Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Freedom Bound in Chains	By : TaintedSensibly Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 58477 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 13
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Harry Potter characters. I did not make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 23
- 24
- 25
Farewell
Remus, feeling strange, almost empty, opened his eyes to a soft white ceiling. Head rolling sideways, he saw a window with sunlight spilling through gauzy white curtains and soft purple/blue walls. Rolling his head the other way, he saw an open doorway and a white hall beyond that.
His whole body went tense as he remembered what was missing: Pain. There was no more pain! It was almost like losing a limb, the sudden absence of something that had been so permanent and solid, like a living, breathing thing under his skin.
Weakly, he lifted his arms to pull down the soft white sheets and knitted blanket. Tears wet his cheeks as he took in his chest, which was bandaged from throat to hips. He wore white pajama pants and his feet were bare. His arms had healing, yellow-green bruising, especially around his wrists. Trembling, he pushed up into a sitting position. Then he swung his legs off the bed. When he lifted his head, he noticed a woman in Healer green observing him from the doorway.
“Good morning, Mr. Lupin,” she spoke, voice low and soothing. She had warm brown eyes and auburn hair pulled up into a high, thick ponytail. “This is St. Brighid Northeast Magical Hospital. Due to lycanthropy, you have been resistant to healing spells, potions, and ointments. Please move carefully. You are not fully healed.”
“Where...” he rasped and had to cough.
The healer entered the room and Remus noticed she had a slight limp. She stood next to him and poured a glass of water from a pitcher sitting on the bedside table. She offered it to him, and he took it with both hands, afraid to spill it.
As he drank, she lifted her hands and held them a few inches away from the side's of his head. He felt the shiver of her magic running through him and did his best not to react. He felt jumpy, his heart beating hard with a jittery anxiety. She frowned and pulled her hands away, taking the cup from him just as his shaking hands were about to spill it.
Before she could say anything, Remus tried again. “Where are... the boys? Did they... get here safely? What's their... condition?”
Her frown softened and she clasped her hands in front of her. Remus noticed that there were snakes woven into the hem of her long-sleeved scrubs. “They suffered more critical internal injuries than you and are still being held in the Bona Dea Children's Ward.”
“Their condition?” Remus insisted, staring her down.
She looked tired as she answered him. “There were traces of a very high potency tranquilizer in all three of your systems. We suspect that the Scourers used this to subdue you upon your capture. Further, all three of you showed evidence of repeated injections of a low dose of ketamine hydrochloride. While you and the blond child proved to be resistant to the drugs, the brunet was more susceptible and his respiratory system was compromised due to this combination.”
“Is he okay?” Remus demanded and tried to get to his feet.
The healer gently pressed on his shoulders to keep him seated. “He is doing well and is out of danger,” she assured him.
Remus gripped the bed in both hands. He felt hot all over, but he forced himself to hold still. “What did they do to him?”
She sighed and continued to give him the harrowing report. “The brunet aspirated on a mixture the Scourers forced him to imbibe and vomit. He suffered respiratory collapse after being subjected to emergency portkey and had to be revived several times. Spells have been cast to assist his breathing as his respiratory system is still recovering and his lungs are still in danger of infection. We were able to purge him of the toxins the mixture produced. The external contusions and lacerations have been healed with minimal complications and scarring. Also, circulation has been repaired to his extremities. We project a full recovery in as soon as two weeks.”
Remus swallowed. His throat felt painfully tight as he imagined what exactly Harry had felt as those injuries had been inflicted. “And Draco?”
“Is that the child's name?”
“Draco Black is the blond and Harry Potter is the brunet,” Remus told her and watched as she pulled out a notepad and wrote it down. “What's his condition?” he asked again, and when she looked reluctant, Remus's stomach dropped. “Tell me. Please.”
“He's still in critical condition,” she admitted. “He suffered the most physical damage between the three of you. He had second and third degree burns spanning the entirety of his torso and genitalia from what looks like hot oil. He also suffered severe contusions across this same area and two broken ribs that punctured through his left lung. He arrived without pulse or respiration. It took several minutes to stimulate his heart and several hours to correct the broken ribs and repair the lung.
“During this time, Draco suffered cerebral hypoxia, which means his brain lacked adequate levels of oxygen. It is unclear if he will regain consciousness, although he is now breathing on his own. The severe burning has not fully healed, but we are hopeful that there will be no muscle damage. We will not know for sure unless he wakes and demonstrates full strength and movement of his body. There is also a high chance of hypoesthesia, which is a partial or complete loss of sensitivity to sensory stimuli, over the surface of his chest and genitals.”
“Merlin.” Remus collapsed in on himself and wept.
Hands moved him gently back into the bed and pulled the covers up. “You're still recovering, Mr. Lupin. Please rest as long as you can.”
…
Harry opened his eyes. He felt fuzzy. Everything was blurry, but he knew he was in a new place. The darkness and the flickering candles were missing, but the chanting remained. It was a song that ran in circles through his brain. It tortured him, and he felt the ghost of the flogger against his skin, keeping rhythm.
"Regna terrae, cantate Deo, (snap) psallite Domino per caelum, (crack) caelum antiquos, glori Patri... (snap) Exorcizamus te, (crack) omnis immundus spiritus, (crack) omnis satanica potestas, (snap) omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, (crack) omnis legio, omnis congregatio (snap) et secta diabolica...”
Harry had never known physical pain like this. It shredded his nerves and mind, but the hatred of the voices, the glaring eyes, had been so familiar. He'd drifted on the pain, like Draco had taught him, and tried to step away, but it screamed and screamed at him. It couldn't be escaped.
“Ergo, omnis legio diabolica, (snap) adiuramus te cessa decipere humanas creaturas, (crack) eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare. (snap) Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, (crack) hostis humanæ salutis! (snap) Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei; (crack) contremisce et effuge, (snap) invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine... (crack) quem inferi tremunt...(snap)”
He was bad. He'd done something wrong... No, that wasn't right. He hadn't done something... He was something bad, something evil. They called him demon, put a name to his curse. Demon. He had a demon inside him. The pain... the pain would get the demon out! Get it out of him, get it out!
Lost in the feverish torment, Harry began to lean into the imaginary blows. His arms lifted dream-like above his head until they were locked above him, chained by memory once more.
A healer came and tried to wake him from his trance, but Harry was held prisoner. He was forced to play the memory out. She gasped as Latin began to spill from his lips, an echo of the Scourer's twisted prayers. She watched in horror as his small body rocked under each remembered blow, and his magic, disturbed and no longer suppressed by drugs, cracked and snapped against the walls, leaving thin cuts and gorges in the walls, floor, and ceiling every time the flogger fell in his memory. Terrified the boy would do damage to himself, she ran for the Asclepius.
Green eyes staring blindly upward, face blank and empty, Harry chanted, voice low and guttural, "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, (crack) omnis satanica potestas omnis incursio infernalis adversarii. (snap) Omnis legio! Omnis con potestas, (crack) omnis incursio infernalis adversarii. (snap) Omnis legio! Omnis congregatio et secta diabolica! (crack)”
Three healers ran into the room and cast spells to sedate him, but the heavy heat of Harry's magic smothered their spells. When they tried to touch him, it was like touching a live current, and they jerked their hands back.
Evil, disgusting thing! He was cursed, possessed! Harry fell deeper and deeper into the memory, his voice lifting into a near howl, "Exorcizamus te, Omnis Immundus Spiritus, (snap) Omnis Satanica Potestas, Omnis Incursio Infernalis Adversarii, (crack) Omnis Congregatio et Secta Diabolica, (snap) Ergo Draco Maledicte, Ut Ecclesiam Tuam Servire, (crack) Tibi Facias Libertate Secura, Te Rogamus, Audi Nos!"
Eyes spilling tears, Harry's face split into a grin, bellowing one line over and over, stuck on repeat. The crack of his magic ceased, becoming instead an invisible weight with teeth like razors resting against the skin. “Ergo, Draco maledicte et omnis... Draco maledicte et omnis... Draco maledicte et omnis! ...Draco maledicte et omnis! ...Draco maledicte et omnis! ...DRACO MALEDICTE ET OMNIS! ...DRACO MALEDICTE ET OMNIS!”
Magic amplified the tortured child's screams to the point the healers collapsed to their knees, hands clasped desperately to their ears.
Into this chaos, the Asclepius arrived. He wore elaborate robes with beads, feathers, and precious stones worked in endless spiraling patterns. His hair stood wild around his head, white as a cloud. His face was cragged and wrinkled with age, his eyes a fogged hazel. In his arms, he carried the blond child who'd arrived with the brunet.
The blond was shirtless, the wrinkled and warped skin of his chest still red and glistening with healing ointment. He was not conscious, but his expression was no longer doll-like as he lay in a coma. Instead, he was sweating, face crinkled in pain.
“Leave us,” Asclepius commanded.
The healers all leaned on each other as they quickly stepped out of the room.
Moving forward as if the magic-amplified screams did not touch him, the Asclepius moved to the bed and gently lay the blond next to the tormented child. Almost instantly the screams cut off, but the ominous energy did not disburse.
The healers watched as the Asclepius turned and left the room, sealing the door and waving his hand at the wall so they could see through it into the hospital room beyond. Then he took his staff from his apprentice and tapped it once on the floor, the soft jingle of bells and the hiss of his snake helped him slide into a trance.
The injured bodies of the children slid out of focus. Instead, he saw a gorgeous starburst of golden energy pulsing outward and then down into a green so rich it went beyond the color emerald. Asclepius understood this was the color of nature, of competition and death. As the two magics came into contact, there was an immediate rippling reaction.
…
Like a sunrise, the name Draco resonated through Harry's entire being. He rolled onto his side to see the blond lying next to him, head on a pillow, sleeping. Sitting up, Harry realized something was on his face, something shimmery, like water flashing in the corner of his eyes, but when he put his hands to his face, he couldn't feel anything there. His skin felt a little colder but otherwise normal. He was distracted from the weird shimmer as he took in Draco's chest.
Draco was shirtless, unlike Harry who wore a thin cotton shirt. The blond's chest was pink and red, warped and wrinkled oddly. It shimmered with a clear lotion. Harry had suffered horrible sunburns after working in the yard all day for his Aunt. He knew how painful it was.
With a whine, he leaned forward and put his mouth on the angry skin of Draco's shoulder. Tears falling from his eyes, Harry let his - love need - fill his belly, let it heat and spill from his mouth in a familiar sensation. The lotion was slick but tasteless against his lips and tongue.
Harry sat up and quickly pulled off his shirt. He pressed himself against Draco's side. As their warm skin slid against each other, it was like coming home.
Crying quietly, he sucked and licked over every inch. He was halfway down Draco's chest, beginning to feel dizzy and limp, when Draco's hand lifted and sank into the hair at the back of his head. Harry whimpered and lifted his head to see sleepy grey eyes peering at him. Draco's lips curled into a soft smile, and Harry slid up Draco's body to kiss those lips again and again.
Draco held him tightly by the hair, pushing his tongue into Harry's mouth. Harry's heart nearly burst with - joy love. Lips parting with a soft smack, cheeks flushed red, Harry lifted his head and moved back down to Draco's sternum. He licked his way down, his body throbbing with heat.
Draco's skin warmed beneath his lips, and he felt Draco sigh a moan. Suddenly he wasn't dizzy and weak anymore. Pleasure surged along his skin. Sensually, he pressed his thigh between Draco's legs, the cotton pants they wore sliding together with a faint hiss. Rocking softly against each other's thighs, Harry mapped out Draco's skin with mouth, tongue, and magic.
Arching, Draco closed his eyes, hand caught in Harry's hair as he held the boy's head tight against his stomach. Warm, tingling, he felt the pleasure build. * Love you, love you so much, * he babbled.
Harry groaned and plunged his tongue deep into Draco's belly button.
Draco arched with a loud gasp. * Feels so good, Harry. * He gave a soft cry as Harry's small pink tongue thrust in and out at rapid pace. * Don't stop, yes, so good! *
Harry pierced the small hole a few more times before sliding his mouth further down. Gently, he shoved Draco's pants past his hips and stared at the red, sore skin of Draco's privates. He gently lapped at the soft, tender skin, pressing in close.
Draco was moaning near constantly now. His hand fisted Harry's hair almost to the point of pain. His thighs were spread as far as they could while still trapped in the pants. His head arched back on the pillow, his hair fanned out gracefully. His long pale lashes brushed his flushed, sweaty cheeks, and his lips were red and swollen from kisses. Long, slender fingers held Harry's dark head between his legs as his back arched in pleasure.
Harry groaned, green eyes glowing upward as he watched Draco's reactions. His hips worked against the mattress more firmly as Draco's thighs suddenly closed to cradled his shoulders. Twirling his tongue, sucking softly, Harry felt the edge of the peak that would send them crashing into a pleasure so great, it would erase everything else.
…
The Asclepius watched, enraptured, as the green energy spiraled and thrust gently like waves upon a golden shore that sparkled and flared. The two pulsed in a matching rhythm, and as the intensity grew, amazing levels of energy was produced. Each pull and thrust, every new spiral, as the energy resonated back and forth created a loop with an exponential increase.
It could take wizards and witches years to find one with compatible magic, and then months of study to get this kind of balance, and yet these two had instinctively fallen into the right mix of give and take. Energy built and built between them, enough that Asclepius grew concerned, but before he could leave his trance and speak, the ritual reached it's peak and the energy exploded outward only to snap back toward the boys.
Asclepius could hear the uncomfortable shuffle of feet as the boys' bodies reached orgasm. He was more fascinated with the way the powerful energy was absorbed into the tiny bodies of the children. The boys practically glowed with the power they had generated, and he watched in fascination as a good portion of that power was consumed to boost their physical health.
The shadows of illness and injury thinned and disappeared. The rest spilled over gently into the surrounding environment, saturating it with magic to be used by any who was able. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed.
As the energies of the children stabilized and settled in their normal pattern, he gasped as he saw a yīnyáng form. Gold locking with green with a safely kept piece of the opposite shielded within. Classified under twin-bonds, the yīnyáng was the rarest form of magical bond.
Another tap of his staff and Asclepius came out of his trance. He saw a lot of blushing faces, some scandalized, others horrified, and a few filled with a resonant lust. He cleared his throat and those who were not assigned to the boys' care scattered. The two healers on observation duty stood straighter, their cheeks growing darker as their embarrassment deepened.
“They boys have understandably fallen into a deep sleep after channeling such powerful magic. Cast status spells on both. I believe they have been completely healed by their ritual. I expect a full report on what damage is left within fifteen minutes. You will find me in with Mr. Lupin.”
“Yes, sir!” the two chorused before hurrying to obey.
…
Remus sat on the side of his bed, hands on his thighs clenched in his hospital pants. The Asclepius, which was the title given to a healer upon their forty-ninth year working as a Master, had conjured a chair and sat across from him. He could hardly believe someone of such enormous prestige and respect was sitting and talking to him as if it were normal.
“I don't understand,” he rasped.
“As you will most likely act as magical guardian to these children, it is important that you understand, Mr. Lupin,” Asclepius repeated. He had fogged hazel eyes and a shock of white hair that seemed to stand on end around his head in a halo. Face craggy and wrinkled with age, he nonetheless exuded power and sharp intelligence. “Their bond is extraordinary, and most will misunderstand their healing ritual, as I just explained.”
“So they're not having sex?” Remus asked dumbly. He felt numb. The trauma and absent pain still hovered over him like a poisonous cloud. He felt foreign in his own skin. The idea of Draco and Harry having sex was almost incomprehensible.
“They are having oral sex, but I doubt they are developed enough for any type of penetrative intercourse. It is not for the purpose of lust and reproduction, of course. Biologically, they are not developed enough to have that drive. Due to their exposure to sex, they somehow figured out that it could be used as a tool to generate and control energy. I have no words to describe to you the amount of energy needed to heal the boys of their critical injuries. Such power could not be raised by normal means, nor could it be easily controlled. They had the power to level this building, Mr. Lupin, but the ritual prevented that and allowed the energy to be directed back into their bodies in a safe way.”
Before Remus could respond, a healer stepped into the room. The Asclepius turned to her and gestured for her to speak.
“Draco's brain is in perfect health, sir. The damage from lack of oxygen has been reversed. His bones are completely mended and all contusions have been healed. The burns have disappeared. There is some scar tissue on his sternum and across his stomach, but it looks years old. He also retains the extensive old scarring on his back and legs.
“As for Harry, he has been taken off the Breath of Life Spell. His lungs and respiratory system has been fully repaired. The lacerations and contusions have been healed. There was no scarring. Their bond is still in evidence and their vitals are all normal. They are still underweight from long-standing starvation, but there is evidence that they are slowly recovering from this. ”
“Thank you, Healer,” Asclepius told her perfunctorily and she left once more. His eyes returned to Remus impatiently. “There. It is as I saw. Your children are very unique and you must be prepared to deal with that, Mr. Lupin.” Hazel eyes like lasers, the Asclepius demanded, “Are you ready to fight for them? Because, as you know, the world is not kind to those who are different.”
Remus felt his back straighten. He was sick of running, from the world and from himself. Running had left Harry to suffer horribly all alone at the hands of those who should have been family. Running had led to James and Lily's deaths. Maybe he would have seen something, been able to change things. Maybe he would have even been able to stop Sirius, to help him before he'd been driven to commit such an unforgivable betrayal. The Asclepius was right. No more running. These were his kids now.
“Yes,” Remus vowed, intent and fierce as he'd never been before. “Yes, I will protect them.”
“Good.” The Asclepius stood, staff grasped firmly in hand. As he did, a slender brown snake shifted so that it was staring at Remus as it hung wrapped in coiled loops around a thick knot three-fourths of the way up the staff. “Remember that promise, Mr. Lupin. Remember it well.”
…
Draco came awake with a gasp. He was damp with sweat and his heart pounded with fear. His first instinct was to cover Harry who lay sleeping beside him. Leaning over the sleeping boy, Draco slowly realized he was in a pale green and white room. It was nearly empty of furniture except for two long bedside tables and the bed itself. Slowly, his heart calmed and with trembling fingers he lifted his shirt to see his chest. He found healed, scarred skin. It didn't hurt at all. Goosebumps rose on his arms at the gentle pass of his fingers and he shivered.
“So you have sensation there. That's good.”
Draco's head snapped up and he glared fiercely at the woman. He shifted so that he hid most of Harry behind him. “Who're you?” he demanded coldly. She wore a pale green shirt with matching pants, marking her as someone who worked at a hospital.
“My name is Healer Rosenzweig,” she told him. She made no move to enter the room. Instead, she stood just outside the doorway. “This is St. Brighid Northeast Magical Hospital. You were brought here for treatment.”
Draco felt shaky and exhausted, but he let none of it show on his face. “Remus?”
“He's here as well,” she answered. “May I come in and check your vitals?”
Draco considered refusing. He wanted to curl up with Harry and disappear for a while. He wanted to talk to no one and deal with nothing, but that wasn't possible and he wasn't about to fail after they'd come so far and survived so much. He ruthlessly pushed away his desire to hide and sat straighter, saying, “Come in.”
She gave him a smile and entered the room. She explained everything she was doing as she did it. The wooden stick was a wand. It was used to amplify magic to help achieve more precise or powerful results. Normally she would not use a wand to check vitals, but after they had healed themselves of the remaining damage, they wanted more specific and in-depth results. Partly to be certain everything was as healed as it seemed and partly to understand the boys' magic.
Draco wasn't sure he liked that last part, but he also understood he was in no position to bargain at the moment. He'd been dying, if not dead, and he'd been unable to save himself. He was now in a world completely unfamiliar. The most he could do at this point was watch and learn.
“How'd you find us?” Draco asked as the woman finished running her wand through the air above his and Harry's bodies. He'd felt nothing really as she cast her spells. Maybe a little tingle, but nothing significant. He filed that away: he might not be aware when a spell was cast on him.
She poured him a glass of water and handed it to him. “I believe a Muggle rescued you. Once free, Remus was able to tear his emergency card to alert the Aurors. The Aurors sent you to the hospital for immediate emergency treatment. Had they not, you would not have survived. Only magic could have stabilized and healed you as quickly as was required for you to keep your life. Then, as you know, you healed the rest of the damage with your... ritual.”
Ritual? Draco had no idea what she was talking about, but the sudden blush on her cheeks gave him a hint. Was that what she was calling what he and Harry did together? It made him smile. Adults were stupid in his opinion and that wasn't changing now that he was meeting magical people.
“What was Harry's condition?” Draco asked, staring her in the eyes and making it clear that not answering was not an option. She bit her lip uncertainly. “Every detail,” he demanded.
“He suffered contusions and lacerations over his torso...”
“No. Not a list of wounds. I want ta know what they did to him. I need ta know what he went through,” he explained, and when she looked hesitant, he begged. “Please. How'm I gonna help him if you don't tell me?”
“He was beaten with a flogger for at least a couple hours to get the amount of bruising he displayed.”
The healer shifted to the side and Remus entered the room. He was limping, but he made his way smoothly to the bed and sat on the end. He looked exhausted and there was still evidence of his experience on what Draco could see of the healing skin on his arms and more obviously on his face. His cheeks looked thinner and raw, puckered in a wide dimple where no dimple should be.
Draco's fist clenched as useless anger swelled in his gut. “And?”
“It left bone deep bruising and broke his skin in several places,” Remus continued. “At some point they tied rosaries around his arms and genitals, tight enough to cut off circulation. If it they had been left on much longer, he might have lost his hands and balls.”
Draco let out a tight breath. He didn't dare look at Harry, not until the list was done, so he stared over Remus's shoulder at the wall, eyes and face blank.
“He was sensitive to the tranquilizer and ketamine hydrochloride injections, so his respiratory system was already compromised with they poisoned him. They poured a mixture of vinegar and herbs into his mouth and duct taped it closed. In those quantities, it was toxic and made him ill. He tried to expel it, but with nowhere to go, he ended up choking near to death. The healers had to cast spells to help him breathe and they expected his lungs to take a few weeks to recover before you healed each other.”
Draco couldn't take it any longer. He turned and obsessively ran his hands over Harry's face, neck, and arms. He even lifted the white shirt Harry wore to examine his thin chest, a shirt identical to the one Draco was dressed in. He looked over every inch, even though he knew he'd find nothing. He still had to check for himself, to see with his own eyes that Harry was well.
“That's what we could tell from the medical reports, but we don't know what they said to him or the things they did that didn't leave physical marks,” Remus continued. His voice had gone flat, almost dead sounding. “I'm hoping that the drugs made his mind fuzzy enough that he won't remember with much clarity.”
Draco held Harry to him, pulling the still sleeping boy half in his lap, as he stared at Remus critically. “And you?”
Golden eyes lifted. There was exhaustion and knowledge there. Pain was one thing, but to know people could be so utterly evil broke something inside, broke an innate trust you didn't even know was there until it was gone. The world seemed terrifyingly big after that.
“I'll recover,” the man whispered, not out-right lying but not telling the full truth, either.
Draco didn't push. He was actually afraid Remus would break if he were pushed any further. “How'd we escape?”
“A woman.” Remus looked away, posture slouched with exhaustion as he spoke. “Asian. She killed the Scourers and got me down. I had her bring my wallet where the Aurors had given me an emergency locator of sorts. I activated it and we were rescued. She had two friends with her. Another woman and a man. The man wouldn't leave Harry and actually was brought here with us. I think they still have him unconscious somewhere, but that won't last much longer.”
Draco ducked his head, tears burning his cheeks. Liam. Liam had found them and rescued them. Draco had finally found someone, someone who would be there for him, and they couldn't stay. It was too cruel. “Where's this guy now?”
Remus cocked his head curiously. “You think it's your Liam?”
Draco closed his eyes tight and nodded. “Yeah. It's my Liam.”
A warm hand brushed his shoulder before falling away. “You don't have to go. They're going to spell him with false memories. He won't remember saying goodbye.”
Draco opened bleak eyes and said, “But I will. And Harry.” He turned his attention to his boy. * Harry. It's time to wake up. *
Harry stirred and green eyes blinked open blearily. He immediately latched on to Draco, practically crawling into the blond's lap as a deep and resonate sense of – need confusion – poured through the bond.
“Hey,” Draco said gently, brushing his hand down Harry's back. “I'm gonna go say bye to Liam, you wanna come?”
“Come,” Harry rasped, but from the storm of – fear anxiety confusion – Draco knew it was because he was afraid to leave Draco's side, not out of any real desire to see Liam.
Likely, Harry hadn't caught up with the conversation and didn't fully realize what Draco was proposing, but he didn't stop to explain. It was going to be hard as hell, but he also knew saying goodbye would be better in the end for both of them. So he swallowed his tears, took Harry by the hand, and followed Remus to the room they were keeping his brother.
…
Liam opened his eyes feeling groggy as all hell but with a driving thought to Get up! Move!, and he quickly pushed himself into a sitting position and swung his legs over the bed before really seeing where he was.
“Take it slow.”
Liam's head turned quickly toward the sound of that vice and he grinned, tears burning his eyes as he saw Draco whole and well standing a few feet from him. Harry was right behind the blond, slightly to the side. He had a hand hooked in Draco's white cotton shirt. Harry wore an identical shirt and both boys had on identical white pajama bottoms. The overly sanitized room came into focus, and Liam realized they were in a hospital, but that didn't matter right now.
“Draco. Harry.” He reached for them, feeling too unsteady to stand. The blond took his hand and stepped closer so that Liam could pull both boys into a hug. “Thank god you're okay.”
“Thanks to you,” Draco answered, voice uncharacteristically soft against Liam's chest. “How'd you find us?”
Liam pushed the boys back just enough so that he could see their faces. Harry was silent. He was smiling at Liam, but there was darkness in his eyes and his hand still clung to Draco's shirt. Liam felt his heart break. Harry may look well, but he wasn't, and neither was Draco. Not after what those bastards had done to them.
“I tore through the underworld 'til I found someone who knew something. Busted up a few people doing it. Might be a good idea for us to get out of town,” Liam confessed with a lopsided smile.
Instead of looking relieved, Draco looked infinitely pained. “Look.”
Liam hated that word. Draco only ever started sentences that way when he was about to lay down a reality that he knew the other person wasn't going to like.
“Liam.” Draco straightened his back and looked him in the eye. “I don't think we can stick with ya. Those Scourers, they're not gonna stop 'til we're dead this time. We've got to stay with magic people and learn how ta protect ourselves. We need ta learn how ta control this power we have. And you ain't got magic. It's illegal for us to be with you cause you don't got it an' we do, so we can't go with ya.”
Liam stared into Draco's serious little face and said, “No.” Grey eyes widened and, with a grin, Liam said it again. “No. Hard rule. We stay together. I don't give a shit about those psychos. Don't care about some stupid law. Hell if I'm going to let that happen! We stick together, Draco. We're family.”
“Look...” Draco tried again.
“No,” Liam said simply, bored.
“Liam...”
“No.”
Fire ignited in Draco's suddenly silver eyes. “Shut the fuck up and listen! It's not like we want you to go, but what the fuck are we goin' ta' do? They got magic, Liam. They're gonna make ya think you're happy we're gone. I can't stop that. You definitely can't stop it. And you may not care about the danger, but that just means you're a stupid, selfish fuck!”
Draco was panting by this point, fists clenched, cheeks red. “I sure as hell fuckin' care!” he yelled angrily. “Care what it'll do to us if we have'ta watch you die like we did Brendon! Care that sticking together might end up getting us all killed!”
Liam reached forward and hugged Draco tightly to his chest. Harry pressed up against Draco's back, up against Liam's arms. Through them, he could feel Harry trembling. His shirt grew damp where Draco's face was pressed against his shoulder, and Liam realized in horror that Draco was crying. Hell, Liam was crying, too.
“Shit. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Draco. You're right.”
Draco was a little kid forced to grow up too fucking soon. He'd been tortured and brutalized and dehumanized, and yet he'd come out of it with his heart battered but unbroken. It wasn't fair to keep putting the hard decisions on him. Liam was an adult. He had to start acting like it.
“Fuck, I love you guys. So damn much,” he whispered into Draco's ear, knowing Harry could hear him.
The dark-haired boy began to sob, loud and heartbreaking like only a kid could.
Liam pushed Draco away and ruffled Harry's hair. “Hey, none of that. I'm sure you guys are going to go on awesome adventures and do kickass magic, right? I'm going to be alright, Harry. Really. You guys helped me out a lot. We're always going to be family, even if we don't see each other again. Family, real family, they stay in here with us always.”
Liam placed his hand flat against Harry's chest over his heart. He offered him his best smile, knowing the kid wouldn't be able to see though it.
Draco grabbed his other hand and pressed it flat on his own chest, mirroring Harry. Liam could feel the flesh there was just slightly raised and uneven with scar tissue. He wouldn't have noticed except the vision of Draco's burns were forever engraved behind his eyes.
Simultaneously the boys lifted a hand (Draco's left, Harry's right) and pressed them flat on Liam's chest. “You saved us,” Draco told him solemnly. It was said with a wealth of meaning, telling him that Draco would never forget.
Liam's lips trembled.
“I love you, Liam,” Harry said with a simple honesty that was just so him. Honest, pure, open; he was the most generous and loving person Liam had ever met.
Tears slipped down his cheeks, but Liam forced his smile to hold. The truth was he couldn’t even fathom life without his brothers now. The nine months they'd been together had changed him utterly. He wanted to beg them not to do this, to find some way to make it work, tell them that he had nothing left but them.
He'd ruined his place in the mob. In fact, he probably had a price on his head. Those evil religious psychos knew about the club, had been watching it for months, so that was out. So was the apartment. Brendon was dead. Now Draco and Harry were leaving him. But Draco was right. What the fuck could they do? These magic bastards wouldn't let Liam stay, and Draco and Harry had to go with them. But who would watch their backs? Fuck, he hated this!
He pushed on their chests hard enough to make them back-step. They had to go. Now. Or he wasn't going to have the strength to follow through. He'd grab hold of them and throw a tantrum like a little kid, screaming 'It's not fair! I don't wanna!' on the top of his lungs. And then Draco would have to step up and carry the burden alone once more. He'd have to be the adult. No. Liam was going to do this right. For Draco.
“See ya around, kiddos,” he said as lightly as he could. “Maybe we'll run into each other again in a few years and you can fill me in on all of your adventures.”
Crying, Harry curled into Draco's side, pressing his face against the blond's shoulder. He looked so small in Draco's arms.
Draco mirrored Liam's fake smile and gave a wave. “Bye, Liam. Thank you.”
“Bye,” he whispered back and watched the boys walk out of the room, Draco's arm firmly around Harry. Throat burning with rage and grief, he looked to the gold-eyed man who they rescued with the boys. “You better fucking keep them safe,” he spat, fierce and bitter. “You hear me? Keep them safe!”
The man met his eyes solemnly before giving a nod. Then he left, leaving Liam behind to scream and rage before spells pulled him down into unconsciousness.
Chapter end.
A/N: (cries!) I really tried. I know you won't believe me, but the story kept driving here again and again no matter how I tried to get around it.
Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!
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Freedom Bound in Chains