Submerged

Grey eyes opened and looked around slowly. Why had he woken up? Draco sat up and scanned the room for danger. Then his gaze landed on his husband. A soft sigh left his lips. Harry lay curled up in fetal position. His skin was cool, almost cold. Draco reached out and rubbed his shoulders slowly until he relaxed enough for him to roll him over. "Wake up love. I'm here. I'm fine. We are healing slowly, and you need to awaken so you can see that we are okay. I want to kiss you, but you have to look me in the eyes first," he said.

Fear and pain filled Harry's eyes as they opened. He looked around until he met Draco's eyes. His breathing was ragged at first. He reached up slowly and placed his hands on either side of Draco's face. He moved forward, and their lips met. He wrapped his legs around Draco and pressed him against his body.

Soft laughter filled the kiss. "I hope you don't mind?" Draco said as he caught himself against Harry's chest.

"That you are hard? Like I would ever find that insulting or bad. I would hope you find me attractive despite my issues right now," Harry said. "I… I want you… but… I don't want you to go as slow as we did on our wedding night."

Draco smiled. "You will have to let me go if that is what you want. I also demand that you tell me immediately if it doesn't feel right," he said.

Harry nodded. "Okay," he said. "I promise." He released Draco and smiled at him.

"We're heading out tomorrow," Draco said.

Harry hummed as he nodded again. "I'm sorry if I'm too clingy right now," he said softly.

Draco snorted as he ran his hands down Harry's body slowly. "Harry… You know I'm a possessive arse," he leaned in and kissed Harry roughly. "You depending on me and needing me certainly doesn't brother me. What is rough for me is the pain in your eyes. The panic attacks, knowing they exist because you almost lost me. Your clinginess is not an issue to me. Your pain, on the other hand,sss is." He kissed his way down Harry's neck and chest slowly. "You okay?" he asked. "Ready?"

"Yes and yes," Harry breathed.

…

The following morning dawned bright and sunny. The light spread into the bedroom slowly and warmed Harry's back. He woke up with a gasp and groaned as he sat up properly. He could hear Draco breath and see his chest rise and fall. He knew he wasn't well, and he needed to deal with his issues. He couldn't just push what happened away. He knew the methods. He could at least try without Tatiana.

Harry moved so he was sitting with his back to the headboard, pressing Draco's shoulders against his chest. His eyes closed, and he slipped into the morning after. Looking at Draco's body, it was obvious that he was still alive even if his body was too cold and he was unresponsive. He hadn't despaired right away, though. He watched the memory of himself tuck Draco in and study the wards that had sealed them in. Hours passed before he sat next to Draco, crying because he couldn't wake him up.

The morning after that was worse. Waking again, seeing no change. He took a deep breath, his behaviour was normal enough, all things considered. He couldn't suppress these emotions, that certainly wasn't healthy. What would Tatiana say? Accept what had happened. Analyse what he was feeling and why he felt that way.

Seeing his despair as he started losing hope was painful. Draco was fine. He could feel his husband in his arms. He was fine. He was alive. It wasn't healthy that he had been willing to sacrifice himself like this, though. They had children. His foolishness could have cost them both their parents. He couldn't do that to them. It was clear enough why he did it, though. Draco had stood by him longer than any other partner he had ever been with, and they were building a future together. They were planing ahead. He needed Draco alive and well for those plans.

Was he too dependent on Draco? Did he need him too much?

A soft sigh left Harry's lips and rippled through Draco's hair. Draco wasn't sure how long he lay there watching Harry. He didn't need to move. He was comfortable where he was. He wasn't entirely sure what Harry was doing, but he didn't want to disturb him. He rubbed Harry's tears away slowly, causing him to draw a shuddering breath and open his eyes.

"Good morning," Draco said.

Harry wiped his tears away and took a calming breath. He was okay. He felt better now that he knew for sure how he felt, rather than how he thought he had felt. The mind had a way to twist memories of emotions sometimes and make them worse than they had been. He had dealt with that at least. He hadn't been as empty as he seemed to remember. "Good morning, love," he said.

"Feeling okay?" Draco asked.

"I will in time," Harry said. "I don't think I can face the worst hurdle on my own, but I dealt with the rest." He let go of Draco and allowed him to move. "I love you, and I'm sorry I'm such a wreck right now."

"Stop apologising. This is not your fault," Draco said as he stepped out of bed and pulled Harry with him over to the bathroom so they could get cleaned up… in time.

They packed and got everything ready for them to leave.

Draco touched the necklace he had given Harry and smiled as the chain appeared. He grabbed it and hooked it to his belt before taking Harry's hand.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Possessive much," he said. He didn't mind, though. The chain didn't tug at him, since it was made from magic. It just kept them together, even if Draco had to let go of his hand. They hadn't left their room much the past few days for his sake. When they did, Draco had done this every time, just to make sure he wouldn't end up with a panic attack on his own somewhere.

Draco chuckled as he rubbed Harry's finger slowly. "It isn't like you mind," he said. "Let's get going. We have a boat to catch."

"We should get some food and stasis it as well," Harry said. "Just in case. I'd rather be over prepared for this than be under prepared."

"You are the expert," Draco said. "I'll just follow your lead, pet."

Harry rolled his eyes. They were in the lobby and people were looking at them. He knew the chain drew eyes. They could stop whispering, though. It was kind of rude. Draco certainly wasn't helping, and he knew it was just to mess with people. They handed their key back and left the hotel behind. Harry picked things from the market and made sure everything would keep as he packed it away for them.

"Ready to head out, land lubbers?" the Captain asked as they headed onto the ship.

"Ready when you are, Captain," Harry said. They raised anchor and headed out. Once away from shore. Draco removed the chain. He wanted to give Harry the chance to wander around if he felt up to it. It wasn't like he could go far. The ship wasn't that big. They had chosen to go with an independent Captain rather than a cruise. Usually, the captains moving about these seas on their own volition were more knowledgeable.

Draco listened as Harry spoke to the Captain. Whatever mental exercises he had done that morning seemed to have helped him a fair amount. "You are doing better," he said as Harry walked up to him and pressed their chests together.

"Yeah, I am, but I'm not well. Please remind me that I need to speak to Tatiana when we get home, no matter how much I seem to have improved. I don't want us to miss something just because we think I'm fine," Harry said.

"Promise," Draco said. He rubbed circles over Harry's back. At least he was better, and that was good. He looked out over the sailors as they worked. If need be, they would help. But they were paying quite a lot for this trip, so it shouldn't be necessary.

…

Draco sat up and listened. "Harry, I think something is happening on deck," he said. There was some kind of commotion going on. People were running about and shouting a lot, even if he couldn't tell what they were saying.

Harry pushed himself up and grabbed his pouch, as Draco did the same. The both of them headed up. Determination showed on their faces. If something was wrong, they were fully capable of helping out.

"Pirates?" Draco asked as he looked towards approaching ships. "Captain, what is going on?" he called as he headed towards the helm.

"Bloody pirates," the Captain cursed. "We ain't got anythin for 'em, but they aren't going to get off our tail now."

"What do you want us to do?" Draco asked.

"I would say hide so yah don't get hurt, but you and your man don't seem like the type," Captain said.

Draco snorted. "Not bloody likely," he said. He looked down. "Harry, can we protect the ship from physical attacks?" he asked.

Harry turned towards him. He looked pensive for a moment. 'Possibly, I'll lay base weave and see what I can do, but they are going to notice that their weapons aren't working,' he signed.

"How bad will it be if they think your ship is invincible?" Draco asked the Captain. He leaned against the railing and looked towards the approaching ships.

"Pirates are superstitious. If yah can protect us, then do so," Captain said.

"Harry, can you add a ward that makes sure the muggles don't remember what ship they were after?" Draco said.

"Your man can hear you?" the Captain asked.

"He is deaf, so we have an implant that lets him hear me. As long as we are close enough, he can hear everything I say. This ship is not big enough to cut him off from me," Draco said. "He can't respond that way, but he can hear me."

"He can protect the ship?" Captain asked. When the two of them had arrived, the shorter of the two seemed very dependent on the man next to him. He hadn't expected him to be that capable.

"He is an Enclave certified Master Warder," Draco said. "If anyone can ward a ship and not make a mess of it. He can."

The Captain's eyes widened. That he had not expected.

Harry made his way back to deck a short while later. He looked around for a bit before he added runes along the railing slowly. He could protect the ship no problem. The hull, the mast, the wood of the ship he could protect. The people on the ship though were a different matter. He looked towards the approaching ships, hoping that his wards would work. He had never tried to protect from physical attack before, but he had laid mending wards and absorption just in case. The ship would self mend now if it was attacked.

"I assume they will catch up," Draco said.

"Not much we can do about it. We use wind, and they have engines," Captain said.

Draco nodded. "We don't judge you for this, Captain," he said. He looked at the ships again. "How do you usually handle this?" he asked.

"We let them on and hope that they don't kill us," Captain said. "Most of the time they don't do anything. Then again, me and me crew are just Squibs. I don't know what they'll do now that you are here. I don't know if they can tell."

"If they can, we can handle it," Draco said. He looked down at Harry. His husband was standing with his arms loosely by his sides, watching the ships approach. His own eyes closed, and he drew a deep breath, smelling the ocean air. Harpoons ripped through the hull and pulled them in. People were shouting and yelling loudly as they made their way across the lines and up next to Harry.

A soft sigh left Harry's lips as he was surrounded. A sharp blade was pressed against his neck. They saw the necklace he wore and grabbed at it before reeling back in pain. It couldn't be taken from him.

A single man made his way across. He stopped in front of Harry. He could sense the shield on the other. "What do we have here?" he asked in Gobbledegook. "A goblin hound." He shouted something at the crew.

The Captain walked up to Draco and looked down. "Your man seems pretty calm," he said softly as they tore Harry's shirt off and turned him around.

"Harry doesn't upset easily," Draco said. Not from things like this, at least. He was watching the crew below. If these people already knew about magic, then there would be no issue with him attacking them. He needed confirmation first, though, and Harry would give him that.

'Blackened Shield,' Harry signed. He was ripped up and turned around.

"How about you answer when I speak to you, goblin bitch!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "It is difficult to respond to someone when I don't know what they are saying," he said. "I'm deaf, and you were speaking to my back. What do you want?"

"Where is your lovely partner?" the Forsaken asked. "You are branded to have one."

"Around," Harry said. "I wouldn't suggest getting in his way. I am far kinder than he is."

Draco rolled his eyes. "A lie, my love," he said softly.

The Forsaken drew his wand and pointed it between Harry's eyes. "How about you reconsider," he said.

"No," Harry said. He placed his hand over his heart and the ugly black scar there. "I have been killed and come back. You do not frighten me, Forsaken. I have spoken to you, and so you shall die." His eyes glowed as water shot up from the ocean. It froze as he pushed the wand out of his face.

Draco raised his hand and sent out a massive stunner, taking out most of the pirates.

"Now, now Forsaken," Harry said. "You missed the wings of the Shadowcrow. You should know that I am a killer by design. You threatened me as a Forsaken. Your life is forfeit according to the Laws of the Nation. Goodbye."

The ice thundered down unto the deck, piercing the Forsaken, killing him as they hit. Harry raised his hand and threw the corpse overboard.

Draco walked up next to him, and they moved the pirates back to their ships. Harry ripped the harpoons from the hull and nodded in satisfaction when the wood knitted itself together. He sighed. "We should get going again," he said.

The crew looked at their two passengers as they appeared from various hiding places. Draco wrapped his arms around Harry. "Love?" he said.

"He was forsaken. He shouldn't have attacked. Our Laws are clear," Harry said. "I love you."

Draco smiled at him. "I love you too," he said. "This changes nothing. Just like last time."

"Okay, let's get underway again," Captain called out. "There is no point in standing around staring." He grabbed the wheel again and made sure everything went the way they wanted it to. "So where do you want to go ashore? We have a few islands ahead that are good. The nearest one has an excavation team on it, though. They usually don't like company," he asked as he approached the couple. He could tell that his crew was uncomfortable, but he didn't want to seem rude.

"That is fine, Captain," Harry said as he summoned a new shirt and pulled it on. "I have high enough clearance that no one will argue with me." He could tell that the crew was nervous. He would rather leave on his own that be thrown off the side in the middle of the night. From dry land, he could teleport himself and Draco to safety if he had to.

They discussed anchor points for a bit before deciding on a good place.

…

They reached the island the next day. Draco and Harry departed the ship and waved the Captain off when he said he would come pick them up. They would be fine. A sunny beach and warm waters. They didn't need to do much that day except enjoy themselves.

There were soft kisses and trailing hands. Harry seemed fine once more, but that was mostly a product of their circumstances. They were together and there was no one else there. He relaxed fully and let what came to mind happen.

They spoke of the future of their hopes and dreams. Much were things they had mentioned before, but not all. They both had things they hoped to accomplish in time, and they would have to consider how to make that happen without losing sight of the family they were building together.

…

They went swimming the following day and found their way to a cave. Harry grabbed Draco's hand and cast a lumos to give them light. The gray stone was rough and craggy. Something glimmered up ahead as the light passed by it. They moved carefully as they walked further in. Draco tried letting go of Harry's hand so he could walk up to some kind of raised formation. "What is…?" He wondered if Harry was having issues as he turned around.

Harry yanked Draco up to him and wrapped his arms around him as the floor gave out under them and they fell. They landed in water and swam back up to the surface. Harry looked around, his eyes glowing brightly. "Well, that was unexpected," he said calmly like floors disappearing under him was normal. "We should check if there is a way out underwater."

Draco nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'll do that," he said before applying a water breathing charm and diving down, while Harry swam up to shore and looked around. He pushed himself up. There was some kind of magic further in. He wasn't going without Draco, though.

"There is nothing down there," Draco said. He took Harry's hands so he could pull him up before summoning a light once more. His eyes narrowed as he looked his husband over. "You are bleeding," he said.

"I guess I scraped against something on the way down then," Harry said. He held still as Draco tended to the wounds. "Thank you, love."

"You are impossible," Draco said softly. He hugged Harry close. "Can't feel damage to your back that well?" he asked.

"Not since the Pyramid incident," Harry said.

Draco rolled his eyes. He knew the story and wished he could teach a few idiots some manners.

Harry laughed as he took Draco's hand once more, knowing where his husband's thoughts had gone. He stepped towards the magic. "We need a way out and this seems to be the only way forward," he said.

Draco shook his head and smiled at him. "Okay," he said. "Let's get changed and get going." It was clear that no matter Harry's issues, he would take command when he was the one better equipped to do so. They pulled clothes and boots out and dressed before heading towards a tunnel that slowly turned more and more into a corridor as the stone smoothed out to look more like man made walls. "Naga temple," Draco breathed as he looked around. "Can you read this?" he asked.

Harry looked at the text. "I can," he said. "We came from the birthing pool according to this. The lower hall lies ahead of us, maybe there are more places we can go from there. We should muffle our steps just in case. We have no clue what could be down here." He cast the spell and they kept walking. There was no point in rushing. They had food with them for now, and old temples like this were sometimes filled with traps. Running might get them killed.

Light filled the next hall as Draco raised his orb high and charged it. The snakes and other beasts in the decor spoke of Naga once more. Harry walked up to a pillar and read the text there. "The way out should be this way," he said. He clutched Draco's hand tightly as he headed up the stairs.

"Well, we aren't going that way," Draco said. The whole tunnel was collapsed in on itself. It would take them too long to clear, and he did not know the right spells. "I guess we will have to check the other pathways.

Harry nodded. They followed the terrace over to another tunnel. "Kitchen," he said. "That could have another path up, depending on where the dining room is."

"Let's just check where the other paths lead first," Draco said. He went with Harry as they looked at the other paths. Sleeping quarters could also have a way out. He almost felt a little giddy. He had wanted to do something like this with Harry ever since their Hogwarts days. There had been so many rumours about different adventures Harry had been on with his friends. Things had changed after Voldemort's return, of course, but he had still held on to those dreams… just a bit in a secret corner of his mind where he dared to hope.

"Dungeons," Harry said as he stopped once more. "I guess we head either for the bedrooms or the kitchen." He looked at Draco.

Draco agreed. He wasn't sure which would be best, but he certainly agreed. Then he stopped suddenly, and Harry turned around from the yank back and stepped closer to him. He stayed quiet. Draco looked so focused.

"Can you see any magic in the dungeons?" Draco asked.

Harry looked that way. His eyes narrowed. "Are you hearing voices?" he asked.

"Yes," Draco said.

"Well, the Captain did say that there was an excavation on the island," Harry said. "Could be curse breakers and warders." It was strange that they were down past the collapse, but it would be stupid to ignore them.

"Should we head that way?" Draco asked.

"I guess," Harry said. "There aren't that many parselmouths. It is possible that they don't know where they are going if the corridor collapsed behind them." He rubbed his thumb along Draco's hand as they went down towards the dungeons.

A scream tore through the darkness.

Draco tensed. He refused to move faster than Harry already had them moving, though. He knew Harry was scanning for magic, and he certainly didn't want to step on something bad. He lessened their light as they got closer to the voices. He didn't want to give them away before he knew what was going on. They weren't speaking now. Their voices could easily give them away. The floor in the next room looked strange.

Harry threw a light at the ceiling before stepping into the shadows of the archway.

"What the hell."

"Who did that?"

"Is someone there?"

Draco looked at the three of them. Two men and a woman. The woman took a step forward and screamed as she fell.

"Eve!"

"Damn, it all."

Harry looked at the two men.

'Eve,' Draco signed.

Harry nodded. 'Kahmu and Erys,' he signed back. He recognised the other two just fine.

'Erys is blaming Kahmu,' Draco signed.

Harry snorted. 'Nothing new then,' he signed. He was watching the floor. 'Each tile can open and drop you. Don't follow me.' He walked forward slowly. "Kahmu! Erys!" he said loudly as he stepped into the light.

"Who the hell are you?" Erys said. "And how did you get down here?"

Harry sighed. "I'd say that is fairly unimportant at the moment. Right now, shouldn't we try to find Eve. I'd say that has a higher priority than how I ended up here," he said. "Are the two of you secure Kahmu?" he asked.

"Yes, we are standing on solid ground," Kahmu answered. He was smiling. It was good to see Harry again. It had been nine years since last time, and he had matured and filled out quite well over the course of that time.

Harry stepped forward and paused as things change. He moved to the side. The magic shifted and each step he took changed what platforms would give out under him. He made his way across and walked up to a switch and pulled it. The floor opened entirely and light streamed down.

Harry dropped down next to Eve. "Hey, Eve. I wasn't allowed to speak last time I saw you," he said. "Please run towards the stairs as quickly as you can, don't look back." He looked up at Khamu. "One at a time until you are back at the entrance, follow the light on the floor panels." He threw the switch again and placed runes on the floor around his feet to protect himself. He lit a panel and waited until he could see that someone was standing on it. Kahmu should be able to do this on his own. Harry just assumed he hadn't understood how it worked.

Draco watched them. He had heard the instructions too. His eyes narrowed as Erys started moving forward before Eve had reached him. He threw the man back and stunned him. He didn't speak, though.

"Damn it Erys. I said stay until it is your turn," Harry said angrily. "Kahmu please tell me you understand how this works now."

"I got it," Kahmu said. His eyes narrowed as he watched the changing plates. He wished he knew what was going on below.

"I'm done," Eve said. "Your turn."

Kahmu nodded. He looked at the floor and stepped out. He wasn't sure exactly where to go. Light showed up next to him. He tried his best to do it on his own, but Harry reached out to help him whenever he was taking too long. "Thank you," he said once he was back by the door.

Draco released Erys.

"Come on, let's go, Erys," Harry said. He guided him across and sighed. He threw the switch again.

"Holy shit!"

The floor was filled with snakes.

Harry looked down at them. He had been hearing them speak. They were hungry. "Move," he hissed. He sighed at their response. His eyes closed, and his magic spread out around him. Ice spread over the floor, freezing the snakes solid. He swept them aside as he walked towards the stairs. He flipped the switch again and looked at the floor. He moved quickly until he was back by the door. Warm arms wrapped around him.

"It is good to see you again," Kahmu said.

Harry smiled and hugged him back. "I'm glad I got here before you all turned into snake food," he said. Kahmu took his hands as he stepped back. "What? He blinked as Kahmu leaned in to kiss him. He pushed his former lover back gently. "Oh, no, you don't," he said with a soft smile. "Come on, let's get out of here." He pulled his hands away from Kahmu.

"I'll keep to the shadows for now," Draco said softly. "You might trust them, but I don't." He had gone back up the stairs once he had seen Harry reject Kahmu. He trusted his husband to keep people off him, but it was nice to see him do it nonetheless.

"Oh, poor Kahmu rejected by his boy toy. Looks like you aren't good enough any more," Erys said.

Kahmu followed Harry slowly. His eyes trailed over the bare, muscled back until he was looking at the shield. He snorted. Okay, that made sense. He knew what the mark under the shield meant. Harry was bonded. That wasn't all that surprising, to be honest. Anyone with half a brain would bag him if they could. He felt less bad about the rejection. If Harry had someone, he was not going to cheat on them.

"So," Harry said as they reached the grand hall. "How did you guys end up down here?"

"The tunnel collapsed," Eve said.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, okay. I saw that," he said. He had called it. It was foolish to move that quickly, though. "I'm assuming either the kitchens or the living quarters will bring us up again."

"How do you know?" Eve asked.

"I can read the signs," Harry said. "This looks to be a Naga temple and I can speak parseltongue. So, kitchens or bedrooms?"

"Bedrooms sound good," Kahmu said.

Harry turned around again before pausing. "Oh, and one more thing," he said as he looked back at them. "I'm deaf, so there is no point talking to me when you are behind me." His eyes glowed again as he led the way over to a different set of stairs.

"We couldn't get anywhere that way," Erys said.

"You didn't have me then," Harry said. He hissed at the door at the top of the stairs. A smile spread over his lips as Draco narrated what was going on behind him.

Draco shook his head. It was clear enough that no one liked Erys. Eve hurried ahead pretty quickly and walked next to Harry so she could speak with him, while Kahmu simply did not respond to what he was saying. He seemed used enough to that, though. Draco honestly considered just shutting Erys up. "Can I just silence the ponce?" he asked quietly.

Harry swept his gaze back and rolled his eyes.

"It would be funny," Draco said.

They reached another large room and Harry placed a ward before the door. "Stay on that side," he said. Not that they could follow him. He moved carefully, avoiding several pressure plates on the floor. "You should be able to come through, just don't trigger the traps, he said as he marked the plates on the floor.

"Harry," Draco hissed.

Harry looked up from the stone slab he was reading. "Run back to the ward now!" he screamed as he watched several hatches slide open. Draco had most likely reacted to the sound. He pulled a ward up around himself and looked around the room as more and more undead crawled in through the hatches. "I need fire," he said firmly.

"I don't know any fire spell powerful enough to do anything against those," Kahmu said.

"I wish Cynn was here," Eve said.

Draco sighed. "Move," he said as he walked up the last few steps of the stairs.

"Who the hell are you?" Erys asked.

Draco gave him a superior glance before he took the last few steps towards the ward. "Ready, love?" he asked.

"Go ahead," Harry said.

Draco raised his hand through the ward. "Pestis Incendium," he cast the spell that had consumed Crabb. This was not a spell he liked using, but he was not going to let inferi eat his husband either. Fire spread from his hand and turned into a roaring dragon flying around the room.

Harry felt his ward charge as the fire licked it. He looked around as the undead were consumed. He reached out slowly. He would need to help Draco control the fire to put it back out. He grab a hold of the magic and forced it down the hatches just in case. The magic flowed through him. His eyes widened. Was this was their union had led to? "Draco, stop casting," he said.

Draco pulled back and watched the fire rage through the room. He knew the counter, of course, but he wanted to see what Harry had in mind.

"Why is the fire still there?" Erys asked.

"Because I didn't counter it," Draco said. "Don't worry, the ward will hold." He stayed focused on what was going on just in case, but he trusted Harry.

The flames died suddenly and Harry removed the wards. He was looking at the floor when the rest of them entered the room again. He raised his hand and pointed it straight at Draco. "Crucio," he said darkly. The spell hit Draco, and he staggered back, but there was no pain. "Expulso." The spell hit, but nothing happened.

Draco raised his hand as he realised what Harry was doing. "Reducto," he said. His eyes narrowed as there was no effect. "Sectumsempra!" The silvery spell left his hand and impacted with Harry. Nothing. "Avada Kedavra."

The green spell sailed across the room and slammed straight into Harry. His eyes glowed and a deep, hearty laughter spread from him as Draco rushed forward and wrapped his arms around him. He felt Harry bury his hands in his hair to bring him down for a kiss.

"Is it normal for the two of you to try to kill each other?" Kahmu asked. He had felt like his heart would stop when the spell of death had sailed towards Harry. He had wondered who the hell the blond guy was, but it was obvious enough now. It was Harry's husband, his bonded, and the man who had branded him.

"They obviously weren't trying very hard," Erys said.

Draco rolled his eyes as he pulled away from Harry. "While the Unforgivable curses can be withheld if you don't have enough emotions behind them, the other spells only require power. "I could cast any of them at the same power level at you. We did not hold back." He looked at Erys with steely grey eyes that spoke of death.

"We are immune," Harry said.

"It would seem that way," Draco said. "I don't think we will ever have much use for that, but it is good to know."

Harry nodded. They could not cause each other harm. They were linked too deeply. Their spells simply returned to magic when they touched each other. He wasn't sure that would ever matter much, but it still warmed his heart.

"I don't want to know how you figured this out while surrounded by fiendfyre," Draco said.

"I did not stick my hand through the ward and check," Harry said. "That's why I used a spell I could have easily cancelled if I was wrong." He pressed a kiss to Draco's neck. "I could absorb the magic of the fiendfyre back into me. That is how I noticed." He offered the magic back to Draco, whose eyes widened as his well refiled. He laughed. That felt amazing. It was nothing like an infusion, and he wondered if they could even do those now. They would have to check.

"We still need to get out of here," Eve reminded them. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, and she hated being stuck down in tombs.

Draco reluctantly pulled away from Harry. "Yeah, we should see if we can find a way out," he said.

"How did you guys even end up here?" Kahmu asked.

"We took a trip with an independent Captain who dropped us off on this island," Draco said. "We were out swimming when we found a cave. The floor gave out, and we fell down and landed in the hatching pool."

"Oh, the room filled with water," Eve said.

Draco nodded. He let go of Harry, so his husband could check the way forward while they talked. "It was an accident," he said. "We didn't mean to end up here, but it looks like it was a good thing we did."

"Yeah, I would have been eaten by snakes otherwise," Eve said.

"There are bones and scales in the bedrooms," Harry said as they reached him. "Some of those bones were children." He sighed. "There is a path out this way." He walked ahead of them.

"We were several days down when we got cut off," Kahmu said. "We are not getting out today."

"Then we shall stop in a bit," Draco said. "Is there a room we can ward and set up in that isn't full of bones, Harry?"

"Yeah, this one looks okay," Harry said as he pushed a door open further. He started placing runes for wards and set everything up for them while the others caught up.

"So, are you deaf or what?" Erys asked as he walked in.

"He is deaf," Draco said, and Harry turned around to look at them. "Vekk the Tinkerer made devices for us that lets him hear me. That doesn't mean he can hear anyone else." He walked over to Harry and helped him with the food he was preparing for them all. Soon enough, everyone had a steaming bowl of rice and stir-fry with shrimps and vegetables in their hands.

They ate in silence.

"I guess we transfigure beds so we can sleep some," Eve said.

"Yes," Harry said.

"Oh, I'm not staying in the same room as all of you," Erys said.

"Go ahead and go somewhere else," Harry said. "We aren't forcing you to stay here." Erys stood by the door staring at him until he looked up at him. "What?" he asked.

"Ward another room," Erys said.

Harry chuckled. "Oh, no. I warded this one. I'm not placing wards on another room," he said.

"I am the senior member of this excursion. You will ward another room for me," Erys ordered.

Harry smiled at Erys and Draco hid his face against his shoulder so he wouldn't just start laughing. "Erys. I am not employed by this dig. I am here on my honeymoon purely by accident, and even if I was employed… well… I outrank you, so shush and either leave or take a nap."

"You do not outrank me," Erys said.

Harry sighed.

Kahmu looked from Erys to Harry. He had seen the wings on Harry's shield. Those wings meant he outranked most people in the Nation if he chose to take command. "I would drop it if I were you, Erys. They have already used two unforgivables against each other. I would assume they know the third one."

Draco moved away from Harry. "That can certainly be arranged," he said.

"Oh, you would not dare. I would have you in chain as soon as we reach the surface. You…" He collapsed and Harry levitated his body onto a bed. "I wish he could learn how to shut up," he said.

Eve snorted. "Well, I don't really need convincing," she said. "I'm knackered. See you guys tomorrow. She placed a silence bubble around herself and lay down.

Kahmu looked at the couple. He knew Eve would have died if they hadn't showed up. He was glad she was fine. He was glad Harry seemed to have found happiness. "Gonna explain what happened earlier?" he asked. "Why were you trying to kill each other?"

Harry sighed. "Draco and I are mages," he said. "We are compatible and we are lovers. It is rare enough to find a compatible mage. Finding one you wish to spend the rest of your life with is near impossible. Impossible enough that the goblins only have a handful of cases on record, stretching the past five thousand years. Not much is known about pairs like ours, pairs where we fully accept each other and integrate our wells."

"It almost killed me to do," Draco said. "Harry went through three days of emotional torture as I tried to get back to him."

"Then he stopped breathing," Harry said. He drew a deep breath. "And I still need a talk with my mind healer about all of that before I can heal properly."

Kahmu shifted back. There had been something he wanted to ask, but seeing the pain in Harry's eyes, he couldn't ask such a thing. It was obviously inappropriate. He laid down and raised his own silence bubble.

Draco let Harry turn around in his arms and hugged him close. He raised their own bubble of silence. "You okay?" he asked.

"No," Harry said. "But I will be."

"Kahmu wants to join us," Draco said. "I can see it in his eyes."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, I can see it too," he said. "I'm not interested. You are all I need."

Draco smiled at him. "I guess you'll be okay with me saying I won't share you then. You are mine and no one else touches you," he said, but the words were gentle. He touched the snake and dragon to conjure the chain again. "Mine," he said.

Harry laughed and reached up to run his fingers along Draco's chin. "Possessive, Prince," he said. "I'm yours, what else do you want?"

"Things I'm not going to ask of you with all these people in the room," Draco said. "Just sleep, my love. I'm just glad to see that you haven't really changed from what happened. Your heart is just scared, and we will do our best to make it heal." He moved to lay down, and Harry shifted so he could use his chest as a pillow. "Thank you," Draco murmured.

A soft smile tugged at Harry's lips as his eyes closed so he could get some much-needed sleep.