miracle (miracle) wrote in harrylovesdraco, @ 2007-03-16 15:31:00 |
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Harry Potter returned only briefly to the Dursleys after his sixthyear for several reasons. On top of the list was the fact that hedespised his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon almost as much as he hatedDudley. Another very good reason was the fact that they wantedabsolutely nothing to do with him at all anymore, since he would soonbe coming of age and allowed to perform magic outside of school. WhenHarry informed them of this fact, he thought for sure that his unclewould have a heart attack, and he had gone to bed with a very satisfiedlook on his face. Nothing was as exhilarating as knowing that he wouldnever have to stroll into this house again, if he so wished.
Anothervery good reason was the fact that McGonagall had contacted him soonafter he arrived that Hogwarts would not be opening for his seventhyear. As soon as he could arrange a transport to the Orderheadquarters, which was back at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place now thatthey were certain that it was Harry’s and not Bellatrix Lestrange’s, hewas packed and waiting for his escort. Sitting downstairs with histrunk, filled with clothes and books, he played idly with his wand inhis hand, staring at Dudley with a nasty sneer on his face. "HeyDudley," he said quietly, and he leaned forward to leer at him. Unlikehis reaction to Sirius’s death, with Dumbledore’s he only seemed to getcrueler to his ‘family.’ "You know, it would only take two words, andyou’d be dead. Two. Words."
Dudley’s eyes widened, and he pressed himself back into the couch, swallowing thickly. "Bollocks. Two words never killed anybo–"
"Oh yes they do, Dudders. Do you want to hear them, those two little words? They’re Ava–"
Harrytook a sick pleasure from hearing Dudley scream like a little girl, andhe watched him run away in horror before he smiled nastily to himself.Petunia was just coming in to yell at him when there was a knock at thedoor, and Harry shot her a wicked grin before he got up to answer thedoor. "Harry!" exclaimed Tonks, who was sporting a neon green mohawkand pink eyes. Harry was quite sure he heard Petunia scream, and hegrinned as Tonks seized him in a bear hug. "How’s your summer been? Oh,forget it, forget it, we’ll talk on the way!" She looked around thehouse in distaste and shook her head. "Shrink your trunk?"
Harrydid as she asked and pocketed his trunk with his wand, which he heldtightly on to. Tonks stepped inside the dwelling and wrinkled her nosebefore she wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulder. "Side-AlongApparition for us today, Harry...It’s not safe to fly!" Harry wasvaguely aware of his cousin and Petunia staring at them in alarm, andhe stuck his tongue out in a most juvenile manner before he felt aharsh tug and the world began to spin around him.
They landedoutside of the Order’s headquarters, and Harry took a deep breath, notentirely sure he was ready to go inside again. He had not been sincefifth year, since he came there looking for Sirius, and he felt hisheart ache as Tonks opened the door for him. However, the ache in hisheart disappeared when he realised that two of his least favouritepeople were seated at the table in the kitchen, and he felt a snarlspread over his lips as he raised his wand in fury unlike any he hadever known. "What the bloody fuck are they doing here?!"
SeverusSnape and Draco Malfoy had spent the end of Draco’s sixth year and partof the summer in hiding, and so when Snape informed Draco that they hada place to stay, now that the arrangements had been made andcompromises found, Draco was just happy to get out of caves. When theycame into Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, however, Draco was notentirely sure that it was any better than the caves he had beensleeping in.
First of all, there was the constant presence ofGranger and Weasley, with all of Weasley’s siblings and parents, and hefelt sick to his stomach any time that he went down for a meal."Really, Mister Malfoy, you should stay longer than you do at thetable," fussed Molly nearly every time he sat down (he never spent morethan two minutes in their presence at a time), and he would shoot herthe nastiest glare he could -muster. He hated how she tutted and tskedover him, and he hated the way every single one of her present childrenglared at him any time she did so.
One time, Ron followed him upto his room, and he felt his temper flaring when Ron began to yell, andhe slammed the door in his face. He was not interested in talking–notabout Dumbledore, not about his father, and especially not about thefact that Potter would be coming to the headquarters any day now. Hedid not want to hear Potter’s name, smell his soap, or see his stupidscarhead.
And so, when Potter zeroed in on him the moment hearrived at the Order headquarters and started cursing, he rested hisforehead in his hand and looked up to Molly Weasley, who was frowningdistinctly. "Mrs. Weasley, can I get a pint of Firewhiskey?" he asked,and the sound of her squawking at him was just what he needed to lifthis spirits enough to lift his head and sneer at Potter in the doorway.
"You’reletting out all the heat, Po–" Before he could finish his sentence,Harry had him by the hair, wand pressed to his pale throat and a nastysnarl plastered on Harry’s face. He saw Snape, who was there to make areport to Arthur after breakfast, leap up at his side, but he held uphis hand and shook his head slightly.
"I asked, what the HELLare you doing here, you murderer?!" Harry screamed, and he was actuallyangry for the first time since he had left Hogwarts. He could seenothing but red as he jerked Malfoy’s hair again, nearly tipping hischair over.
"Potter, release him!" Snape growled, and he simplyreached over and snatched Harry’s wand from his hand. "Goddamnit,Potter, have you no sense? If Draco were not completely trustworthy, doyou honestly believe that he would be allowed residence in the Orderheadquarters?" Loathing and fury etched every line on Severus’s face,and Draco found himself pressed against the table, which was pressinghard into the small of his back. He was trembling inexplicably,quavering hard enough that his hair was waving with the movement, andhe hated himself for being afraid like this.
He was in anunfamiliar home with unfamiliar people, including his archnemesis, andhe wanted nothing more than to run to his mother, who was also stayingin the headquarters. He knew, however, that this would be a very bad,very embarrassing move. While Snape and Harry screamed and accused oneanother, he found his opportunity to slip out of the kitchen. As he ranpast the living room up to his bedroom, he saw Granger watching himwith something akin to sympathy on her face, and he wanted to slap herfor it.
He wanted to slap himself.
And so,Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy were forced to coexist at Number Twelve,Grimmauld Place. Any time Snape came around, Harry had a way ofdisappearing into his room, and somehow, Harry and Draco never atemeals together. One afternoon, however, when Ron and Harry were seatedtogether at the lunch table with huge grins on their faces fromdiscussing the Quidditch World Cup coming up, Draco happened down forsomething to drink and the looks melted right off their faces. "Goodafternoon," Draco muttered, and he was just beginning to get somethingout of the refrigerator when he felt the tip of a wand pressed to theback of his neck. "...Potter, stand down." He sounded exhausted, and helooked it. He had not bothered to shower or brush his hair thatmorning, and so his hair was stuck out in all directions and there wassome smudge on his cheek that looked as though it could be either inkor mud.
"No. NO!" Harry growled, and he pressed himself againstDraco, effectively pinning him against the dirty old counter. Hereached down and grabbed Draco’s wand, tossing it aside with a clatter,and he pressed the tip of his wand so hard against the nape of Draco’sneck that one of Draco’s vertebrae popped. The blonde winced, and hestared fixedly at the counter-top, wishing that the fat Mrs. Weasleywould make her rounds and stop him. "If it weren’t for you, Dumbledorewould still be here. Why, exactly, should I stand down when youcertainly didn’t?" Harry said all of this in a low, harsh whisper, andthe feel of his mouth so close to Draco’s ear made Draco want to drivea wooden stake through the centre of his heart.
"In case youforgot, Potter," he breathed, his eyes fixed on the edge of thecounter-top. There was a stain there that looked suspiciously likeblood, and he touched it lightly with his fingertip before he glancedover his shoulder to see Harry not three inches away, green eyes onfire with fury. "I did not lay a hand on Dumbledore." These wereapparently the wrong words to say, as he yelped when Harry’s handssnatched his forearms and wrenched them painfully behind his back. "Letme go, you fucking–OUCH, DAMN YOU!"
Weasley had gotten in on it,coming over to the pair and kicking Draco very, very hard in the backof the knee. Draco yelped and lost all semblance of balance in thisawkward position, and he fell forward, smashing his face on thecounter-top with a sickening crunch. Tears surged to his eyes, spillingover and mixing with the blood that was very suddenly everywhere, andhe opened his mouth and screamed in a very undignified manner, hopingto attract anyone, anyone who might help him. The scream startled Harryand Ron enough that they immediately backed off, and Draco hit thefloor choking on his own blood and sobbing. "Fuck," he heard Potterwhisper just as the blood trickling down his throat gagged him, and hethrew up on the old linoleum.
"Oh, my God!" A different voice,this time–Mrs. Weasley–cut through the thick haze of his thoughts as hewatched the scene from the floor. Arthur Weasley had appeared, too, andhe was the one to come over to Draco, bloody and beaten, and Dracoheard his voice as though it were very far away as he chanted spellsover him. Draco’s eyes were fixed on Ron and Harry, who were caught bytheir ears by Molly, and he felt a nasty little smirk come over hisface as Molly actually slapped Ron in the face.
He did not know when, exactly, he passed out, but he was thankful for it.
"Whatare you boys thinking?" Arthur’s voice was low and dangerous as hecornered his son and Harry. They were all sitting at the kitchen tableafter Arthur had healed Draco’s wounds and put him to bed, and it wasobvious that Ron and Harry were terrified. Harry had never doneanything like that before, had never bullied anyone because of the wayDudley had treated him, and he was appalled at his own actions. Ron didnot look as though he regretted it very much though, sitting there withhis arms crossed and an angry expression clouding his blue eyes. "Iknow you two can’t stand him, but Dumbledore ordered Snape to bring himand Narcissa into hiding, and you boys should respect that. He is notfighting against you any longer," Arthur reasoned, and he nodded toMolly as she came into the room and sat down beside him.
"Arthuris right. Draco may be your enemy at school, but here you are on equalterms. I suggest you find a way to work together before he really getshurt, because if this happens again, you two will be in so muchtrouble...I can’t even express how much trouble you will be in. Dracohas a concussion thanks to you! You’re bloody lucky Narcissa didn’t hexyou both into next year!" Molly lectured furiously, and she gave Harrya troubled glare. "And you, Harry...I thought you would be better thanthis! The both of you are to go apologise to him immediately!"
Rongave a harsh, barking laugh and pushed away from the table, shaking hishead and leaving the room. Harry heard him burst out laughing properlyin the next room, and he gazed into the angry, disappointed faces ofMr. and Mrs. Weasley. He felt terrible–not for Draco, but fordisappointing the only parents he had left–and he gave a nod. "I’llapologise," he said, though they all knew that his apology would becompletely insincere. Arthur and Molly seemed satisfied, however, as herose form the table and begrudgingly made his way up the old, creakywooden stairs to the mildly warped door that was Draco’s.
He didnot even knock on the door before he entered, and he suddenly felt verysubdued in the mild light of the room. Draco was in bed, facing awayfrom him and curled up, and Harry was very, very embarrassed as hewalked as quietly as he could over to the bedside and cleared histhroat. "Er, Malfoy?" he whispered, hoping he wouldn’t wake up. Dracomade no movement at all, and Harry sighed with relief. Molly never saidthat he had to apologise while Draco was awake, and so he wouldapologise now while Draco was still unconscious. "Sorry about that. Youdeserved it, really, for being such a prat, nearly getting me and allmy friends killed, and then having the balls to seek shelter in myhome...but I’m sorry, nonetheless. At least, I’m supposed to say that."He smiled triumphantly and turned around to walk out when he heard thesheets sigh with Draco’s movement, and his face fell.
"Butteringme up isn’t going to do you any fucking good, Potter. If I weren’tbeing constantly herded by Mum, I’d have you on your face so fast youwouldn’t have a clue how I’d done it, but fortunately for you, I can’tfight back as long as I am being protected. Do me a favour, Potter–justleave me the hell alone," he whispered dangerously, and he smirked tohimself as Harry’s shoulders froze. "Just walk out, Potter."
Thelast thing he expected was for Harry to suddenly be on the bed,snarling as he pinned Draco down to the mattress with his hands aroundhis throat. He opened his mouth, but one of Harry’s hands moved quicklyto cover it, and Draco watched helplessly as Harry got no more than aninch away from touching the tips of their noses. "Listen to me,Malfoy," Harry hissed through his teeth, and he leaned on his hands alittle so Draco’s throat was crushed. Draco was choking and spittingagainst his hand, and Harry took a small pleasure in watching him turnbeet red before he allowed him breath. "My house, my rules, and you’llbe staying behind the scenes, no matter what the Weasleys say. Got it?"He pulled his hand away from Draco’s mouth just slightly to allow himan answer.
Draco took advantage of the situation and lifted hishead up suddenly to latch his teeth onto Harry’s hand, tasting blood inhis mouth as Harry’s screams filled the claustrophobia-inducing room,and he heard footsteps running up the stairs as he dug his teeth in ashard as he could. He could not feel Harry’s other hand jerking at hishair, pulling out handfuls, and he only released his bear-trap gripwhen Arthur and Molly appeared in the doorway, looking confused andinfuriated. He opened his mouth, blood smeared on his chin and lips,and he blew a nasty kiss to Harry before the boy was hauled out of theroom. He saw the horrified look on Molly’s face, and he sneered at herbefore rolling back over in bed and closing his eyes.
He would sleep well that night, and when he woke up, Draco had a plan.
"Severus,can I talk to you?" He padded barefoot down to breakfast the nextmorning, looking strangely happy even though he received many nastyglares from the Weasley litter perched around the table. He was stillrumpled from sleeping that morning, having not even bothered to changeclothes or tidy up at all, and Snape gave him a very strange look forit. "I don’t want to talk out here, though...We’ll need to speakprivately." He interpreted Severus’s silence for assent, and so he ledhim out of the kitchen and up to his bedroom, where he shut, locked,and placed a silencing charm on the door.
Severus eyed thesecurity measures warily, and he leaned back against the door. He hadno problem being casual with his godson, and he offered the slightestsmile to the messy boy. "Something we don’t want the salt of the earthto hear, Draco?" he inquired, and he watched as Draco pulled out achair from the small desk in the room and placed himself in it. "Mustbe either important or illegal..."
"Sectumsempra," Draco stated,and he watched the look on his godfather’s face switch from amused toconfused. "You found it, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. It’s fuckingbrilliant when you’re not on the receiving end...So where is it from?"He leaned forward, intensely curious. He knew his godfather wouldindulge him, and he grinned as Severus obviously thought about it veryhard.
"I was in sixth year...I’d snuck a few books from yourgrandparents’ library, I recall, and I found a potion calledSectumsempra Animi, which is as strong or stronger than Amortentia butbanned from creation by the Ministry. It was a love potion, so namedbecause it would shred the soul of the victim, and unlike Amortentia,the effect of the love potion lasts until either the giver of thepotion falls in love with the victim, which makes it perfect forarchnemeses who are just begging to be embarrassed, or until the giveradministers a second dose, which acts as an antidote. I liked thethought of shredding," he laughed, and he was pleased that Dracowrinkled his nose and giggled right along, "but I didn’t like the ideaof a love potion. Sectumsempra is the word whispered over the person towhom the potion is administered immediately after they drink it, and ifthey have the potion in their system, it will set the potion in theirveins. It turns out, the incantation without the potion has the effectyou are very familiar with. Endlessly fascinating, I believe, it isthat a spell intended for a love potion on its own has such a drasticeffect otherwise. It says something of the nature of love potions."
Dracogrinned–it was really fascinating that love and destruction were soclosely tied. It was like this in more than one potion, he had noticedupon studying love potions for an extra-credit project the year before."Could you find that book? The one with the potion? I want to see it,"he breathed, and he kept on grinning through the odd look Severus wassuddenly giving him. "Don’t look at me like that...You know how I enjoystudying potions. I’ve got to keep ahead of the Mudblood and theWeasel, don’t I? I’m especially interested in this one, for obviousreasons, I should think."
Severus was troubled, as Draco did notoften ask for things like this without an ulterior motive, but he wasin the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and there was only somuch damage he could do without someone taking notice. "Fine," hesighed, and he offered the boy a smile as the charms on the door werereleased. "I’ll get it for you by the end of the evening. How’s yourhead?" He had only heard about the incident from Molly that morning,and the Weasley boy received a nasty warning from him before breakfast.
"It’sfine...I have a bit of a headache, but other than that, I think I’m allright. Fucking Potter, thinking he owns the place..."
"He does."
"Touché."
Severusdelivered the book as promised that evening before Draco went to bed,and so Draco spent almost all evening in bed with the book, talking tohimself. "Ashwinders’ eggs, lovage, peppermint, fluxweed, powderedmoonstone...This is simple," he whispered, and he found himselfthrilled that he had stolen many of the ingredients from the studentstore cupboard the year before. "All I need are frozen Ashwinders’eggs...Simple enough."
And so, the very next morning, he sent theApothecary in Diagon Alley two Galleons and a note explaining what hewanted, and would they please send it by express owl and they couldkeep the change. He was pleased that the eggs arrived the morningafter, and, in a very small cauldron he kept hidden in his closet, hebegan to work on the potion. It was very simple indeed, requiring aminimal number of ingredients that were easy to obtain, and he knewthat the only reason this potion would never be made at Hogwarts wasbecause it was banned by the Ministry, and the apothecary would notsell Ashwinders’ eggs to students. When he added them to the potion, itreleased a heavily-perfumed scent that made him lightheaded, and heblinked for a few moments before he added the peppermint stems, whichcompletely changed the nature of the potion. It made it smell likegrass with a hint of freshly-dug dirt, and he took a deep whiff of theconcoction before he added the rest of the ingredients. They didnothing but change the colour, and he grinned to himself as it brewed.
When he put stoppers into two vials of the caramel-coloured potion, he grinned and stashed them in his bedside table. He waited.
Helet it sit for a month, simply because he could not find a perfectsituation when he could lure Potter up to his room or get him alone. Itwas simply atrocious, how desperately Potter clung to his friends, andso Draco waited and waited, as patient as the cat waiting to pounce.Their rivalries did not ease in the time during which the potion lay inwait, and though there were no more serious injuries, there was plentyof yelling. Arthur and Molly worked tirelessly in an attempt to keep arelatively peaceful atmosphere in the house, which they discoveredworked perfectly whenever the boys ate, slept, and led their lives atdifferent times of the day. Draco found this extremely inconvenient,and so whenever Arthur and Molly left one afternoon, Draco pocketed hispotion and went in search of Harry.
Number Twelve, GrimmauldPlace was much bigger than he had ever imagined when he first arrivedat the beginning of the summer, and so he began at the front of thehouse. He could hear Walburga Black praising him lightly as he walkedpast her portrait, and he smiled at her before moving close. "Seen thePotter prat?" he asked in whisper, and he gave a harsh little laugh asshe pointed him towards the Black family library. "Thank you..."
Heprowled silently to the library, and he was immensely pleased to findthat the door was cracked. He peeked inside–Potter was asleep on thecouch, mouth hanging open and one hand gracing the floor with itspresence–and gave a nasty sneer before he pushed the door open slowly,so it would not creak. Potter did not stir in the slightest, and Dracowas pleased to walk right into the library and kneel over hisarchnemesis with no effect on the boy’s slumber. He waved his wand overhis prone body, casting a Partial Body-Bind curse that immobilizedHarry from the shoulders down. A wicked grin spread over his face asHarry’s eyes shot open, and Draco sat on the couch beside him. "WhyPotter, how nice of you to wake up," he breathed, and he grinned at thebewildered look on Harry’s face. "Don’t bother screaming. We’re alone."
"Letme go, you son of a bitch," Harry rasped, voice thick with sleep, andhis eyes narrowed as Draco pulled a potion like liquid caramel out ofhis robes. "What the fuck is tha–" And suddenly, it was in his mouth,warm like single-malt scotch, and he tried to spit it out a momentbefore Draco slapped a hand over his mouth and held his nose shut.
"Ohno, Potter, this is for you. Swallow...SWALLOW!" he yelled, and he waspleased when Harry complied. The startled look in Harry’s eyes wascompletely priceless as Draco leaned over him, pressing close, and hemoved his mouth very close to Harry’s ear. "For Sectumsempra," hehissed, and at the second word, Harry’s pupils dilated, and Dracoreleased the Body-Bind curse just in time to allow Harry to fall to thefloor, doubled over as the potion spread like molten lava through hisveins, and Draco sat beside him, one hand on his back. "Breathe...Justbreathe, Potter..."
Harry choked and coughed, a string of darkmucous hanging from his lips, and he wiped it shakily away with theback of his hand before he moved to glare nastily at Draco. "Whatwas..." He trailed off at the sight of Draco, knelt beside him with thesoftest little sneer on his plump, pink lips. They were slightly damp,maybe from sweat, and Harry could feel the hand on his back sendingelectrical pulses through his body. "You...I..." He was stammeringinsensibly, and he shut himself up when Draco’s sneer seemed totransform into a beautiful, angelic smile, and he lay a hand on Draco’sknee. "Hi...You gave me a potion, and..."
"Obliviate!"
Harryslumped into Draco’s arms, and Draco struggled to lie him back on thecouch, brushing his hair away from his sweaty face, and, wanting tomake sure the potion had worked, he waved his wand over his body again."Ennervate!" he whispered, and he narrowed his eyes as Harry began tostir.
"Mmmn..." Harry stretched his arms out luxuriously, givinga huge yawn and smacking his lips loudly before he opened his brilliantgreen eyes and immediately locked on Draco. "What are you doing?" heasked, and he found that he could insert no amount of malice into thesewords. The gentle light from the window seemed to set Draco’s hairaflame with heavenly light, and he reached up a shaky hand to brush itback behind Draco’s ear. "There. That’s better."
Draco’s eyes litup, and he leaned down very close to Harry with a wrinkled nose and apretty little smile. "Perfect, isn’t it?" he whispered in a malicioustone, and when Harry grinned and tilted his chin up, Draco lay a fingeracross his lips. "No, no...No kisses for Potter. You like how myfingers feel on your arm?" The fervent nod Harry gave in that momentmade Draco laugh, and he leaned in close to touch the very tip of hisnose to Harry’s cheek. "Good...Because that’s all you get."
Andthen, Draco was gone and Harry felt as though the world had ended. Hiseyes grew wide, and he sat up, heat engulfing his body, and he shakilypushed back his hair. "Ma-Draco?" he called quietly, and he felthimself jumping off the couch, shaking and gasping for breath. Dracowas gone too quickly, should have stayed, should have been there totouch and to kiss and to–
Something was wrong with him. Hewracked his brain, trying to remember what happened before he fellasleep, and he panicked. He remembered lying down on the couch, furiousthat they would leave him alone with Malfoy, and when he woke up, hehad never been more in love. It was terribly lonely,terrible...terrible. His heart was hammering against his ribcage, andhe reached for the doorknob of the library in a panic. "Oh God..."
Hefound Draco at the kitchen table, and he tripped over his own large,clumsy feet as he attempted to get to him. When he reached the table,the look of horrible disdain that Draco shot him pierced him to thesoul, and he raised his hands to his lips, taking a step back. "Are youangry with me?"
"Inexplicably," Draco hissed, and he rose to hisfeet, stepping close to Harry and grinning nastily as he became all butputty in his hands when he grabbed his forearms. "I want nothing to dowith you, Potter. Ever." And Draco threw Harry’s arms to his sides andmade a disgusted sound just before he ran from the room, leaving Harryon the floor in a devastated heap.
Draco had never known such power.