Prince Consort

Chapter 8

The vampires plus two wizards appeared by Portkey to Prince Castle, the vampires then continued to walk briskly as if they had never stopped, making sure that both the humans could keep up, all of them conspiratorially glancing at Harry every now and again. He was definitely quite striking, long black hair, which oddly enough was a bit of a mess, grass and dirt clung to his clothes and hair as if he had just gotten into a fight before Dumbledore found him. Quite tall, but not as tall as their Lord, they speculated he'd come up to his chin. His eyes though, they positively glowed with power, and were a lovely shade of green they rarely saw.

"Alfred," Corin said, unsurprised to see the elder vampire waiting on them at the doors.

"Our Lord is in the Great Hall, everything is ready," Alfred informed them, not hiding his appearance like the others, Severus did not want Dumbledore to know who he was, hence the title. "Mr. Potter, please follow me," he said kindly to the teenager, gesturing with his arm for Harry to step beside him. He did not yet have permission to use his first name, so he would remain Mr. Potter or Lord Consort when they married.

Harry stepped away from Dumbledore, his nerves getting the better of him, but he continued his mental mantra, for Remus, for Remus, for Remus as he followed. They did not need to walk for long before they were entering what looked like a guest bedroom. There were probably dozens of guest bedrooms like it in the castle. Was this to be his bedroom?

"May I?" Alfred asked, his wand out, gazing expectantly.

Harry nodded, and then the spell was cast, a cleaning charm, his hair, and clothes were now clean and ironed as if they had not been worn for…Harry actually didn't know how long. He didn't know how long he'd been unconscious, but it was still dark, either only a few hours then or an entire day.

"These are your robes, I will give you some privacy to change," Alfred informed him, touching the robes that hung on the wardrobe door, and with that Alfred left, he didn't want to overwhelm the teenager. For he surely was feeling a little overwhelmed, it's not every day you were asked to a handfasting ceremony a vampire Lord after all.

Harry stared at the white robes for a few moments, before he looked at the window with a wistful pained look on his face. He wanted nothing more than to open that damn window and flee, to show Dumbledore he wouldn't go quietly. The threat of Remus being killed by the Ministry stayed his hand. He would find a way to utterly destroy Dumbledore for this, even if it meant his death if it kept the people he cared about safe then so be it.

Shaking his head, a pang hitting his heart, he began to remove his clothes, grateful for the numbing charm, he couldn't even apply one himself since he no longer had a wand. Oh, how he longed for Remus to be here, he always had a way of making him feel better. Clenching his right hand into a fist, refraining from punching the wardrobe, he let the anger abate before he dressed in the white robes which had been left out for him, disconcerted by the fact they fitted him almost perfectly.

A handfasting, Harry thought about what he remembered about it, he'd read it somewhere in Zabini library. Handfasting is a historical term for "betrothal" or "wedding". In the Early Modern History of Scotland (16th and 17th centuries), especially in the Hebrides, the term could also refer to a temporary marriage. The verb to handfast in the sense of "to formally promise, to make a contract" is recorded for Late Old English, especially in the context of a contract of marriage. The derived handfasting is for a ceremony of engagement or betrothal is recorded in Early Modern English. It was only a promise of a marriage, it wasn't a real one, but what did it mean to the Vampire Lord? Would he even live long enough to see it broken?

Breathing deeply, he nodded grimly to himself; there was no point to putting it off. He wandered over to the door, nervously wiping his palms on the white robe, which thankfully wasn't see through. Opening the door, he walked through steeling his nerves not wanting anyone to see him vulnerable.

"Ready?" Alfred queried, smiling trying to convey some form of comfort to the teenager, he had strongly urged Severus not to go about it this way, to at least get in touch with the teenager before today. Unfortunately, his Lord had not taken his advice, and he feared that it would come back to bite him.

"Yes," Harry said his voice soft and quiet.

"Follow me," Alfred then replied, leading Harry towards the Great Hall, refraining from saying what was on his mind.

A few moments later Alfred nodded to the vampires on duty, who then opened the doors to the Great Hall, which Harry was glad to see wasn't decorated, there was an arch in the middle of the room, with flowers and herbs intertwined, as was customary for a Handfasting but that was it, the people there were still shrouded in black cloaks, he wouldn't even see who he was handfasting to, all he knew was it was a man, the 'Lord' gave that part away quite clearly. The only person who was visible was the officiant, himself and Dumbledore whose eyes were gleaming; the look on his face turned his stomach. One day he swore to himself, one day he would kill the old fool.

"Lord and Lord Consort, today you are surrounded by friends, all of whom are gathered to witness your exchange of vows and to share in the joy of this occasion. Let this be a statement of what you mean to each other and the commitment of marriage you will make." the officiant spoke as soon as Harry was in position.

Harry's eyebrows raised, Lord Consort? Judging by the strangled noise Dumbledore made, he was just as surprised it seemed. He couldn't help but glance over, taking feral amusement in the look on his face.

"When you love someone, you do not love them all the time in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love and of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in the terror of the ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity, when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity, in freedom. The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what was in nostalgia, not forward to what it might be in dread or anticipation, but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now. Relationships must be like islands, one must accept them for what they are here and now, within their limits—islands, surrounded and interrupted by the sea, and continually visited and abandoned by the tides of life." the officiant continued.

Harry frowned, his mind mulling over the words, it was almost as if he was being told that it wasn't permanent, that in time he would regain his freedom. Was it possible? Or was the vampire Lord just playing with him or perhaps he was just looking too far into it?

"Handfasting is a declaration of intent where the couple clearly states that they are marrying on their own free will. Lord and Lord Consort, know now before you go further that since your lives have crossed in this life, you have formed eternal bonds. As you seek to enter this state of matrimony you should strive to make real ideals that give meaning to this ceremony and to the sanctity of marriage. With full awareness, know that within this circle you are declaring your intent before your friends as witnesses."

"The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union and will cross the years and lives of each soul's growth. Do you seek to enter this ceremony?"

"Yes," the vampire Lord said immediately.

"Yes," Harry answered, anger abruptly leaving him as pain flared in his chest, he was finding it extremely difficult to breathe.

"Please look into each other's eyes, and join hands," the officiant vampire stated, waiting until they did so, he placed his wand between their now joined hands.

"Lord Consort, will you share in Lords pain and seek to alleviate it?

"I will," Harry agreed, wishing this would end, he wanted to go home so badly, Maria, Teddy, and Blaise were bound to be so confused…and Remus so worried about him. Would he even be able to write to them?

"Lord, will you share in Lord Consort's pain and seek to alleviate it?"

"I will." Severus proclaimed seriously.

"And so the binding is made." a blue ribbon shot out of his wand and intertwined their hands together.

"Will you share in each other's life and the promise of no lies between you?"

"I will," Severus said, agreeing with the terms in his heart, while Harry just agreed, not feeling anything other than overwhelming pain.

"And so the binding is made." he officiant said, another ribbon, green this time, shout out of the officiant's wand and wound around their hands.

"Will you share the burdens equally so that you may grow and learn?"

"I will," they echoed, but the vampires sat up taking notice in the odd tone of voice coming from their almost Lord Consort.

"And so the binding is made." the officiant said, silver ribbon shooting from his wand, wrapping around their hands.

"Will you share in each other's dreams and help them achieve their desires?" the officiant questioned.

"I will," they both said, even the officiant was looking at Harry in concern as he spoke.

"And so the binding is made." a black ribbon shot out of the wand this time.

"Will you take the heat of anger and use it to temper the strength of this union?" he then asked, their Lord had requested this one out of all other handfasting rituals in the vaults, no doubt to make it easier on his Lord Consort, it cannot be easy to speak of love as if they did, but that would come later.

"I will,"

"And so the binding is made." the officiant stated, a white ribbon shooting from his wand.

"Will you honor each other as an equal in this union?" the officiant then asked.

"I will," they both said, Harry was unable to focus on the words despite hearing them, he was finding it difficult to draw breath, he felt as though there was a fire spreading out through his chest.

"And so the binding is made." the officiant stated, purple shooting from his wand, glancing briefly at his Lord, who nodded for him to continue, as Severus watched Harry closely, his breathing was ragged, a bit too ragged to be normal, Langdon had not told him that Harry suffered from panic attacks…perhaps he didn't know?

"As your hands are bound together now, so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust. The bond of marriage is not formed by these cords, but rather by the vows you have made. For always you hold in your own hands the fate of this union. Above you are stars and below you is earth. Like stars, your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow."

"May these hands be blessed this day. May they always hold each other. May they have the strength to hang on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. May they remain tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love. May they build a relationship founded in love, and rich in caring. May these hands be healer, protector, shelter, and guide for each other." magic flared between them, marrying them, Severus hoping one day to make it permanent.

As soon as the handfasting was over and the magical ribbons dissolved into their hands, Severus guided the teenager over to one of the vacant seats, spelling a calming draught into him, despite everything he had never stopped carrying Potions with him everywhere he went. Alfred's words coming back to haunt him, wondering if he had made the wrong decision, it mattered little now, what was done, was done.

"I do believe it's time to finish the negotiations before I leave you to become acquainted," Albus said quietly, knowing that the vampires would hear him perfectly. "Congratulations, my boy," Albus added, patting Harry's shoulder, adding pressure when the boy attempted to shrug his hand away.

"Indeed," Severus replied, having to refrain from cursing the old fool for touching Harry. He didn't even want the old fool near him, which was why they'd never meet again if he had anything to say about it.

"Are we going to be formally introduced?" Albus questioned, gesturing towards the vampire's hood as he withdrew the documents, once again hyperly aware of the vampires in the room watching every move he took, handing them over, only to have one of the others snatch them from him. "We are, after all, trusted allies." baffled as to why the vampire Lord would make Harry his Lord Consort unless he had a habit rewarding those he fed on for the time being. Giving them some measure of power over his servants. If that was the case the vampires surely couldn't be happy with a teenager giving them orders.

"Another time, perhaps," Severus said, but he had no plans to ever meet with Albus Dumbledore again. He would send twenty of his people (who were willing) to fight in the war when required, but that was it.

"I see," Dumbledore replied, his disappointment hidden.

Severus accepted the paperwork once they had been thoroughly inspected. "None of them will be signing this," said Severus immediately, his anger palpable despite the fact his hood was still drawn up.

Harry could see Dumbledore getting agitated, obviously unhappy with these turn of events. His green eyes gleamed in amusement, despite the persistent pain, he gripped the edges of the seat, his breathing shallow unable to take a deep breath.

"Hear this now Dumbledore, they belong to me and me alone, I trust no other with their safety especially not a mortal like you. They will do what is necessary to end this war. Nothing more, nothing less is that understood?"

"The safety of the Order must come first, surely you understand the need for secrecy?" said Dumbledore trying to persuade him. Unfortunately, Albus would come to realize, to try and persuade the Vampire Lord would be like trying to get a brick wall to move by itself without the aid of magic.

"They cannot sign it, which part of that do you not understand? They are vowed to me and will continue to be until the day I release them," said Severus, his voice cold and dangerous; being Dumbledore, of course, he didn't react. Only Severus could make it sound like he had people vowed to him against their will. This couldn't be further from the truth.

The vampires who had witnessed the handfasting had to suppress their amusement at the partially correct statement. Of course, Albus Dumbledore would never know they actually could sign it. Not that any of them would tell the old man otherwise, none of them relished the thought of being in the order. Nevertheless, they would do it, out of loyalty and need. Somebody had to stop Lord Voldemort, and now that the Prince had resumed his throne it was vital to end the Dark Lord's reign of terror. Sooner or later the war would land on their doorstep, would want to have everyone bowing before him.

"Very well," said Albus knowing he had no choice, "These coins will let them know where and when the next meeting will be held." an ingenious idea he'd got from Hermione Granger, one of his students who was eager to prove her worth to him.

"Very well," said Severus as one of his guards accepted the package. The coins were the same one's he'd charmed and dropped in his castle. As soon as Dumbledore was gone, the entire castle would be searched again.

The suddenness of Harry toppling over unconscious was so sudden that even the vampires failed to react in time. Immediately the vampires surrounded both Severus and Harry, excluding Dumbledore from the circle of protection.

Severus leaned over his extremely pale mate, sniffing him trying to gauge whether he was sick or not. There was no sickly smell associated with illnesses or fever. He could, however, smell the scent of old blood pooling around his chest, forming bruises. "He's been injured?" questioned Severus, his voice promising pain of death if he thought of even lying. Why hadn't he been tended to?

"Indeed, he was injured before I found him," said Albus pokerfaced. He truly didn't think they would care all that much.

Alfred quickly began to cast a diagnosis charm, quite worried about the teenager, they may have only just met but he now Lord Consort. It wasn't a very good start to his new life here, ending up unconscious without anyone realizing he was injured. They should have realized something was wrong, but they had all assumed it was nerves.

"He's lying, My Lord," said Storm, and none of them doubted her word, she was, after all, able to see Aura's. Aura's changed color when someone lied got lighter when they told the truth…for each emotion, or response there was a color the Aura went. Storm was born with the gift, and it heightened upon her rebirth. Even those with Occlumency barriers such as the old man had did not conceal the truth from her sight.

Albus' face didn't change despite the fact he got angry at being caught out in a lie, not even upon hearing the low growls of the vampires in the room. It did, however, fill him with apprehension, they could easily snap his neck without him being aware of their approach.

"He has five broken ribs, one has punctured his lung, My Lord" Alfred informed Severus with urgency, he was beginning to turn bluish, the rapid heartbeat now made sense. They had to take care of him, he needed treatment urgently.

Albus inwardly winced; he hadn't realized it was that bad, otherwise, he would have taken him to the hospital wing to be healed before calling the vampires.

"Five broken ribs?" echoed the Vampire Lord sounding furious. "Just how did that happen, Dumbledore?"

"He was hit with a badly aimed spell, he fell against a wall, an accident I assure you," said Albus nobody saw the beads of sweat starting up at Dumbledore's temple, as he was vividly reminded of one of the stipulations of the contract drawn up between himself and the vampire Lord. That he would be brought to them in perfect health, unhurt was the word they had used. They couldn't blame him for an accident surely, for it had not been him who caused it.

Storm nodded, he was telling the truth but Severus did not see it, his attention was solely focused on his mate, as he should be.

"And why was he even hit with a spell in the first place?" demanded Severus, glaring at Dumbledore ferociously, he had broken his word, he was very tempted to break the contract and throw Dumbledore out on his backside. He wasn't completely heartless, and there was the fact he also wanted the Dark Lord taken out too. He was a danger to Harry, although if Dumbledore knew the truth he would be as well.

"He refused to come with me," said Albus honestly, knowing he wouldn't be able to lie. One of them were evidently able to tell when he was lying, he'd heard with vampires with the ability to detect lies but never met one. It was just most unfortunate that he had to meet one here and now, for he would have loved to learn more, perhaps even learn of ways to deceive the sight.

"He did not consent?" growled Severus, his anger building monumentally. So much so his magic began to pour off him in waves, putting Dumbledores to shame. The glimpse he'd seen before was evidently only part of it. He couldn't believe it, he had known Harry didn't like Dumbledore…and vice versa. He, however, hadn't been aware that he was giving Harry over without his consent. Well, that royally screwed things up further. Now he wasn't so sure how things would work out. Damn Albus Dumbledore to hell, he could screw things up in an empty house. He carefully picked up Harry, making sure not to irritate his ribs more than they already were. He had to help him before he stopped breathing; the spell Alfred had used was only a temporary solution.

"I believe Albus Dumbledore, you have violated the terms of our agreement. Therefore you will find it null and void," said Severus, taking great care not to jolt Harry around too much, as the others surrounded both himself and his unconscious mate. "Escort him out." his tone dark, cold positively seeping with a fury that he refused to let out his mate came first.

"Then you give Mr. Potter back," said Albus his own magic flaring as his own anger got the better of him. He couldn't believe it, after all he'd done, they had the nerve to back out of their agreement? Just because he was hurt? What did the vampire Lord not want spoiled goods to drink from? He would be healed within a few minutes, what right did he have?

"I think not," chuckled Severus in amusement, "Now!" he added to his people, with that the vampires removed their wands, pointing them straight at Dumbledore's chest. Their faces were emotionless, there was no doubt they'd do it. They would dare cast spells against him, Albus Dumbledore! The hero of the wizarding world. It wounded Albus' pride badly to lower his wand. Not as badly as it would have been if they'd gotten the better of him magically.

Not as badly as his pride was wounded as he was grabbed by the upper arm and quickly frogmarched with force out of Prince Castle, sidelong Apparated away to Hogsmeade and left there too stunned to be angry for the moment.

Severus didn't waste a moment in thinking about Dumbledore, trusting his people to see that he was as far away from him as possible. As he strode through his home, he couldn't help but think or believe that Dumbledore had become so unfaithful to his contracts and the oaths he made. They were sacred, and then blatantly lied about it to him, thinking to get away with it. He was very grateful to Storm's gift now more than ever. She did not normally brazenly declare when someone lied, but if it was against him she would do it in a heartbeat.

Once they got to his quarters only then did Severus remove his hood, and gently place Harry on the bed, grasping the potions bag and begin the process of healing Harry of his wounds all the while examining him. Alfred had followed him but waited at the door for permission to enter his Lord's private rooms, for nobody was allowed in without permission. Severus valued his privacy, or what he could get off it, so his rooms were strictly forbidden.

Harry had been taking the potions he had sent, he could tell, he'd grown rather tall in the two years since he'd seen him. Severus had to stop himself leaning into his mate, or brushing the hair from his face. He was stunning; he'd turned into a gorgeous young man. He was his; all his and nobody would ever touch him again. He was a possessive man, he didn't see it as a bad thing, and in time Harry wouldn't either. He would make sure of that. Merlin just looking at him was arousing him like nothing else could. He looked so innocent but he knew he was anything but; no Slytherin remained 'innocent' if they were at all. Also a good thing, especially given his new position.

Edited 2/6/17