one's for your mum."
"Then how are you going to disguise yourself?"
"I've got a plan." Harry said. "You just have to get us in there."
Malfoy narrowed his eyes but nodded. He quickly put on the mask, having already dressed in the dark menacing robe. He stuffed the other costume into his pocket and then picked up his broom.
"Follow me closely." He said. "We'll fly above the cloud line so you better put on a warming charm."
"Got it." Harry said. "How long's the flight?"
"About two hours." He answered. "Less if we push it."
"Let's push it." Harry said. "We don't want to give You-Know-Who any warning time."
It was odd, Harry thought, how much he trusted Malfoy. In truth the way the boy had spoken about his mother had…touched Harry. It had struck him deep down. He truly believed that Malfoy wouldn't risk his mother's safety. But if worst came to worst, he had the emergency bracelet he could use to call for help. But Harry didn't think it'd be necessary. He really didn't. Together they got on their brooms and they took off.
Harry didn't cast a warming charm and Malfoy didn't say anything about it.
They went almost straight up into the sky until they managed to break through the thick clouds. Once they were above the clouds Draco started flying south at high speeds and Harry took off after him. Both of their brooms had a top cruise speed was about 240 kmph. Of course, if you were a desperate teenager on a suicide mission to save your mum you might find that it could go a great deal faster.
It was too fast for either of them to talk to the other. They kept pace with one another and Harry followed Draco's instructions given to him via hand motions. Harry used the flight to fully think through his plan. He'd spent the summer being trained by Tyr in combat, by his dad in magic, and by the Avengers in strategy. Harry would never be a Ron, Ron was an expert chess player, but he felt rather confident that he could manage this.
Time seemed to fly by as they flew beneath the moonlight. Draco managed to guide them using only the stars which Harry thought was a bit show off-y for his tastes. Not everyone could be good at astronomy after all. But it meant they made good time. When they landed less than two hours later, it was on the far edge of a massive property. Harry could see the insanely large manor on the top of the hill.
"Are those peacocks?" Harry hissed jerking his thumb to point at some birds that were wandering the back lawn.
"Shut it Potter."
"You keep Peacocks and you kept calling me arrogant?"
Malfoy threw him a glare.
"We have to be quiet. The Dark Lord is the head of the wards in my father's…absence, he can hear us."
"He's not here." Harry said. "If he was, I'd feel it in my scar."
Malfoy narrowed his eyes but nodded.
"Tell me what the plan is."
Harry took in a deep breath and carefully whispered out his plan. He knew his dad would have hated it, but his dad hated everything that put him in even a modicum of danger. Malfoy on the other hand was staring at Harry like he was crazy.
"You're mad." He said. "It'll never work."
"Not with that attitude." Harry argued. "I promise I can keep the distraction going long enough."
"Fine but if you fail, I'm taking my mother and we will abandon you." He said.
"Understood." Harry said. "Now, let me get my disguise on. Fix your robes and stash the brooms in a bush."
"I'm not going to be able to carry my mother on my broom and keep up speed."
"She'll use mine." Harry said easily.
"A firebolt is hardy better."
"Don't worry about that."
"I can't believe I'm here with such an idiot."
"You're the one who agreed." Harry shrugged. "Now shut up, I've got to concentrate."
Harry closed his eyes and focused inwardly just like his dad had taught him. He hadn't told Draco exactly how he was going to make himself look different but now it was time to reveal at least a little bit of his new talents. He might not be a good of shapeshifter as his dad, but it didn't mean he was incapable. In fact, he had a feeling that this shape would be far easier for him to take than most. It took a minute for him to shorten himself to the proper height and make sure everything was right but once it was done, he opened his eyes and looked at Draco.
"Well?" He asked, his voice now deeper than it had been before.
"It's good." Draco said staring at Harry with wide eyes. "Since when are you a metamorphagus?"
"Uhm, this summer?"
"Are you asking or telling me?"
"Get us under the wards Malfoy."
"I hate you."
"Feeling's mutual."
Draco rolled his eyes but carefully connected to the wards. Harry didn't know much about wards like these, but he knew from Hermione that most family homes had wards that were connected to the family that laid them. Which meant that Draco, as the heir to the Malfoy Line, should have a certain amount of sway with them. Sure, enough Draco after about ten minutes of intense concentration Draco nodded and stepped forward. Harry followed without hesitation.
He felt the wards overlap him. Harry's magical sense making it clear that these wards were the kind that would kill someone who trespassed, he shivered as he waited to pass inspection. It took less than 10 seconds, but he felt the wards accept him.
"Okay." Harry said. "Let's go. Good luck, Malfoy. I'll be waiting for your signal."
"Whatever." Malfoy said. "Just go. I'll follow."
Harry nodded and began to stride towards the entrance of Malfoy Manor. As he walked he started to make himself seem angry, agitated. He channeled all of the anger he held towards Dumbledore and let the air shimmer with his magic. The whole point was to be noticed. He waved his hand and used magic to bust open the back doors. The doors were placed on top of a nice porch that looked like it was made for the Malfoys to sit on in the summer and comment on how ugly their neighbor's homes looked like. The double doors were fancy looking with intricate curling metal designs.
Or at least they had been before Harry broke them.
He stomped his way into what appeared to be a drawing room, or maybe a living room. There were a few chairs that looked like they were not meant to be seated in, as well as a few small side tables that looked like they weren't meant to have things placed on top of them. The walls were lined with bookshelves and there was a nice fireplace that was currently empty of anything. There was a Death Eater Harry didn't know sitting in a chair. The man nearly yelped at the sight of him, instead he fell to his knees.
"My Lord. You have returned."
Harry could almost sense the fear the guy was pouring off.
"Who all is here?" Harry hissed, demanded.
"The five of us you left to guard Narcissa." He answered, shakily still staring hard at the ground. "We have not abandoned our posts."
"Bring them here, for every second I'm kept waiting…"
"O…of course! I will call all of them except for the two that are keeping Narcissa in her…"
"I said ALL OF THEM!" Harry said, letting his magic lash out at the Death Eater sending him fully to the ground.
"Yes, My Lord!" He said. "Right away!"
Harry never thought he'd be grateful for all the terrible visions he'd suffered under for the past year, but it really made impersonating Voldemort quite simple. Just hiss his words, let his tongue looked forked, and act like a giant asshole. The Death Eater ran off and Harry stood there watching him. He looked around the sitting room in interest. It looked very fancy and old. Just by the décor in the room alone he started to understand just why Draco was Like That.
If this was the place he'd grown up in then it was a miracle he wasn't worse. The place felt sterile almost. It lacked everything Harry now knew made a home. Even Asgard's royal wing had more of a home-y feel than this place did and Asgard was gilded in gold. Harry took the time to look at the bookshelves and readjusted his assumption. This wasn't a sitting room it was a library filled with creepy grimoires and books that were super illegal. Some of the titles he read made the Restricted Section at school look tame.
Minutes passed and Harry sighed, clearly the Death Eaters were waiting a few minutes to gather themselves and hope that their Lord had calmed down some. This didn't surprise Harry much, in his visions he'd seen a lot of Voldemort waiting around for his followers to show up. It occurred to them that Voldemort probably didn't know why so many of his servants were so slow. Harry hoped that Draco managed to get to his mum without being seen. The whole point of this was to make sure no one noticed when his mum escaped.
Harry paused in his perusal of books and looked at the title of one of the books.
Soul Magicks: The Quest for Immortality
Oh.
He swallowed a bit. He knew that after Voldemort's first defeat, Draco's dad had been left to guard over a lot of Voldemort's stuff, including that creepy diary. Would it be unreasonable to assume that Malfoy would also have kept some of Voldemort's books? He and his dad had made very little headway at all on the soul magic front, this was the first book Harry had ever even seen on the topic. Besides that, maybe this could give them clues on how Voldemort had survived this long. Harry carefully reached out and paused. What if it was hexed? He extended out his magic sense and found nothing. He picked up the book and then slipped it into his pocket.
He spent the next few seconds rearranging the books so that it was no longer obvious that there was one book missing. He probably would have continued to mess with it if he hadn't heard the creek. He turned to see a large green snake with a head about as thick as Harry's thigh slither into the room.
It took everything within him not to stiffen.
You've returned my Lord. I have missed you.
Harry swallowed. He'd forgotten about the snake. The damn snake! It was too late now. He just had to see if he could trick her.
What a wasted trip it was. These Americans must be crushed.
Yes…we will crush them. But first, your other servants are cowering in the kitchens would you like me to scare them into entering or would you like to let them suffer a bit longer? Nagini hissed back as she got close to Harry, she flicked out her tongue and then stiffened completely. You are not My Lord, My Beloved.
What nonsense are you spouting you wretch?
You look like him and you speak like him but you are not him. The snake insisted. It lifted itself up so that it was eye level with Harry and lunged at him, fangs bared. Harry yelped and ducked to the side barely dodging her sharp fangs.
Harry knew he'd been had. The snake began to hiss some very violent and quite frightening threats about eating him and leaving only his head for Voldemort to have for when her true master returned. Her fangs glistened with venom and malice and she had no problem using her girth and strength to try and trap Harry. Within a minute Harry found himself being tripped up, fighting in a body shape he wasn't used to made him incredibly clumsy.
Nagini reared up and prepared to sink her fangs right into his neck.
Lokison you have a sword! Use it!
Tyr's voice rang through his ears, a terrible reminder of all the times Tyr had beat him into the dirt for not fighting back. Before he quite realized it, Harry had summoned his sword to his hand in a flash of purple light and blocked Nagini's fangs inches from his body. He didn't hesitate to push Nagini off of him sending the snake flying backwards. He jumped up and focused, he had a sword. He was going to use it.
Nagini used her club like tail to swipe at his legs and Harry jumped out of the way, slicing down as he went, the tip of his blade scratched along her diamond hard scales leaving a nick in them. Once he was on solid ground again Nagini swiped forward trying to take a bite of his mid-section. Harry used the broad side of his sword like a shield to block her head and send her snout towards the ground hard with a downward swing. Nagini's face slammed into the floor with enough force to daze her.
Harry didn't hesitate and used this distraction to his advantage. Before Nagini could snap at his feet he swung down again and chopped her head right off. A huge spray of blood went right up his robes and the snake's hold body convulsed violently with death, overturning a chair and smashing up a tiny table.
"I killed his snake." Harry hissed.
That was bad. Super bad. The whole point was to make sure no one noticed that Harry and Malfoy had even been there. People were definitely going to notice the dead snake. Oh Odin what did he do? He searched around the room desperate for some sort of inspiration, he didn't have long until the Death Eaters came in and the last thing, he needed was to be caught hiding the body.
His eyes landed on the fireplace and he looked down at the large snake corpse.
Beggars can't be choosers.
Harry hefted up the giant snake corpse and carried it over to the fireplace. The snake was too large to fit in as one piece, forcing Harry to enlarge the fireplace to a ridiculous degree. There weren't any logs in the fireplace to start a fire from.
"What's the spell again? Oh come on. Dad taught it to me like three weeks ago. Come on Harry."
He remembered it with a quiet shout and quickly cast the Asgardian fire spell, a powerful spell that could burn through most anything. His dad had likened it to Fiendfyre except it was far less likely to run out of your control. Once the magical fire was blazing hot Harry dumped the snake corpse into it and began to gag at the smell. He hopped away and waved a hand to try and clear the air of the stench.
Oh, this was so bad. So very very bad.
The fire ate through the snake within seconds and left nothing behind but a pile of ash. Before Harry could douse the flames he heard footsteps nearing.
The Death Eaters.
Harry barely held back a yelp of alarm. He'd forgotten about the bloody sword and the decapitated head. There was no time. Harry jumped so that his feet were on either side of the snake head, his robes covering the head and the sword hidden behind him. With a flick of his wrist he turned the fire off a second before the door opened to reveal five Death Eaters, the only one Harry recognized by name was Wormtail.
He didn't have to hold back the growl he wanted to release at the sight of the man. The five Death Eaters stepped inside, looking at the large blood stain on the floor and sniffing the air at the terrible, awful stench.
"My Lord." Wormtail said tremulously. "Are you injured?"
"You would dare imply that I would be hurt?" Harry hissed. "You fool!"
"No. No Never my Lord. You are far greater than any of your foes."
Harry narrowed his red eyes but didn't move to attack Wormtail. The man continued to monologue about his greatness and power sounding more frantic with each word. His groveling distracted the Death Eaters from the blood stain that was slowly growing around his feet.
"QUIET YOU SLOBBERING FOOL." Harry cut off making Peter make a sharp pained noise. "Tell me what you have done. Have there been any messages from Lucius' spawn, what of his whore?"
One by one each Death Eater detailed what they'd done since their last meeting with their Lord. The entire time Harry was moments away from freaking out. How long does it take Malfoy for to get his mum out of the house? Come on, where they taking the scenic route?
It took three reports, all of which were basically the same, before Harry saw the signal. A sparkle of lights in the distance near where they'd hidden the brooms. Great. Now he only had to figure out how to get the Death Eaters out. He rudely interrupted Wormtail's descriptions of his dark deeds.
He thought about the blood that was staining the bottom of his robes.
"You tire me, Wormtail. Where is my beloved Nagini?"
"I…I do not know my Lord."
"You don't know?" Harry hissed.
"Perhaps she is…out hunting?"
"Find her you idiot." Harry said lifting his wand to wave it menacingly. The Death Eaters cower away and bowed, insisting they'd bring Nagini to him right away.
"Quickly then. I do not wish to be kept waiting."
And then he was alone. Harry nearly collapsed in relief. He didn't have the time though. He quickly grabbed his sword and lifted up his robes so that he could replace it into his scabbard. From there he picked up the snake head and quickly burnt it in the fireplace. He shrunk it down to size, thankful that no one had questioned why it was so large. From there it was the work of moments to fix the table that had been broken and put the chair back into place.
There.
Now it was time to escape.
Harry looked out the still broken door and sighed in relief, there were no Death Eaters in sight. He sprinted off the porch and across the ridiculously large back yard, hopping over sleeping peacocks on his way to the exit. In the distance he saw Draco and another person in full Death Eater garb. Draco had his mask removed.
"What happened to you?" He asked. "You smell like a sewer Potter."
Harry rolled his eyes which must have looked very strange with his current face.
"I had a run in with the snake."
"The snake." He gasped. "I forgot…how are you alive?"
"Luck." Harry said. "Now come on. We need to leave now, the Death Eaters won't be distracted for long."
"We still only have two brooms Potter."
"I told you. Your mum can use mine." Harry said.
"Mr. Potter." She said, sounding strained. "You have done something I believed impossible."
"Huh?"
"You saved my son." She said. "He would have failed in his mission and he would have been killed to punish my husband."
"Oh." Harry said. "Well, I…I only wanted to do the right thing."
"I am in your debt, our whole family is." She said firmly. "Is that not right Draco?"
"Yes Mother." Draco said sounding like he'd just swallowed nails.
"Right. Well, let's save that for once we're safe." Harry said. "Take my broom, ma'am. Draco, please lead us back to Hogwarts. My safe house is about 20 miles away from there so we can get there if we just go back the way we came. I hope you don't mind if we share."
"My broom still can't handle the weight of two Potter."
"Can you just do what I say?"
"Only if you stop being stupid. But that doesn't seem likely."
"Did you get that comeback out of a kid's book?"
"I'll show you kid's book you half-"
"Draco."
Draco stopped mid insult looking far too embarrassed at having been chastised by his mother.
"Let's just go." He said. "Although how you expect us to get back by morning with two people on a broom…"
"I won't be a person." Harry said. "I learnt the animagus transformation over the summer."
"You what?"
Harry heard voices in the distance, near the porch.
"Questions later, running now."
Which was how Harry found himself perched on the ends of Draco's broom, holding onto the wood with dear life. He hadn't actually learnt how to fly with any success yet but he let Draco assume it was because a raven couldn't fly nearly as fast as a broom. They escaped under the cover of night, leaving the entire Malfoy Manor unaware of what had just occurred.
All in all, Harry thought it was a plan well done.