Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Ceremonies of Strife	By : Lomonaaeren Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 16218 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and I am making no money from this writing.

Chapter List
- 35
- 36
- 37
Thank you again for all the reviews!

Chapter Thirty-Six�Once
a Friend

�� Harry
stared around him, trying not to lick his lips or flinch or show any other sign
of nervousness. The room that he stood in�if it was a room and not a cave�was
made entirely of stone, with curved walls that hugged the floor. Harry couldn�t
see any windows, and the shadow that perhaps hid a door over to the side was
too deep for him to be sure if anything was
there. A torch burned on the wall, filling the room with less light than
inky smoke.

�� In front of
him was Catherine Arrowshot, her eyes tightly shut. She was chained to the
floor, a pair of heavy manacles linking her wrists together and her legs folded
beneath her as if the chains weighed too much for her to stand up under. A
steady stream of whimpers escaped her mouth. Something strange had been done to
the shape of her jaw, Harry thought. Perhaps someone had beaten her.

�� The thought
outraged him, despite the fact that she might have gone with Nihil willingly,
and he leaned forwards. �Are you all right?� he asked urgently. �Can I help
you?�

�� Arrowshot�s
eyes opened and she turned her head, but her wide, blank eyes looked past him.
�Who�s there?� she whispered.� I can hear you. Your voice is familiar. Where
are you?�

�� Right
here,� Harry said. He had started to tell her his name, but he didn�t think
that was the wisest thing in the world, just in case she was a traitor or Nihil could force her to tell the truth. �I don�t
think I�m really here.� He had just looked down and seen that his feet were
transparent where they rested on the floor. �Can I do anything to help?�

�� I don�t
know,� Arrowshot whispered back. Her head had sagged as if she hated to hear
the fact that he wasn�t really there, and now it turned restlessly back and
forth. Her hands opened and shut in helpless little grasping motions. Harry
swallowed another burst of anger when he saw the red lines that crisscrossed
her palms, the marks of whips or fire. �I need someone to free me, and how can
you do that if you can�t touch anything?�

�� I don�t
know,� Harry admitted. �But is there anything��

�� And then he
could have smacked himself, because of course there was something he could do
for her that would at least comfort her if not precisely help her, and help
them at the same time.

�� What can
you tell me about Nihil?� he asked. �I�m trying to destroy him. I could at
least get revenge on him for you.�

�� Arrowshot
jerked as though someone had shot her with a Stinging Hex. Then she looked up
and shook her head back and forth, eyes searching past the point where Harry
stood. �Are you mad? No one can destroy him.�

�� I know
what he is,� Harry said. �Or part of what he is. And I know that you vanished
from the Auror training barracks when he did. Did you join him willingly?�

�� Arrowshot
laughed wildly. Blood flecked her lips. �Do you think he would do this to me if
I had?�

��

�I�ve seen him destroy people who
were sworn to him,� Harry said. �The fact is that he�s not human, and what he
might do if he�s angry, I can�t really understand. That�s what I�m trying to
find out, and that�s where you can help me.�

Arrowshot closed her eyes. �He got
a hook in my soul,� she said. �When I got close to him during the battle. And
he grabbed hold of me when he vanished with the rest of them, the people sworn
to him and corrupted by him. Then I woke up and found myself here.�

�Where is here?� Harry asked, his
heart soaring now that he could tell Draco one of the first friends he had
tried to make besides Harry wasn�t really a traitor.

�I don�t know,� Arrowshot said. �A
fortress of some kind. A cave. He keeps me here always, and makes experiments.
I think he�s pulling my soul to pieces one by one, but I don�t know what he
does with them.�

�� Harry
shuddered. �Has he ever mentioned anything about Horcruxes?�

�� Arrowshot
shook her head. �Or, he did, once, but he said something about them being a
coward�s tool, and he didn�t think they would work.� Her forehead wrinkled. �I
didn�t understand what he meant.�

�� Harry
relaxed with a sigh. Come to think of it, given what Nihil was, and so steeped
in death, Harry wasn�t sure that Horcruxes would have worked for him at all, or
whether he had a soul of his own that he could have split. �Is there any chance
of you escaping? Have you heard any rumors about people opposing Nihil who
could help you?�

��

�No one opposes Nihil,� Arrowshot
whispered. �No one here. Out there are people, but they would think that I had
come here on purpose and wouldn�t try to help me.� Yearning stained her voice.
�Are you really going to try?�

�I promise, yes,� Harry said, and
he did, although he didn�t know what he could do right now. �I�m still trying
to figure out how I got here myself.�

�You surely Apparated,� said
Arrowshot, and then frowned. �I thought you were under a Disillusionment Charm,
but you�re not, are you?�

Harry shook his head, then realized
that couldn�t do any good. �No,� he said aloud. �As far as I know, I was�at
home, where I always am, and then my hands and face got numb and I came here.�

�� It�s like
the ghosts of the unicorns,� Arrowshot said unexpectedly.

�� Harry
started. He hadn�t forgotten those phantoms at the edge of the Forbidden
Forest, staring at him and trying to call him to account, but he hadn�t been
able to make them fit in with the picture that he was creating of Nihil, and
had been unsure of what exactly he should do with them. Their refusal to appear
a second time also contributed to push them fairly far down his list of
problems, he had to admit. �You know about them?�

�� He�s talked about them, sometimes.�
Arrowshot�s voice was full of hate and fear. She folded her arms around her
legs and bowed her head so that her face rested against her knees. �I don�t
know where they come from, but apparently they�ve appeared in the cave and
walked up and down. He has no control of them, and they won�t serve him or
vanish when he tries to make them. He said something once about stirring and
reversal, but I don�t know what that means.� She paused. �Are you a
necromancer, too?�

�� That knowledge, Harry wasn�t about to
trust outside their comitatus; he would have kept it even from Ventus if he
hadn�t been absolutely forced to reveal it. �I�m sorry, but I don�t think so,�
he said, and hoped his strained smile and regret would come through in his
voice.

�� Oh.�
Arrowshot paused again. �I don�t know what to do,� she said in a low voice.
�Sometimes I dream about Gregory coming and rescuing me. Nihil talks about her.
But I don�t know any details.� Her
voice was thick with longing.

�� Harry hesitated.
He didn�t think it could do any harm to give her this information, since Nihil
must have already mentioned it in her presence. �Gregory is still somewhere out
there, fighting. Nihil can�t corner her, and he worries about her.�

�� Does he
really?� Arrowshot lifted her head, and hope came back into her eyes. Harry
smiled, but a darker part of him, which he seemed to have acquired along with
the shimmer in the back of his head, wondered if that had been kind. The longer
hope took to die, the more of a victim she would make for Nihil. �That�s�that�s
wonderful. Wonderful.� Her voice
shook and sank, and she stared at the wall with eyes of blind ecstasy.

�� Harry
waited as long as he could before he decided that he should try one more time to
see if he could learn useful information. �You really don�t know anything about
this place? Do you remember what happened when you came here?�

�� I haven�t
been outside this room,� Arrowshot said. �I don�t even know if this is his main
stronghold, the only one, or somewhere where he simply stories inconvenient
prisoners. I don�t think I�m that important
to him.� Bitterness had returned to her voice.

�� Harry made
soothing motions with his hands, which of course she couldn�t see, and then
said, �I know. I know. But are you sure that you haven�t heard him mention
anything? If he talks about the unicorn ghosts and Gregory, maybe he said
something about this, too, thinking that you would be too cowed to turn it
against him.�

�� He laughs
sometimes about it,� said Arrowshot, and Harry could hear the bitterness in
that, too. He wondered for a moment what it would be like to be held captive by
Nihil, away from Draco, away from his friends, away from anyone who could help
him, and taunted relentlessly by the man�being�whatever he was�all the while.
His respect for Arrowshot increased; she had been through this and yet managed
to stand it. �He says that he�s living in the home and heart of his enemies,
where they�ll never look for him.� She hissed. �But I don�t know what that means!�

�� I do,�
Harry said, his heart abruptly beating faster and a lightness flooding his
chest. �I do. Thank you, Arrowshot.�

�� She stared
at him. �You do? Well, tell me! Is it something that can help you free me?�

�� Harry started
to answer, but cried out as a constricting band seemed to close around his
chest, destroying the lightness. He staggered and put a hand to his heart, then
around his neck. It felt as if someone was dragging him backwards, away from
Arrowshot, in the direction of something that he didn�t want to touch.

�� Nihil found me.

�� That had to
be it, but all he could really see at the moment was Arrowshot growing smaller
and dimmer in front of him, while she called out anxiously, �Are you still
there? Where did you go? Hullo!�

*

�� Draco was
not amused.

�� He had
spent the last ten minutes shouting into Harry�s motionless face, conjuring
water to dump on him, pinching his ears, and casting hexes that ought to shock
anyone out of unconsciousness. Lowell and Weston had done much the same thing,
but stopped before he did and retreated to confer across the room. Draco knew
that they would probably come to him soon, grim-faced, and tell him there was
nothing to be done, that Harry was too far gone to be rescued.

�� But Draco
kept it up because he had to, because Harry was his partner and he wasn�t going
to simply abandon him, and finally he
thought to cast a spell and aim it at Harry with malicious intent, forcing the
compatible magic into action.

�� Harry gasped
and opened his eyes, flopping about on the floor like a fish someone had
hooked. Draco didn�t waste time; he immediately cast another Stinging Hex, one
of the spells he had tried before, to keep Harry in the moment, and then
reached out and pulled him into a ferocious embrace. His head was spinning with
relief, and he felt as if he wanted to kiss Harry and slap him at the same
time.

�� He actually
hoped that Harry didn�t recover too
fast this time. He would otherwise see Draco looking starkly undignified.

�� Harry went
on gasping so long that Draco began to worry that he had taken some kind of
permanent damage to his lungs, though Draco wasn�t sure what might have caused
that. A fainting fit couldn�t, surely�

�� But this
had to be one of Nihil�s attacks, and maybe he could torture a spirit who was
away from the body, as it seemed Harry had been from the entirety of those ten
minutes. Draco shuddered and clung tighter.

�� Draco?�
Harry finally whispered. His voice was weak, shaky, but it didn�t matter, Draco
thought, his arms once again tightening around Harry, until he thought he would
break bones, either Harry�s or his. It didn�t matter. The only thing that mattered was that he had Harry back
again, and this time he had no idea of relinquishing him. �What happened?�

�� You lay on
the ground without stirring for ten minutes, and then we called you back,�
Draco said. Lowell and Weston were hurrying towards them, stunned looks on
their faces, so Draco raised his voice. �Well, I called you back. It seems that you couldn�t resist the call of
our compatible magic, no matter where you were. I didn�t give up.�

�� Trainee
Malfoy exaggerates the situation,� Weston said, shaking her hair back behind
her ears as if she imagined that would disguise her own relief. �We had not
given up. We merely feared that you would not return.�

�� Harry just
raised an eyebrow at them and then faced Draco. Draco saw the flicker of his
eyes, and knew immediately what was going to happen. Harry was about to lie,
but he was trying to do it in such a way that Draco was the only one who would
know about it.

�� That was
intriguing. And Draco could agree that there were some things that Weston and
Lowell shouldn�t know about, even given the instructors� newfound commitment to
usefulness (which probably wouldn�t last that long). He settled back on his
heels and prepared to help in any way he could.

�� I was
feeling weak and dizzy the other day, too,� Harry said. �I think that
practicing compatible magic sometimes drains me because of interaction with the
curse scar.� He gestured towards his forehead, as if Weston and Lowell could
either possibly miss or not know what he was talking about. Draco gave him a
glance that was meant to warn him against overacting, and Harry might have seen
it, because he calmed his voice a bit. �We don�t know why. But it happens most
often after new magic or a long time of intense strain.�

�� In the
future, Trainee Potter,� Weston said, her voice less acid than Draco would have
expected it to be, �perhaps you could inform
us of things like this before we put you through an extended training
session.�

�� I�ll make
sure to do so,� Draco said at once, picking up his cue and taking his place in
making the lie solid. �I would have done so, but Harry always insists that he�s
fine.� Remember the times when Harry had hidden secrets from him or tried to
ignore wounds made his glare sufficiently heated.

�� Harry
blinked and lowered his head, hunching his shoulders in a convincing imitation
of sullenness.

�� Lowell
chuckled. �They are worse than we were at that age,� he said to Weston. �At
least we did not have to live with the legacy of a war and a madman. But do you
remember what we were like?�

�� How can I
forget, when you continually remind me of it?� Weston snapped, but her eyes
were so soft that Draco knew anyone who listened to her words alone would get
the wrong impression from them.

�� Lowell
smiled at her, and Draco decided that he and Harry might as well leave. Lowell
and Weston had accepted their lie, and that was the important thing, the only
thing they could do here. He heaved Harry to his feet. Harry stumbled but came,
hanging more limply than Draco suspected he needed to.

�� I�ll take
Harry back to our room and do what I can to make sure he�s all right,� he told
Lowell and Weston. �Most of the time, he only needs some rest to recover from
this, but if it�s more than that, I�m the best one to take care of him.�

�� Amazingly,
neither Auror challenged his claim, which Draco had made mainly because he knew
they would expect such a thing. They simply nodded and then faced each other,
speaking in soft voices about things Draco didn�t think mattered, if the looks
of fond remembrance on their faces were any indication.

�� He
manhandled Harry out of the room. Harry only permitted that until they were in
the middle of the corridor that led to their barracks; then he shook off
Draco�s arm and began to walk on his own. At least he stayed close enough that
Draco could resume the pretense in a moment if he needed to.

�� What
happened?� Draco asked.

�� Harry gave
him a sidelong, amused glance. Draco scowled. He knew his voice had cracked
like a whip with his impatience, but what of it? It mattered that he know what was happening, and Harry could be
reticent unless one forced him to speak.

�� I saw
Catherine Arrowshot again,� Harry said. �Not for a fleeting vision this time,
but in a cave with a torch on the wall, chained to the floor. What�s more, she
could sense that I was there, if not see me, and spoke with me.�

�� Draco
licked his lips. �And Nihil? Did you see him? Did he sense you?� He hoped that
he was keeping the fear out of his voice as he said that.

�� Harry
shrugged. �I don�t know. I didn�t feel anything from him while I was there, but
Arrowshot implied that she had been tortured for information, so I tried not to
betray too much. She did say that she hadn�t gone with him willingly; he put a
�hook into her soul,� she said, and dragged her along after the trainees.�

�� She could
have been just saying that, or he could have told her to say that,� Draco
muttered, but he couldn�t deny the relief that swept through him. He had
wondered for a time, until he met Ventus, whether any friend he made was
destined to abandon or betray him in some way.

�� One could say that that�s happened even with
Harry.

�� I agree,�
Harry said. �However, she did tell me one thing that I don�t think Nihil would
have wanted revealed. He was laughing about making his home in the homes of his
enemies. I think he�s using the Death Eater caches�not just as places to give
him weapons and information about the Death Eaters� experiments, but as
strongholds.�

�� Draco
licked his lips. �And we have a map of those places.�

�� Yes.�
Harry grinned at him.

�� Draco
touched his shoulder. �This is important,� he said. �News that we need. But I
don�t want you doing it again deliberately. Nothing is worth risking your life
for.�

�� Harry
stared calmly at him. �You know we disagree on that,� he said. �I think your
life and my friends� lives are worth putting myself in danger for.�

�� I mean,�
Draco said, caught out again and not liking it�surely it was Harry�s fault that
he had been making so many generalizations lately?��that I don�t want you
risking your life for the sake of information.�

�� Harry
nodded. �I�ll try. I don�t know what happened, Draco. I don�t know why I was
seeing visions before that dark gift settled into the back of my mind, and I
don�t know why this one was so powerful as to pull me into Nihil�s stronghold.
If I find myself there, though, then I�ll spy or cause havoc or do as much
damage as I can while I�m present.�

�� Draco
nodded reluctantly. He couldn�t blame Harry for that. They needed to hurt Nihil
as much as they could while staying as safe as possible themselves.

�� It was
possible Nihil had learned some respect for them after their battle, but Draco
didn�t think so. Why otherwise would he send Aran, a single servant, to try and
destroy Harry�s gift for necromancy?

�� She also
mentioned the unicorn ghosts,� Harry said. �And Gregory. Nihil apparently
mutters about them to himself, or else rumors are flying and coming to someone
who�s mostly hidden from the world. I wonder if the unicorn ghosts represent
something he fears, some weapon we can use against him.� His voice sank, and he
stared ahead of himself, frowning as though he had another mad plan.

�� Draco
grabbed his shoulder, forcing Harry to blink and face him. �Understand this,�
Draco said. �If you do something about this�if you try to find Gregory, for
instance�you had better include me
from the beginning.� He took a deep breath and then realized that he might make
this more palatable to Harry to decrease his temptation to strike out on his
own. �And I imagine that your friends and Ventus would like to know as well, if
she is right and we really are a comitatus.�

�� Harry
nodded. �I was actually thinking of going back to Hogwarts and seeking out the
unicorns. The dead, if they�ll show themselves to me, or the living if they
won�t. We need answers, and it�ll be easier to find them than to find Gregory.�

�� Maybe
not,� Draco muttered, thinking of the way that living unicorns could bound
through the Forest and lose themselves in patches of shadow he would have sworn
were too small to hold a squirrel. On the other hand, the dead ones had stood
at the very edge of the Forest, plainly visible.

�� We�ll try,
at least,� Harry said, and gave him a brilliant smile. �What do you say about
tomorrow? I know that Hermione has an essay she�s determined to get done today,
which would prevent her from coming with us.�

�� Draco
stared at him and slowly shook his head. He reckoned Harry would always be
quick to form plans like this, to dash into danger. At least he was making a
conscious effort to include other people this time.

�� What?�
Harry�s smile had faded, apparently because he had taken the headshake as a
sign that he was wrong. �Do you have an essay to write, too?�

�� Draco
finally gave in and laughed reluctantly. Harry shook his head as though
bewildered, but then gave Draco a small smile and reached out to touch his
shoulder, sliding his hand down to his arm.

�� There are
other things we could do in the meantime, while we�re making plans and deciding
what to say to the others,� he said. His voice had gone breathy, and he looked
up at Draco with dazed, dilated eyes.

�� Draco
suspected he led the way to their rooms faster than was strictly necessary, but
at least no one could accuse him of not having sufficient motivation.

*

�� SP777: What
do you mean? Ventus is Ventus. Completely honest, even if she is freaky about
it. ;)

�� Harry doesn�t
know the truth about his connection to Nihil yet, so it�s hard to say what it
is.

�� MewMew2:
Thanks! But it may or may not affect his compatible magic. That would depend on
its nature.

�� polka dot: It
would depend on how extensively they had trained with it. After all, Lowell and
Weston can do things Harry and Draco can�t.

�� Dragons
Breath: Harry isn�t really seeing through Nihil�s eyes. There are connections
with him, since he gets pulled to a point near Nihil, but I doubt Nihil would
be pleased to know what Arrowshot revealed to Harry.

�� KadyRae: No
problem! Glad you�re enjoying the story.

�� The final
battle is in the third section.

�� SpiritOfBeyond:
Thanks so much! I�m glad it makes sense when read as continuous with the first
story, an experience I didn�t really get to have.
- 35
- 36
- 37
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Ceremonies of Strife