Viridescence (viridescence) wrote in hijack_me_hp, @ 2008-03-08 13:49:00 |
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Bound - Passenger-Jack Me!
Story Title: Bound
Author: viridescence
Rating: R/NC-17
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Length: Approx 41,000 published, another ~2,700 unpublished
Time Period: Hogwarts Years (alternate 7th year)
Canon Compliant: Compliant through OotP
Summary: Tired of Draco and Harry always fighting, Snape comes up with an unusual punishment for the boys, who are forced to remain within ten feet of each other for the entire Easter holidays. The horror! A truce is made, lots of awkwardness and hormones abound, and things get progressively more complicated as time goes on. Written before I learned this was a rather cliched plot, after OotP; disregards HBP and DH. Please read my comments below the lj-cut if you're thinking about taking over this story.
Warnings: slash, male/male sex, fluff, angst
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are property of JK Rowling and Warner Brothers, no profit is being made off of this story.
Read the story that I've posted so far on my IJ here or on my JF here.
When I started this story, I didn't have a clear idea of where I was going with it, and as a result, I rather wrote myself into a corner that I haven't been able to work my way out of. Because of this, Bound has languished for a couple of years now. Also, when I began this story, I was still really new to fandom, and I had no idea that the plot of "Harry and Draco are forced together somehow to work out their differences and end up shagging and falling in love" was ubiquitous in the fandom. Really, I thought I'd stumbled upon a brilliant new idea. *eyeroll* All I hope for now is that the story can be finished well enough to take it beyond it's cliched origins.
I am offering Bound to be Passenger-Jacked. I want to stick around for the ride. I don't want to control or dictate how it is finished (because otherwise I would just finish it myself), but I want to be involved in the plot-development, help with the brainstorming, character development, etc. I'd like to be a collaborator, something like a beta who helps with the plot and story development, more than just spelling and grammar, if that makes sense. And I'll be a beta, too, if you want. I think that I need to see what happens after the point where I'm stuck. And don't worry that I'll suddenly work past the writer's block and want to finish it on my own. I have other stories that I'm working on right now that I'm more invested in. I've grown as a writer since I started Bound, and I feel that, unless I completely re-did Bound from scratch (something I have neither the time nor inclination to do), it would be a regression for me to continue working on it on my own. So that is why I'm offering it up for someone else to finish it. I really do love this story and I want to see it finished, but I can't see that I'll be able to do it myself. And I'd much rather help someone else finish it than abandon it completely.
I'm posting my start on Chapter 7 below, along with some notes I had written about the plot. I also have a marked up version of this story in a Word document, with more notes here and there about where I think it needs work, along with a rough outline of the plot as I imagined it. If you want to take this story on, please email me at silver dot ariel at gmail dot com, or send me a private message. I'll give you my notes and word file, and we can talk via email or arrange a chat on whatever chat platform works for us both. When it is finished, both of us will post it to our journals as well as to this comm, with credit to us both.
Unpublished start to Chapter 7:
Draco had never seen Snape so pale as he did when the Potions Professor saw the vial of shimmery potion that Harry was holding. The normally sallow man became nearly translucent seconds after he entered the room, and he seemed to have difficulty breathing for a moment.
“Under no circumstances are you to take that potion, Potter,” Snape finally managed to grunt out. “We must dispose of it immediately.” His tone brooked no argument.
“You recognise it, sir?” Draco asked. Despite his horror at being asked to slip the potion to Harry, he was innately curious about it.
“Yes. Now hand it over, Potter. It is not worth the risk for you to even be near it.”
Draco looked at Harry, whose face was aghast as he handed the small vial to Snape. Harry had been scrutinising the swirling colours of the potion, vaguely fascinated with how the pearlescent liquid reflected and refracted the light.
“Please, Severus,” Dumbledore said as Snape walked over to the fireplace with the vial, “explain to us what this potion is and why Voldemort wants Harry to take it.”
Draco had been privately amused when the Headmaster hadn’t known what the potion was. It wasn’t often that Dumbledore didn’t know what was going on. If he thought about it more deeply, though, Draco was unsettled. Dumbledore was supposed to have an answer for everything. So he decided to be amused, instead. Otherwise he didn’t know if he could handle the old man not knowing.
The Headmaster had immediately sent Granger to get Snape after reviewing Draco’s letter, and they had sat waiting in an uneasy silence for five minutes that felt like five hours to Draco. Dumbledore had stared, frowning, into the fire. Draco supposed that he was unsettled by not knowing, too. Harry had taken the vial from Draco and turned it around in his hands, studying it, his face tense. Draco, on the other hand, had leant against Harry’s shoulder, unable to stop himself, he was so rattled. Weasley had scowled about the room, noticed how close Harry and he were sitting, but didn’t say anything. The redhead hadn’t seemed particularly bothered, to Draco’s surprise, but then he supposed that it was because they were all focussed on this more pressing issue. He wondered if Ron would lay into them later. He couldn’t find it in himself to care at the moment, though.
“This potion,” Snape said, his dark eyes riveted to the vial he was dangling over the mantle, “is a very dark potion called Dilorico cor Cordis. Translated literally, the name means ‘to tear open the heart’, referring to the seat of all emotion, thought, and judgment, otherwise known as the mind.”
Draco felt his heart lurch, and he saw Dumbledore’s face darken. He’d heard talk of a ‘mind breaker’ potion at a gathering of all his father’s Death Eater colleagues and their children, ages ago, and had disregarded the rumours of how it slowly drives the drinker insane as myth. Granger gasped and replied before he could form words.
“That’s supposedly just a legend, sir—” She wasn’t objecting to his explanation, Draco could tell from her tone, but merely stating what she’d learnt about it.
Rather than punishing or ridiculing Granger, as was his wont, Snape took her interjection in stride. “Oh, it is rare, I assure you, but not stuff of legends. One of the ingredients is very difficult to obtain. The recipe, however, is quite simple, if one has the necessary ingredients. I will not describe the ingredients to you, only the effects of the potion.”
An uncomfortable sense of foreboding gripped Draco’s spine, and he grabbed Harry’s hand impulsively. He didn’t want to know about the Dilorico cor Cordis, but he knew they needed this information.
Snape continued speaking, his voice low and intense. “The effects are slow and progressive. Initially, it opens the mind to intrusion, via Legilimency and other means, granting the intruder access to all of the subject’s memories, thoughts, feelings, ideas, and emotions, but it does not stop there. It allows the intruder to know how the victim thinks, to see the reasoning process. After several weeks, however, the potion gradually tears at the mind, making the drinker more vulnerable to coercion, Imperius, and external control, while simultaneously shredding everything it previously exposed. In sum, it systematically destroys everything that makes a person a person. The unlucky fool who drinks this potion will give up everything he ever knew, thought, or felt, and then slowly lose it all: all self-control, all sense of self, every memory, everything that makes up his identity. In essence, it does what a Dementor’s kiss does: it destroys your soul, only it happens gradually, so the person who gave it to you can milk every drop of cognition from your mind.”
Snape turned to Harry and looked him directly in the eye. “If you were to drink this, not only would the Dark Lord be able to get past your Occlumency, but you would no longer be able to resist Imperius. You would slowly lose your mind, and then the Dark Lord would have complete control over your body. He could make you do anything. He could make renounce Dumbledore and publicly turn to his side; he could make you kill your best friends, or slaughter every student in this school. And when all that was left of you was a shell, he wouldn’t kill you. He’d keep your body with him, parade you around like a puppet, so he could gloat about how he corrupted you and then destroyed you. There is no cure, no antidote for Dilorico cor Cordis“
The room was deathly silent for a moment as this sunk in. Snape uncorked the vial, reached into the fireplace, and poured it out over the red-hot logs. The fire hissed and popped loudly as the pearly liquid burned, startling Draco from his stupor. His stomach gave a violent lurch, and he bolted off the bed towards the bathroom, desperate to reach the toilet. Unfortunately, he had completely forgotten about the ten-foot bond with Harry, who gave a surprised yelp as he was yanked off the bed. Draco fell to his knees on the lavatory floor and vomited his breakfast all over the cold tiles.
***
He was still shivering ten minutes later, after Harry had joined him in the bathroom and helped clean him up. Draco sat on his bed next to Harry, feeling decidedly worse for wear. Everyone else was still talking quietly about the potion, but Draco was sulking, distinctly embarrassed. Harry had helped him without seeming bothered about it, and everyone else was going on as if nothing had happened, but Draco was still mortified. He understood that Harry cared, but adding the humiliation of throwing up in front of everyone to the horror of the potion and what his father expected of him, and just how deeply he’d ached when he thought of what would have happened to Harry had frayed Draco’s last nerve. His stomach was still roiling, which did not help matters in the least. He felt raw, edgy, and wanted everyone to just go away so he could think about things on his own.
It just wasn’t going to happen, though, at least not for a while. They needed to determine how to proceed, quickly. Draco understood this, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Scowling, he decided to attend to the ongoing discussion in hopes of resolving it quickly.
“…what should we do now that the potion is destroyed?” Granger asked.
“I lie,” Draco replied sullenly, even though she had directed her question to Snape and Dumbledore.
Five heads turned toward him—he hadn’t said much since being sick.
“I will write to my father and tell him that I will do as he’s instructed. At the very least, it will buy us some time. The Dark Lord will know that I’ve not succeeded, so I would only be postponing the inevitable.”
“Inevitable what?” Weasley asked, and Draco momentarily reconsidered his earlier conclusion that the redhead actually had a brain.
“When the Dark Lord assigns you a task, failure is not an option, Mr. Weasley,” Snape answered for him. “For failing, Draco would be severely punished at the minimum; for his betrayal, he would be killed.”
Even Ron’s freckles paled.
“So, at the very least, Draco should appear to do as he is asked,” Granger said,
“Yes, Miss Granger,” Dumbledore replied. “Other than this morning, Harry has not been seen in public. That will remain the case. Draco, however, should be seen about the castle, in the kitchens, and perhaps near the Gryffindor common room.”
Draco nodded and looked at Weasley. “Perhaps a public argument with you is in order.”
Ron nodded without comment, and it was clear to Draco that he understood. Weasley obviously had a brain, but he just didn’t use it all the time, Draco decided.
“Why?” Granger asked, and Draco’s patience snapped.
“Think, Granger; I know you’re capable of it,” he said shortly.
Her eyes widened at his curt tone, and he looked away from her, feeling a bit guilty. His gaze fell on Harry, who was glaring at him. Draco was barely holding on as it was; he wasn’t prepared to deal with Harry’s anger at the moment.
“Malfoy,” Harry growled warningly.
The use of his last name stung more than Draco thought possible, and he retaliated before he could think about it. “What, Potter?! he snapped, emphasizing Harry’s surname. “The girl is a genius, after all. It should be obvious.”
Harry got to his feet, bewildered and angered by the complement cached in the insult to his best friend.
Snape snorted, interrupting the argument before it could progress any further. “Clearly the two of you haven’t quite learnt your lesson yet. Pity,” he said in an amused tone. “You were getting along so well that I was considering releasing you from your bond. Your little lovers’ tiff just made me reconsider.”
“My punishment for failure will not likely be as severe if I have done everything in my power to succeed, even following you two around to try to gain Harry’s location. If Harry is nowhere to be found, how could I poison him? It would help my cover if I rowed with you and Weasley—It will look like I’m doing my best. Still might mean nothing in the end, but we have to try.”
Some notes I had about the remainder of the plot (this is just one set of story ideas I had, but generally indicates where I was thinking of the story going; we do not have to stick to this if you have other ideas):
Harry and Draco have a little argument—in front of Snape and Dumbledore, so Snape can snidely say that they’ve obviously not learnt their lesson and there’s no reason for them to be released from their punishment.
They decide that Draco will lie to his father, send him a letter that he will do as he was instructed.
Draco has to start being seen in public, trips about the school with Harry under his cloak, trip to Hogsmeade, as so few students stayed for the holidays. Trip to Slytherin common room, snogging/sex on Draco’s bed.
More chess between Draco and Ron. Draco apologizes to Ron and Hermione. Ron figures out Harry and Draco are together, and he doesn’t lose it, much.
Lucius wants a status report; Draco has to reply that Harry has not been seen in public since Wednesday morning—he can’t find him to give him the potion.
Harry and Draco go flying to blow off some steam, Harry behind Draco on Draco’s broom, under the cloak, of course.
More h/d sex, relationship discussion, angst, more work on Draco’s patronus (white fox? Ram? Figure it out)
Lucius is displeased. After a few similar letters, he shows up at Hogwarts unannounced, under cover of Polyjuice potion (perhaps disguising himself as Snape), and catches everyone unprepared. He calls on Snape, demanding to see draco, to not inform dumbledore, snape has to comply, or at least appear to. Lucius only reveals himself when alone with Snape, Snape has no way to warn Harry and Draco. Lucius stuns Snape, then polyjuices into him.
Harry and Draco are still bound, in the Library, so Harry is already cloaked. Draco catches on right away that it isn’t Snape. Lucius reveals himself, they go to an empty corridor or classroom. Draco tells what he knows, lies as best he can.
Lucius is a legilimens, so draco can’t lie to him face to face, the meeting doesn’t go well. Either harry is exposed, or he just witnesses a father-son torture session, or both
Harry is exposed, and is injured in the ensuing battle.
Lucius is caught (Snape recovered from his stupefy quickly and notified Dumbledore, who found Harry, Draco, and Lucius—Dumbledore dies by Lucius’ hand?), but he knows Draco is a spy. While Lucius is going back to Azkaban, Draco knows that the Dark Lord will still eventually learn of his betrayal, so they go forward under the assumption that his cover is blown. Snape’s cover, remarkably, remains intact. Or not? Harry has to remain wary of attempts to slip him the dilorico cor cordis. Snape shows him a spell to test his food and drink.
Draco is deeply shaken by Harry’s injury, even though it’s not serious, and this motivates him to finally confess his love for Harry. Harry returns the affection. Lots of nummy boy-sex ensues.
Epilogue: After finishing the year, Harry and Draco have to go into hiding, as Draco is exposed, and Voldemort is still trying to get at Harry with the Dilorico cor Cordis. Ron and Hermione go with them?