Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Survival of the fittest	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 18502 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 9
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter nor profit from it. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling

Chapter List
- 29
- 30
- 31
Author's note: Hey, look at that! A new chapter on time! Just as a warning: university has started again for me two weeks ago and I'm being overwhelmed with work and assignments, so I'll try to have the next chapter out on time, but if it doesn't appear in two weeks, you'll know why (you guys rock for being so patient with me! I know there have been a lot of delays for this fic, despite me having the plotline written out, and I'm grateful that you guys are still willing to give this fic a chance!)
Thanks to the following reviewers: staar, Meechypoo, Eve
Warnings: some angst, some drama; some foul language. You know the usual
Also, as you can see this is again the first part of two parts (fitting both parts in one chapter would have been too much)
I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 30: Calm Before the Storm Part 1
"I still don't see it," Harry said frustrated. Arms withdrew from around his waist and silence rung. "Draco?" He turned around confused and was baffled to see nobody standing behind him. The scenery around him dissolved and was reshaped until he was standing on what looked to be plain grass with a grey sky above him.
What on earth was going on here? Was he dreaming? That had to be it. What kind of odd dream was this, though?
A white silver shape approached him from the right and when it came close, his breath escaped him in a loud 'whoosh' when he realised what the shape actually was.
Lily Potter nee Evans was standing in front of him with a soft, but sad smile on her beautiful face.
"Mum," he whispered and stretched out his hand before he realised what he was doing. When he encountered a warm and very solid arm, he stiffened. Was it normal for something to feel this real, this solid in a dream?
"You're not dreaming, sweetheart," Lily murmured and flicked her wrist so that she could grab his hand tightly, letting him feel how warm she was, how slender her fingers were.
"What's going on?" Harry asked bemused. He felt odd; not completely shocked but not really calm either. As if everything was happening to someone else.
"Dumbledore was influencing your mind, Harry," she answered; her full rose lips pressed tightly together while her emerald green eyes burned furiously. "Your Occlumency shields have weakened somehow and he managed to get a link between you and him."
"Influence how?" His throat felt dry; his voice came out like a croak.
He didn't need to hear her reply to know what Dumbledore had been doing. "He's the one who caused you to start sleepwalking. He wanted you to kill yourself in your sleep."
He trembled and clenched his eyes shut. So his gut instinct had been right; the sleepwalking hadn't been normal. All this time he had been so close to dying in his sleep and he had never realised it. He shivered and opened his eyes.
"How … How do you … Why are you here?" he asked in a small voice. How did his mother know what was going on? What kind of world was this? His parents were dead – there was no way he was really talking to her. And yet, here she stood in front of him; if he just reached out, he could hug her.
His throat constricted a bit.
"Your dad and I never left you, sweetheart," she smiled sadly and her other hand started caressing his cheek tenderly. "We may not be able to protect you in the physical world, but we won't ever give up on you. At this moment, James is closing off the link between you and Dumbledore. After this you won't be influenced by him anymore, I promise you that." She took a step closer; her bright red hair swishing back and forth across her back. "It took us quite some energy, but there is no way I'm going to let him win. No matter how much I love you and miss you, it isn't your time yet to join us."
"Is … Will I see dad?" he asked, forcing himself to speak around the lump in his throat. The news about Dumbledore should distress him more, he knew. The man had been invading his own mind, violating it. Yet the knowledge that his father was fighting against it, was helping him, even after all this time, put him at ease somehow.
He wasn't fighting alone. He still had his parents caring for him, looking over him.
"Of course you will," Lily smiled and Harry could understand why James had fallen in love with her. Her smile was capable of chasing the clouds away; such brightness did it contain. "You don't think he would leave without saying goodbye at least, did you? He wants to say hello to his grandson as well."
Almost as a reflex, Harry's hand shot down to cover his bulging stomach and he felt himself flush. "I, eh, …"
She shook her head with a tender smile, before she casted a forlorn gaze at his stomach. "I wish we could be there for you, Harry. There are so many things we couldn't experience with you and this is just one of the many things that we're missing out on."
"You're not angry?" Harry asked. The stupidity of the question made him wince. Out of all the things he could be talking about, out of all the questions he could ask his mother now that he finally had the chance to speak to her and he asked that?
Her answering laughter sounded like chimes in the wind. "Why would I be angry, darling? We could never be angry at you, Harry. Just let your son know we love him, okay? And that we wished we could have gotten to know him." Her eyes glistened with tears. "You're making us so proud, sweetheart. Never ever doubt that."
He didn't know who moved first. One moment there was still some distance between them and his mother's hand was warm against his cheek and the next she was fully embracing him, letting him feel how warm she was. Without hesitation, he immediately hugged her back – even if this was some sort of weird dream world, at least he finally knew how it felt to be hugged by his mother; he wouldn't miss out on this opportunity.
Her curly hair hid his face and the scent of roses filled his nostrils; a couple of teardrops fell on her shoulder, dampening the white fabric.
Slender hands caressed his back; not once did she make an attempt to pull back, even though their position was a bit awkward due to his stomach.
"I love you, sweetheart," she whispered in his ear and pressed a soft kiss against his temple. Her cheek felt wet against his and he realised with a start that she was crying as well.
"I – I love you too, mum," he managed to choke out around the lump in his throat. He felt light headed, not capable of taking deep, needed breaths, but he wouldn't give up this moment for anything.
Soon he would have to say goodbye to her and that thought hurt – he ruthlessly supressed that thought and focused on the warm arms hugging him as tightly as they dared.
A sound of protest was wrenched from his throat when Lily loosened her embrace. She released a trembling chuckle and jerked her head backwards, while she stepped to the side.
Bewildered Harry glanced at the appointed direction and looked right into warm, hazel brown eyes who regarded him tenderly.
"Hello son," James Potter greeted softly and a wry smile played around his lips when he opened his arms. "Are you too old to hug your dad now?"
Harry nearly stumbled when he approached his father and the arms around him hugged him firmly; his mind flashed back to a photo in his photo album in which James had been hugging baby Harry tightly while they both laughed merrily.
Despite the proper lack of care during his childhood, his growth hadn't been that stunted apparently for he was only three inches smaller than his father.
"The last time I got to hold you, you were still just a baby," James murmured and his arms tightened for a fraction before he slowly released him. "And look at you now. All grown up and expecting a baby."
"Our baby grew up," Lily murmured and took a deep breath; clearly steeling herself. "Did you manage to severe the link?"
It was as if a switch had been turned on. The tender look on James' face was exchanged for a troubled, dark one and he squeezed Harry's shoulder briefly before taking a step back. "I did, but new shields are needed just in case. And no offense, son," he threw Harry an apologetic look, "but I don't think you'll be able to create shields of the strength needed to keep that son of a bitch out of your mind."
Harry hastily wiped across his eyes – embarrassed at the tears that had gathered there – and cleared his throat. "I know someone who'll be able to help me with that."
"You do?" Lily said surprised. "Who?"
Harry paused, before he answered reluctantly, "Snape."
James released a tortured groan. "Of course it's him. Out of all the damn people in the world," he moaned exasperatedly and threw his hands up in the air.
He received a smack against the back of his head for his antics. "Oh, do shut up, James," Lily huffed and scowled at him. "Be grateful that Severus is willing to help Harry."
"Hell will freeze over before I'm grateful to him," James muttered darkly and quickly jumped aside to avoid the next incoming slap of his annoyed wife.
Somewhere a high chirp sound filled the air and it made the three of them still.
"What was that?" Harry asked warily, his eyes roaming across the space. He didn't see anything coming towards them, but that didn't really assure him.
Lily smiled sadly. "It's a sign for us that we need to return. We've accomplished what we wanted to do here, so now we need to go back."
His heartbeat seemed to slow down and he had to work hard to swallow. His eyes stared blankly at the ground; his hands clenched into fists next to his hips. Right, he couldn't stay here. They couldn't stay here. This wasn't reality; this was some kind of dream world and now it was time to wake up again.
It was time to leave them.
He didn't want to do that. He wanted more time with them, wanted to bask in their presence longer. Surely, they could stall for a bit longer?
James seemed to know what he was thinking and he shook his head, smiling wanly. "We can't stay here, son," he said softly. "We need to go back and you need to wake up. You can't stay here."
"It's just … I …" Harry fidgeted with his sleeves and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't exactly convey what he was thinking. Why was it so hard to tell them that he didn't want to leave them, that he had missed them? That he loved them and wanted to stay with them?
Fingers brushed against his cheeks and he looked up startled, right into softened, green eyes. "We know, honey," his mother whispered and cool lips pressed a kiss against his forehead, right across his scar. "We don't want to leave you either, but you need to go back. You have people waiting for you, people who love you as much as we do. You can't stay here."
"I know," he whispered and clenched his eyes shut, trembling underneath her tender caress.
"We'll always be near you," Lily murmured with a soft smile and squeezed his hand.
"Tell Padfoot and Moony that I'm not expecting them any time soon, all right?" James grinned; his hazel brown eyes glittering oddly. "They are still in charge of letting the Marauders live on. Tell Padfoot I'll kick his arse if he shows up any time soon."
Harry laughed weakly. "I will." He swallowed harshly when he noticed how the outline of their bodies started to blur.
Something small, hard with jagged edges was pressed into his hand by his mother. "That's for you," she said and closed his hand around it. "The Founders will know what to do with it."
Any other time and he would have immediately looked down to see what he was holding, but this time he merely clenched his hand tighter around it – feeling the edges of the hard rock cutting into his skin – and he kept his eyes fixed on his parents, hungrily taking in the details.
Lily stepped backwards until she was standing next to her husband. Their bodies were fading; their hands and feet weren't visible anymore and the rest of their bodies was starting to disappear as well.
He blinked confused when his head started to feel heavy, as if some unknown force was pressing down on him and he gritted his teeth.
"Take care, son. We love you," James told him and smiled proudly at him. "Just be strong for a little bit longer, all right?"
A strange sensation welled up in him and he uttered a sound of surprise when he looked down and realised he could see the ground through his feet – he was fading out as well.
"Harry?"
He whipped his head back up to stare at Lily.
"When the time is there, tell your partner that our answer is yes," she said cryptically and offered him a gentle smile.
Before he could ask what she meant with that, a bright light filled the space, forcing him to close his eyes and the sound of howling wind filled his ears.

When he opened his eyes again, the sound of howling wind was not restricted to his odd dream only, but filled his ears even now, while the sky above him was tinted a dark pink. Dawn was approaching.
His gaze was locked on the open window of the Astronomy Tower, but he wasn't looking at it from the inside. The sight of the window was quickly replaced by that of the weathered stone and his eyes widened in terror when he realised what was happening.
He was plummeting straight to the ground – and this time there was no broom to keep him in the air.
In a fit of panic, he tried to force his magic to help him Apparate, let him stay afloat, just anything that would prevent him from smashing against the ground, but while he felt his magic buzzing madly underneath his skin, he couldn't get it to act.
His mouth opened, but there was no sound coming out of his throat; terror was strangling him, keeping him silent, while his heart beat madly, hammering wildly against his chest. He was suddenly too aware of how heavy he actually was; everything from his hair to nails, from his organs to his bones felt too heavy. Gravity was merciless, dragging him down quickly and he felt as if he was weighted down with heavy stones. His arms were scrambling for purchase he wouldn't be able to find and he felt like he couldn't get any air.
In just a couple of seconds, he would meet the unforgiving ground and he and his son would both die.
It seemed that despite his father's interference, Dumbledore would still succeed in killing him.
Unlike all those times before, there was nobody and nothing to help him now.

"Wake up!"
The growl snatched him roughly from his deep slumber and he wrestled himself upright, rubbing over his tired, gritty eyes.
He glared sleepily at Mara, who was standing right next to his bed. "What on earth do you want?" Draco snapped after casting a quick Tempus charm. Six o'clock. How fucking lovely.
"Your mate is sleepwalking and is on the verge of throwing himself off the big tower," Mara snarled at him; her eyes flashing up in the dark.
That immediately removed any lingering traces of sleep.
With a loud curse Draco threw himself out of his bed, snatched his wand from his nightstand and bolted out of the room, ignoring the bemused, sleepy question of Blaise.
He was vaguely aware of Mara running behind him while an angrily hissing Garin accompanied them, but he didn't care about them. Heart thundering madly in his ears, he bolted through the castle, taking every possible detour he could find.
Anything that could bring him closer to Harry on time. Anything that could help him prevent Harry from falling and meeting his death.
Terror and panic were filling him and they threatened to slow him down, but he pushed himself to run faster, paying no heed to the portraits that he woke up when he ran past them.
He didn't question when Harry had started sleepwalking; didn't question why none of Harry's pets had been able to wake him up on time; didn't question why Harry had gone up to the Astronomy Tower of all places …
All his thoughts were focused on one thing and one thing only: getting to his lover on time before it was too late.
He nearly tripped in his haste to run up the last staircase separating him from Harry and he cursed vehemently; his hands scrambled for support against the stones and he used them to push himself off, using the momentum to propel himself forwards.
His lungs burned, desperate for oxygen, and his muscles screamed in protest, but he forced himself to run even faster; his burst of speed fuelled by the overwhelming terror which threatened to overtake him.
The door of the Astronomy Tower was open and he heard the familiar snarl of Ruby and for one moment hope filled him. Maybe Ruby had been on time; as soon as he entered the room, he would see Harry standing safely on the floor, unharmed.
The loud roar of fury demolished the spark of hope ruthlessly.
The moment he flung himself in the room, he caught a glimpse of black hair before it was gone and he rushed over to the window, foolishly hoping he would still be able to grab Harry's hand.
"HARRY!" Draco screamed terrified when he saw the unconscious body of his lover falling to the ground. He would have fallen over the edge as well if not for strong teeth clamping down around his leg, steadying him. He kicked furiously backwards, attempting to dislodge the sharp teeth. "Let me …"
The sudden screech of a bird stopped the scuffle and before Draco or the magical creatures could react, the weak light of the rising sun was blocked by a large shape, casting the small group in the shadows.
Rowen – a whole lot bigger than he was since Draco had last seen him – was keeping himself afloat on an invisible current …
With Harry sprawled across his large back.
"I have him," Rowen announced calmly and Draco's legs gave out, leaving him crumbled on the floor while sheer relief coursed through him. His heart seemed to restart as well and his limbs trembled in the aftermath of the all-consuming terror he had experienced.
"Thank Merlin," Draco managed to bring out weakly in a rough voice.
Harry was safe. He hadn't finished his fall; Draco wouldn't meet his broken body if he looked down now.
There were no words to describe the sense of utter relief filling him at the realisation that Harry wasn't harmed.
"Draco," Harry choked out; his face white as a sheet while he shivered violently.
Draco somehow managed to retrieve enough control over his limbs to stumble up right and help Harry back into the tower.
The second Harry's feet were standing on solid ground, they fell into a tight embrace and their arms clutched tightly at each other. They ended up with Draco sitting with his back against the wall and Harry seated in his lap, leaning heavily against his chest.
They still had their arms wrapped around each other; they weren't planning on releasing the other one soon.
"Fuck, don't do this to me again," Draco whispered; a hint of fear still tainting his roughened voice. In the back of his mind, a voice whispered that he seemed to be saying that a lot to the dark haired wizard. His arms around Harry's back tightened and he burrowed his face in soft, dark hair; comforting himself with the solid and reassuring weight of his lover in his lap.
Harry was still shivering violently. "It was Dumbledore," he brought out in a trembling voice. "Dumbledore was influencing my mind, Draco. He broke through my Occlumency shields. He caused me to sleepwalk. He wanted me to kill myself in my sleep." Fingers curled around Draco's shoulder, nails digging into his skin to the point of it being painful.
Draco wetted his lips. "How do you know that?" he asked, feeling numb.
"My parents appeared in my dream," Harry replied almost inaudibly. "My dad helped destroy the link between me and Dumbledore."
"What?" Draco asked bewildered. He hadn't expected to hear that particular answer.
"I know it's strange, but they really appeared. It wasn't really a dream, because I could hug them. Look, my mum gave me this." He opened his right hand, revealing a small, black stone with jagged edges which had left red lines behind in Harry's palm. The daylight caused it to glitter oddly, as if something inside the stone was scurrying around.
The stone looked familiar, but Draco had trouble recalling the memory. Where he had seen it before was currently not important, though. The most pressing matter right now was try to figure out just what the hell had happened with Harry and how he had come into possession of this peculiar stone.
"I think it's best if we talk about this to the others," Draco murmured and tore his gaze away from the stone. The mysterious gem was trying to enthral him – to do what he did not know – and he wanted to get rid of it soon. Even if Harry's mother had given it to him with a specific purpose, something was wrong with it and it would be best to dispose of it soon.
"I agree. I need to talk to Snape anyway, so that he can help me with my Occlumency shields," Harry muttered and sounded exhausted.
"Mara and Ruby have gone to warn the rest of your group," Rowen announced; his long talons clicking softly against the stones.
"You're up for walking?" Draco asked concerned and one of his hands involuntarily sought to cover Harry's stomach.
Harry's hand encased his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm fine," he said quietly; his eyes down casted. "I don't think I'll stop trembling any time soon, but the baby and I are okay."
As if on cue, something vaguely pushed against their joined hands.
"I'm still going to ask Lupin to examine you," Draco muttered and his jaw clenched tightly when he thought about all the things that could have happened if their pets hadn't been there to help them.
"I just want to leave now. I don't want to stay here any longer." Harry shuddered.
Draco couldn't agree more and they stood up; the blond wizard keeping an arm around the pregnant young man to steady him and lent him his support.
Without looking back, they trudged back to the dungeons, led by Garin.
Harry's breathing was a bit strained by the time they met up with Severus, whose face was closed off, but Draco would take Harry being out of breath over any other state now.
Right now, all that mattered was having Harry safe with him.

"And that's all I can remember," Potter finished recalling the events of the past week and rubbed his forehead. He fell back against the couch with an exhausted sigh.
Draco grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers; his grey eyes glowing unnaturally against the white pallor of his skin.
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten underneath his breath. One would assume Potter had become smart after being a target for so many years and would have realised he needed to talk about anything out of the ordinary happening to him. Like, for example, a sudden bout of sleepwalking.
"Why the hell didn't you tell us about this sooner?" Black snapped, leaning forwards like a dog ready to jump.
For once, he and the mutt shared the same train of thought.
Potter had the good sense to look ashamed; he seemed to drown in the thick, grey quilt Severus had given him, which swallowed his frame and yet was not thick or large enough to conceal the shape of his rounded stomach.
"I thought it was because of stress," Potter responded weakly, tugging the quilt closer around him. "I didn't sleepwalk for the entire week either."
"You still should have said something, Harry," Lupin said softly; his gaze was fixated on Potter's stomach, but he removed his piercing gaze in favour of frowning at Potter. "Even if Albus wasn't behind this, sleepwalking was still dangerous in your state."
Potter looked down mulishly, but accepted the scolding.
"How did that old coot even manage to influence his mind?" Lucius murmured, crossing his legs.
He had visited Severus the day before and had decided to stay the night. After hearing the warning of Draco's pet, he had refused to leave until he was assured both young men were safe.
Ruby lifted his head and flicked his ears. "Most likely it happened in that place of death. There were a lot of traps present," he rumbled.
Draco spoke up for the firsts time since he had entered the room. "Does anyone know what kind of stone that is?" He jerked his head at the dark stone resting innocently on the table. "It looks familiar."
A loud snort drew their attention to a sneering Gryffindor. "That, lad, is nothing less than the infamous Resurrection Stone. Congratulations, you have now all Deathly Hallows gathered."
"You're joking, right?" Black said flatly, narrowing his eyes. "There is no way that the Deathly Hallows are real!"
"It seems that you were not informed yet," Ravenclaw murmured and threw Severus a sharp look of reproach, which he countered with a blank look. He had never promised he would tell the mutt and the wolf about them any time soon. "The Deathly Hallows do exist, I assure you, and they are needed for the ritual."
"Where are the other two then?" Black demanded to know; his voice full of suspicion.
"The Elder Wand is tucked away in these quarters and young Mister Potter is in possession of the Invisibility Cloak," she replied calmly, placing one leg over the other one.
While the others – save for Lucius and Potter, who bore a look of utter confusion – were gaping in shock at the news, Severus glared at the stone.
He knew he should feel relieved to have all parts of the ritual ready at their disposal, but instead a wave of revulsion swept over him and he dug his fingers in his sleeves, needing the slight sting to distract him from getting up and cursing the stone. Out of all three instruments, the Resurrection Stone was the one which had caused a lot of heartbreak, insanity and – ironically – even death. How many people had toyed with their own lives and sanity in an attempt to see their dead loved ones again? How many people had been killed in order to get a hold of the damned stone? It brought nothing but death and despair and now it was in their possession.
What had Lily been thinking when she had given the stone to her son? Severus didn't even try to question how the dead woman had gotten a hold on the stone – how could she give something that dangerous to her own son?
"Excuse me, but what on earth are the Deathly Hallows and what does my Cloak to do with it?" Potter asked fairly irritated, quickly glancing at the stone.
"You never heard of them before?" Draco asked surprised.
"If I had, would I ask about them now?" Potter bit sarcastically and Severus concealed a snort.
"The Deathly Hallows are said to belong to Death itself, who gave them to three brothers," Lupin explained calmly, reclining back in his seat. His eyes had acquired a distant sheen. "Each has a special ability. The Invisibility Cloak has the ability to make the owner completely invisible. The Resurrection Stone grants the user the chance to bring their loves ones back from the dead. The Elder Wand is said to be the most powerful one of all wands and chooses to serve the, what it considers it to be, strongest wizard or witch. If its current owner is defeated in a duel, the ownership of the wand is transferred to the winner. Another tale tells of the wand deciding who the strongest one is with or without a duel."
"All three combined would make the person the strongest witch or wizard," Slytherin took over; his contemplative gaze resting on the stone. "But that is not our aim. The Deathly Hallows can also be used in the Binding Ritual; their presence lends a great deal of magical strength to the ritual."
"And we have them all now?" Potter asked bewildered.
"Yes." Slytherin inclined his head. "The Stone has turned up now and the Elder Wand was retrieved from Dumbledore's house. The Cloak is in possession of the Potter family, so you have had it the entire time."
"My Cloak is a Deathly Hallow?" Potter sounded both sceptical and intrigued.
A dangerous combination if you asked Severus.
"Yes, and now that all Hallows are gathered, the Wand can receive an order and we can start setting up the ritual," Ravenclaw answered and sounded satisfied.
"Why was Dumbledore not using the Elder Wand if it was in his house?" Black wrinkled his nose. "Or did he not know it was there?"
Severus kept quiet, but begrudgingly had to agree with the mutt. In all those years of working with Albus, he had seen him using only a dark wooden wand.
"Hardly," Lucius murmured disdainfully. "I suspect it is merely the old coot thinking he is too powerful for anyone to be able to defeat him, so he saw no need to use the Elder Wand."
A contemplative silence blanketed the room for a while.
"What did Prongs and Lilyflower do to help you?" Black broke the silence with an odd infliction to his voice.
Potter shifted on the couch, raking a hand through his messy hair. "I don't know exactly," he admitted readily and his hand fell back in his lap. "Mum was talking to me, saying that Dumbledore had been influencing my mind, but that dad was destroying the link." His breathing hitched and his eyes shot towards Severus, who raised an eyebrow. "He said that I would need help of someone to raise stronger Occlumency shields."
"I doubt he recommended me," Severus murmured silkily, correctly interpreting Potter's gaze as a request for help.
Potter smiled faintly and lowered his gaze. "No, he didn't, but I told him you were the best choice."
The corners of Severus' mouth twitched a bit in a forbidden attempt to smile. He wished he could have been there to witness James Potter's face when he heard his own son recommending the help of his school enemy.
"Prongs probably wasn't happy with that," Black snorted weakly and when he raised his hand to push his hair back, it was plain to everyone with a sharp eye that a tremor was going through it.
"No, but mum made him shut up," Potter replied quietly and then visibly hesitated. "Dad said he wasn't expecting you two for a long time and that he would kick your arse, Sirius, if you dared to meet him soon."
Lupin cracked a smile and Black released his annoying, barking laughter.
"Can you help Harry create stronger Occlumency shields, Uncle?" Draco asked tersely once Black shut up.
Severus slowly nodded, having no reason to refuse his godson's request.
"It won't be easy, though," he warned them. "I will need to use Legilimency on you, Potter, seeing as you do not possess the necessary skills to form the shields on your own."
"That's not a problem," Potter murmured. "As long as Dumbledore can't influence my mind anymore, I don't care." His hand clenched on top of his stomach.
"We will do that now," Severus said resolutely, not accepting any protest. He doubted Albus would try again, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Lupin stood up. "I will inform Minerva that Draco and Harry will be leaving sooner than the rest. Classes have started by now and you two are not in a good state to attend them." He urged Black to stand up as well. "You can pick up their stuff and the other animals."
Black nodded his consent and the two men left the room swiftly.
"I will take you two with me to the manor," Lucius informed his son and Potter. "You can go to your own manor afterwards."
Severus stood up abruptly, taking a couple of steps until he was standing in front of Potter. "Lower your shields, Potter." Or what remains of them, he added silently.
Potter took a deep breath, looked Severus right into his eyes and allowed the other man to perform Legilimency on him.

It was extremely disconcerting to feel Snape rummaging through his mind. Unlike his first disastrous attempt at Occlumency in his fifth year, though, Snape's intrusion didn't really hurt now. He wasn't tearing through his mind, ripping through his memories, but instead was carefully stepping around in his mind, avoiding the memories.
Despite the almost gentle approach, Harry couldn't wait for all this to be over and done with.
Patience is a virtue, Potter, Snape's rebuff rose up in his mind and he huffed soundlessly.
He was vaguely aware of Garin's and Ruby's presence near him and Draco's clammy hand clutched into his and focused on those sensations to distract himself from the rummaging and tugging going on in his mind.
A while later, he became aware of something clicking into place – a very odd feeling – and he gasped out loud when Snape retreated.
"Did it work?" Draco asked immediately, while Harry blinked and shook his head as if dispelling the fog of sleep. He didn't feel any different, but that didn't mean anything.
Snape took a step back and tucked his wand away. "Yes, the new shields are in place," he murmured.
"Thank Merlin," Harry sighed relieved and felt drained. He just wanted to sleep now.
"You can leave whenever you want," Remus announced when he and Sirius entered the room again. Both his and Draco's possessions were floating behind Sirius; the cage with Sapphire growling in it was held by Sirius and Hedwig was carried by Remus.
"Rowen decided to fly straight to your new manor," Remus informed the blond wizard.
"Let's go. You both could use some more rest," Lucius said calmly and walked over to the fireplace.
"As soon as we have incorporated the Deathly Hallows in the ritual, we will explain it in full detail," Ravenclaw promised solemnly.
"For now, try to relax as much as you can," Hufflepuff piped up with a warm smile.
"Thank you for your help," Harry murmured and Snape inclined his head with an unreadable look on his face.
"I'll see you next week, cub," Remus told him softly and squeezed his shoulder.
Sirius didn't settle for a squeeze in his shoulder, but instead engulfed his godson in a hug, as tight as he dared – which wasn't that tight. Harry was suddenly very conscious of the lack of his belt around his waist.
"Take care of yourself, pup," Sirius murmured in his ear. "And of the little one too."
"I will," Harry promised and looked up, struck speechless by the sight of the red rimmed eyes of his godfather. Maybe he shouldn't have relayed his dad's message to him. Sirius had obviously taken it hard.
"Sirius," he started uncertainly, but Sirius shook his head with a faint smile.
"Go on, we'll see each other next week."
Harry hesitated, but nodded and joined Draco in front of the fireplace. Draco grabbed his hand, weaving their fingers together. Harry's mind flashed back to what his mum had told him before he woke up. What would Draco do that would require his parents expressing their permission?
"Are you ready, Harry?" Draco asked softly, pulling him back from his memories.
Harry took a deep, measured breath and nodded. "Yes, let's go."
Now, more than ever, he craved to be alone with his lover. It was time to visit the place that would be Harry's home from now on. A place he wouldn't allow to be tainted by the darkness brought forth by Dumbledore.

AN2: See, I didn't make Harry die ^^ That would have been too cruel. What do you think of it? Please leave your thoughts behind in a review!
Next time: Harry and Draco spend the Easter holidays in their manor and try to pretend that nothing is amiss by discussing some important things. Of course their time together is more like the calm before the storm ...
For the ones following the series centering around Scorpius and his new family, "A Wonky Start" has been posted today as well ^^
See you all in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
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Survival of the fittest