Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Goblin King	By : GeminiFaerie Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 29138 -:- Recommendations : 5 -:- Currently Reading : 14
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the Labyrinth, nor any of the characters from said books/movies and I make no money from this story.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
“Ah, Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy!” Dumbledore beamed at the boys from behind his desk, “Thank you for joining us; have you met Minister Scrimgeour?”

            “We saw him at my trial a couple of months ago,” Draco replied, “Hello Minister.” Harry smiled and nodded at the minister in greeting, and Scrimgeour nodded back at the boys.

            “Mr. Malfoy; Mr. Potter,” Scrimgeour began, “Why don’t we all sit down so we can get started? I know you boys have classes.” The minister sat in a straight-backed wooden chair to one side of Dumbledore’s desk and the boys sat in an arm chair facing him-Draco in the chair and Harry sitting on the arm.

            “Excellent!” Dumbledore twinkled, “Now, we need to discuss your living arrangements;” he paused to frown at the boys, “I’m sure you know, Mr. Malfoy, that locking the other boys out of the room so you can seduce Mr. Potter is not acceptable behavior-”

            “That is not the reason we are here,” the minister interrupted, giving the headmaster a fierce look, “We are here to discuss your interference into the lives of these two gentlemen; as you are undoubtedly aware, Dumbledore, betrothed couples have the right to a private suite which should be ready no later than one week after school starts. I have received copies of the signed contract between the boys, and I know that you have received a copy as I forwarded it to you as well; you have no right to deny them their private chambers. What do you have to say for yourself Headmaster?”

            “I was not aware that Mr. Potter’s signature would be recognized as valid by the ministry,” Dumbledore stated, “After all, he is still underage-”

            “That’s a lie,” Harry protested, “Snape told you the paperwork declaring me an adult was valid and during Draco and Narcissa’s trial you were once again told that I am now considered a legal adult, which means I can sign anything I want; I could sign my entire fortune away to Voldemort if I want and no one can legally object.”

            “Aha!” Dumbledore exclaimed, “And that is the true reason I did not wish to provide Harry and Mr. Malfoy with their own private suite-the young Malfoy has already corrupted him, and it will not be long before Harry turns his back on us and joins Voldemort!”

            “Why would I join the nutter who killed my parents?” Harry scoffed, “I only said that bit about giving my money away to make a point-I would never join him, and what I decide to do is none of your business anyway.”

            “Exactly,” Draco nodded, “Like I would ever let Harry give his money away to anyone but me-you must be even more insane than Voldie!”

            “Well, now that you have assured us you have no intentions of funding You-Know-Who’s attacks,” the minister began-his face was serious but Harry thought he could detect amusement in his gaze, “we can get this issue settled. I have spoken with the board of governors-and received numerous owls from concerned parents-and have arranged for your suite to be ready after dinner tonight; the house elves will make sure your belongings are moved to your new quarters. Also, as a betrothed couple you have the right to two house elves who will take care of your rooms exclusively; do you have house elves or would you like the headmaster to assign them?”

            “Can Winky and Dobby be transferred to our service?” Harry questioned, “They aren’t technically bound to the school, as far as I know.”

            “That would be acceptable,” Dumbledore nodded, “I am willing to loan them to you during the school year; Dobby! Winky!” After a moment the two house elves appeared, looking as different as night and day; Dobby was wearing a pair of shorts that fit him like pants, an orange tie with pink and blue stars, a purple tea cozy on his head and one green sock with yellow spots and one red sock with silver spots, while Winky wore a dirty dish towel with the Hogwarts crest and a lopsided pink hat that was obviously knitted by Hermione.

            “Wonderful!” Dumbledore enthused, and Harry found himself wondering what it would take to depress the older wizard-he was rather tired of Dumbledore’s damn twinkling eyes, “Winky; Dobby-how would you like to serve Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy in their new rooms?”

            As Harry predicted Dobby immediately began sobbing and exclaiming about how great and kind Harry was and how he would be honored to serve such a wonderful master, but Winky’s reaction is the one that caught Harry’s attention.

            “Winky is to be bound to Master Harry and Master Draco?” She asked, eyes even wider than usual, and then promptly burst into tears; “Oh, Winky is not deserving of such kindness! Winky will be best house elf ever! Thank you!”

            “Well, I didn’t mean that you would bond to them,” Dumbledore began, but the minister spoke over him.

            “Yes Winky,” the minister smiled, “You and Dobby will be bound to Harry and Draco for as long as they are together. Mr. Malfoy, are you aware of the process to bind a house elf to a family?”

            “Of course,” Draco nodded, as he got to his feet, motioning for Harry to stand beside him; he absently noted that Dumbledore had opened his mouth to protest, but was unable to make a sound-by the way Harry was smirking he suspected that the brunette was behind the headmasters silence-“Since we are betrothed we have to do this together; basically Dobby and Winky have to hand us an article of clothing, and we accept it and that seals their service to us.” Dobby nodded at this and took off his tie, which Draco and Harry accepted, each taking hold of one end. “I, Draco Malfoy, do hereby accept your service to the Potter-Malfoy household.” He nodded at Harry, and the brunette repeated; “I, Harry Potter, do hereby accept your service to the Potter-Malfoy household.” A pale blue light enveloped Dobby and the tie he had given the boys, and when it had faded they could see that Dobby now wore a crisp white pillowcase tied like a toga with a patch in the upper left corner displaying the Malfoy and Potter crests. They repeated the ceremony with Winky, who handed over her hat, and soon she too was wearing what appeared to be the new Potter-Malfoy house elf uniform.

            “I did not agree to this!” Ah, it appeared Dumbledore finally had his voice back-he must have broken Harry’s spell as the brunette pouted upon hearing the headmasters voice, “I agreed to loan out the house elves, not to allow them to bond with these delinquents!”

            “Then perhaps you should not have allowed the elves such freedom,” Scrimgeour replied calmly before addressing the teens, “Why don’t you send those two to prepare your rooms so that we can conclude this meeting?”

            “Of course,” Harry agreed, “Dobby, Winky; Draco and I will be moving into the Black family suite; can you get it ready for us and move our things from Gryffindor Tower?”

            “Yes, Master Harry!” Dobby bowed, “Dobby and Winky is taking care of everything Masters need!”

            “Winky is making sure masters has the nicest, cleanest rooms in Hogwarts!” Winky agreed, and a moment later both house elves were gone.

            “Good,” the minister nodded and smiled at Harry and Draco, “Now, the reason I am here; the headmaster’s interference with your relationship is actually against the laws of our world, and it is my duty to see if you boys would like to press charges. In addition, I have a delivery from Gringotts for Mr. Potter.” He handed Harry a thick packet and the Gryffindor sat back down-this time he sat in the chair and Draco sat on the arm so he could read over his fiancés shoulder.

            “It’s the inquiry into your accounts,” Draco murmured, “Look at how much money has been taken out!” He leaned over and flipped through the pages, pointing out things that he thought Harry should be aware of. “And it looks like he has been harassing the goblins about being cut off from your funds; this is definitely enough information to press charges; would you like me to contact our solicitor?”

            “Yes,” Harry nodded firmly, “I want to get this taken care of as soon as possible; what about his actions over the past week? Should we press charges for that?” He looked up and noticed Dumbledore glaring at them suspiciously; he and Draco had been talking softly so that the headmaster wouldn’t hear them, and Dumbledore obviously didn’t like not knowing what was going on.

            “I think we should,” Draco said, “It will only result in him being fined, however I don’t think he should get away with his actions.” Harry nodded his agreement and Draco looked over at the minister; “Harry and I are in agreement that we will press charges, however there is more than one offense that we feel he needs to be held accountable for, so we will meet with our solicitor and send you and owl with our complaints.”

            “Very well,” the minister nodded, “That is acceptable; I will expect your owl by the end of the month?”

            “Expect it by the end of the week,” Harry corrected, “We want this resolved as soon as possible.”

            “Complaints? Harry my boy, surely we can resolve this ourselves?” Dumbledore appealed to his former pawn, “You’re like family to me, and I don’t see why we need an outside party to resolve our issues; I must believe that Mr. Malfoy is influencing you against me.”

            “This is not Draco’s fault,” Harry retorted, “and I have no desire to discuss this with you any further; you will hear from our solicitor soon. In the meantime, may we be excused to go to class? Professor McGonagall doesn’t like for us to be late.”

            “Of course, “Scrimgeour replied, “If you don’t mind, I will walk down with you. Dumbledore-I will keep you informed of the legal matters as needed. Good day to you Headmaster.” He gave Dumbledore a curt nod and then followed Harry and Draco out of the office. Once they were away from the stone gargoyle, the minister motioned the boys into an empty classroom, where they all sat down on a desk.

            “Thank you for your help with this Minister,” Draco began, “I know you must have a very busy schedule, so we definitely appreciate you coming down here in person.”

            “It was nothing,” the minister waved it away, “However, if you wish to thank me, your support-and that of your Mother, Mr. Malfoy-would be greatly appreciated. After the way Fudge handled things the ministry is in disarray, and the people have no faith in us; if the two of you supported our actions, however…”

            “Well,” Harry began slowly, “So far I admit you are doing a much better job than Fudge; I don’t have a problem with showing my support as long as the ministry doesn’t go back to acting the way it did last year.”

            “Excellent; in that case I look forward to hearing from you regarding the case against Dumbledore,” Scrimgeour gave a small tight smile and offered his hand to Harry and then Draco before leaving the classroom.

            “What was that all about?” Harry questioned Draco, causing the blonde to sigh and shake his head in exasperation.

            “You just offered the minister your support without even realizing it?” he asked, “Really Harry, how clueless are you? Now he will expect you-well, us, actually-to show up and tell everyone that he is a great minster and that the ministry is doing a wonderful job, etcetera, etcetera.”

            “Oh,” Harry said quietly and then shrugged, “Well, I don’t really have a problem with that until they do something which I don’t agree with; does it bother you?”

            “No,” Draco replied, “As you said, I will support the ministry until it is no longer beneficial to me.”

            “I didn’t say that!” Harry protested as Draco grabbed his hand, pulling him from the empty classroom.

            “You implied it,” the blonde said airily, “Now come on; as you pointed out earlier we can’t be late to McGonagall’s class.” He pulled Harry down the hallway and to the Transfiguration classroom, not giving Harry a chance to protest further.

            The rest of the day passed fairly quickly, and soon Harry and Draco found themselves standing in front of the painting that concealed the entrance to their rooms; in a silver frame was a portrait of an ancient-looking wizard wearing dark blue robes with silver stars accompanied by a brown barn owl.

            “Merlin!” Draco breathed reverently, and the wizard bowed with a smile.

            “That is correct,” Merlin replied, “And you must be Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter; a pleasure to meet you.”

            “Wait, you’re Merlin?” Harry cried, “Wow! How did we get your portrait to guard our rooms?”

            “I was friendly with a previous member of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black,” Merlin smiled, “I didn’t really have any descendants, so I agreed that my friend could keep my portrait, and when this room was built I was put here; I must say it’s good to see you boys-it has been far too long since I have had charges staying in this room, and the headmaster doesn’t like it when I wander. Well now, I’m sure you boys must be tired, so why don’t you set a password-which I require to be kept the same for one month unless you feel it has been compromised-and we can chat later.”

            “Umm…” Harry said articulately, giving Draco the chance to set the password.

            “That sounds good,” Draco replied, “Our first password will be…Slytherin’s Lion.”

            “Very well; it is set,” Merlin agreed, drowning out Harry’s indignant “Hey!”; “You gentlemen have a good night, and I shall see you tomorrow.” Harry opened his mouth to protest, but was pushed through the now-open portrait and into their new suite, which promptly had him gawking in silence.

            The suite definitely deserved a moment or two of staring, although Harry should have figured it would be nice since the Blacks were an old, wealthy family. The first room was a comfortable-looking common room; the walls were a soft cream color, while the floor was dark wood, and a black marble fireplace stood against the far wall. In front of the fireplace was a black suede sofa, love seat and armchair sitting on top of an oriental rug in dark blue with silver and green designs. A door off to the left lead to a small library, while a door on the right led to a guest bathroom and at the back of the common room was a spiral staircase leading up to the second floor landing which contained a bedroom-very similar to the room Harry and Draco had been staying in over the summer, done in jewel tones of blue, green and purple with a little silver-containing two large walk-in closets and two comfortable-looking desks along with a king-sized bed. A connecting door led to an in-suite bathroom once again done in blue, green and silver with a large tub only slightly smaller than the one in the prefects bathroom and a shower that looked as if it could fit ten people, which had a bench at one end.

            “Nice,” Draco nodded, “At least the colors aren’t all red and gold-I half expected Dobby to make this place look like the Gryffindor dorm room.”

            “Nah,” Harry said dismissively, “I’ll bet the Blacks put a spell on these rooms that prevent the colors red and gold being used in any large amounts-most people from that family have been in Slytherin after all.”

            “True,” Draco nodded, “Do you have any homework to do tonight?”

            “Hmm…I have the two-foot essay for McGonagall, but that isn’t due for another two days, and then I have to make up a dream journal for Trelawney-she’ll be checking them weekly-and the charms essay which is due tomorrow. Charms shouldn’t take two long because it’s about the protean charm, and I learned about that from ‘Mione last year, and making up dreams is always easy-I just have to write stuff about my doom to make Trelawney happy-and I can wait until tomorrow for Transfiguration, so I should be done in about thirty minutes.”

            “No,” Draco shook his head, “You might as well get it all done tonight; if you wait until tomorrow you’ll just have more work, so you’ll put something else off and then by the time the weekend comes along you’ll be so far behind on homework that you won’t have time for anything else; besides, I still have to finish McGonagall’s essay and my Arithmancy homework. I told you I refuse to associate with an un-educated cretin; therefore I shall make sure your work is done on time. So, let’s get started.” Draco walked over to one of the desks and proceeded to get his homework out, which is why he missed his fiancés scowl, but he heard the mumbled; “Stupid know-it-all Slytherin! He’s worse than ‘Mione. Prat.”

            “I heard that,” Draco said, “and you will pay for those words Potter; don’t forget what happened the last time I had to take vengeance upon you.” He looked over his shoulder and saw that Harry was blushing, “I may be willing to forgive you those insults however-if you can get your homework finished by the time I’m done.”

            “Fine,” Harry sighed, “Let’s get this over with.” For the next two hours the boys focused on their homework, and Draco managed to finish his first. When he stood up to check on Harry he saw that the brunette still had a foot left on his essay for McGonagall, so decided to take a shower while he waited for the brunette to finish.

            Thirty minutes later, Draco was in bed after his shower and Harry joined him upon finishing his essay. He changed into his black boxers and crawled onto the bed, laying down with his head on Draco’s chest and listening to his heartbeat.

            “Took you long enough,” Draco murmured, kissing the top of his head, “Tomorrow should be better; we won’t have to do extra work for missing out on a class because of that barmy old man.”

            “Mmmm,” Harry agreed sleepily, “Dray? You aren’t really going to take revenge for what I said earlier are you?”

            “No,” Draco replied, tightening his hold on the brunette as he felt him relax, “Not tonight anyway.” Harry stiffened for a moment before shaking his head and chuckling.

            “Fine,” he smiled, “but if you get to take revenge when I annoy you then it applies the other way around as well.”

            “Nope,” Draco smirked, “I get to do revenge because I’m a Slytherin; Gryffindor’s don’t get to plot revenge.”

            “That’s crazy!” Harry argued, “anyone can plot revenge if they have a reason.”

            “Nope, not Gryffindor’s,” Draco said, “You’re too noble. Now, if you don’t mind, I need my beauty sleep.”

            “Okay,” Harry agreed “I guess not everyone can be as naturally attractive as me.”

            “Watch it Potter,” Draco warned, but Harry just laughed and lifted his head to capture Draco’s lips in a kiss.

            “G’night Dray,” he smiled. Draco whispered goodnight back to him and he fell asleep with a smile on his face…

*******************************

            The room was dark and crowded with men and women in robes; they all wore white masks to hide their identities-all except for the man sitting on the throne in the middle of the room. The man was Lord Voldemort, and the people around him were his loyal followers-or at least, some of them were loyal.

            “Goyle!” Voldemort snapped, “Where is Lucius? I haven’t seen him since Potter vanished; has he betrayed me?”

            “N-no My Lord,” Goyle stammered, and screamed as he was rewarded with the cruciatus curse.

            “The where is he?” Voldemort demanded, “Parkinson! You were arranging a union between your daughter and Malfoy’s son; surely you know where Lucius is, unless you are traitor as well?”

            “I am loyal to you, and only you,” Parkinson replied nervously, “I haven’t seen Lucius since I approached him about the betrothal of our children; he is…I’m sorry My Lord, Lucius has put a block in my mind so I can’t tell you where he is! Please forgive me!” Parkinson abased himself in front of his lord and didn’t dare to look up as he heard the soft swish of robes as Voldemort approached him. He felt long fingers tangle in his hair and then his head was jerked back harshly so that he could look into the crimson eyes of his master.

            “Look at me Parkinson,” Voldemort ordered, “Look at me and lay bare all of your secrets.” A moment later Parkinson screamed, and continued screaming as Voldemort forced his way into his follower’s mind, tearing at the memories as he looked for the information he needed. Soon, he found the Obliviate placed by Lucius and ripped that away as well, relishing in the additional pain it caused. After a moment he had everything he needed-he saw that Lucius was ruler of the goblin realm, which he did not share with his master and also saw that he had Harry Potter at his mercy but decided not to hand him over.

            “So,” Voldemort hissed, “Malfoy is a traitor; he has been keeping secrets from me.” He released Parkinson, using a well-placed kick in his back to knock the man flat on the floor, “Get up Parkinson; you are a pureblood, so act like it.”

            “Y-yes My Lord,” Parkinson replied, getting to his feet, “I’m sorry My Lord.”

            “Yes, you are,” Voldemort replied, “You are a sorry excuse for a follower; how dare you keep secrets from me? Silence!” He roared as Parkinson opened his mouth to reply, “You are a failure, and you shall be punished. Crucio.” He said it almost negligently, put the strength of the curse brought Parkinson to his knees as he screamed out in pain. Voldemort kept the curse on him for five minutes and then removed it for a moment before casting it again and making it last longer this time.

            “Lord Parkinson needs to be punished, but I have other matters to attend to,” Voldemort said, “Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Bella-I charge you with making sure he receives the appropriate punishment; he is not to go home before the sun rises.” There was a chorus of eager agreements from his minions, but Voldemort ignored it as he swept from the room. While searching through Parkinson’s memories he had seen the young Malfoy boy’s face when talking about Harry Potter; Draco Malfoy was in love with Harry Potter, and now all he had to do was find a way to exploit it…Potter was as good as his, and then Dumbledore and the rest of the wizarding world would fall. If he planned it carefully, he should be able to take over the goblin realm as well; a slow, cruel smile appeared on Voldemort’s face as he reached his private chambers-now to contact Severus and enlist his help in getting the wayward Malfoy heir….

            The following weeks passed uneventfully for Harry and his friends; he and Draco met with their solicitor and took Dumbledore before the Wizengamot where he was fined for his interference in their relationship, and he was also ordered to repay every knut that was taken from Harry’s vault without authorization. They attempted to get Dumbledore in trouble for his attack on Harry, but they were unable to prove that he had done it on his own, and so he was not help responsible for costing the cruciatus or falsely accusing the Malfoy’s of attacking Harry. The boys were disappointed that Dumbledore got away with the worst of his crimes, and determined to stay away from him as much as possible. Everyone was excited, however, by the fact that it was almost time for the equinox; Harry was especially anxious to see his godfather again, and Draco and their friends had a hard time keeping him calm. The day before Draco and Harry were set to leave for the goblin realm, Dumbledore called Harry to his office after lunch, stating that he was to come alone and tell no one. So Harry went by himself-but he of course told Draco and Hermione who alerted the rest of their friends, and Draco waited down the hall from the headmaster’s office for Harry to come back from his meeting.

            “Ah, Harry,” Dumbledore smiled, “I’m so glad you could make it; Lemon Drop?”

            “No thank you Headmaster,” Harry replied politely, “If you don’t mind, I need to pack since I am leaving for the weekend tomorrow, so can you please get to the point of this meeting? I have a lot of homework to do before I go.”

            “Of course, of course,” Dumbledore agreed, “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about your plans for this weekend. I understand that you and Mr. Malfoy need to see to some of the details of your betrothal, however I was hoping you could put it off for another week.”

            “Why?”

            “Well, I have recently discovered some important information, and I could use your help Harry,” Dumbledore replied, “You see, it has come to my attention that Voldemort was able to make himself nearly immortal by creating a number of horcruxes. Horcruxes, Harry are-”

            “Very dark magic,” Harry interrupted, “You have to split your soul by committing murder; I’ve been told about them, and I know that they have to be destroyed before Voldemort can finally be defeated. So, why did you call me up here?” Dumbledore was shocked that Harry had already heard about horcruxes, but quickly hid his astonishment.

            “Very good,” he told the Gryffindor, “You knowing this saves a lot of time. Now, I believe that Voldemort created seven horcruxes, of which you destroyed one back in second year-his diary, if you remember-and I destroyed another one over the summer. I have reason to believe that he sought out items belonging to the founders of Hogwarts to create his horcruxes and I believe that I have found another one.”

            “That’s really good news,” Harry grinned, and Dumbledore smiled back at him, “So I guess you’ll be going to retrieve it so that it can be destroyed?”

            “Of course,” Dumbledore replied, “and I know how you hate being left in the dark about things, so I thought that perhaps you would like to some with me? We would leave after dinner tonight and be back by Sunday.”

            “No thank you,” Harry replied, “As you are aware, I already have plans for this weekend, and I can’t break a promise to my fiancé. I’m sure one of the Order members would be happy to go with you; how about Moody?”

            “Now Harry,” Dumbledore frowned, “This is very irresponsible of you; discussing your betrothal is not as important as defeating Voldemort-”

            “Maybe not to you,” Harry interrupted, “But it is that important for me. Besides, hunting horcruxes is in no way my responsibility; I am only sixteen years old-when the time comes I will fight Voldie if I have to, but I don’t see the point in risking my life before then.”

            “You are being extremely selfish Harry,” Dumbledore reprimanded him, “I’m sure Draco would understand if you put this off for one weekend.”

            “No he wouldn’t,” Harry replied, “There’s some sort of ceremony that can only be done during the equinox, and he’s really excited about it, so I am not going to disappoint him. As for being selfish…even Hermione agreed that hunting horcruxes is not my responsibility, so I will leave it in your hands. Now, I still have to get to detention with Snape-”

            “Professor Snape, Harry.”

            “-Whatever. I have to go Headmaster.” With that Harry stood up and left the room, leaving a stunned Dumbledore behind.

*****



            “That bastard!” Draco scowled,”Dumbledore had better watch his step or I might just find a way to deliver him to Voldie myself!”

            Harry hadn’t had a chance to talk to Draco right after his meeting with Dumbledore as he truly had had detention with Snape-the professor had caught him throwing something into Goyle’s cauldron which could have caused the potion to explode, so he had to give his nephew detention as it could have harmed his other students-and then Draco and Hermione had Prefect duties, so now it was after dinner and their group-Hermione, Ron, Pansy, Theo and Blaise were the only ones that could make it- met in Harry and Draco’s room to talk about his meeting with Dumbledore. The group of teens was gathered in the common room, with Harry and Draco sitting on the chair-Harry in Draco’s lap per usual-, Ron and Hermione on the loveseat, and the other three Slytherin’s on the couch.

            “Calm down Dray,” Harry soothed him, leaning back further into his fiancés embrace, “We already knew this might happen, and I refused to go with him just as we discussed; he has no leverage over me to make me go, so he can handle the horcruxes himself.” He paused and frowned a little, “I still kinda feel like I should be helping him find the horcruxes though, since it’s my destiny to kill Voldemort and all.”

            “I know what you mean,” Ron nodded, “It’s strange to just sit here when we’ve always done something to work against Vol-Voldemort; it’s like were putting our faith in Dumbledore to get it taken care of.”

            “I can’t imagine how you three did it,” Blaise said, “Going up against him every year- you guys were just kids! How did you manage to encounter The Dark-er, V-Voldemort-every year and none of the teachers stopped you? I mean, Dumbledore knows everything that goes on in this school!”

            “Hmm, I’ve never really thought about it before, but you’re right Blaise,” Hermione mused, “Dumbledore has the portraits keeping an eye on everyone, so one of them was bound to have told him or the other professors what was going on; someone should have shown up to stop us.”

            “It’s obvious that Dumbles wanted you to go through those trials,” Pansy said calmly, “He must have been testing Harry to make sure that he would be able to take on Voldemort when the time comes. Not to mention, he was trying to reinforce Harry’s hero-complex; did you have such strong urges to protect people before you came to Hogwarts?”

            “No,” Harry said thoughtfully, “I grew up in a family where I was despised and called a freak on a daily basis, not to mention my cousin would always beat me up and I was blamed for everything, so my reaction was usually to protect myself-which generally meant hiding as fighting back would just cause me to get hurt. I was able to get my revenge later though, mostly by subtly insulting my cousin and then leaving before he could figure it out.” He gave a small smirk at the memories, which turned into a smile when Draco pressed a soft kiss into the side of his neck.

            “How the hell did you wind up in Gryffindor?” Theo demanded, “That is a very Slytherin mindset; protect yourself at all costs and get revenge when you know you’ll get away with it. I really don’t see how you managed to wind up in the lion’s den.”

            “Harry is as Gryffindor as they come!” Ron protested, “He’s braver than anyone else I’ve ever met, and he always saves us-”

            “But that’s what they’re saying!” Hermione interrupted, “Yes, Harry is very brave and self-sacrificing, but he wasn’t always that way; before he got sorted into Gryffindor he had a much more practical view on things-protect yourself and don’t get caught. It was after he got sorted into the house where bravery is its main creed that he started going out of his way to fight against Voldemort; Dumbledore basically molded Harry to become a savior and his perfect little pawn, but he ruined all that with the way he treated Harry last year.”

            “So you’re saying that Dumbledore conditioned me to be like this?” Harry demanded, “What does that mean? I’m not really who I think I am?”

            “Of course that’s not what they’re saying,” Draco said soothingly, tightening his arms around Harry’s waist, “Dumbledore may have placed you in those situations, but you’re the one who chose to act the way you did; you’re still you, only maybe a little smarter with a better idea of who to trust. The thing to remember is that Dumbledore no longer has the means to manipulate you, and once Sirius is back you’ll have one more person to help you.”

            “I don’t know about that,” Harry said uncertainly, “I mean, Sirius has always supported Dumbledore-him, my father and Remus all thought Dumbledore was like the greatest wizard ever; I’m not sure how he’ll feel about me breaking ties with the headmaster. Once he comes back, Sirius will be my guardian-what if he makes me help Dumbles with the horcruxes, or tells me to break it off with you?” He looked down at his hands and whispered, “What if he doesn’t want me anymore?”

            “Oh Harry!” Hermione cried, “Of course Sirius will still want you! He loves you and he won’t hold this thing with Dumbledore against you; when you get him back just explain to him what happened and I’m sure he’ll understand. As for going after the horcruxes, Sirius won’t want you in that type of danger.”

            “And as for breaking up with me-that’s never going to happen,” Draco added, “How many times must I tell you that you’re mine now-yes, yes Granger, I’m his too-and you’re not getting rid of me that easily. Also, in Sirius’ will he told you not to trust Dumbledore, so I don’t think he’ll hold that against you. Now, speaking of Remus, have you spoken to him recently?”

            “What? Umm, no,” Harry replied, startled by the subject change, “I haven’t written to him since before my birthday; so much has been going on that I kinda forgot; he would want to be there tomorrow, do you think your Mother would mind if I invite him?”

            “Actually, I already had Sev invite him,” Draco replied, “I knew you were feeling somewhat overwhelmed, so I hope you don’t mind-”

            “Of course I don’t!” Harry replied, turning to give Draco a kiss, “Thanks Dray.”

            “I guess we should get going,” Hermione stood up, pulling Ron with her, “You two have to get up early, and I’m sure Harry still needs to pack, so we’ll leave the two of you alone. Although…Draco? Do you think your mother would let me borrow the book she’s using for the ceremony? I’m really interested in how it works.”

            “It would never get past the wards,” Draco informed her, “The book has a lot of dark rituals in it, and Dumbledore’s wards are too strong-if he found out about the book he would confiscate it and we would never get it back.”

            “Sure you would,” Harry argued, “You’d just have to wait until we defeat Dumbles. Don’t worry ‘Mione; I’m sure Remus will be glad to tell you about the ritual.”

            “Now that that’s settled we really should go,” Pansy said, “Dumbledore has been eying all of us suspiciously, and I think he has McGonagall watching us as well; it wouldn’t be good to get caught out after hours. Come on boys; let’s leave Draco and his lover alone now.” She beckoned to Theo and Blaise and they got up with a sigh; Hermione and Ron followed the Slytherin’s out of the room, and soon Harry and Draco were alone once more.

            “Come on love; let’s go to bed,” Draco nudged Harry until the other boy stood up and then the two boys headed up the stairs to their bedroom, “I already packed for you as well, so you don’t have to worry about anything except getting some sleep.”

            “Oh good,” Harry smiled, tilting his head to look at his lover, “I hate having to pack. Thank you Dray.” He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to Draco’s lips before getting changed for bed.

He crawled into the bed and, after Draco joined him, lay down with his head on the blonde’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. He felt a soft kiss pressed to the top of his head and then listened as Draco’s breathing evened out, indicating that his fiancé was asleep. Harry lay awake for a while after that, just thinking about the events of the past couple of months and worrying about what Sirius would say. Harry knew it was silly to worry about Sirius; his godfather would love him no matter what, right? But Sirius had made his dislike of families like the Malfoy’s clear, so what was to stop him from hating Harry now that he was engaged to Draco? He sighed and squirmed uncomfortably for a moment, but stopped when he felt Draco’s arm tighten around his waist and another soft kiss to his forehead.

“Stop worrying and go to sleep Luv,” Draco murmured, “Everything will be fine.” Long fingers gently stroked the nape of his neck, and it didn’t take long for Harry to succumb to the relaxing feeling, falling to sleep with a soft smile on his lips.
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Harry Potter and the Goblin King