A/N: New chapter that I'm also using as a celebration chapter. You see, I watch my story numbers all day everyday and I noticed this particular story absolutely racing towards 50, 000 hits onAO3. Seeing this seemed to be huge motivation and inspiration for the next chapter as I wanted to have a chapter to upload when I hit the 50, 000 milestone...and I did! So, thank you SO much for 50, 000 hits! I am so grateful and love you all so much!

So, enjoy this chapter. If you do, please, please, leave a review. I appreciate it all and thank you so much.

Chapter 52

The aggressive shove to his shoulder broke Harry out of the daze he hadn't realized he'd been in and told him it was the last of many attempts to get his attention. It also irrationally annoyed him and he glared at Draco.

"I am going to burn your hand off if you don't stop doing things like that," Harry threatened.

"Then tell me what's going on because you've been acting weird for weeks," Draco sniped, crossing his arms.

"Nothing is going on," Harry replied stiffly.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Right because it's completely normal for you to zone out constantly and then act like you didn't."

Harry scowled. "That's not what's happening." He just had a lot on his mind.

"Thank you for proving my point," Draco said dryly.

"I'm just tired," Harry said, a snap in his tone. "You could also just call my name."

"I did," Draco replied. "Seven times. Are you sleeping?"

Harry glowered. "Yes, Mum, I'm sleeping. I don't need you to babysit me."

"I'm not. I care—"

"Well, don't!"

Hurt flashed in the grey eyes and a niggle of regret twisted around Harry's heart, but he didn't apologize. He needed to protect his family.

"What are you doing here?" he asked instead.

Draco was clearly unhappy with the topic change, but allowed it in the face of Harry's angry outburst. "We've got our meeting with Siguard."

Harry frowned slightly, unsure what the blonde was talking about, and Draco huffed, scowling.

"We're talking to him about our project. You know, the thing to help Severus?"

"Right," Harry muttered, gathering his work into his bag.

Leaving the study hall and navigating the castle up to the Ancient Runes classroom was silent and tense between them. He knew he was being unfairly irritable with Draco, but it was better than the alternative and his family knowing about how he was dealing with said alternative.

He glanced at Draco's back, his brother walking a few steps in front of him, and felt a little more guilt bubble inside. He sighed to himself and rubbed his neck at the odd trickling that was becoming so common though he still had no idea what it was.

He'd just needed the nightmares to stop and he refused to let Voldemort in again, refused to let him get to Draco and Severus. Leif, Alexei, and Severus had spent the break telling him Voldemort getting into his head, seeing Severus, and draining their magic wasn't his fault, but he knew it was. It had all happened through him because he hadn't known or understood just how his connection with Voldemort worked. So, he'd taken steps to deal with it while learning about the connection through books he'd found on the upper shelves in Prince Manor's library, shelves he and Draco had, admittedly, been warned against browsing.

He'd engulfed his mind, magic, and Life Bond in fire. Sure, he was tired—keeping his wall of fire up at all times was exhausting, after all—and not dreaming at all anymore, his head hurt, and his magic was agitated from not being allowed to connect with the others, but he could handle it; he had to.

"Where the hell are you going?"

His reverie was broken and he blinked, turning around. He'd apparently walked right past the Ancient Runes classroom without realizing. Draco was at the door, staring at him with a deep, concerned frown. Harry forced himself to ignore the way his stomach twisted and his chest ached dully in the face of his brother's obvious worry, worry he'd seen for the last four weeks since they'd returned to Hogwarts from break.

"Seriously, what the hell is going on with you?"

Harry glared, instantly annoyed again, and walking back to join the Slytherin. "Stop asking me that."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong," Draco snapped.

"Nothing," Harry insisted.

"I'm not stupid. I know something's going on," Draco replied.

"No, there's not," Harry denied.

"Harry, just tell me! You can talk to me, you know you can." Draco reached out to touch Harry's shoulder, but was shoved away.

"Just leave it alone!" Harry yelled. "Leave me alone!"

With a glare of his own, Draco retaliated, shoving Harry's shoulders. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

"Right now, you!"

They were staring hard at each other, the air between them thickening with tension and heavy with hurt, guilt, and undeserved anger. A large part of Harry wanted to apologize and tell Draco everything, but another part, the perpetually angry and fuzzy part, refused. Some part of him belonged to Voldemort and he would never let that part near his family again.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy."

Their boring stares were interrupted, pulled to Professor Siguard who had opened his classroom door and was looking between them with a raised eyebrow.

"You wished to speak with me, yes?"

"Yes, sir, we did," Draco said, voice as tight as his face while Harry gave a stiff nod.

Siguard glanced between them, both curiously and knowingly. "Come on in then." He pulled the door open and stepped aside to let them through.

Draco shot a look at Harry before leading the way past Siguard, Harry following after scratching his neck again in response to further fuzzy trickling. They walked through the desks to the door at the front of the room, pushing their way into the office. They sat next to each other uncomfortably in front of Siguard's desk as the man settled across from them, still watching them with obvious bemusement.

"Your message mentioned you wished to speak about your project and completing it together," Siguard eventually started and they both nodded. "I confess myself interested as you, Mr. Potter, indicated your desire to use your project as entry to Magical Theory."

"I would like to as well," Draco said.

"Are you also an Elemental?" Siguard asked.

"No, an Aetherion."

Siguard's eyes widened in surprise. "Remarkable. Would I be correct to assume your magics have connected?"

"Yes, sir. We have compatible magic." Harry nodded. "It is part of the reason we hoped to do a project together."

He saw the slight skepticism in the man's face. He understood. It was probably odd to hear such a request when they'd just been fighting in the hall moments earlier.

"Very well," Siguard said, leaning back in his chair. "Tell me about your project."

Harry opened his bag and pulled out a few pages of parchment, handing them to the professor. "We've written a proposal actually."

Siguard was clearly impressed as he took the pages and began to read. It was quiet as they waited, and Harry forced himself not to fidget even as he rolled his neck to try and fight the fuzziness inching its way from the sides of his mind and felt Draco repeatedly glancing at him. He threw oxygen into his walls of fire, making them blaze all the brighter and stronger in an attempt to hold back the creeping fuzziness that was dragging him into a tunnel. He rubbed his neck and blinked slowly, his head growing light and feeling like he was beginning to drift. At least until he was yanked out of the tunnel by an elbow jabbing into his ribs.

He turned to Draco, prepared to tell the Slytherin off for prodding him again, only to find a furrowed brow and a raised eyebrow on Siguard. He realized, then, that the professor had finished reading their proposal and had been speaking.

When had that happened?

"Sorry, Professor."

Siguard considered him strangely for a few seconds before resuming the conversation. "So, you want to change a rune that is used to summon and cause pain in the one the rune is attached to. Tell me more about how you hope to do this and about the rune in question."

"Well, I'd thought I would use my Aether Magic to change the existing magic and create a new connection between the rune and another holder," Draco explained.

"What type of connection do you want to create?" Siguard asked.

"We'd like to keep the summoning aspect, but allow the rune holder to be the summoner. We'd also like to add in some kind of emotional tracking of the magic holder or holders," Draco told him.

"Have you experience in crafting?"

"Um, no, but I've been reading a lot of the theory and about similar bonds," Draco admitted. "I've also got Leif Marcus."

"Quite true. Glad to hear of his recovery," Siguard said before turning to Harry. "And you? What would be your role?"

"I've been reading about the Ancient Greek Elemental runes and thought I would change the existing rune into Elemental runes that will represent certain things to do with the relationship between the rune holder and magic holders," Harry said.

Siguard looked at him, puzzled. "Only Elementals can use Elemental runes. How do you intend to both use these runes in this project?"

Harry glanced at Draco. "As we said, our magic has fully connected and Draco can use my magic."

"We also have a Life Bond," Draco added.

"You two don't do anything by halves, do you?" Siguard said wryly and Harry chuckled. "Alright, let me make sure I understand. There is a rune being used as a connection between two people, the rune holder and the magic holder. It is a summoning connection and a torture connection. You wish to change the rune to Greek Elemental runes and not only change the connection, but change magic holders to the two of you, I presume. Yes?"

Harry and Draco nodded.

Siguard leaned back in his chair again and gave them a searching look. "I also assume this is not remotely hypothetical, meaning you have a rune in mind. What is it?"

Harry shared a look with Draco again.

"Thing is, it's not really a rune, not a traditional one," Draco said.

"We figured it could be treated like a rune though," Harry added. "It seems to work like one."

"What is it?" Siguard repeated.

Harry sighed. "The Dark Mark."

Siguard stared at them for a long moment. "You can't be serious."

"We are," Draco said. "Someone we care about is being tortured by the Mark."

"We have to help," Harry said.

"I am unsure your plans will work," Siguard admitted. "As you said, the Dark Mark is not a rune."

"Technically, it is, based on the definition," Draco argued. "It could be considered a pictogram rune."

Siguard tapped his fingers on their proposal thoughtfully. "You would need to deconstruct the Mark's image. If it works like a pictogram rune then each part is powered by a certain strand of the connecting magic."

"I've seen its magic before, at least briefly," Draco said. "I can examine it."

"And we can research the Mark's parts, find out what they mean," Harry said.

"Some further research will certainly be required. This is quite the task you…oh my," Siguard trailed off, his concerned look making Harry frown. "Are you alright, Mr. Potter?"

Draco touched his arm and he turned to the Slytherin, the grey eyes widening. "Bloody hell, you're bleeding!"

"What?" Harry questioned and raised a hand to his face as he became aware of a strange feeling above his lip. He touched his nose and, pulling his hand back, found blood on his fingertips. He stared at his fingers in alarm and confusion before looking back at Siguard. "Sorry, Professor. Excuse me."

He snatched up his bag and hurried from the office, keeping a finger on his lip to catch the blood as he sought a lavatory. He dashed into the closest one, walking up to the sinks and mirrors, dropping his bag carelessly at his feet. He looked into the mirror, seeing the blood steadily flowing from his nose and dripping past his finger, threatening to go into his mouth. He pulled some tissue from the dispenser between the mirrors and swiped at the blood, wincing when it smeared across his cheek.

When the lavatory door opened behind him, he watched Draco approach in the mirror, recognizing the mixture of worry and anger in the Slytherin's face that seemed to be permanently fixed there.

"Tell me what's going on," Draco demanded.

Harry turned from the mirror to face Draco, scowling behind his tissue. "I told you to leave it alone. Nothing is going on."

"Noth—are you—" Draco stuttered with astonishment. "You're bleeding!"

"It's just a nosebleed," Harry dismissed, holding back a cringe at the blood covering the tissue.

"That's not normal! Something is wrong!" Draco shouted. "Why won't you talk to me?"

Harry ignored the pang in his heart at the hurt in Draco's voice. "There's nothing to talk about. Just leave it alone."

"No, I won't! I'm your brother and—"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be!" Harry snapped, glaring at Draco.

The sheer pain that filled Draco's face mirrored the pain encompassing Harry's heart as they stared at each other. It felt like ages before Draco gave a slow shake of his head and stormed from the lavatory, leaving Harry in one of the worst, most deafening silences he'd ever experienced. As soon as the Slytherin disappeared, regret and guilt settled heavy in his gut. He spun back around to the sinks, leaning on one and bowing his head.

He didn't know what was causing the nosebleed—it was a new thing—didn't know if it was because of Voldemort or his constant Occlumency, but as pain lanced through his skull, he knew it had to be related to one of them. He released the sink to massage his temples and stared at himself in the mirror.

He really did look terrible and he honestly felt worse. He felt like he was losing something, like something inside him was emptying, but he couldn't let Voldemort win.

He would save his family.

Even if it meant he couldn't have them, he would save them.

Draco watched the ink as it inched its way down his parchment. He'd been writing so slowly the ink had beaded off his quill to streak down the page. He'd crawled into bed after leaving Harry in the lavatory and was propped up on his pillows to do his homework, but his mind was just not on Transfiguration, especially not when he kept glancing at their proposal and replaying his fight with Harry. His heart was pulsing with a dull ache.

"Draco."

He looked up as the door to his and Harry's bedroom in Severus' quarters opened, Severus entering.

"It is time for dinner."

The mere idea of food in his inner conflict and hurt made Draco nauseous.

"Um, I'm…I'm not very hungry."

Severus looked at him disapprovingly. "You know I do not approve of you or Harry missing meals."

"I know, but I, uh, had a pretty big lunch," Draco lied, trying not to fidget under the man's searching stare.

"Is everything alright?" Severus asked, scrutinizing him.

"I'm your brother and—"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be!"

Draco moved his eyes quickly to his parchment, dabbing his quill into the ink blob and dragging it aimlessly across the already ruined page to conceal his wince at the echoing words. "Yeah, fine. Everything's fine."

"Draco—"

"Really, I'm fine," Draco interrupted, looking at Severus again. "I'm just not hungry."

Severus gave him another long, hard stare. "Very well. I will be back in a couple hours and perhaps you can tell me how your meeting with Professor Siguard went."

Draco forced a smile as he nodded. "Sure."

With a last look full of suspicion, Severus left and Draco was alone, his forced smile immediately falling. His eyes dropped to the floor, but flew back up when a 'tsk, tsk, tsk' came from the doorway. His jaw clenched as he glared at Lucius.

"I taught you better than to lie, Draco," Lucius chastised insincerely.

"Actually, that's exactly what you taught me," Draco snapped. "I know you're not real. I know you're not here."

This wasn't exactly the first time he'd interacted with his father since their Malfoy Manor incident.

"Maybe not, but I am out there," Lucius said, waving his hand vaguely in the air, "and I am most certainly in here." He tapped his temple with a smirk.

Draco glowered, hating how right the man was. "It doesn't matter. You don't matter."

"Oh, on the contrary, my son—"

"I am not your son," Draco growled, jumping from his bed.

"No?" Lucius said lightly. "You're not his either, you know."

Draco ground his teeth as the comment tugged harshly at his heart, making his chest ache more. Lucius smirked again.

"So, I think I matter very much."

Draco shook his head and pushed past Lucius to leave the bedroom, hoping to leave the man behind. "No, you don't."

"Then why are you trying so hard to destroy your magic and yourself?"

Draco stopped at the question and turned back to Lucius with a frown, not understanding.

"Could it be because you know you cannot escape what you did?" Lucius offered, making Draco instantly think of how he'd tried to dissolve Lucius' core at Malfoy Manor. "You cannot escape who you are."

"You are just like me."

Draco winced at the sharp pain in his chest, but kept glaring at Lucius. "I'm not. I am nothing like you."

"Come now, Draco. It is alright to admit it," Lucius consoled, his tone so falsely loving. "Admit to who you are, admit to what you did…admit that you liked it."

Draco flinched at Lucius' whisper in his ear, and an electric jolt tore through his chest and body.

"You don't know me," Draco spat.

"Oh, I think I do. How else would I know that you're afraid of how it made you feel? That you're keeping your magic so deep it hurts? That you are trying to destroy every little thing that makes you think of me?"

"I…I'm not," Draco protested weakly.

"Are you certain?" Lucius almost purred, eyes flicking to Draco's sternum.

With more pain stabbing that very area, Draco hurried into the bathroom. Facing the mirror, he quickly popped the buttons on his shirt and opened it. His eyes were pulled to his scar, but it wasn't the scar that caught his attention. Rather it was the silvery, spidery lines reaching sporadically across his chest from the scar that made his eyes widen.

"You see?" Lucius was behind him again, murmuring into his ear, and he glared at the man through the mirror. "You know you are just like me. No need to be ashamed. No need to continue to hurt yourself. Just accept who you are."

"I…I…"

"You are just like me and that is alright, my darling Draco," Lucius whispered. "I will accept you. Will they?"

Severus, Harry, Leif, and Alexei flashed before his eyes before he was watching himself destroy Lucius' core once again. Through the memory, he saw Lucius' smile in the mirror and angry fear gripped him.

"I am not you!" Draco shouted, cringing when a knife stabbed into his sternum and the silver fractals extended ever so slightly across his skin.

"My dear son. You can't kill me without killing yourself, but maybe that's just what you need to do," Lucius drawled. "After all, can you live with what you see?"

The thought of the action didn't even register in his mind as his fist collided with the mirror. It shattered under the impact, cracks covering the surface like a spiderweb. When he pulled his hand away, his knuckles and fingers were bloody and Lucius was gone. The impact spot was left over his face instead, distorting his reflection. Tears hovered in his eyes as he stared at his unrecognizable reflection and pain continued to pulse in his chest, the silver lines continuing to grow minutely.

"You are just like me."

Was he?