Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Familiar	By : Vittani Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 65690 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
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.

Chapter List
- 41
- 42
A/N...I�m so sorry it took so long for me to update. I hit major writers block with this fic and have been working on another fic on FF while I waited to get over it. I�ve tried writing this chapter at several times over the intervening months but it just hasn�t come. Recently hasn�t been the best time for my family, not only work but health scares has forced me to do a lot less writing than I wanted. My Aunt died yesterday and instead of making me lose any all remaining muse that I possessed, it made me want to do something. I needed to write. And the fic I chose was Familiar, maybe it helped me get the events of this chapter down. I think it was slightly cathartic writing this chapter, it allowed me to vent my feelings a little bit. Well anyway I�m sorry for the wait, only the next couple of weeks will let me know if my muse has fully returned. I hope it has because I�ve hated leaving this for this long.

Thank yous go to all you amazing people who reviewed and you even more amazing people who kept letting me know you hadn�t forgot this story.

Redneckmama...your enthusiasm for this story is whats kept me going. I don�t know if you�ve posted that Drarry idea you had but if you have I can�t wait to read it.

Thrnbrooke...Sorry hun but I can�t tell you yet how the bonding was stopped. You�ll find that out next chapter. ^_^

Serpensortia... Lol I am devious yes but it will work out in the end. I hate unhappy endings. You�ll find out why I killed off Silasi in this chapter. I�d planned it this way from the beginning. I think my only miscalculation was that I didn�t have her around long enough for people to come to care about her. Something that I hope I learn from.

Shinythiefxblast..Dumbledore does need a good ass kicking doesn�t he. Hopefully that will happen soon. ^_^

Dominique...Thankyou I�m glad you liked Manny. Dont worry about Harry and Draco, they�re resourceful boys and will definitely find out what went wrong with the bonding.

Banner...Thank you I�m so glad you liked it. Dumbledore is definitely getting more desperate and resorting to less subtle ways of manipulation and attack.

Sophia Max...Thank you I�m glad you like it. The plot definitely became a lot more complicated than I originally thought, I think when I started this I was only expecting it to be twenty chapters long. That didn�t happen lol.

Ero...Lol, I�m mean aren�t I. I hated to kill her off but that's always been part of the plan, in fact its quite important, it sets in motion the whole finale.

Anemic Chicken...Cringes, sorry I took so long to update but my muse really did die on me. I�d never leave a posted fic unfinished though and I�ve worked too hard on this fic to give up now. Hope this chapter lives upto expectation.

Grimalkitty... Can I just say I loved your description of Dumbledore. You had me laughing. Thank you for the compliment on my writing, it means a lot coming from someone who has experience in the industry. I know I have long way to go with grammar and other stuff and I�ve still got a lot to learn writing wise, so thank you for the little boost of confidence.

Brittany... Thank you. ^_^ Added your name to the email list.

Astra Declinant... Yay! Someone who likes Krai. You are so going to hate me after this chapter. Urgh. And YAY! Presents! I haven�t gotten presents in a while. I really appreciate the rum and my plot bunnies love the Brownies. Lol, they are begging me to start the next chapter.

dragongirl40...Lol, I�m just as impatient as you to see Dumbledore taken down. I�d thought I�d have done that long ago, but the bunnies just wouldn�t let me.

Kurai...No problem, I don�t mind long breaks in between reviews. I just think its brilliant that you are still reading this. ^_^ I haven�t been on AFF in a while so I�ll have to check and see if you�ve updated any of your fics. Theres so many of them that I like I�m sure I�ll find one. ^_^

Akumu_Suta-Raito...Heyla hun, so good to see ya on here. I�m glad you like this. You know I love yours! ^_^

Moshi...Thank you for pointing out my mistakes in that early chapter. I�m planning to re-read this fic to reconnect with the story, to make sure I haven�t forgot anything, so I�ll make sure to edit as I go.

fanficti0naddict...Sorry its taken so long but heres your update.

dirty_darella...Thank you so much. It�s brilliant when I get a compliment from a writer I love.

seeker.sidhe...Sorry it took so long. Hope you like what happens next, well...

Jessi...Sorry for the wait hun. Heres the update. Better late than never eh?

WarpedMinded... Thank you so much. Can�t believe you�ve been reading this since the beginning. It�s a long time to stick with a story, a real compliment. Hopefully everything will get better soon but I make no guarantees. Lol. It was your review that really got me thinking about returning to this. Without your intervention who knows when my muse would have prodded me to work on this. I wasn�t going to attempt writing this chapter until I finished my next chapter of my new story on FF but it just felt like the right time to get back to it. Thanks.

WOW, that was a long reply section. Thank you all so much for not forgetting this fic. Now onto what you�ve been waiting for.

It was brought to my attention on another site that I�ve been using the wrong speech marks (� �) so from hence forth the speech will be in the proper marks (� �). Oh and there�s an A/N at the end of the chapter that I�d like everyone to read, it�s really important.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed.

Chapter 41: Do Snakes Grieve?

He slipped between the rock and the shore, the cold water lapped at him as his coils slid over the sandy ground. He passed the rock but made no move to slip into the water to begin a hunt. He was in no mood for food. It had been just a few short days since his mate had died, the students had returned and his Master�s mate had been increasingly warmer to him but there was still something making him sad.

Human beings know grief but does a snake? What a snake feels cannot be compared to a humans feeling of loss. There is loss but it is harder for a snake to feel attachment as most snakes are solitary. They do miss those they come into contact with but it is not the all consuming despair felt by those of warm blood. It was once said cold blood, cold heart and maybe that is true. But Krai didn't know whether what he felt was grief but he certainly did miss her.

Silasi had been a companion, someone of like mind and form. She could understand him and his decisions much better in some ways than his Master for her brain was the same as his. Human beings were entirely too complicated, what with their feelings of love and loss.

Krai was unusual in some respect. A snake doesn�t really grieve but it does wonder, wonder on an absence but then it moves on. But Krai was not like other snakes, being bonded to a human gave him some of their traits. For how could he guide one if he had no understanding of their life and wants. Krai had feelings stronger than any other reptile he knew. Like Silasi, she had looked upon him as a companion and a possible mate but snakes don�t mate for life. Their attachments are fleeting. So maybe Krai with his human vulnerability did love, or at least feel a semblance of it.

And because of that he did grieve.

But like any snake soon he would forget and go on with his life, it just took him more time than most.

***

�Harry are you alright?� Draco�s voice was soothing, as were the circles he rubbed on Harry�s back. He sensed the anger in his dominant and sought to remove it.

The room they were in reflected their moods. Dark and silent the Room of Requirement had conjured plenty of breakable items for Harry to curse and a few muggle training dummies and body pillows for Harry to take out his frustrations on. The room had been decimated in their short time there. Broken instruments littered the floor and the stuffing of the dummies covered every surface even Harry�s sweat soaked skin. He�d removed Harry�s shirt when he�d stopped earlier from exhaustion. He�d cleaned him as best he could for Harry was unresponsive to his touch. He shivered in both cold and exhaustion but Draco couldn�t get him to move and wrap up, he couldn�t even keep a blanket on Harry�s shoulders whenever he�d tried Harry would snarl angrily at nothing and begin furiously pacing. This had happened several times and every time it did the room just conjured more for him to destroy.

Silasi�s death had affected them all. Krai and Harry more so than anyone but Draco still felt her loss. He had been the one who had brought her into their family, to her death. He�d never expected that he�d ever feel guilt over his actions. Then again he�d never expected to feel love either. So many things had changed for him these last few months. And it was all thanks to Krai. He�d forgotten that.

He�d really believed that Krai had known why their bond had failed. Maybe he�d just been looking for someone to blame. He didn't feel that way now, that�s for sure.

***

Silently he glided back down to the shore. He�d been alone with his thoughts for quite a while now and he was finally feeling the need to hunt. He favoured the lake today, he needed the enveloping coolness of the water. Having a dual nature was sometimes hard to bear. Often times his instincts would clash. But today they were in accord. To swim or to burrow? That was often the decision that plagued him. But today he wanted the numbness and coldness that came with water. He wanted to float and feel weightless as though a burden had been lifted from him. Today he wanted peace.

The water when his underbelly touched it was everything he wanted. He swam for awhile not actively searching for prey. He would have to go deeper for fish. And it was likely that his presence had already chased off most of them. He may go hungry tonight but he needed this quiet more.

A bird passed him overhead, he felt its shadow but he paid it no mind. He went back to his thoughts, absently watching the fish darting away from him as he neared. He was listless, he could feel it. He didn't want to hunt right now, maybe he should return to the castle.

A rush of warm air distracted him but before he could turn hard claws wrapped around his middle and squeezed. His breath left him as he was born upwards, his head dangling in the water for a moment before his captor rose further. He was tossed unceremoniously and fell to the ground, dropping like a stone onto a huge rock.

He lay stunned as he felt the heat return and land beside him. Sharp claws dug into the flesh just beneath his head, not hard enough to kill just to hold. His head cleared enough for his vision to be assaulted by bright crimson, then he tasted it on his tongue...the Fire Bird.

The Phoenix regarded him quizzically a moment, its head cocking from side to side before twisting his foot just slightly. Krai felt it as his body was forced into an unnatural position, his neck was bent to the side so that he could watch while his underbelly, his most vulnerable side was exposed.

The phoenix�s talons were hot against his flesh. The bird was smart, it knew exactly how to hold him. It kept his talons close enough to his head to prevent him getting any leverage to sink his fangs into the birds flesh. He couldn�t move, he was pinned.

A piercing pain brought his attention back to the moment, he flailed wildly in reaction trying to get the birds beak out of his flesh. He felt his blood leaving his body as Fawkes grabbed a hold of his torn skin and ripped, shaking his head vicously to tear him. He did the only thing he could, he screamed for his Master.

Even as he did so he knew his Master was too distant so he continued to twist and to flail as the phoenix removed his flesh.

HARRY!

***

HARRY!

He was off the bed in seconds, almost sending Draco reeling in shock.

�GIVE ME A WAY!� he screamed to the air. Before beginning to pace and rage. His face was redder than a ruby, his teeth had elongated and his hair flew about his head with static energy. Black tinted claws burst from his hands, shredding his clothes easily as he caught them, but not his skin.

�I WANT OUT!� he raged thumping the walls and cracking the bricks with his magic. Draco just stood and watched slightly afraid, he had no idea what was going on.

�GIVE ME A WAY TO GET TO HIM NOW, OR I SWEAR TO YOU I�LL DESTROY EVERYTHING THAT GETS IN MY WAY!�

Draco swallowed nervously. He�d never seen this side of Harry before. He felt perfectly safe but instinctively knew that nothing else was. Suddenly the air shimmered around them and then another room formed. A room with nothing in it bar a second door. Harry ran to it and pulled so hard he wrenched the door off its hinges and flung it at the wall behind him. Draco had to duck out of the way as it passed quite close to him. What�s wrong with Harry?

Harry didn't even notice, he just took off out into the night. As Draco followed him he realised the room had created a short cut to the grounds, specifically in the body of a tree near the lake.

Harry was already running away from him, tearing across the grounds towards the lake. He followed, at a much slower pace, he just couldn�t keep up with his mate.

Finally he burst in on something that made his gorge rise. Harry was crouched a little in front of him, he seemed to be paying no attention to anything other than what was in front of him. But then again that was all Draco could look at too. It was hard to ignore a phoenix at the best of times but when that phoenix was gazing up at you with burning eyes from where it stood bent over a helpless friend. Something red and long, something that blew in the wind and dripped even more red hung from his beak. He�d never before thought of a phoenix as fierce but right now he definitely didn't think beautiful and good.

Krai was thrashing weakly, pinned by enormous talons. He didn't even seem to know they were there.

Harry was growling and pawing the ground, not daring to move forward while that vicious beak hovered so close to Krai�s form.

Fawke�s eyes seemed to speak a message, a taunt and challenge. So clear he was almost speaking aloud. Come and get him.

But neither of them dared move. The phoenix clicked his beak threateningly. Harry growled in response. It was stalemate. Neither party dared make a move.

Harry�s power seemed to be climbing. He could feel it as a strange pressure against his senses. He was not the only one, Fawkes shifted restlessly from foot to foot.

It all happened so fast after that Draco barely saw it. With Fawkes� nervous shifting, his grip had loosened, only for a moment but it was enough time for Krai to gather his strength and strike. Even as he sank his fangs into Fawkes� leg the bird was twisting away. Harry had also took advantage of the moment, in that split second when he had seen Krai move he leapt.

The bird tore himself away from Krai and pushed off from the ground before Harry could reach him. Harry let him go. He was gathering Krai up into his arms before the phoenix had really made any distance. The moment he had ahold of all of Krai�s coils he ran. Draco knew where he was headed, they were too far from Hagrid�s so Harry would take Krai to the hospital wing. Draco was torn he wanted to follow but he didn't want Fawkes to get away. But while he�d pondered Fawkes had already disappeared, likely he had disappeared in a burst of flames.

With no choice remaining he set out to follow Harry.

****

He burst through the hospital wing doors to find a bustle of activity. Pomfrey was running around the room collecting potion vials and other things. She seemed a little panicked for a trained healer.

Harry was stood bent over the healer�s desk. A bloodied cloth lay between his spread hands.

Draco�s pace immediately slowed upon seeing Krai. He�d never seen Krai look so small. His head rested beside Harry�s fist, the large hand dwarfing the much smaller skull. One of Harry�s fingers idly stroked the ridge just above Krai�s eye. Behind Krai�s head was a blackened area, his scales had already curled and flaked off from the heat. The shape of Fawkes� talon were clearly visible as were the small puncture wounds from the claws as they tightened.

His breathing was shallow, he barely moved.

The cloth was bundled around the lower half of Krai�s body and as he stepped closer he could see why. The bleeding had been stopped but the wounds had not closed. The edges of each wound had been blackened, the flesh cooked and then burnt.

He needed burn salve and quickly.

He glanced around, the sounds of Madam Pomfrey rummaging were gone. She was walking briskly towards them an apologetic look upon her face.

�I have no more burn salve left Harry. I used it on Professor Snapes third year class this morning. He hasn�t had time yet to make more.�

Harry couldn�t seem to answer her, he never lifted his eyes from the silent form of his familiar.

�What else can you do?� Draco asked giving her his full attention as she reached Krai�s side.

�I can heal the burns, but the spell is old it takes a lot of time. With the potion available no one has tried to improve the spell.� Draco sighed, there were too many Gryffindor in power now. A Slytherin would know that to be successful you always had to back up your options.

�Will they work?� He asked.

She hesitated. �They�re only meant for humans, it�s unlikely they�ll work for him.� Resigned she turned back to her task.

He watched her as she began on the burns. They did heal but slowly, each small area she healed turned from black to pink and began oozing red again. Whenever this happened she was forced to pause to clean and close the wound. Speed was important now; she didn't bother to prevent any scarring. Physical beauty didn't matter anymore, only life. The tail was healed first as it was the most severely injured. The flesh was knobbly, a club more than a tail. The skin was pink, scar tissue with no chance of re-growing his beautiful shimmering scales.

Krai�s breathing was getting worse, they weren�t even half way through the healing. An inexplicable fear began to grow on him as with every move of her wand Madam Pomfrey would shake her head. He hadn�t realised there were tears in his eyes.

He knew it then.

When she reached the first talon mark, the one nearest Krai�s tail she paused. She glanced from Harry�s still form to Krai, she spent a long while watching him breathe before running her eyes along his body.

Then she raised her eyes to his and shook her head before stepping back. The movement seemed to rouse Harry, he turned his gaze on them and Draco saw the power and emotion held behind his eyes. He was fighting to keep control, the anger, the tears and his magic, all were swirling in the green depths.

Draco�s breath caught, involuntarily he took a step back.

�Why have you stopped?� Harry�s voice was soft, calm and deceptive. His anger not shown in the tone but in the accompanying power that spiked dangerously with every word.

�I�m sorry Harry.� She said turning away and gathering up the discarded vials she brought. She took them over to the shelves but returned with another. The potion was black, the only one of its colour ever made, it�s purpose clear to him but not to Harry who looked at it puzzled. She uncorked the vial, took out her wand and dipped the tip into the black liquid. She withdrew it and tapped it against the neck to remove the excess.

A single drop remained, enough for its purpose. She moved until her wand hovered over Krai�s slightly parted mouth.

�To remove the last pain.� She whispered, before flicking her wand with a finger like you would a muggle cigarette. The drop fell. The moment it touched Krai�s tongue it was absorbed and the tension seemed to leave the snake�s body.

Harry sighed and looked at her gratefully before he caught the meaning of her words. He turned his attention to Krai and was lost again in his thoughts.

Draco busied himself helping Madam Pomfrey tidy up. He couldn�t stand and watch. Once they were done he turned, ready to head back but she took his arm and led him a little further away.

She seemed hesitant yet determined.

�Dumbledore was behind it all.� She said. Draco could only nod, he�d known that. �He called me to his office this afternoon. He told me that a student had an illegal animal, that the creature had been injured when Fawkes had tried to bring it to him. He said that if anyone should come to me I was to inform him. This wasn�t an injury from a failed capture, it was done on purpose, there�s no doubt.�

Draco felt for her, he really did she spoke as one whose ideals had just been shattered. She�d put her faith in that man and he�d broken it. No healer could bare the thought of someone causing intentional pain to another. Whether human or animal. Dumbledore had betrayed her by doing so and she was taking it hard.

�That�s a familiar.� She said with another look towards Krai. �He has one of his own, how could he think to take something like that away from Harry?�

He took her hand in his and rubbed it gently. �He�s not what we thought Madam.�

All she could do was nod.

***

Harry was aware of Pomfrey and Draco, he heard what they said, he felt his anger grow but at the same time it didn't touch him. It seemed separate to him, hidden until it could be released. Anger had no place in a sick room.

Dumbledore had planned it. Why hadn�t he realised it? The old man didn't care about Silasi, her death made no difference to his plan. But as a distraction she�d been useful. He cursed himself for not keeping his guard up, he cursed Krai for doing the same. They�d played right into Dumbledore�s hands. Silasi�s death had distracted them, Krai had no doubt been less vigilant than normal, lost in his thoughts probably, he�d never seen Fawkes coming.

Harry was not an idiot, he knew it was over. He didn't want to believe it but he knew he must. Dumbledore had beaten them.

A rasping hissing voice broke his concentration.

~Not enough...not...enough...venom.~

Krai...Krai it�s alright. Don�t worry.

The eyes seemed to brighten for a moment before dimming again, Krai�s head twitched towards him, no doubt sensing his presence.

~Massster?~

It�s alright Krai, you�re with me now.

Krai sighed, the tension left his body. He was safe.

Speak with your mind Krai, it�ll be easier on you.

Master. So strong.

I�m not the strong one Krai. He thought dashing the tears from his eyes.

No. I...can�t survive...this.

You can. Harry urged.

Never lie to yourself...Harry. Be truthful...

You�re strong. I knew...it the mom...ent I saw you. Knew you...were the one.

Krai, you�re rambling. The snake gave a hissing, wheezing laugh.

Not rambling, trying to tell you the tru...th.

Krai, you need to rest. Harry urged.

You need to know the truth about...Merlin. Who he was. Salazar�s ancestor, yours also.

Suddenly a lot of things seemed to make sense in Harry�s mind.

Dumbledore and Voldemort�s interest, along with the rest of the wizarding world. Pure blood geneaologies were published he knew that, which would mean they all knew he was from the Gryffindor line. And though they didn't know of his direct connection with Salazar they would have seen that overtime descendents of both founders came together in love. They all knew he had the blood of two founders and maybe the blood of Merlin also.

Why didn't you mention this before? He whispered, hard to do in the mind but possible.

Krai regarded him through a dull eye.

You weren�t ready to know...the Slytherin�s all know. They...likely knew when they fir...st saw you...

Harry held his breath, Krai�s mind voice was coming to him fainter and fainter with even longer pauses.

Draco knew?

How could he not...recog...recog...see it in you.

But why does it matter? Harry persisted. That doesn�t mean I�m anything like him?

It does...does...matter...ask...Draco...he�ll...

Krai�s voice faded until it was barely audible. It still reached his mind but faintly, like speaking to someone over a bad phone line. Krai had seemed to wilt over the last few moments but then he jerked and rallied, Harry knew it as a last great effort.

I can�t...Harry I can do one last thing...if you wish it? The memory block, I can break it...

It was the end and he knew it, the tears he hadn�t known he�d shed continued to fall, his hands stroked the remains of Krai�s scales. He wanted to say so many things in that moment as it stretched. How he was sorry for ever bringing Krai to this, for hurting him several weeks ago, for believing him capable of only serving his own interests. But mostly he wanted him to know how thankful he was, Krai wasn�t up to hearing all those things so he settled on the last.

Thank you. For everything.

A glance at Draco showed him that his mate was well. He trusted Poppy to keep him safe while he travelled whatever roads the memory held.

Turning back to Krai he saw the eyes fade a little more. He couldn�t think, he felt helpless...so he said two words.

�Break it.�

If snakes could smile he would swear Krai had. Without anything else to warn him he felt something blow apart in his mind, yet even as the memory rushed towards him he felt something else breaking. He had a split second of knowing he and Krai had been parted forever when he was flung head first into his forbidden memory.
.
,
.

Please don�t hate me. Begs.

A/N...Hi everyone, you wont believe how sorry I am for this terribly long wait. Several things have happened since I last wrote, I wont bore you with the details but I am back now. My muse for this story seems to have finally returned so here is the long awaited chapter. I know right now you all probably hate me. But at least you know why I killed Silasi off so quickly.

The next chapter will be up much quicker. It is of course entitled the Memory. When setting out to post this I re-read my warnings and realised that one wasn�t visible, so I either forgotto put it in or it just doesn�t appear due to the character limit. The next chapter when I write it could be either very graphic or not graphic at all. I�ll warn you, it isn�t graphic in a good way, in fact it will again be quite a grim chapter. Which is maybe why I lost my muse, thankfully it should be the last depressing chapter for a while. So I have a vote for everybody. Do you want me to write all of it, every single detail or do you want me to just give the bare bones of the matter. I�ll leave it up to you but I can't give anymore info away to help you make it. If you have an opinion then please put it in a review. If not I�ll just have to do what I feel like doing n a lot of people might not like the full version, especially since it unfortunately is without warning.

RECOMMENDATION�

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Harry/Draco WIP

This story is very dark and beautiful. It shows in beautiful language just how much the human body can withstand, whether it be emotional or physical assault. The thing that makes this story unique is that it isn�t Harry who is suffering all this but Draco. It�s perfectly paced and very moving with a secondary pairing that is rare and entertaining.

Sirius is alive and very much his fun self in this which I know will please a lot of people. In fact the characterisation in this story is truly inspirational, you cannot say that a single character is out of character even when they make decisions totally adverse to cannon.

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