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Inter Vivos	By : Lomonaaeren Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 42948 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and I am making no money from this writing.

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Thank you again for all the reviews!

Chapter Thirty�Snake

�� Oh, you�re a fine one to talk about
dangerous decisions.� Draco�s eyes were on fire, and he moved closer with his
teeth bared, as if he were about to repeat the bite he�d given Harry the other day.
�It�s all very fine for you to enter
a house to fight, alone, against
someone possessed by the Dark Lord, but Merlin forbid
I try something that�s guaranteed to save your life! You��

�� It�s not
guaranteed to save my life!� Harry yelled back, and balled his hands into
fists. God, sometimes I feel like I�m
back in second year and all I want to do is punch him in his smug face. �You
don�t know anything about it! You admitted that you didn�t understand the
magical theory yet, and that Hermione couldn�t
follow it! You can�t expect some abstract technical discussion to soothe��

�� Worries that you should never have in the first place?�
Draco surveyed him with a curled lip. �Yes, I can, when I know what I�m doing.� He lowered his voice and edged
closer. They were in their bedroom, and Harry stood with his back to the door.
He felt like stepping away and actually leaning his back against it when he saw
the depth of the crazed gleam in Draco�s eyes.

�� All I�m
asking is for you to trust me,� Draco said, his voice fragile. �Can you do
that? Just trust me.�

�� Harry took
a deep breath and rubbed his eyes for a moment. He knew that he really had no
right to scold Draco about putting his life in danger. That was the same thing
Narcissa had done, and it only proved that she didn�t understand the desires
that drove Draco. But what Draco described, from what Harry could understand of
it, sounded so extreme�

�� Explain it
to me again,� he said, and managed to keep his voice steady. �I can trust you
more if I understand more about it.�

�� Draco gave
him a soft, adoring smile that caused Harry to blink. He hadn�t known it was so
easy to defuse Draco�s anger.

�� That�s
fair,� Draco said. �I wanted you to explain before you went after Finnigan,
after all.� His eyes sparked for a moment, but luckily he wrestled his
indignation back under control and returned to the subject .Harry didn�t feel
like having an argument they�d already settled. �The Horcrux is attached to
your soul. That�s only sensible, because the shards of the Dark Lord�s soul
look for a spirit to bond with, the way the cup did with Finnigan and the way
that the diary�s spirit did with Weasley.�

�� Harry
nodded. That was the part he thought he already understood, but at this point,
he decided that hurrying Draco through any part of the explanation was a bad
idea. He reached out and took Draco�s hand. Draco squeezed his fingers
absently, his eyes fixed on some distant abstract realm that only he
understood.

�� Supposedly,�
Draco whispered, �the only way to free your soul from the grasp of that piece
of the Dark Lord�s is for you to die. But I came up with another way. Switching
Charms, Harry! The answer was there all along. Substitute someone else�s soul
for your soul, and of course the piece of the Dark Lord�s would become
detached.�

�� But the
only way that you could substitute your soul, or someone else�s, for my soul is
by dying,� Harry said. He wondered that Draco hadn�t identified the snag in the
plan before he had. �I�m not going to
allow you to die for me.�

�� Draco shook
his head earnestly and brought his free hand up to caress the side of Harry�s
face. �No. Ordinarily, that might be true. But I�m bonded to the Elder Wand,
and no one else has come along yet who could take it away from me. That means
the Wand will do all it can to keep me alive.�

�� Harry
half-looked away. He couldn�t bear to think of the brightness in Draco�s eyes
dimmed because they had followed this mad plan and then it had turned out not
to work. �I don�t know what that means.�

��

�� It means,�
Draco whispered, �that we�ll switch our
souls, not just transfer the Horcrux from one to the other. It�ll be like a
carousel, Harry. We�ll transfer your soul to my body, as my soul goes into
yours. The shard of the Dark Lord�s spirit will try to latch onto me, but the
Elder Wand will rise up to prevent anything else from establishing a bond with
me. And then we�ll switch again, and your soul will be back with the Horcrux.
But its hold will be weakened, and before it can grab you, we�ll switch again. And
then the Elder Wand can fight it again. Go on long enough like that, and the
Horcrux should break apart.�

�� Harry
frowned and glanced back at him. �But if it�s attached to my soul, then it should come with me, no
matter where I go.�

�� Draco shook
his head, his smile superior. �That�s what I thought at first. But I�ve looked
at the incantations in more detail. And then there�s what happened with
Weasley. If it was a process of switching souls, then why did her body need to die? No, if he could have,
that shade of Tom Riddle would have possessed her, or simply become more real
and left her soulless. Like the Dementor�s Kiss. It
would be less conspicuous. And the same thing happened with the other
Horcruxes. When their �bodies� are destroyed, they�re in danger, and seek out
another host to possess.�

�� Dumbledore
had another explanation for why Tom Riddle needed to drain Ginny to death,�
Harry muttered. �Something about life energy��

�� Draco
sniffed. �Dumbledore hasn�t made the study of Switching Charms that I did.� He looked
so absurdly proud of himself that Harry had to stifle the urge to hug him. He
didn�t think that would suit Draco�s vanity at the moment. �But let�s say we�re
wrong, and the Horcrux does try to cling to your soul. That�s why Granger�s
modifying the Fiendfyre incantation. In this case, we
can�t use it to destroy the container, because the �container� is your body,
and I have plans for that, thanks.� He swept his gaze possessively down Harry�s
body, lingering on his crotch until Harry had the inevitable reaction, and then
glanced away, smirking. �We need something that will burn a soul, and weaken
the connection between the Dark Lord�s soul and yours if the Switching Charm
doesn�t work.�

�� Harry
blinked slowly. �And you really think this will work?�

�� Draco
leaned forwards and squeezed his wrists, hard enough that Harry winced. �I
would never put you in danger if I thought it wouldn�t,� he said fiercely.

�� And with
that, Harry had to be content. He nodded a little. �When do you intend to
practice this?� he asked.

�� Draco
kissed his cheek. �The moment we think we�ve perfected the incantations. And
we�re not far from that point right now.�

�� Harry took
a deep breath, thinking of the insanely complicated measures this would demand,
but nodded again. He would rather that his life be in the hands of his lover
and his best friend than anyone else he could think of.

*

�� Draco
narrowed his eyes as he watched the cup crumbling in the basilisk venom
Dumbledore had sent and the struggling, screaming spirit slowly fade from
sight. Then he glanced sideways at Granger.

�� I don�t
know,� she said, pushing sweaty hair out of her eyes. �I don�t think we saw
everything we needed to. I wish we could make another trial.� She grimaced at
the swirling basin of venom and shook her head.

�� Of course
you�re going to make other trials, before you put my godson through anything
like that.�

�� Draco
stifled a sigh and glanced over his shoulder. One of the bad parts of finally
coming up with an explanation of what he and Granger planned to do that Harry
could understand was that Harry had told other people. Draco knew that
Professor Snape would accept it after some intense questioning, and Granger
could pacify Weasley�s outbursts. But Sirius Black was currently presenting a
problem.

�� He acts like any danger Harry chooses to
place himself in is right and good, but that we don�t have the right to try and
find something that�ll work, Draco thought in irritation, and dropped the
Impervious Charm he�d been using on his face to shield himself from any stray
splashes of basilisk venom. Black complained that he couldn�t see Draco�s eyes
when he used the Charm, and that made him more likely to distrust Draco than he
already was. �We don�t have another Horcrux,� he said. �Except Nagini, and I don�t think we�ll get close enough to destroy
her without also confronting the Dark Lord.�

�� But Snivellus is contacting Wormtail, isn�t he?� Black�s eyes
narrowed in confusion. �Why can�t he just bring the snake along?�

�� Draco
rolled his eyes. Luckily, Granger stepped up then and took over her share of
Black-soothing. �The life-debt that Professor Snape is using to persuade
Pettigrew is fairly weak,� she said. �We don�t think it would be enough to make
him betray his master and bring Nagini to us, even if he might lose his magic.
He�s more afraid of V-Voldemort than he is of us.� Draco had to grudgingly
admire her strength to say the name, even if it was difficult for her.

�� I still
want another trial,� Black said, and folded his arms, as if his mere demand was
enough to produce an eighth Horcrux from thin air.

�� Granger and
Draco exchanged a glance of the kind that was becoming familiar to Draco, and
which was almost enough to make him call her Hermione. It was their united
intelligence against a world of morons, and specifically, one stubborn
imbecile.

�� We�ll do
what we can,� Draco said. �But no one has ever done this before because the
situation has never occurred before. So, for the most part, we�re
having to rely on theory and reasonable speculation.�

�� Black
snapped his teeth shut like the dog he could turn into. �This is Harry�s life we�re talking about, Malfoy.�

�� Draco
opened his mouth, but Granger stepped forwards, her voice shrill. �And do you
imagine Harry�s life is any less precious to Draco than to you? He�s in love with him, Sirius. He wouldn�t
endanger him on purpose.�

��

Black blinked, apparently so taken
off-guard by a Gryffindor defending a Slytherin that he had nothing to say.
Draco gaped at Granger himself, and then shut his mouth and tried to look as if
he�d expected this. Luckily, Black seemed to be occupied with forcing his slow
brain to work, and hadn�t noticed Draco�s distraction.

�Yes, yes, all right,� he muttered.
�But I still want another trial. There has to be something you can substitute
for a Horcrux.�

�� We�ll
try,� said Granger, more diplomatic than Draco could have been at the moment,
and pushed him out of the room. Then she turned and looked thoughtfully at the
basin of venom.

�� No,� Draco
said, reading her expression without effort at this point, they�d spent so many
hours working together. �We�re not going to scrap our plans for the Fiendfyre and try basilisk venom. We�ve developed the Fiendfyre almost perfectly. It should work.�

�� Granger
sighed. �But we don�t know that it will,� she said.

�� Draco
sneered at her. �Where�s the Gryffindor courage I�ve heard so much about? You
ought to be the one clamoring to use these spells on Harry right now, so that
he doesn�t have to spend any more time with that Horcrux inside him, poisoning
his spirit.�

�� I know,�
Granger said. She wrapped her arms around herself. �But I was almost Sorted
into Ravenclaw, you know. I keep thinking of all the things that can go wrong,
and then I wonder if we�re being presumptuous to think that we can do this,
where experienced magical theorists would balk.�

��

�� Experienced
magical theorists don�t have the burden of saving the world on their shoulders,
either,� Draco said shortly, casting a dome spell on the basin of venom so that
he could safely pick it up. �We�re doing the best we can with limited time and
abilities.�

�� Granger
made an unhappy noise. Draco ignored her, keeping his eyes on the drifting
ashes of the cup as he revised his calculations and his changes to the
Switching Charms in his head yet again.

�� It will work. It has to work.

*

�� S-Snape?�

�� Severus
kept a cold expression on his face without effort as he turned around. As much
as he would have liked Black to be guilty, knowing that Pettigrew had been the
true traitor to the Potters, and the reason Harry had grown up as an orphan and
his beloved Lily had died was enough to turn all his hatred against the man.

��

�� He snapped
his robes over his shoulder in his most intimidating manner as he strode
forwards. Pettigrew cowered in the door of Spinner�s End. Severus sneered at
him, and then waited a moment as Pettigrew carefully checked the wards and
spells on the house. He had had to invite the traitor to meet him here, because
it needed to be a place that would make it look as if his act was genuine. And
it was out of the question to hint at the existence or location of Grimmauld
Place, especially if Dumbledore was forced in the next few days to announce
that Harry was not hiding at Hogwarts.

�� Pettigrew,�
he said, and the little man winced at the lash of contempt in his voice.

�� I just�I
came when you summoned me,� he whinged, inching closer. �And because you said
that I owed you a life-debt. That�s not true. Y-you never saved my life. And I
won�t lose my magic if I defy you.�

�� Severus
laughed, and enjoyed the way Pettigrew covered his ears as if he could block
the sound out. �Who are you trying to convince? Me? Or
yourself?�

�� Pettigrew
straightened and shook his head. �I understand about life-debts,� he blustered
ridiculously, wagging a finger in Snape�s face, �because you owed James one. I
know that it only happens when you directly save someone�s life, and��

�� Severus
laughed again, and then whispered, as Pettigrew shut up, �Are you sure of that?
Are you absolutely sure? Or did you never hear of the difference between direct
and indirect life-debts?�

�� The little
man froze with indecision. Severus prowled a step forwards, lowering his voice
until it would sound like a vibration in the bones of his terrified victim. He
had deliberately looked up everything he could on life-debts, so that any book
Pettigrew read would confirm the truth of what he was saying now. What
Pettigrew would probably not think to question was whether he owed Severus a
debt at all. �One�s actions may save another�s life, even if that was not the
rescuer�s primary intent. If the rescuer takes no notice or has no intention of
claiming the debt, it will be allowed to lapse. But I saved your life, Pettigrew. I stopped Black from killing you when
he had you cornered in a game of dog and rat in the Gryffindor boys� room. I am
sure you remember the moment when my spell changed both of you back to human form? But I retained possession of Black,
and allowed you to escape. Do you think you would have survived I had not?�

�� Pettigrew
licked his lips. �But you didn�t mean to��

�� And so it
is an indirect, rather than a direct, life-debt,� Severus said, and gave
Pettigrew his best attempt at a winsome smile, from which he shrank more than
Severus thought he would have before an outright sneer. �But I am claiming it
now. Resist it if you think you can. Risk losing your magic.�
He paused and assumed an expression of deep thought. �Of course, without the
ability to use a wand, you would be rather a burden to your dear Lord and master,
wouldn�t you?�

�� Pettigrew�s
teeth chattered in an agony of indecision. Then he shook his head. �Claim it,
then,� he said. �I�m calling your bluff, Snape.� He turned away as if he would
sidle out the door.

�� Fool,�
Severus whispered. �I have already lured you away from your master�s side. If
you return to him without a convincing story, what do you think will happen to
you?�

�� Pettigrew
let out a terrified shriek, one that made him resemble a rat even in human
form, and wrapped one arm around his head as if he could shelter himself from
the Dark Lord�s wrath. Then he whimpered. The whimpering climbed constantly in
volume and pitch, whilst Severus folded his arms and waited him out with
patience.

�� Then
Pettigrew turned around, his hands clasping and opening in nervous clutches in
front of him. �Severus,� he said, as if they were old friends. Severus bared
his teeth, and Pettigrew slid back, crouching down so that his belly touched
the ground. �Snape. Please. You don�t know what�ll happen to me if you try to make me
betray him.� He scrabbled at his left arm, where Severus knew the Dark Mark was
hidden.

�� Severus
pulled back his own sleeve to reveal his snake-and-skull. Of course Pettigrew
knew he was Marked, too, but it couldn�t hurt to
remind him. �I do know,� he said. �I have seen the punishments. And I can
imagine what the Dark Lord will do to a follower who is not only disloyal but
has no magic.�

�� Pettigrew
shut his eyes and shivered. �What do you want me to do?� he whispered.

�� Severus
knew not to push this newfound acquiescence too far. Pettigrew was primarily a
coward. If he thought that the threat was close to not being fulfilled at any
time, or if he thought that the Dark Lord was more dangerous than Severus, he
would turn back the other way and confess everything to the Dark Lord.

�� I wish you
to help me in my own betrayal,� said Severus, and smiled when Pettigrew gasped
and looked up at him. �Yes. I have found that my best interests are not served
by remaining with Potter. I wish to win clear of this war, and the boy is only
interested in dying heroically.� It was no effort to curl his lip and call up
the scornful tone in his voice, either; he did it by remembering James Potter.
�I do not intend to be part of the entourage marching behind him, mindlessly
chanting his name as they catapult themselves to an unnecessary martyrdom.�

�� Perhaps it
should have worried him, how easily he came up with that story. Surely it would
have made Black frantic with fear. But Severus simply accepted the words that
spilled out of his mouth, the words he had designed in his mind last night. He
had not been a spy for nothing.

�� Pettigrew
nodded slowly. �All right. But what can I do to help
that?� A whine had crept back into his voice.

�� I have not
yet decided whether I wish to remain neutral, or to rejoin the Dark Lord�s
ranks,� Severus said coolly. �Largely because I am not sure which
would offer the better chance of survival. I wish you to find out how
much the Dark Lord fears the boy. Will he attack him directly? Or will he
remain at a distance and let Potter wear himself out by foolishly assuming he
can destroy an immortal enemy? If the latter, then perhaps I
will rejoin him. If the former, there is a small chance that I might die
in the battle, which I wish to avoid.�

��

�� Pettigrew
gnawed his lip nervously. �I don�t know, Snape. He doesn�t tell me an awful lot
anymore. He hasn�t confessed his plans to anyone since Lucius and Bellatrix
disappeared, I don�t think.�

�� Severus
fought back a superior smirk. �It may help if you can find out what he means to
do with Nagini,� he said.

�� Nagini?�

�� His
snake,� Severus said, keeping his words as slow and simple as he could. It was
a wonder to him how Pettigrew had managed to become a Death Eater and survive
amongst the likes of Lucius and Bellatrix. �If he means to keep her by his
side, and does not seem worried for her safety, then perhaps he will not engage
in battle after all.� He paused, pretending to think. �On the other hand, he
has always been overconfident of his success where Potter is concerned,� he
murmured. �Perhaps it would be better if you could learn more details about
Nagini herself. She is an unnaturally intelligent snake. Does she seem to think that there is any
danger, or does she complacently coil herself around him?�

�� There. He did not dare command Pettigrew
to bring him Nagini yet. That was for later. It was best to establish a spy
upon her movements, and slowly lead Pettigrew further and further into betrayal
of his Lord.

�� And that
will fulfill my life-debt?� Pettigrew�s nose was twitching as if he had
whiskers. Severus could see why his Animagus form was a rat.

�� Not
completely,� Severus said. �That is not fulfilled until I have survived and
chosen my side. But it is a beginning.�

��

Pettigrew nodded, looking more
confident now. �Nagini is always with Him,�
he said. �I can observe her easily, since I�m always in attendance on Him,
too.� For a moment, a strange expression moved over his face, and Severus
wondered idly if he was seeing his own doomed future, or the moment when he had
condemned himself to this kind of living hell.

Then he shrugged, raised his eyes
to Severus�s, and said, �When should I bring you the information? And how
should I get it to you?�

Severus had been waiting for this.
He pulled a paper bird from his robe pocket and waved his wand swiftly above
it. It grew in moments into a snowy owl, rather like Harry�s. It stretched its
parchment wings and hooted twice, then turned glowing amber eyes on Pettigrew,
who looked both repelled and fascinated.

�This bird will always find me,�
Severus said calmly. And it was true; the paper owl would find its way through
the wards into Grimmauld Place. �If you try to betray me, then it will grow
sharper claws than it has now and hound you to death.� That wasn�t true, but
Pettigrew�s face turned the required sickly grey color, and Severus was
confident that, for the moment, he has secured his position as a greater threat
than the Dark Lord. �Send your messages with it when you are ready.�

Pettigrew nodded and scurried out
of the house, the paper owl flying just above him.

Severus stood where he was for a
moment, gazing around Spinner�s End. He had far too many memories associated
with this place, and he hated most of them. But surely, he had never thought
that someday he would be using it as a meeting place in order to arrange a way
to help James Potter�s son.

And Lily�s. Do not forget her.

�� I never do, he answered himself, and
walked out to his Apparition point, automatically casting detection spells that
would find people observing him as he walked. Being a spy had trained him well
in more than one way.��

*

�� Thrnbrooke: Thanks! I�m trying to show that Harry has
matured a little, and recognized that taking on Seamus by himself wasn�t the
smartest thing he could have done, no matter how necessary.

�� SP777:
Thanks!

�� I used to
read a lot of H/D fanfiction. I don�t read as much
anymore. It�s hard for me to find a story that sounds intriguing (I mostly go
by summary), or that is well-written enough, without lots of spelling and
grammar errors. But I don�t worry about picking up other ideas, as there are
always more out there if I can�t use one because it sounds too similar to
someone else�s.

�� MewMew2:
Thank you!

�� SamuraiSaaya: Thank you! There have been parts of this
story that I enjoyed writing more than almost any of my others, and in the
process it got me over several fears: that I couldn�t write teenagers, for
example, or the boys when they were still students at Hogwarts. And this is
definitely one of my favorite versions of Draco.
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Inter Vivos