Harry Potter and The Serpent King (BP5)
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Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
52
Views:
20,681
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85
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Currently Reading:
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Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
52
Views:
20,681
Reviews:
85
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Trojan Horse
Chapter Number/Total: 24/52
Chapter Title: Trojan Horse
Words: 2424 Words
Harry was lying on the couch with his head in Draco's lap and Valen on his chest. He'd just watched a chess game between Ron and Draco, which Ron had won by the slightest bit. It truly was his game. But it had Harry thinking about strategy, something he and Draco, and Ron and Hermione for that matter, hadn't really discussed in a while. What was he truly supposed to do when he was before Voldemort? What if they couldn't find Nagini when the time came? What was everyone else supposed to do? He sighed and frowned a bit.
"Harry, what are you thinking about?" Hermione asked, staring at him from her place in an armchair.
"Hm? Oh, strategy," Harry answered absently.
"Not chess, I take it," Draco said, feeling the tension in Harry rise.
"No, not chess," Harry said. "I was thinking about Voldemort."
"What about him, mate?" asked Ron as he finished putting the last of the chess pieces away.
Harry sighed again. "Just ... the end," he said. "About what's going to happen. What we're all supposed to do."
"Are there any specifics in the prophecy?" Draco asked, carding his fingers through his husband’s dark hair.
Harry had thought about the prophecy so much over the last few years, he could recite it, and so he did. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches .... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies .... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not .... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives .... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies." He finished with a sigh. He almost felt like Hermione remembering something word for word like that.
"At the hand of?" Draco asked, frowning at the wording.
Harry shrugged. "That's what it says."
Draco stopped playing with Harry's hair. "How literal is this prophecy?" he wondered. "Could that imply wandless magic?"
"Who knows?" said Harry. "Dumbledore said I didn't even have to follow it, but I do, because Voldemort is."
"Power the Dark Lord knows not ...." Draco nodded. "Which we hope is the magic you are using now."
Harry nodded. "I don't know what else it could be."
"Love itself," said Hermione. "It's something Voldemort simply doesn't know about. He can't. It gives Harry tremendous power over him. He sees love as weakness and therefore underestimates Harry. You said he sent you a dream about Valen?"
Harry winced and nodded.
"See?" Hermione continued. "He thinks that it will frighten you, weaken you, but what does it really do?"
"Makes me angry," said Harry.
"And what happens when you're angry?"
"I fight."
Draco smirked. "You fight to protect those you love," he said, also thinking about other things Harry did when he was angry.
"That's when I fight the hardest," said Harry.
"Exactly," said Hermione. "And Voldemort doesn't have that drive. He cares for himself and thinks that you are a fool to fight for others. He simply cannot see that fighting for those you love is far more powerful than fighting for yourself ever could be."
Draco looked down at the face of the man resting in his lap, smiling. "I know you can defeat him," he said. "You have gotten extremely good at both nonverbal and wandless magic. Now you have extra power. The trick is to get you close enough to use it."
Harry sighed. "Yes and how do I do that?" he said.
"Well, you can't until that snake is gone too," said Ron.
Harry sighed again. "Yes, that as well," he said.
Draco frowned, knowing that where his mind had gone was not something his husband would want to hear.
"Well, we know he keeps her close," said Harry. "He's always talking to her and making her do things for him, so she's likely to be right there, right?"
"Well ... possibly," said Hermione. "But it wouldn't be clever to rely on chance, would it?"
"That's what I usually do," said Harry.
Draco rolled his eyes and nodded.
"There really isn't any planning that can go into that," Harry continued. "There's no way we can know where she's going to be."
"In order to get near him, I can only think of two ways. One would be for him to come off the island," Draco said, "and the other would be for him to bring us there."
"I'd rather him come off the bloody island," said Harry. "I don't want to be stuck anywhere where he's got the upper hand."
"So, what would get him off the island?" Draco asked.
"Proposing any sort of battle perhaps ...." Harry mused. "Although I don't really know. He's not an idiot and he would know I'm ready for him then. But then again, he's arrogant enough so that he might come just to see what I've got. I can see him going either way."
"No," Draco said. "He won't go anywhere he thinks is a fair fight. He would have to believe he had the upper hand."
"He's going to want to propose the battle," said Hermione.
"Well, what do we do then?" said Harry.
"We need bait that would draw him out," Draco said, looking grim.
Harry snorted humourlessly. "Well, what would that be?"
"He usually sends his followers to fight his battles," Draco said. "He would only go if it was someone important enough to deserve his personal attention."
"But you just said he wouldn't come unless he thought he had the upper hand," said Harry. "If I call him, he will know something’s up."
"No," Draco said. "We would need an accomplice. Such as a man he believed worked for him but really was on our side."
"Snape," said Harry.
"Yes," Draco said. "But the problem with drawing him out is that we still don't know if he would he bring the snake."
Harry frowned, thinking. "It seems like he always has her," he said. "But is there anything we can do that would ensure his bringing her?"
Draco shrugged. "The only place I know he has her with him is in his own stronghold," he said.
Harry's frown deepened. "Do you really want to go there, Draco?" he said seriously and sounding a bit like he thought Draco was mad.
Draco shuddered. "No," he said, "but I have yet to think of an alternative plan."
"What do you reckon he's going to think if we simply decide to pop in, kill his snake, and leave?" Harry asked. "It'll make him check his Horcruxes, and then we're fucked."
"No," Draco said, "we will have to take them both out at the same time."
"By ourselves?" asked Ron, eyes slightly wide.
"Who goes depends on how we get in there, doesn't it?" Draco asked.
"But how would we get in there?" said Harry at the same time as Ron growled, "I'm going."
Draco pursed his lips, unwilling to say the only thing that came to mind.
"Draco ...." Harry said slowly, recognising the look.
Draco looked away, not meeting his eyes.
"Please just get it over with," Harry said quietly.
"Ever read any of the Greek classics?" Draco asked in a faraway sounding voice.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "No," he said.
"There is a story from the Trojan wars," he said softly.
"What is it?" Harry asked. He knew he wasn't going to like this. Draco's tone and movements told him that.
"The Greeks spent ten years fighting the Trojans but were at a stalemate," Draco explained. "Finally they had an idea. They built a tribute item, a large wooden horse. They left it at the gates of Troy and appeared to sail away. But the horse was actually full of their best fighters, who snuck out in the night and overwhelmed the city guards, letting in the leaders of the Greek army, who then sacked the city of Troy."
"Yes, I've heard that story before," said Harry.
Ron and Hermione nodded.
"We need someone inside that place to bring down the wards and let our people in," Draco said.
"Well, why can't Snape do it?" said Ron. "He'd already be in there."
"He might be able to - if there was enough of a distraction," Draco said. "But more than likely, he would need help."
Harry frowned again, waiting for the blow.
"Like a high profile prisoner," Draco suggested.
"If you are thinking what I believe you are thinking, no," said Harry, staring up at Draco intently.
Draco looked at Ron. "You used the gambit earlier," he said. "You used your queen as a lure to draw out the opponent. They take the queen but then you have them in checkmate."
Ron nodded, but winced slightly.
"Are you mad?" said Harry. "Draco, he'd - he'd murder you!"
"No, he wouldn't," Draco said. "He would make me a hostage."
"But how do you know?" said Harry, mouth open in shock that Draco was suggesting such a thing.
"He would want to use the tactic to lure you to him," he said calmly. "It would make him over-confident to think he could capture your husband."
"This is mad," Harry said. "Who knows what he'd do to you! He's probably still pissed off about you getting that serpent off your arm."
"If Snape brought me in, they would trust him more," Draco continued. "Maybe give him the chance to get the wards down. And I would be a ... distraction."
Harry clenched his teeth at that. "I can't do that," he said, closing his eyes. "I can't let them do ... anything to you."
Draco looked at Hermione and Ron, trying to judge their reactions. They had been quiet during his explanation and that probably meant they were really thinking about it.
Ron was staring at the chess board that was still out and Hermione was staring at Harry, frowning.
"No," Harry said again. "There's got to be another way that doesn't involve me giving my husband over for torture."
Draco reached over and picked up Valen who had begun to fuss as Harry's magic flared with his emotions.
"Do you think I'm crazy?" Harry asked his friends. "Is it so much to ask to not want to allow him to do this?"
"No, Harry, you're not crazy," said Hermione.
"But he's got a point," said Ron quietly.
"Oh, no you don't!" said Harry, sitting up suddenly. "You're not going to disagree with me and agree with him!"
"Is there a rule against agreeing with him?" said Ron, scowling slightly. "Besides, I didn't say I agreed with anyone."
Harry's fear and anger made his magic crackle painfully and Valen began to cry. Draco stood up, bringing the infant to his shoulder and patting him on the back, soothing him.
Harry dropped his head into his hands, wanting to scream from the frustration and now the guilt from bringing his son to tears.
Draco walked around the room with the child, who settled down pretty quickly. He Summoned the baby's cot to a further spot in the room and laid him in it with his magical rattle. Then he took a deep breath and walked back over to sit beside his husband.
Harry looked up again and at Draco's face. "Would you let me do it?" he said. "If the roles were reversed, would you let me?"
"They're not reversed," Draco said quietly. "You are the white king in this chess game. I knew that going into this."
Harry had known that Draco wouldn't give him a straight answer. He dropped his head again.
"Harry," said Hermione gently, trying to comfort.
"No," Harry said, getting to his feet. "Why do I always have to make these fucking choices? Why can't I just bloody go in there? I'd rather do that than this!" It is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are .... Harry shivered a bit and swallowed.
Draco stood again, arms crossed over his chest. "I didn't ask you to make a choice," he said coldly. "I was presenting a strategy. I haven't heard a better one, have you?"
Harry wouldn't look at him and didn't answer.
Draco waited, giving Harry time to think it through.
Harry didn't want to say it, didn't want to admit that, strategically speaking, it was a good plan. "You know we don't have anything else," he said. "But it doesn't mean I'm going along with it."
"No," Draco said. "But you will consider it."
Harry scowled, once again not saying anything.
Draco looked at the others to see how they were reacting.
Hermione shook her head. "This is one of many plans we could have," she said with a sigh, and it was obvious she was trying to calm Harry. "Anything could happen from now until we're ready that could change everything. Just take it and we can weigh our options later."
Ron simply looked at Draco and gave him a small shrug, frowning slightly.
Draco nodded. It was as close to agreement as they were willing to give at this point. Harry had turned his back on him, so Draco stepped up behind him until his body pressed against his husband's. "I never want to leave your side," he whispered.
Harry hated that his eyes brimmed with tears and he wiped at them angrily. "Then why do you make me think about what it would be like if you did?" he whispered back.
Draco didn't answer that. Harry already knew the answer. Instead, he slid his arms around him and rested his chin on Harry's shoulder.
Harry picked a spot on the rug to stare at and clutched at Draco's arms, not wanting to, but unable to stop thinking about what Draco had looked like tied to the alter in the Offering Room and then on the table at Snape's place and in that Muggle house where he'd been beaten.
"Not today," Draco whispered. "No decision today. And I hope you are right. I hope there is a better way."
Harry sighed and nodded, knowing that he shouldn't have gotten so worked up. "I just ..." he sighed again, "love you."
"I know," Draco said, kissing his shoulder.
Chapter Title: Trojan Horse
Words: 2424 Words
Harry was lying on the couch with his head in Draco's lap and Valen on his chest. He'd just watched a chess game between Ron and Draco, which Ron had won by the slightest bit. It truly was his game. But it had Harry thinking about strategy, something he and Draco, and Ron and Hermione for that matter, hadn't really discussed in a while. What was he truly supposed to do when he was before Voldemort? What if they couldn't find Nagini when the time came? What was everyone else supposed to do? He sighed and frowned a bit.
"Harry, what are you thinking about?" Hermione asked, staring at him from her place in an armchair.
"Hm? Oh, strategy," Harry answered absently.
"Not chess, I take it," Draco said, feeling the tension in Harry rise.
"No, not chess," Harry said. "I was thinking about Voldemort."
"What about him, mate?" asked Ron as he finished putting the last of the chess pieces away.
Harry sighed again. "Just ... the end," he said. "About what's going to happen. What we're all supposed to do."
"Are there any specifics in the prophecy?" Draco asked, carding his fingers through his husband’s dark hair.
Harry had thought about the prophecy so much over the last few years, he could recite it, and so he did. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches .... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies .... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not .... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives .... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies." He finished with a sigh. He almost felt like Hermione remembering something word for word like that.
"At the hand of?" Draco asked, frowning at the wording.
Harry shrugged. "That's what it says."
Draco stopped playing with Harry's hair. "How literal is this prophecy?" he wondered. "Could that imply wandless magic?"
"Who knows?" said Harry. "Dumbledore said I didn't even have to follow it, but I do, because Voldemort is."
"Power the Dark Lord knows not ...." Draco nodded. "Which we hope is the magic you are using now."
Harry nodded. "I don't know what else it could be."
"Love itself," said Hermione. "It's something Voldemort simply doesn't know about. He can't. It gives Harry tremendous power over him. He sees love as weakness and therefore underestimates Harry. You said he sent you a dream about Valen?"
Harry winced and nodded.
"See?" Hermione continued. "He thinks that it will frighten you, weaken you, but what does it really do?"
"Makes me angry," said Harry.
"And what happens when you're angry?"
"I fight."
Draco smirked. "You fight to protect those you love," he said, also thinking about other things Harry did when he was angry.
"That's when I fight the hardest," said Harry.
"Exactly," said Hermione. "And Voldemort doesn't have that drive. He cares for himself and thinks that you are a fool to fight for others. He simply cannot see that fighting for those you love is far more powerful than fighting for yourself ever could be."
Draco looked down at the face of the man resting in his lap, smiling. "I know you can defeat him," he said. "You have gotten extremely good at both nonverbal and wandless magic. Now you have extra power. The trick is to get you close enough to use it."
Harry sighed. "Yes and how do I do that?" he said.
"Well, you can't until that snake is gone too," said Ron.
Harry sighed again. "Yes, that as well," he said.
Draco frowned, knowing that where his mind had gone was not something his husband would want to hear.
"Well, we know he keeps her close," said Harry. "He's always talking to her and making her do things for him, so she's likely to be right there, right?"
"Well ... possibly," said Hermione. "But it wouldn't be clever to rely on chance, would it?"
"That's what I usually do," said Harry.
Draco rolled his eyes and nodded.
"There really isn't any planning that can go into that," Harry continued. "There's no way we can know where she's going to be."
"In order to get near him, I can only think of two ways. One would be for him to come off the island," Draco said, "and the other would be for him to bring us there."
"I'd rather him come off the bloody island," said Harry. "I don't want to be stuck anywhere where he's got the upper hand."
"So, what would get him off the island?" Draco asked.
"Proposing any sort of battle perhaps ...." Harry mused. "Although I don't really know. He's not an idiot and he would know I'm ready for him then. But then again, he's arrogant enough so that he might come just to see what I've got. I can see him going either way."
"No," Draco said. "He won't go anywhere he thinks is a fair fight. He would have to believe he had the upper hand."
"He's going to want to propose the battle," said Hermione.
"Well, what do we do then?" said Harry.
"We need bait that would draw him out," Draco said, looking grim.
Harry snorted humourlessly. "Well, what would that be?"
"He usually sends his followers to fight his battles," Draco said. "He would only go if it was someone important enough to deserve his personal attention."
"But you just said he wouldn't come unless he thought he had the upper hand," said Harry. "If I call him, he will know something’s up."
"No," Draco said. "We would need an accomplice. Such as a man he believed worked for him but really was on our side."
"Snape," said Harry.
"Yes," Draco said. "But the problem with drawing him out is that we still don't know if he would he bring the snake."
Harry frowned, thinking. "It seems like he always has her," he said. "But is there anything we can do that would ensure his bringing her?"
Draco shrugged. "The only place I know he has her with him is in his own stronghold," he said.
Harry's frown deepened. "Do you really want to go there, Draco?" he said seriously and sounding a bit like he thought Draco was mad.
Draco shuddered. "No," he said, "but I have yet to think of an alternative plan."
"What do you reckon he's going to think if we simply decide to pop in, kill his snake, and leave?" Harry asked. "It'll make him check his Horcruxes, and then we're fucked."
"No," Draco said, "we will have to take them both out at the same time."
"By ourselves?" asked Ron, eyes slightly wide.
"Who goes depends on how we get in there, doesn't it?" Draco asked.
"But how would we get in there?" said Harry at the same time as Ron growled, "I'm going."
Draco pursed his lips, unwilling to say the only thing that came to mind.
"Draco ...." Harry said slowly, recognising the look.
Draco looked away, not meeting his eyes.
"Please just get it over with," Harry said quietly.
"Ever read any of the Greek classics?" Draco asked in a faraway sounding voice.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "No," he said.
"There is a story from the Trojan wars," he said softly.
"What is it?" Harry asked. He knew he wasn't going to like this. Draco's tone and movements told him that.
"The Greeks spent ten years fighting the Trojans but were at a stalemate," Draco explained. "Finally they had an idea. They built a tribute item, a large wooden horse. They left it at the gates of Troy and appeared to sail away. But the horse was actually full of their best fighters, who snuck out in the night and overwhelmed the city guards, letting in the leaders of the Greek army, who then sacked the city of Troy."
"Yes, I've heard that story before," said Harry.
Ron and Hermione nodded.
"We need someone inside that place to bring down the wards and let our people in," Draco said.
"Well, why can't Snape do it?" said Ron. "He'd already be in there."
"He might be able to - if there was enough of a distraction," Draco said. "But more than likely, he would need help."
Harry frowned again, waiting for the blow.
"Like a high profile prisoner," Draco suggested.
"If you are thinking what I believe you are thinking, no," said Harry, staring up at Draco intently.
Draco looked at Ron. "You used the gambit earlier," he said. "You used your queen as a lure to draw out the opponent. They take the queen but then you have them in checkmate."
Ron nodded, but winced slightly.
"Are you mad?" said Harry. "Draco, he'd - he'd murder you!"
"No, he wouldn't," Draco said. "He would make me a hostage."
"But how do you know?" said Harry, mouth open in shock that Draco was suggesting such a thing.
"He would want to use the tactic to lure you to him," he said calmly. "It would make him over-confident to think he could capture your husband."
"This is mad," Harry said. "Who knows what he'd do to you! He's probably still pissed off about you getting that serpent off your arm."
"If Snape brought me in, they would trust him more," Draco continued. "Maybe give him the chance to get the wards down. And I would be a ... distraction."
Harry clenched his teeth at that. "I can't do that," he said, closing his eyes. "I can't let them do ... anything to you."
Draco looked at Hermione and Ron, trying to judge their reactions. They had been quiet during his explanation and that probably meant they were really thinking about it.
Ron was staring at the chess board that was still out and Hermione was staring at Harry, frowning.
"No," Harry said again. "There's got to be another way that doesn't involve me giving my husband over for torture."
Draco reached over and picked up Valen who had begun to fuss as Harry's magic flared with his emotions.
"Do you think I'm crazy?" Harry asked his friends. "Is it so much to ask to not want to allow him to do this?"
"No, Harry, you're not crazy," said Hermione.
"But he's got a point," said Ron quietly.
"Oh, no you don't!" said Harry, sitting up suddenly. "You're not going to disagree with me and agree with him!"
"Is there a rule against agreeing with him?" said Ron, scowling slightly. "Besides, I didn't say I agreed with anyone."
Harry's fear and anger made his magic crackle painfully and Valen began to cry. Draco stood up, bringing the infant to his shoulder and patting him on the back, soothing him.
Harry dropped his head into his hands, wanting to scream from the frustration and now the guilt from bringing his son to tears.
Draco walked around the room with the child, who settled down pretty quickly. He Summoned the baby's cot to a further spot in the room and laid him in it with his magical rattle. Then he took a deep breath and walked back over to sit beside his husband.
Harry looked up again and at Draco's face. "Would you let me do it?" he said. "If the roles were reversed, would you let me?"
"They're not reversed," Draco said quietly. "You are the white king in this chess game. I knew that going into this."
Harry had known that Draco wouldn't give him a straight answer. He dropped his head again.
"Harry," said Hermione gently, trying to comfort.
"No," Harry said, getting to his feet. "Why do I always have to make these fucking choices? Why can't I just bloody go in there? I'd rather do that than this!" It is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are .... Harry shivered a bit and swallowed.
Draco stood again, arms crossed over his chest. "I didn't ask you to make a choice," he said coldly. "I was presenting a strategy. I haven't heard a better one, have you?"
Harry wouldn't look at him and didn't answer.
Draco waited, giving Harry time to think it through.
Harry didn't want to say it, didn't want to admit that, strategically speaking, it was a good plan. "You know we don't have anything else," he said. "But it doesn't mean I'm going along with it."
"No," Draco said. "But you will consider it."
Harry scowled, once again not saying anything.
Draco looked at the others to see how they were reacting.
Hermione shook her head. "This is one of many plans we could have," she said with a sigh, and it was obvious she was trying to calm Harry. "Anything could happen from now until we're ready that could change everything. Just take it and we can weigh our options later."
Ron simply looked at Draco and gave him a small shrug, frowning slightly.
Draco nodded. It was as close to agreement as they were willing to give at this point. Harry had turned his back on him, so Draco stepped up behind him until his body pressed against his husband's. "I never want to leave your side," he whispered.
Harry hated that his eyes brimmed with tears and he wiped at them angrily. "Then why do you make me think about what it would be like if you did?" he whispered back.
Draco didn't answer that. Harry already knew the answer. Instead, he slid his arms around him and rested his chin on Harry's shoulder.
Harry picked a spot on the rug to stare at and clutched at Draco's arms, not wanting to, but unable to stop thinking about what Draco had looked like tied to the alter in the Offering Room and then on the table at Snape's place and in that Muggle house where he'd been beaten.
"Not today," Draco whispered. "No decision today. And I hope you are right. I hope there is a better way."
Harry sighed and nodded, knowing that he shouldn't have gotten so worked up. "I just ..." he sighed again, "love you."
"I know," Draco said, kissing his shoulder.