Devil's Snare | By : lashton Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 13009 -:- Recommendations : 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. |
Title: Devil's Snare
Rating: R
Word Count: 1203
030: Heart
Paring: Harry/Draco
Summary: Harry is told to bring Draco to the light side of the war at any cost. Post-HBP, D/s, dubious consent, Post-Hogwarts, war!fic.
Disclaimer: Unoriginal characters and situations belong to JKRowling. No copyright infringement is intended.
Table of Contents found at http://www.livejournal.com/users/mahoganyhandle/9713.html
~
Harry's heart ached. Through the months he had grown rather attached to Malfoy and had even begun to think of him as a lover, a partner, someone belonging solely to Harry. Each reminder that Malfoy was not his had hurt more than Harry expected, but this was the worst pain he'd experienced yet. Malfoy never would be his.
It would have been less agonizing if Harry could simply withdraw from the situation and find his own way, but that was impossible. Harry had nearsightedly pledged himself to Malfoy, and couldn't dream of reneging. One more tragedy tarnished his happiness; nothing more. As always, Harry would endure and survive through it.
While Harry lounged on the balcony rail, staring up at the twinkling stars and keeping an ear out for sounds of fighting at the Death Eater garden party a little ways away, the Floo alarm chimed. Someone was trying to come through downstairs. Idly waving his wand, Harry unlocked his bedroom Floo. Lupin crawled out.
"Harry?" he asked, looking around the room in confusion.
"Here," Harry quietly answered. He sat up, though he knew Lupin wouldn't be able to see him. The protective spells the Order placed over him would nullify his presence, rendering him invisible and quashing his magical signature. It would have been a useful tool for the Order, if the ancient spell wasn't so volatile and draining. It took five wizards to initially cast it, and required tremendous reserves of power to maintain. It had failed him at crucial times before, and had even landed him in St. Mungo's on more than a few occasions, but with this Partnership to Malfoy strengthening him…. Harry didn't feel drained at all. For the first time, this complicated, nearly impossible spell felt trifling.
"Where?" Lupin asked, halting in the doorway and cast his eyes wildly about. He inhaled sharply, trying to sniff Harry out, but the spell would have taken care of that, too.
"On the balcony rail. We can speak here. Malfoy warded the house rather heavily before his Death Eater pals dropped by. They can't see or hear anything unusual."
"Then why are you invisible?"
"In case I need to sneak up on this gathering and pull Pansy and Malfoy out of there. Death Eaters don't make social calls, apparently."
"Oh." Lupin cautiously patted around the rail before sitting down on it. "I heard about Malfoy and the Parkinson girl. Thought you might want some company…. I brought a friend – Ogden. Good chap." He flicked his wand and a bottle of Firewhiskey and two glasses appeared. Lupin poured some out and Harry took one of the cups. It disappeared from sight when he touched it. "Are you all right?"
"No," Harry answered, letting his gaze drift down to the well-lit garden. "I acted a fool and Malfoy played me for one. I just… feel betrayed by it. Is that stupid? He could have told me…. He doesn't even wear a wedding ring."
"You see, I've been thinking about this marriage," Lupin said. "I put in a Floo call to the public records office after Ron and Hermione relayed the message. The Ministry has their marriage license on file, but…. Well, he's a Malfoy and she's a Parkinson. There should've been a big to-do all across Europe when they wed. The Order would have known about it."
"Nobody did, I hope," Harry replied, "or else he owes me a good explanation for not bringing it up sooner."
"Rest assured, nobody in the Order knew what you were getting into until Ron and Hermione brought the news home."
"So what are you thinking?"
Lupin took a long draught of his drink and scratched his stubble. "Did Malfoy seem surprised when you told him what you wanted out of a Partnership with him?"
"No. But I can't read his expressions anyway. In any case, he didn't say anything about it; and he seemed quite accustomed to… the first time we… the methodology…." Harry trailed off, feeling his cheeks begin to burn.
"And he didn't tell you where Snape took him after they fled Hogwarts?"
"He's predictably tight-lipped about anything significant," Harry explained. "And he's fiercely loyal to him. Whatever happened there wasn't enough to keep him from marrying Pansy, though."
"That's another thing that I found curious. Those who enter into a Partnership – who accept the highest magical and spiritual bond the world has known and probably will ever know – usually cannot disentangle enough magic from it to make a marital commitment to someone other than his Partner. I think there is something unusual going on here. And I think Malfoy's bond to his wife may be deeper than the norm that comes of magical vows."
"Why do you think that?"
"Because," Lupin said, voice hushed as if he thought someone might overhear. "If one Partnership makes it nearly impossibly to marry, how taxing do you think entering into a second would be? Yet, from Ron and Hermione's reports, their marriage bond seems strong enough, and Pansy is not only healthy, but pregnant."
Harry stiffened and went silent for a long time as he pondered that. Lupin was right. Malfoy's situation was anomalous. Malfoy was hiding something big. Harry needed to find out what as soon as possible.
"It worries me." He served himself another drink. "Where is he getting so much power? As far as my memory serves, he was a good student, but nothing exceptional – nothing like you, Harry."
"Snape seemed to think he was a prodigy," Harry pointed out. "Something about Malfoy instigated love in him. Snape's not the sort to love anyone, so maybe that means something."
"It means very little," Malfoy announced as he strolled out onto the balcony. Lupin excused himself to use the loo. "You always read too much into the wrong things and too little into the right ones. Severus's love for me grew only out of my dependence on him. I made him feel like… a god. And we both know how vain and ambitious he is. His interest in me rooted and blossomed in possession, not passion."
"What are you doing here? And why are you telling me this?"
"We are retiring to the parlor. I took a moment to Floo my parents and check on Bella, and thought I'd come let you know that you can give up your bulldog watch. The matter is settled."
"You sent Bella to stay with your parents?"
"And far away from Fenrir Greyback. Knowing what sorts of things he'd like to do to me, I couldn't let my daughter stick around when he's come a-calling."
"Why did Voldemort send him?"
"A reminder of the punishment he has in store for me if I dare to defy him again." Harry nodded. "And as for why I told you what I did – it is because I can feel you, can feel what is in your heart."
"I thought you didn't pity anyone."
"Maybe I'm tormenting you, then," Malfoy said, smirking. "Maybe I'm conniving. Maybe I'm everything you think I am. Maybe I'm nothing that you think I am. Maybe I'm corrupting you…. Maybe I hate you. But maybe I do not. What does your bleeding heart make of that?"
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