The Contract

Chapter Twenty Seven – St. Mungo’s



Harry knew that it was the First of September, that he should be on the Hogwart’s Express going to the Beginning Feast to start the last year of his education. However, he was in a private suite at St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies. He was not insane and had offended the counselor when he had defended himself.



“I did not mean to imply you were a lunatic, Mr. Potter, however, you have had a very strenuous few weeks and we must be sure you are not a safety risk before you are returned to the general population which you have always protected.” She had been in a snit that day, and Harry’s attitude and restlessness did not help the situation.



The counselor, also called a ‘Mind-Healer’ was to speak with him again today, and every day until he was determined to be safe. Standing, he stretched, ignored his morning ‘wood’ and made his way to the loo. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to touch himself, but there was a nagging part of him that said he had not been given permission to do so, and he simply ignored it until it went away.



The other reason he was to remain in the hospital was the collar that Lucius Malfoy had secured around his neck. No one could remove it. Even Bill Weasley came from Gringott’s in the attempt to break the charm that held it secure. Harry believed that it would simply fall off on his eighteenth birthday, but since he hadn’t bothered to voice that opinion, the efforts continued.



He felt a peace in some odd way when he looked in the mirror and saw it. He knew that his Master, Draco, had broken the bond and no longer wished to have him as a servant, and Lucius had been executed for the assault on he and Draco, so there was no possibility that he would be claimed that way. His view was very analytical and because of this he did not wish to remain in the hospital. At least at school, he could be around people he could trust. Here, he just survived one day to the next.



He had wondered why Draco had not tried to contact him. Ron had said that he had a note from Draco, but past that, there had been no owls, and Ron had forgotten the letter at home. He found he missed the blonde and wished that he could turn back time to still be with him. Not that Draco was a strong Master, but he and Harry had clicked and seemed to have a good relationship. Harry hated Lucius Malfoy, the man, the name, the act he committed, the hurt he caused… the list was long.



Harry also missed his wand. Remus and Severus had come to see him late last night and told him what happened to Dobby. He decided that between that wand being used to kill someone, or some thing would be more accurate, so close to him and the fact it was Voldemort’s brother wand, he would just see about getting a new one before he went back to school. Of course, he mused as he looked into the steamy mirror, ’I haven’t needed a wand since I got here.’ His wandless abilities had grown exponentially with the bond first being made, then broken, and coming into his magic inheritance.



The memories of his training were still very sketchy. He knew now that there were two men involved and while one was kind and helpful in his teaching Harry the finer parts of life such as foreign languages, dancing, music, and manners; the other one had been the one that had taught him discipline.



That man was responsible for any beatings he received, any harsh words, or complaints, as well as teaching him how to take large objects into his throat for pleasure, among other things. He had learned the principles behind sex, the proper art of stimulation and pleasure for his master. He’d spent long hours kneeling in the dark waiting for someone to come to him, but staying still as he had been taught.



Just last night, when he was too keyed up after Remus left, he had assumed the position and stayed perfectly still for hours. This morning, he wished someone could have told him that they were proud of him for being a good servant. He wished for long, thin fingers to stroke his hair and face while he knelt beside his chair.



A knock on the outside door brought him out of his memories. He grimaced as he realized that his cock had responded to the memories of his Master that never was. Yelling that he would be just a moment, he tried to think of anything that might make his erection go away.



When all thoughts failed, he took a deep breath, lifted his hardness with his left hand, and slapped the head of his cock with his right hand. He gritted his teeth, as it took two more slaps to get his body to cooperate. Breathing through the pain, he dressed and left the loo for his morning appointments.







It went on this way for weeks. Remus visited, as did Molly and Arthur Weasley. They all spoke of their letters from his friends, but each carefully avoided speaking of Draco. While part of him craved news on the blonde, the other part still argued that he was not wanted and should just stop thinking of him. He hoped that when he stopped being conflicted that he could return to school. Until then, he would follow the girl down the hall to the Mind-Healer’s office for yet another session.



It went on for weeks.



The first week of October, Harry was fed up. He decided he couldn’t get better as long as he was cooped up and out of the sunshine. He spoke to Mr. Weasley about the situation, and he agreed to sponsor Harry to come to the Burrow and be an “Outpatient”. If he improved, Arthur was sure that the Headmaster would welcome him back with open arms.



Harry Potter was released to the Burrow the following day. The Daily Prophet was not notified. There was no fanfare. He was simply released, handed a Portkey and sent on his way.



It was Wednesday, or perhaps Thursday, of the same week he was released that Molly could be found watching from the kitchen window as Harry flew around the property. They had not mentioned Draco or the situation over the summer but knew that the time had come to just talk to him and not avoid the issues any longer. When Harry finally landed and came in for lunch, Molly did exactly that.



“Harry, dear, I want to have a conversation with you.” She was only a bit apprehensive, as this was one of her sons. "I know you are here on a trial basis and the Healer will be out tomorrow after breakfast to talk to you, and I want to feel as though it is doing some good.”



“It isn’t. I don’t trust her. She tries, she is nice, she is smart, but she just doesn’t present a person I can trust.”



Molly considered this for a few minutes, dreading the next answer to her question. “Who do you trust Harry?”



“Living or dead?” He asked.



She frowned, “Living, of course.”



Ticking off people on his fingers, he started the list, “Ron, Hermione, Ginny, even though she sometimes is a bit harsh, you, Mr. Weasley, Remus Lupin, errr…. Dumbledore to some extent, I suppose.”



“What about Draco?”



“I…my first impulse is to not talk about him and ask that you don’t either, but that’s the real problem isn’t it? Draco Sodding Malfoy. Everything comes around to him. We’ve always had this connection, although it was laced with anger, but it was so passionate. Wonder if maybe there wasn’t a thin line between love and hate, perhaps. But then, he helped me with Voldemort. I spent a few weeks before school was out, just sitting by the lake and talking. I thought we were making headway, or at least I didn’t hate him anymore.”



He paused to take a drink of tea. “Then this Contract business came up. I knew I could have used Lucius’ Life Debt to wipe out the one between him and my father, but it was so simple. Even if I did give up a year of my life, I still got to know him. It felt… right. As though my whole life was gearing up for that moment. The first night was horrible, but it did serve its purpose, it collapsed the walls between my education and fake memories. I knew it was okay for me to be like I was with him.



“After the first night, things were just different. We agreed that there shouldn’t be any more sex and we just spent time together. All day everyday for twelve days doesn’t seem like much, but instead of my being on my knees or being beaten, we talked. We laughed. God, Molly, he is so handsome when he smiles; all teeth and perfect features. And intelligent? That man makes Percy seem stupid. We talked for hours at a time. We talked even when we played chess. We talked when we took long hot baths after flying for hours over the Manor’s gardens.



“One day, it started to rain. Did you know that I could dance? I pulled him to his feet and we danced in the rain. We were both sopping wet and dripping. There wasn’t even any music and it was so perfect. I couldn’t have written a more perfect way to spend the afternoon.”



He paused as he hung his head. “I fell in love with him then. I don’t know how. At seventeen, the Healer tells me that it wasn’t love. But Molly…it feels…felt so real. She says that I am confused and hurt over the other and I couldn’t possibly feel anything like that. Everything about him was so wonderful. I can’t even explain it.” He took another drink of tea to push down the lump in his throat.



Molly bit her tongue regarding the Healer’s thoughts.



“Then the night you lot came over, he was so gracious because it was important to me. He did not even ask me if he could put the collar on me. He ignored it. He didn’t mention it when Lucius sent it to me, just set it aside and we lived a little more. But that night… Molly…I can’t forgive him. I heard him tell Lucius ‘yes’ when he was told what Lucius was going to do to me.



“How do I forget that? How can I ever look at him again and know that he didn’t protect me?”



There was a long pause. Molly asked the question that she assumed he had never been asked. “Why didn’t you save yourself?”



“Because if Draco didn’t want me, then I didn’t care if Lucius claimed me. It was just for a year anyway. I could sit on a tack for a year if I had to.” Looking into the eyes of the only mum he had ever trusted, he finally asked the question to which he needed the answer. “Why didn’t Draco want me?” He was crying, just a bit, when he asked.



“Perhaps he was a seventeen year old, abused child who didn’t know what to do. Maybe if you can’t forgive him for ‘letting Lucius have you’, then you could find a way to forgive him for being abused and afraid.”



She touched his hand. “He didn’t know Harry. He didn’t give Lucius permission; he only acknowledged that his Father had said something. The only thing he was certain of is that the cane his Father had in his hand was about to be used on him again… and it was going to be because Draco had fallen in love with his servant.”



“There’s more to it.” Harry cut across.



“Perhaps there is. I know when he came through that Floo connection he was hurt badly. I have never seen the result of a beating that was more violent. Do you know that Ron had to accompany him to the hospital? He had a punctured lung from a broken rib. He spent a lot of time in there, then asked if he could come to our home instead of going back to the Manor. When asked why, he said because it was closer to you.”



Molly squeezed his hand. “I am not telling you to forget the pain, Harry. I am telling you that the bond you were supposed to share didn’t form properly. You both wanted the other to care. You both wanted more than what was covered in the Contract. And when you get back to Hogwart’s, if you can’t speak to him as a civilized adult, then you should avoid him all together. But you need to start living again, and you can’t do it where you are now. We need to get you back to school.”





And near the middle of October, that was exactly where he was.