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Can You Keep a Secret?	By : KusanoSaku Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 28184 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter francise does not belong to me. I own only the plot and I make no money off of this.

Chapter List
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Title: Can you keep a Secret?
Authors: kusanobabe05 [kusanosakura] and socia0307
Pairing: DracoxHarry, implied RonxHermione,
Fandom: HP
Notes: Compatible up to the bathroom scene between Draco and Harry in Half-blood Prince- minus the Ginny interest. After that is completely AU…
Warning: drarry gets rather aggressive so be warned.
Disclaimer/AN: Songs from this chapter belong thus: Lost Boy- Ruth B, Blink-182/5SOS – I miss you, 5 Seconds of Summer- Jet Black Heart and Alicia Keys- Fallin’ and Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart. Also I Corinthians 13:4-7, KJV
Chapter 41

Andromeda was beyond surprised to be summoned to the principle family seat of the Prince Family.

Even more surprised to be met by the Dark Lord…

“Andromeda thank you for coming…”

“Is Severus coming?”

Voldemort stiffened, “No unfortunately. As discomforting as this is, I find I must ask you for advice.”

Andromeda raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”

“We’re soulmates Severus and I…”

Andromeda swallowed, “You’re what?”

“Trust me I was as surprised as you are, I am quite aware of our age difference. I am over thirty years his senior after all. Being soulmates, according to Nagini he is gravid and his house elves claim I am his consort.”

“Oh my…how has Severus taken this?”

“As far as I know he has no knowledge of being gravid or my being recognised as his consort. I wonder what his reaction to my gift was…” Voldemort mused.

“What gift was that?”

“I released him from the original Dark Mark; I can no longer summon him or cause him pain. It is now different, a personal emblem…he can use it to sense my emotions if he wishes but that is up to him.” Voldemort admitted.

“You claimed him physically and magically.” Andromeda sighed, “Clearly you don’t know Severus all that well. Severus has always struggled with self-worth issues and my embarrassment of a sister never helped that. Being a Halfblood in Slytherin yourself you ought to know how difficult this might have been for him. He didn’t have the benefit of being the Heir of Slytherin; he was the lowest of the low in a House that prizes status. Not only did Bellatrix torture him in school and even while in your service, my cousin had it out for him and dragged Harry’s father along.”

“I know Bellatrix could be rude by I never actually witnessed her doing more than accusing him of being unfaithful to the cause.” Voldemort nodded.

Andromeda snorted, “As if she would dare curse your favourite where it might come to your attention, I may not have numbered among your supporters but I have ears. Severus was quickly raised to your inner circle despite his blood. Yet he still refuses to acknowledge anything he hasn’t earn, he only sees his potions mastery as something worth accepting because he sweat blood and tears for it. He doesn’t value his Lordship, as others might, or having been lifted to the status appropriate for one of his talent. He likely doubts the sincerity of your motives; you are an impoverished lord who relies on his ‘friends’ to keep him in society. No true Slytherin would turn out a descendent of their revered founder, hence why Severus likely fled rather than cast you out. Severus maybe a Prince in name he is not by status, which lies with the Malfoys just as Black witches are regarded as Queens.”

“You’re saying I must court him…”

“Yes, but in a way that honours Severus not his title.”

Voldemort frowned, “How would I do that?”

“First how tied is Riddle to the name Voldemort? Perhaps, it is only known to your followers?”

Voldemort nodded, “I believe so, the elder Death Eaters were sworn never to speak that name.”

“Then why not return? Change your name; it is such a dreadfully common sounding name and unworthy of Slytherin blood after all. Pick something regal enough for someone who hypothetically owns a quarter of Hogwarts.”

“What sort of name would you recommend?”

Andromeda smirked, “Your Gaunt ancestors were less than appealing, thus I would recommend taking a name the honours the witches that you are descended from Elnath Black and Eudocia Prince.”

Voldemort flinched, “Prince?”

“The sister of the previous Severus Prince and his brother Cronos Nott, it was five generations back for your Severus. It won’t matter in the least blood wise. There are no decent names within the Serpens constellation but there are a few decent ones in Draconis; Thuban which means the snake, Rastaban head of the serpent, Eltanin dragon’s head and Arrakis the dancer.”

“Thuban will be fine. Any recommendations for a Latin name?”

“Alaricus it means ruler of all, close enough to ‘Lord’ isn’t it? Of course there is always Dominicus ‘belongs to the lord’ or Cyriacus meaning ‘of the lord’.” Andromeda taunted.

“Alaricus Thuban, I’ll probably go by Alaric.”

“Lord Consort Dominicus Prince has an interesting ring to it.” Andromeda smirked.

“Hold your tongue lady…” the Dark Lord grumbled. “How do you know so much about such names?”

“During our supervised courtship, Lucius and I were often made to discuss such things as naming offspring. Malfoys, Princes and Puceys all chose Latinate names for their Gringotts registered offspring. Now, I suppose ruler of all snakes suits you even as a consort.” Andromeda failed to restrain a snicker.

“You’re testing my patience Lady Andromeda.”

“You should be grateful to me Alaric; you can come out the shadows and be Severus’ consort publicly. You wouldn’t want his heirs to be mistaken for bastards.”

The Dark Lord flinched. “As soulmates does a contract have to be filed?”

“For Propriety? Likely, for Gringotts I am not sure. Harry is only being legally bonded to Draco for their own protection. I am sure that you can question Gringotts when you file for a name change. You should also request as flexible a bonding contract to Severus, as Consort you can use language that implies you only rule in the sheets.”

“Andromeda…” the Dark Lord growled.

“Behave yourself; are you forgetting that I am a birth healer and likely the only person who should be trusted to bring your expected children into the world?” Andromeda retorted. “Also I am the only one who likely would support your courtship of Severus and advise you. I don’t know him as intimately as a childhood friend would, but I can help you figure out how to assure him of your intent.”

“How?”

“What do you know about Severus?”

“His father was abusive, his mother resided in the same house but was either to ill or drunk to care for him. His surrogate family was Lily Evan’s; she was half sister and half best friend to him. He excelled in defence, once having beaten Professor Flitwick in a duel and was the youngest Potions Master, First Class. The only Potions Master exam he sat was for the First Class. Being raised in the Muggle World as the son of an unemployed drunk, Severus has little self-esteem. He is also a fine musician and sometimes writes songs. In fact, last night we finished one together…”

“Court him in music, if you can’t find wizarding songs to express yourself I’m sure I can introduce you to Muggle Music while they don’t possess magic in the truest sense sometimes their lyrics feel magical. The benefit of a Muggleborn spouse, he has introduced me to some aspects of Muggle Culture.”

“You really think that Muggle Music would do it?”

“Slytherins don’t often use words like love and affection, when we feel those emotions we chose actions to impart them. It takes something drastic for us to ‘fall in love’; often times we need to almost lose something before we truly value it. In my case, I had no desire to bond to Lucius whom my sister was in love with. Given that no betrothal had been made for her, I knew if I broke the contract that she would be offered in my place. Ted had developed feelings for me while I was tutoring him in potions; he sensed my wish to be ‘free’ and proceeded to do what no other wizard would dare: he courted me. He gave me paints, canvas, brushes, books on Muggle artists and art. He listened to my real dreams to be a healer and not a consort. If Severus’ true passion is music, speak to him in music. If it is potions, then find rare potions books and ingredients for him. Make him believe your heart; unlike most persons of his social ranking he’ll need some vocal assurances of your affection.”

This sounded quite difficult…

Not impossible mind but the Dark Lord had little understanding of love or emotions, he’d never really considered love to have any value. He’d never felt or recognised feeling sexual desire until they were sitting at piano writing the lyrics to that song.

He absently began humming it…

“What is that?”

“Oh the song we finished…”

'Cause I’ve got a jet black heart
And there’s a hurricane underneath it
Trying to keep us apart
I write with a poison pen
But these chemicals moving between us
Are the reason to start again

“Sing it for me…from the beginning.”

The newly minted Alaric began,

Everybody’s got their demons
Even wide awake or dreaming
I’m the one who ends up leaving
Make it okay

“I see…he ends his relationships by leaving. He left his parents for the Wizarding World; he left Lily and entered your service. Now he’s left you to protect himself from being hurt.” Andromeda mused.

“Do you know the story of Peter Pan?”

Andromeda blinked, “Yes?”

“He was singing a song about being alone and wanting to be a lost boy in Never Land. How his only friend growing up was the man in the moon and sometimes he’d go away too. Whether that was rhetorical or his life before his Lily who knows? He sang about flying away from a town that never loved him. Wanting to be free and escape reality, Severus normally comes off cold and heartless.”

“Unless you see him with Draco, that boy has been a surrogate son to him.” Andromeda shrugged.

“Or when he sings, it seemed to be his only release…” Alaric mused.

“Then the way to his heart is music, we’ll discuss how to find the right songs later. I want you to think about what you feel and how to express it without feeling too foolish.” Then Andromeda flited out of the room leaving Alaric alone with his thoughts.

He would have to file to change his name soon so that he could be almost worthy of Severus.

Perhaps, he could convince Severus to leave ‘Snape’ behind and take a more worthy name such as Prince…

XooooooX

Severus had buried himself in the bed in the villa in France soon after his arrival.

His dreams were haunted by the memory of letting the Dark Lord have his body…

He couldn’t understand why he did that or why he enjoyed it…

He reached to absently touch his dark mark, and felt something different…

‘Severus…’

He jumped, feeling his name like a caress in his mind.

It felt similar to his memories of how the Dark Lord whispered his name…

Surely he couldn’t have been his first…

The Dark Lord knew how to make him feel pleasure too well…

He couldn’t be special…

It was selfish to imagine such a thing…

Why would a descendent of Slytherin want someone like him?

He summoned an inked quill and scribbled his thoughts.

Even if you were a million miles away
I could still feel you in my bed
Near me, touch me, feel me
And even at the bottom of the sea
I could still hear inside my head
Tellin' me, touch me, feel me

Severus could almost feel the ghost of the Dark Lord’s touch…

Oh, oh, I never felt this way
How do you give me so much pleasure
And cause me so much pain
Just when I think
I’ve taken more than would a fool
I start fallin' back in love with you

In a dark place in his heart, Severus wanted a repeat of on his drawing room floor…

Love…

It couldn’t be…

Had he ever felt something like that?

What did it mean?

He struggled to remember his lessons at St. Catherine’s parish…

Was the Dark Lord capable of it? He’d split his soul…

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

I Corinthians 13:4-7 if he remembered correctly…

None of that seemed like anything the Dark Lord could feel…

Severus didn’t know what love meant in the wizarding world and he doubted that Slytherins would countenance such a Hufflepuff definition as the one he remembered…

Secretly he craved being loved, now that he knew what it was like to be in another’s arms and to give himself up to a lover, it opened an ache and a hunger in him.

Could he accept the Dark Lord? Could he care for someone who might have killed Lily?

Nagini had mentioned that the events that night were not as they thought but he’d blamed both his ‘masters’ for her death and wished for both to die for too many years to bother counting. Albus had died already and he’d had a hand in it even if Albus caused it himself…

Could he forgive the Dark Lord for any part he played in Lily’s Death and could he live with himself if he did?

Could he handle being accused of seducing or whoring himself to the Dark Lord after some of the comments he’d made about Bellatrix in the past?

Severus threw his notebook away and hid in the bed.

He wished he could undo last night…

He’d rather live in ignorance then feel this conflicted.

His life felt ten times emptier then it had when he left Hogwarts…

‘Severus’

‘Where are you,
and I'm so sorry,
I cannot sleep, I cannot dream tonight.
I need somebody and always,
this sick strange darkness,
comes creeping on so haunting every time.
As I stared I counted,
the webs from all the spiders,
catching things and eating their insides.
Like indecision to call you,
and hear your voice of reason,’

‘Severus come home…’

‘I can’t…’

‘What can I do to make you believe that you belong with me?’

Those couldn’t be the Dark Lord’s words…

Severus trembled; his mind must be already broken by this perceived betrayal of Lily.

‘I can’t cause you pain. I can’t force you to want to come to me. I took that away, I gave you this instead. You can sense my thoughts…if you want.’

Why? He didn’t understand…

‘You will. You will…’

XooooooX

Harry slipped into Draco’s study; he found Draco curled up in an armchair.

He knelt awkwardly to wrap his arms around Draco, “You’re not alone…”

“You won’t leave me too will you?”

“Hippogriffs and Firebolts couldn’t take me away. I doubt Iris would ever forgive if I did…not even born yet and she’s already attached to you. I’m a little jealous…” Harry admitted softly. “Besides, would I want to bond to you if I was going to leave?”

“Severus left…”

“I’m sure he had a reason…maybe Andromeda knows…”

“Father’s gone, not that he really cared about me. Severus was there more than he was…”

Lucius wasn’t gone like Sirius was gone, but locked up in Azkaban well, he wasn’t likely to escape like Sirius did…

“It’s not the same exactly but losing Sirius hurt. I only had him for a short time but he was there. I could turn to him for advice, no matter how minor. Sure I have the Weasleys but I would still give anything to have him back. You can’t let Severus push you away; you’ll regret it anything happened to him.”

“Come here…” Draco shifted to pull Harry into his lap. He’d gotten enough alone time to handle the shock, now he needed to not be alone.

Harry was content to soothe Draco, eventually his lover would demand Severus talk to him.

Draco despised being ignored but hopefully; he would react more mature in this case…

XooooooX

Andromeda was a bit weirded out…

Suspecting a connection between Severus and the Dark Lord was one thing, absorbing its existence as a soulbond was another matter.

Severus running scared wasn’t all that hard to believe, she had once considered that when Ted declared his intention to court her during a tutoring session because she was unhappy with Aunt Walpurga’s declarations regarding her future.

Things were different now; Ted was so much a part of her that he was like a fungus. He put up with her coldness and moods; sometimes she needed space and brewed for days. Then she’d sleep only to dial back her timeturner to see to patients.

Then there were other times where she needed to ground her dark magic, her use of it was strictly regulated by personal convictions and living in a Black property helped. Being a Hufflepuff, Ted disapproved of her use of dark magic but as long as she wasn’t using Unforgivables or torturing others, he turned a blind eye to it.

Having an Auror for a daughter made that more difficult but luckily, Tonks was living on her own. Not that Andromeda cared to enlighten the brat that she was renting from the Malfoys.

Brat she maybe but Andromeda cared more for what her daughter wanted, than imposing her own values and expectations like her Aunt who muddled up their lives.

XooooooX

Narcissa and Molly shook hands smirking slightly.

“Finished.”

“There, you really think that is decent enough?” Molly frowned.

“Given that they are both Lords in their own rights, we decided things as fairly as possible. My Draco as the dominant partner ought to have claim to it legally but he would never agree to that.”

“Harry maybe the magical dominant partner but I can’t see him wanting to control Draco legally either. It’s best to make them equals to prevent either side from declaring that they have unduly influenced one another.”

“I know…unfortunately, Draco won’t be in the mood to sign today what with Severus leaving so abruptly. If I were healthier, I would give him a piece of my mind. Since I am not, I’ll let Andromeda speak with him. They have more in common, I have always thought that.”

“Severus is a rather unsocial person; he never seemed to fit in with anyone. I always wondered why he became a Death Eater. With his blood status, it couldn’t have been easy.”

“You never stopped,”

“Actually, I did. I was one of the few. I never had any patience for bullying. Lily and I had that in common. I may not have punished them appropriately, but I did put a stop to it when I saw it.” Molly interrupted.

“Then I sit corrected, I never had to disregard for conventions or expectations that Annie did. Regulus and I both took after Uncle Orion; we weren’t one to rock the boat by making our opinions known. We despised how Bellatrix and others treated Severus but our loyalty to our social equals kept us from voicing it. As the true Queen of Slytherin, it was up to Andromeda to determine what was acceptable or not but we didn’t expect her to jilt my Lucius even if I benefited. For good or ill, I wanted to be Lady Malfoy and Andromeda discovered that. I just hope that Draco is happier than I…” Narcissa said tiredly.

“I am sorry that this turned out as they have in your case. Yet the future ought to be brighter, we can make sure that our grandchildren grow up in a safer world than our own children.”

“I hope so…we may have been on opposite side of the war but we both were pregnant in dark times and worried about the future…” Narcissa added.

It turned out better than I expected in some ways, I am just saddened by how much Albus made Harry suffer. I believe that your Draco has the best chance of anyone of healing those scars.”

“Draco has always had a kindness in him that was waiting to be awakened, I am glad to see him so happy. I am grateful that he did not need to spill blood to redeem the Malfoys from Lucius’ failure. I wonder which family Iris will resemble…”

“Given that she is supposed to be a Malfoy, perhaps she would reflect Draco…”

The two expecting grandmothers left each other’s company, Narcissa to lay down and Molly to visit Fleur.

Due to Bellatrix’s curses, Narcissa didn’t have the energy or strength that she had had last year.

If she was considered a recluse prior to Bellatrix arriving at the Manor, it had never been due to health reasons unlike her mother. But now, retiring to one of the minor Malfoy properties was sounding more rational.

Narcissa had no interest in any dowager Lady Malfoy responsibilities…

She was only concerned with her recovery so that she could enjoy her granddaughter and treat her things that a pureblood heiress ought to know…

What do you think? Outstanding? Exceeds Expectations? Acceptable? Poor? Dreadful? Troll?
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Can You Keep a Secret?