That night, Draco went to bed elated. He'd accomplished something that many would think impossible: he'd brought two men back to life.
Because of James, Draco had been buzzing all night; his joy was contagious. After ensuring he could touch everyone again, James had to check that he could touch everything. He grinned like a child the whole time as he went around the house, groping every object he could get his hands on.
Satisfied that he was fully tangible, he moved to test his magic, which was, remarkably, unchanged. Luckily for James, he'd been buried with his wand and comfortably cast spells as he had before. Regulus wasn't so lucky, and since Draco wasn't about to go back to the cave to hunt for his wand, they gave a simple request to Kreacher, who had found Regulus a new wand. No one knew where he'd gotten it, but it seemed to work well enough. James tried every spell and charm he could think of, down to the most ridiculous ones, including one that turned Draco's eyebrows blue. He was about to tell him off for it when Regulus, honest to goodness, laughed. It was so rare and genuine that Draco paused, and when Regulus turned James's hair hot pink in retribution, Draco decided to let it slide.
Of course, James had to brag about being an animagus and turned into a stag. He pranced around the room, tearing up the walls with his antlers. Regulus mostly watched James, content to observe as he enjoyed his newfound freedom. Seeing James's blatant display of how skilled of a wizard he was despite being so young was thrilling. Harry would have a powerful force on his side now.
Even Kreacher had stayed with them well into the night. He'd burst into tears anytime Regulus said something and kept asking how he could serve Draco. He also took up the habit of bringing Draco sweets out of gratitude, which Draco did his best to decline politely. He was fairly certain they were from over half a century ago.
The future was a looming force ahead of them, but no one brought it up. It felt right to enjoy Draco's success for a night. Eventually, Draco's weariness started to settle in since it had been an incredibly distressing day, and then the emotional whiplash to how he felt now caused Draco to almost fall asleep on the sofa. He retreated to his room, letting Regulus and James continue to enjoy their freedom.
The next morning, things felt very different and not in a good way. It was strange to break his daily routine. There were no rings to put on. It was oddly isolating, and as his sleep wore off, he felt even more exhausted. They'd done something great yesterday, but it didn't directly help to destroy the Dark Lord. It unlocked the knowledge that it was possible to save Harry's soul, but he was going to have to repeat the process again. There was so much yet to be done, and Draco felt more alone than he had in two years.
He wouldn't have Regulus there to tell him what to do. James wouldn't be lurking at his shoulder commenting on every blasted thing. Feeling suddenly insecure, he left his room quickly, praying the others were already awake.
Downstairs, he breathed a sigh of relief, and the tension fell from his shoulders. Regulus was sitting in the kitchen, and Kreacher watched intently as Regulus read a book and sipped coffee. Seeing Regulus holding a book shouldn't have lifted his mood as much as it did, but it was a reminder of the success of the night before. The ritual held.
"Your first day back, and you want to read?" Draco asked, announcing his presence.
"This one is interesting," Regulus said, holding the book up for Draco to read the cover. Advanced Eygytian Runes. "Besides, it's nice not to have to read over a shoulder. I can go my own pace."
Regulus had stated it like a fact, but Draco's stomach twisted. He hadn't realised that bothered Regulus. Draco sat as Kreacher scurried to bring him a cup of coffee, bowing deeply as he offered it.
"James?" Draco asked Regulus.
"Sleeping," Regulus said without looking up from his book.
Draco nodded and drank his coffee. It felt strange between them. Draco had spent so much of his waking hours with this man, but now Regulus had newfound agency. He didn't have to put up with Draco if he didn't want to. His life didn't revolve around Draco anymore, and Draco didn't know what role he played.
Unaware of Draco's internal turmoil, Regulus kept reading, so Draco fetched a book of his own. It was an old, nameless book Kreacher had stashed somewhere, and Draco was scanning it for any mention of horcruxes. So far, no luck, but it was impressive how many dark curses could be contained in a single book.
They were interrupted by the sound of footsteps, something that Draco wasn't used to hearing, and James shuffled into the kitchen. His hair was even more touseled than normal, and he wore pyjamas. It was shocking how wrong it was to see him in different clothes.
"First full day back, and you are both reading?" James demanded.
"Yes," Regulus said, looking up briefly and then returning his focus to his book.
James turned to Draco, who shrugged, holding up his book and said, "We need to destroy the horcruxes."
"Right back to work? Gah, you two need a break," he grabbed Regulus coffee and took a swig. "I forgot how shite your coffee is, but it's bloody amazing I can taste it." He took another sip, grimacing.
Regulus snatched it from him, "Get your own."
"Kreacher?" James asked. Kreacher scowled and said, "Kreacher serves the noble House of Black."
When neither Regulus nor Draco stepped in to ask for a coffee on his behalf, he sighed and plopped down next to them. "Who wants to go on a trip?"
That brought Regulus out of his book. "We can't."
"We literally can," James said, gesturing widely.
Regulus snapped his book shut. "The house could still be watched. If anyone sees you, it'll bring a storm of questions and attention."
James pouted. "But we can finally leave this place." Regulus glared. "I'll wear a disguise."
"It's not worth it. Not until we have somewhere we need to go," Regulus insisted.
James frowned, but he wasn't an idiot. He knew the truth in those words. He looked to Draco hopeful.
"Welcome to my life," Draco said, shaking his head. He'd spent far too many hours trapped in the manor to pity James for having to be stuck in Grimmauld for a few days. This was infinitely better: no Dark Lord, no meetings, just each other.
James sagged but recovered quickly when he realised he could eat breakfast for the first time in years. He did his best with the meagre ingredients in the kitchen as Regulus and Draco kept reading.
As the day wore on, things became more normal. The novelty of Regulus and James having physical bodies started to wear off, and things largely felt the same. All three gravitated towards each other, often ending up in the same room and within five paces of each other, even if that restriction was no longer in place. It was comfortable for them.
Draco agonised over what to tell Harry. The parchment could inform Harry of his accomplishment, but something held Draco back. It didn't feel like the time for reunions. What if Harry told others? Lupin? Sirius? They'd all flock to him, or James would run off to them. Both were inherently dangerous. Would Harry even believe him?
Surprisingly, it was James who made the decision.
"Don't tell Harry. Not yet," he said, finally noticing Draco fidgeting with his quill over the parchment.
"Why?" He'd assumed James would be eager to write to him.
"I don't know what to say, and I want it to be a proper introduction, you know? Not some awkward conversation in writing. Besides, if it's too risky for me to leave, it's far too risky for him to come here, and he would, right? Come here?"
"He might try," Draco admitted.
"Soon, but not yet," James said with a nod. Draco wondered what about Harry made James sound so reasonable, but he supposed maybe it was just an excuse. He was nervous to see Harry again and for real this time.
The afternoon of research fell into the evening, and after James very excitedly insisted on trying as many dishes as he could for dinner, Draco decided to return the Black Heir ring to Regulus. It felt wrong to have it, knowing that the original heir was standing in front of him and Kreacher kept eyeing the ring, clearly wanting him to give it back. He liked Draco, but no one was as good as Regulus.
"Here," Draco said, offering the Black ring to Regulus.
Regulus looked down at Draco's hand but didn't reach for it. "Why are you giving it to me?"
"You're the Black Heir," Draco stated.
"Not anymore. We had a deal. It's yours."
Draco watched Regulus for any hint of insincerity. Being able to keep the ring was more than Draco could have hoped for. It felt selfish, but he couldn't deny how badly he wanted it still. It was too engrained in him to seize opportunities like this.
"Are you certain?" he asked Regulus.
"Yes," Regulus said simply and returned to sit next to James, who watched the interaction with a grin. Kreacher sidled up beside Draco, looking sad.
"Sorry, looks like you are stuck with me," Draco told him.
"There are worse masters," Kreacher grumbled. Draco decided to take that as a compliment.
Days passed, and the future became ever slightly less daunting. They had real plans, and their chance of succeeding improved greatly now there were three of them. They had half a dozen ideas on how to lure Nagini out of hiding. Draco had written a coded message to Burke, asking for basilisk venom. They even had an idea of how to get Draco into Bella's vault at Gringott's.
Regulus had been concerned about his Dark Mark, but each day that passed, lessened that fear. His mark wasn't as dark as a normal one should be, it was more grey than black, but he claimed he could still feel it, irritating his arm. They'd have to wait until the Dark Lord called all of the Death Eaters to see how connected it truly was, but for now, things seemed alright.
Best of all, they finished Harry's ring. Draco still stressed that they'd gotten something wrong or that they should have used different runes, but James and Regulus assured him it was perfect, or at least far better than their original rings had been. The moment he carefully carved the last rune into the band, he passed it to James to cast the final spell, activating it.
James blinked down at the ring. "Why are you handing it to me?"
"To finish it," Draco said plainly.
"But you made it," James said slowly.
Draco frowned, confused as to why James was so hesitant. "But, the spell should be cast by someone who loves him."
"Oh," James said, clearly something had dawned on him, "I think you are our best bet."
"What? He's your son."
"I barely know him. I died before he could really talk, so we've spent, what? 10 minutes in conversation?" James said.
"But I -" don't love him. That didn't feel right, but it wasn't wrong. He had never truly untangled his romantic feelings towards Harry. They'd been distant for months. Draco wasn't even sure if he was comfortable with the idea of loving another man, although it had been easier to admit to himself after watching Regulus and James. But Harry was the person he felt closest to, other than Regulus, and it was different with Harry. He was the person he wanted to spend his time with after this was all over. That was something approximating love, wasn't it?
"Are you sure?" Draco asked instead.
"Pretty sure."
He glanced at Regulus, making sure he was okay with Draco casting the spell instead. He gave a nod, so Draco started. It was a simple spell, and all he had to do was focus on Harry while he did so. It drained him, both magically and emotionally, but when he finished, the ring thrummed with energy.
Both Regulus and James inspected it, giving their approval. Draco started wearing the ring, knowing that when he saw Harry again, he would force Harry to wear it and never take it off.
It took a week for James to insist that he needed out of the house. Draco had no way to stop him anymore, and Regulus seemed to understand that keeping him cooped up might be worse for them all, so they let him go, under disguise, of course. He went alone, claiming that if he didn't return, it meant the house was monitored.
Regulus tried to act unbothered, but Draco could see his tells. He waited on the first floor so he could hear the door reopening. He read, but considering Draco was turning far more pages than he was, Regulus was distracted.
Blessedly, James returned within an hour. He also returned with an obscene amount of goods from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. It was ridiculous that the Weasley twins had been his first visit with his real body, but it was just so James, Draco shouldn't have expected anything else.
James's successful trip opened a door for Draco. They had yet to see anyone patrolling around Grimmauld, so it was beginning to look like his mother had been able to keep Draco's secrets. He decided to start going to Gringott's. They needed access to the Lestrange vault to look for the horcrux, and besides, Harry was getting closer to attempting to steal the horcrux, and Draco wanted to be there for it. Harry refused to give more details about his plans, saying he didn't want Draco to be involved, but Draco stressed over how they were going to get into one of the most secure places in the wizarding world.
The first visit was just a test to see if Draco could leave and reenter Grimmauld safely and to test the goblins' claim of neutrality. Regulus and James had wanted to come but worried about them all getting captured or killed. They had knowledge that needed to live on, and besides, Draco was competent enough to handle himself.
Draco met with a goblin, Burgok. He had managed the Black's vaults prior to the fall of the house, so when Draco appeared with the Black ring, Burgok started squaring away his fortune. When Draco hadn't been murdered on the street in Diagon Alley, they considered the trip a success.
The next time he went, Draco started questioning about the Lestrange vault.
Was Bellatrix the only one with access to the fortune? Yes
Had she named an heir? No
Were there any living Lestranges? Not that anyone knows of
Burgok must have guessed Draco's goals since he was far from subtle about it, but Draco was determined to legally access the vault.
On the third visit, he demanded to be named the Lestrange heir. Burgok sighed heavily but led Draco into a room to talk. It was hours later by the time Draco was finished. It hadn't felt like he'd gotten much headway, but at least Burgok didn't outright refuse him. Someone who had claims to two powerful families, Black and Malfoy, was a reasonable pick to inherit the Lestrange fortunes.
He strode through the atrium and froze when he saw a familiar figure that locked him into place. Bella was here.
His first thought was that he should kill her. To get access full access to the vault, he needed her dead. He was closer to getting Burgok to agree to give him the inheritance, and if anything, her death might speed up the process. Goblins were a warring people and might respect him for claiming the Lestrange fortune by a show of violence. He could get the horcrux today if things went perfectly.
But he wasn't certain he could do it. He'd killed Dumbledore under the influence of a potion, and the only other time he'd come close to killing was because he was missing half his memories and under emotional duress. Bella was vile, but he didn't know he could harness the hatred required to kill her. He wished Regulus was here to tell him what to do.
He needed to act quickly if he was going to do something. Maybe he could wait outside and ambush her? He was reaching for his wand, determined to do something, when Bella started shouting.
"My wand is proof enough! Show me to my vault."
That couldn't be. Bella was disarmed by Harry back at the manor, and Draco had seen him take the wand with him. He glanced over to where Bella stood with an unfamiliar attendant. She looked like Bella, sounded like Bella, but Bella would never shift her feet so uncertainly. That wasn't her.
This was Harry's idiotic plan to get in. Draco held in a groan and tried to watch subtly as a goblin started to lead them to the vaults. Burgok watched him intently, clearly waiting for Draco to leave.
"I need to make a withdrawal," Draco said, turning back to Burgok. He needed to see this play out.
Burgok eyed him suspiciously but did as Draco requested while he nervously waited in the atrium for "Bella" to return. After only minutes, goblins started whispering to each other, and Draco wouldn't have thought much of it if he wasn't paranoid about Harry getting caught.
He tried to walk closer to the gathered group of goblins, but before he could get close enough to overhear anything, one started shouting in the goblin tongue, while another, face flushed, rushed to the carts. That seemed confirmation enough. Harry had been found out.
Draco grabbed one of the packets James had given him and chucked it over to the entry to the vaults. The moment it hit the ground, a cloud of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder formed, and the goblins' shouting became even more frantic. For extra measure, he threw another packet to the far side of the atrium, ensuring that almost half of the place was shrouded in darkness. He'd have to thank James later for his trip; this stiff was bloody useful. No one could do anything in this mess.
Draco retreated near the front of the atrium, waiting to see if he needed to cause another distraction. Every damn moment that passed made him convinced Harry had gotten caught, and he readied himself, but before he could do anything else, a giant crashing sound sent him stumbling backwards as the floor started to rip apart.
Something was clawing its way through the stone. The initial clouds of blackness were replaced by the grey dust of demolished stones, but it cleared quicker than the darkness powder had revealing a dragon, tearing itself from the depths of Gringott's.
It had all of its limbs above ground now and was looking for a way out of the atrium. Draco froze in shock, seeing what, or rather, who was on its back. Harry was sitting on top of the blasted thing. A dragon poised, ready to kill anyone who tried to stop it, and Harry and his idiot friends were riding it.
Fear coursed through him at the sight. Harry was going to get himself killed, and Draco, once again, needed to stop it. He stumbled outside back to Diagon Alley as the dragon crashed through the top of the Gringott's dome and crouched, readying for flight. After a brief moment of indecision, knowing Regulus and James weren't here to tell him what to do, he acted. The only way to keep up with a flying creature was to fly alongside it.
He rushed into Diagon Alley, caring little for who saw him. They were likely focused on the violent dragon behind him if the panicked screams were any indication. It wasn't far to reach his goal: Quality Quidditch Supplies.
He bombarded the front window and grabbed the Firebolt from the front display. The shopkeeper yelled but was too slow to react as Draco swung his leg over the broom and took to the sky, following Harry. Someone fired stunners at him, but he made himself a tricky target, rolling on the broom and accelerating more than any sane person would.
The dragon was fast and already had a lead on him, but Draco had to admit Harry was right; the firebolt was a decent broom. He closed the distance to the dragon and then maintained speed with it. Draco followed easily, but his fear didn't lessen much. How were they going to get off the thing? Some dragons could fly for days. Even if it did land, they'd have to fight it off. Draco had no idea how to stop one.
Answers came soon enough because the dragon dipped lower, crossing over a lake, and the three riders jumped off. The dragon continued a little further before landing but didn't seem like it wanted to engage, so Draco landed gracefully on the opposite shore, waiting for the others to swim to him. When they reached a shallow enough spot to get their feet under themselves and started trudging the final few metres, he asked Harry, "Are you mad?!"
Harry gave a weak smile, still breathless from the swim and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his face.
"Why did you follow us?" Weasley demaned, stepping threateningly towards Draco.
"Ron," Harry said warningly.
"How did you know we'd be a Gringott's? We know Harry didn't tell you," Weasley continued.
Draco opened his mouth to respond, but Harry beat him to it, "Shut it, Ron."
"No, it's a good question," Granger said boldly, stepping onto the shore. "How did you know?"
"I didn't," Draco said. "I was there trying to get Bella's inheritance signed over to me."
Granger and Weasley looked wary, but Harry gave an understanding nod. Before anyone could say anything else, suddenly, Harry dropped to the ground, clutching his forehead.
"Harry!" Draco and Granger yelled at the same time, but she was closer to him and crouched at his side. Draco lurched and froze, uncertain as to what to do.
Harry turned his face to the side, hand still pressed against his scar, and his expression twisted. Granger let her hand drop on his shoulder comfortingly. After a few seconds, Harry opened his eyes and unclenched his jaw, "He knows. He knows we went for the cup."
Draco glanced to where Granger's other hand which was curled tightly around a golden object, jerked. So they had been successful in getting the horcrux. If the Dark Lord knew the truth, then they needed to act quickly before he could make any more.
"We need to destroy them," Draco stated.
Harry nodded and said, "We need to go to Hogwarts."