Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Wind Rider	By : SuishouTenshi Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 13758 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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
- 5
- 6
- 7
Wind Rider

- SuishouTenshi

REPOST (OCTOBER 24, 2007)

A/N: Hey guys. My computer�s having some sort of seizure. It�s
connected to the internet for about 5 minutes before disconnecting for another
2. It�s driving me nuts, so I�ve been staying away from it. But here�s chapter
6.

Chapter Six

Severus Snape glanced at
his watch surreptitiously for the hundredth time before looking up to check on
the progress of his third year students. The enmity between third year Gryffindors and Slytherins was in
no means as volatile as the sixth year�s, but a decade of experience had taught
Severus to stay on constant alert during lessons
between the two houses.

It
was Friday afternoon, and there were only twenty minutes left until the end of
classes.

Severus had waited long enough. It had been ten days
since he found Draco and Potter in that heated entanglement outside his private
rooms, and since then, he had been beside himself with worry.

Severus had secretly taken Tonks�
advice and began to supply Draco with diluted draughts. Meanwhile, he made all
sorts of excuses to delay teaching Draco how to make the draught himself. Every
day, he reduced the concentration by a few fractions. By now, the calming
draughts� potion to water ratio was at a steady 12 to 1.

But
the potions master knew that this could not last long. Draco�s internal
instincts were at a constant battle with his human consciousness. With every
growing day, the Zephyr�s need for its Intended would increase until it reached
an unbearable extent. The fully concentrated draughts could very well overcome
those needs, but the diluted ones would no doubt eventually fail to suppress
the waking Zephyr.

He
was worried to death for Draco; the boy whom he had treated like a nephew for
the last sixteen years was slowly wasting away.

Severus Snape knew what he
had to do. Twenty minutes later, he would have to take a trip to Malfoy Manor.
He knew that only Lucius had the capability to ease Draco�s mind. But the
question was, once Lucius found out about the identity of Draco�s Intended,
what was the probability that he wouldn�t reject the idea as well?

Boisterous
youngsters packed their bags and rushed out of the classroom, not even the Slytherin
students said good-bye to the greasy-haired professor. As the last of them
disappeared through the doorway, Severus sauntered
back into his private sitting room and lit a fire within the hearth. A flash
later, he was back in the ancient Snape Keep, where
the drawing room�s fireplace was the only fireplace currently connected to
Malfoy Manor�s Floo network.

�Malfoy
Manor!� Severus said clearly. The world spun around
him, and he landed in the immaculate Malfoy family�s drawing room seconds
later. He hoped that Narcissa would excuse his coming
without announcement; this sort of thing was too dangerous to bring up through
owl post.

What
Severus didn�t expect to find was a pristinely
dressed Lucius Malfoy crouching next to the east wall with his right ear
pressed closely to an unmoving painting. Lucius sensed his presence and turned
around in mild shock, but a soft, faraway crash suddenly caught their
attention, and Lucius� ear was once again glued back to the bottom of the
painting.

Severus raised an eyebrow, a habit that he
unwillingly caught from spending too much time with Draco and the Malfoy family
in general. Lucius didn�t look at him again, but waved his aristocratic fingers
and gestured Severus toward him.

The
now very curious professor approached the other man as silently as possible.
Another soft sound of shattering glass reached Severus�
ears. Briefly, he wondered whether Lucius and Narcissa
had gotten into a fight; the lady of the house was known for her temperament
and her occasional need to destroy valuable artifacts when irritated.

As
he got closer, he noticed that the bottom of the painting�s canvas had a round
cutout hole. It was then that he thought of the possibility of a miniscule
tunnel connecting the drawing room to another part of the Manor. How had he
never noticed its existence before? Snape Keep had
similar contraptions installed into the walls as well. The painting was hung up
just to hide this end of the peeping hole.

But
what was Lucius listening in on?

He
was now standing right in front of the blond man. Lucius smiled mischievously
and suppressed a chuckle. He then pointed to the hole and shifted away to allow
Severus to listen.

�Out! Get out, you miserable old man!� Another
crash echoed in Severus� ear. That was clearly Narcissa�s voice. �Lies, all lies! Haven�t you done
enough?�

Who
was Narcissa yelling at?

A
male voice said something, but it was too soft to carry over. A mere second
later, Narcissa broke something again.

�Then
you are out of your mind!� Narcissa began again.
�They�ve checked more than enough times, even during the summer, and frightened
my poor Draco into a terrible state! No more of this nonsense. Out! For the
last time, Lucius is not here, and he hasn�t contacted us!�

More
mumbling resumed.

�I
give no care for your stature or special knowledge or unfounded
suspicions! You shall not search my home! I will not allow it! Penny,
show Headmaster Dumbledore the door!�

Severus gasped and drew back. What was Albus Dumbledore doing in Malfoy Manor? He turned to search
for an answer through Lucius, only to see the other man gleaming with pride. Severus mentally scoffed. He had known Lucius for too long
to not know the reason behind that look. Narcissa
Malfoy was screaming and outwardly lying to the strongest wizard of the time,
of course Lucius would be proud.

�He�s
been here for the last half hour,� Lucius whispered in amusement, �and �Cissa hasn�t stopped yelling.�

Severus shook his head, half in exasperation, and
half in apprehension. He didn�t want to deal with Lucius while Albus Dumbledore himself was standing merely a few rooms
away.

�What
brings you here, Severus?� Lucius went to pour
himself a glass of Merlot. Severus wished for
something stronger, like firewhiskey.

He
coughed and said softly, �Draco.�

�How
is he doing? He hasn�t written since last week,� asked Lucius. His mannerism
didn�t waver at the least, and his countenance was just as nonchalant, but a
rushed anticipation in his voice told Severus just
how worried Lucius really was about Draco�s wellbeing.

�Not
well,� Severus whispered back as ominously as
possible, just to add to the effect of the words. Lucius� lean body froze
immediately. �I have news that will interest you and terrify you. Lucius, I
strongly suggest that you make an appearance and stop your house elf from
showing Headmaster Dumbledore the door.�

�Are
you mad?! Show myself to Dumbledore? Surely Draco�s situation does not involve
that old fool!�

�If
you do not wish your son to live a half life, you will listen to what I say,
Lucius,� Severus snarled.

The
head of the Malfoy household narrowed his grey eyes at his life-long friend. Severus� voice was threatening, a tone that Lucius wasn�t
very familiar with in connection to the other man. The black-haired professor
always respected the Malfoys, for Severus
Snape to outwardly challenge Lucius in such a manner,
something must be wrong.

Lucius
stepped forward and snatched Severus up by the
collars. �What�s wrong with Draco? If you do not speak now...�

�You
can�t go in there!� Narcissa�s voice interrupted
their confrontation. Her shriek sounded oddly close, as if she was just outside
the door.

�But
I heard a voice, Mrs. Malfoy. There might be a burglar in there; surely I
cannot leave you alone to a crazed madman.�

Severus groaned. Narcissa
should�ve known that Albus Dumbledore can see through
all kinds of lies, no matter how opaque they were. Narcissa
shrieked again in her melodramatic way, and the door opened with an
ear-splitting creak. Lucius didn�t even have a chance to hide.

�Ah,�
Dumbledore chuckled, �no madman here, Mrs. Malfoy, just my potions professor
and your husband. How was class, Severus? And Mr.
Malfoy, you look pale. I am returning to Bermuda
tonight, would you like to join me? The sun will do you some good.�

Three
adults and a cowering house elf stared at the old man in disbelief. Lucius was
the first to recover.

�Headmaster,
how long do I have until your Ministry henchmen arrive? I hope you don�t mind
giving me at least five minutes of head start.�

Dumbledore
chuckled again. �As much as I yearn to partake in an exhilarating game of tag,
time does not allow me such leisure. I came here today for the same reason as Severus did.�

Said
professor raised an eyebrow. Someday he was going to figure out how Dumbledore knew
about anything and everything.

Lucius
looked between the two Hogwarts staff members. With a sigh, he relented and sat
down in a plush armchair. He had known Albus
Dumbledore for to long to know that the old man would not leave until Lucius
granted him audience.

�Narcissa, tea.�

The
lady of the house huffed at the order. She shot Lucius a glare that Severus had seen many, many time. It was that
�I�ll-deal-with-you-later� look women were so fond of. Nonetheless, she
led Penny out with her back straight and chin tilted. Making tea would take
less than a second for a house elf; it was simply an excuse of which men of
aristocratic families used to temporarily dismiss their wives.

With
no small amount of consternation, Severus found
himself sitting in a chair between Albus Dumbledore,
leader of the light, and Lucius Malfoy, notorious Death Eater, about to engage
in a conversation concerning the possibility of a very non-platonic future
between his prized student and dead enemy�s only heir. Sometimes life was a
bit too surreal for words.

Lucius
was clearly uncomfortable in Dumbledore�s presence. Severus
didn�t blame him. The wizard was whistling and looking around
at the priceless antiques that donned the Malfoy drawing room, chuckling every
so often at absolutely nothing.

Lucius
glared at Dumbledore. He wasn�t going to be the first one to speak, though it
was clear to Severus how much he wanted to hear about
Draco�s condition.

�Has
young Mister Malfoy written home lately?� Dumbledore spoke, finally.

Lucius�
right eye twitched. �We received a short letter ten days ago.�

�And
you haven�t heard from him since?� Lucius slowly shook his head. �I trust that
the news of my momentary retirement has reached you, so I must confess that I
know nothing of young Draco�s current conditions either. What about you, Severus? Draco trusts you beyond all others. How is our
young Malfoy?�

Severus found his right eye twitching as well.
Dumbledore was too sly. He basically pushed all of the responsibility into Severus� laps when he was fully capable of telling Lucius
the situation himself.

�Abysmal,�
Severus said through gritted teeth, �absolutely
abysmal.�

Lucius�
previous relaxed posture finally cringed to show his inner turmoil. And to
think, he didn�t even know the full story yet. Not to torture the man any
further, Severus continued.

�Draco
had the unfortunate... accident of meeting his mate on the first day of school,
and he has been fighting it ever since. It�s been two weeks, Lucius, and Draco
is purely relying on the draught to keep him away from his Intended. Frankly,
he�s not going to last lo...�

�What?!�

Lucius
Malfoy didn�t know which part he was responding to. His mind was muddled with
confusion and anger. First of all, the nonchalance Dumbledore displayed through
Severus� report clearly meant that the Headmaster
knew about the Malfoys� true heritage. But who told
him? Surely not Severus! Secondly, if Draco had found
his Intended so soon, why was he fighting it? How was he even fighting
it? How did he retain a clear enough head to even drink the draught? Lucius
remembered when he first saw Narcissa the morning
after he had his initiation. Nothing was ever the same for him.

And
lastly... how was Severus able to say all this so
calmly with Dumbledore next to him? Severus was a
Death Eater, a spy for the Dark Lord right within the Hogwarts castle walls.
Dumbledore had caught him inside a convicted Death Eater�s house. By all
rights, Severus should be trying his best to escape
Dumbledore�s wrath as of now. But then again... so should he...

But
never mind that. Draco was more important at the moment. Lucius wanted some
answers.

�Draco�s
Intended, has he told you who she is?�

Severus flinched while Dumbledore coughed to cover an
amused chuckle.

�Not
�she�, Lucius...�

The
blond man closed his eyes with a sigh. He had dreaded this piece of information
ever since Draco�s slip up the other day. The words �only he can touch�
constantly haunted Lucius� mind. Was that why Draco was denying his inner
desires? Didn�t Lucius tell him that he would support him no matter what
happened?

�Please
tell me that he�s at least a respected Slytherin pureblood.�

Severus and Dumbledore exchanged wary glances. There
went Lucius� last strand of hope.

�Lucius,�
Severus stood up and stepped closer so his hand
managed to touch Lucius� shoulder in a comforting manner.

�Tea�s
ready!� Narcissa Malfoy sauntered in with a silver
platter in hand, fully aware of the tension in the room. With a faked smile,
she poured a cup of tea for the wizard whom she referred to as a �miserable old
man� merely minutes ago. Dumbledore smiled back good naturedly.

Once
Narcissa was done, Lucius clasped his hand around her
wrist and tugged until she was fully resting upon his lap. So much for
aristocratic image... He needed his wife at the moment, and Narcissa
also deserved to hear this.

�Enough
with the stalling, Severus, who is he?�

�Who
are you talking about, darling?� Narcissa asked with
a smile and a pink tinge on her pale cheeks.

�Draco�s
Intended, Narcissa,� Severus
gulped, and prayed to the Founders that he may choke on his own saliva
immediately, �is Potter, Harry Potter.�

Narcissa�s smile froze on her cheeks. Her startling blue
irises stared at Severus in disbelief. Lucius was no
better. In fact, the man looked very faint. The color was drained from his
face, and he looked worse than Death.

Suddenly,
Narcissa let loose a hollow laugh. �No really, Severus, who is it?�

Severus sighed. This clearly wasn�t going very well.

�It�s
not a joke, Narcissa. Draco�s mate is Harry Potter.
The boy who lived is a full-blooded Zephyr who came to his heritage over the
summer. There are still several mysteries that we have yet to solve. But Draco
is quite sure that his Intended is indeed the last of the Potter line. That�s
why he is torturing himself by refusing the bond, Lucius, because he thinks
that you will not approve.�

�Damn
right I won�t approve!� Lucius howled. His grey eyes flashed like lightning,
but the effect of his rage was lost due to the fact that his very beautiful
wife was still sitting on his legs. �Harry Bloody Potter!
This is a mistake, I tell you. You�re wrong! My son will not be mated to
a Potter, not while I�m still alive!�

Severus� insides were suddenly filled with rage. All
he saw was the sight of Draco breaking down before him, the usually arrogant
boy reduced to a pile of quivering flesh from shame, guilt, and the knowledge
that he was never going to be able to claim what was rightfully his. As Draco
fell asleep in his chambers ten days ago, Severus
spent the night watching over the closest thing he had to a family, a son, and
vowed to himself that he would make Draco happy through any means possible.

And
if by any means possible it meant murdering Lucius Malfoy, then so be it. But
for now, he would settle for a slap across Lucius� too perfectly chiseled face.

Severus stood up tall and glared down at the outraged
couple. In their twenty years of friendship, he had never spoken to Lucius with
such venom before. But it was easy to bring out his teaching attitude when the Malfoys were acting like stubborn little children.

�Listen
to me, you selfish bastard! Draco is dying, dying from the inside out!
He takes three, sometimes even four vials of the calming draughts a day just to
keep his emotions at bay. All he does all day is study. He�s sleeping little
and eating even less. The weather is still moderate, and he walks about the
castle in sweaters and winter cloaks. He speaks only when spoken to, and hasn�t
touched his beloved broomstick.

�You
are a Zephyr too. Do you not remember how you came to me that morning, claming
that Narcissa was your Intended, your mate for life?
Do you not remember how brilliantly you smiled for the next month... the next
year? But Draco won�t have that leisure, not when he fears your disappointment!
Think, Lucius, think how it would feel to lose Narcissa
forever, to never hold her again!

�Your
son is dying, Lucius Malfoy, dying because he�s afraid to distress you
any further! What kind of goodwill did you bestow upon the world to deserve
such a fine heir? I beg you to wisely throw away any prejudice or hatred you
have against Potter... Merlin knows I have.�

Narcissa failed to hold back a sob. She clapped a palm
over her mouth and dug her face into Lucius� chest. Dumbledore sipped his tea
calmly and said nothing.

Lucius
glared back just as hard, but his determination was slowly waning. The words
�your son is dying� rang like an echo inside his head, and the image of a still
Draco berated stubborness. He was at a dead end.

�And what of the Dark Lord, Severus?� His voice was a bare
whisper. �If I give Draco my blessings, he will become a target as well. And
what if Potter finally dies at the Dark Lord�s hands? How will Draco live on?
There cannot be a happy ending to this, Severus.
Better that I shield Draco from the pain now, than to let him have his mate and
lose him later.� He looked down and stroked Narcissa�s
hair. �It�s a horrible pain... to lose your claimed mate, a feeling that no one
should have to endure at such an age.�

�And
what makes you think Harry Potter will lose?� Severus
drawled out word by word.

Lucius
looked up at him in confusion. �Whose side are you on, Severus?�

Dumbledore
scoffed.

�That
should be very clear by now, Lucius.�

Enlightenment
came two seconds later. Narcissa and Lucius� heads
shot up simultaneous and stared at Severus�
beetle-like eyes with hurt. �So you�re the spy.�

�So it
seems,� said Severus in an almost bored fashion.

Lucius
just looked at him with his mouth agape. Memories hit him all at once, and the
unsolved questions of their failed plans were now answered. Lucius didn�t know
what to feel. Betrayed? No, they were Death Eaters,
trained to betray their closest kin if it meant their own survival. Surprised?
Not really, Severus� shady excuses always struck him
as odd. He had every opportunity to kill the boy who lived, but the brat
managed to live for five years, managed to live long enough to be recognized as
Draco�s mate for life.

A second
later, Lucius� emotions changed from hurt and worry to deliriously happy. The
choice wasn�t so hard to make now.

As much as
he hated mudbloods and Dumbledore and everything they
stood for, he was quite tired of maiming and murdering. He had a nice and quiet
life the thirteen years between Voldemort�s death and
revival. He had prestige, money, and power within the wizarding
community. But once Voldemort returned, he had lost
all of that. What did he gain from following that demented half-blood? The title of an escaped convict. The Malfoy name was smudged
forever.

And what of Draco? His son certainly wasn�t meant for fighting for the dark
side. He wanted to keep Draco and Narcissa safe. The
light side had Dumbledore and Harry Potter, and even a spy in Voldemort�s inner circle. When he weighed the choices, it
wasn�t very hard to make a decision.

Not to
mention the fact that if the light side were to lose, his son would be doomed
for life.

Resigned,
Lucius closed his eyes. �I�ll do whatever you suggest....�

Snape
sighed in relief, Narcissa gasped, and Dumbledore
jumped up in delight. It was the old man�s turn to speak.

�Has Voldemort contacted you, Lucius?� Dumbledore asked bluntly.
Lucius glared at the obvious tone of triumph in his voice.

�No,� he
bit out bitterly. �The only person who has been here was Bellatrix.
She came to supervise Draco�s initiation. Our Lord also wants her to oversee
his training this Yule break. A half blood Zephyr does not come so easily, you
must understand. Draco would have made a valuable addition to our side.�

�Well, we
certainly can�t have that!� Dumbledore said jovially. �Fortunately, Yule won�t
be here for a while. Shall we focus on the problem at hand, like young Malfoy�s health, for example? Severus,
what actions have you taken to help young Draco? You have talked to him about
it, I assume?�

Narcissa
and Lucius both turned to look at him as well, with clear signs of fear in
their eyes.

�I�ve
given him diluted potions. They will not be of much help to him in the long run
if he were to continue to deny Potter so fiercely. Their main purpose is to let
in small amounts of emotions at regular intervals, so discretely that he won�t
recognize them immediately. If he were to forget to take the potion, say
tomorrow, he would feel less pain than he normally would if he had taken the
concentrated draughts. Then again, after a certain point, the oncoming flood of
feelings will override the potion, and I�m afraid, he won�t survive the pain.�

Narcissa
sat upon Lucius� lap stiffly and listened to Severus�
comments. Her heart bled for her child. It must have been horrible for a
dominant Zephyr. Narcissa herself had felt no more
than the occasional tingle when Lucius courted her. The real passion came
during intense physical contacts. For the dominant�s mate, every bit of sensations
was pleasurable, never painful. It really wasn�t fair.

�The only
cure,� Severus continued with a disdainful scowl, �is
Potter himself. But as of now, that is one potion Draco will never take.�

�Without
my consent, you mean.� Lucius frowned. He didn�t want to give his son
permission to pursuit the Potter boy. The mere thought frustrated him to no
end. But what choice did he have? Narcissa was actually
in a worse spot than he was � her own sister became the enemy in mere seconds.
Fighting for Draco and Potter meant fighting against Bellatrix.
Narcissa was strong, but he would never want her to
commit kin strife.

�Exactly!�
the headmaster chirped.

�And what
do you propose I do?� Lucius� current death glare toward the jolly old man was
fierce enough to wipe out armies. �Walk into the Slytherin common room and say
�go ahead and claim Harry Potter�?�

�Oh, I
would never suggest something so... tactless.� Dumbledore missed the sarcasm
completely, or maybe he just chose to ignore it. �If I remember correctly, Severus, tomorrow is the first Hogsmead
weekend, is it not? I think young Draco should visit home. After all, Yule
break is quite a long time away.�

Lucius
groaned. He never did like father-son talks. He wasn�t very good at them and
that made him feel inadequate.

Dumbledore
and Severus didn�t stay long after that.

--------------

The first
thing Draco did after brushing his teeth in the morning was to drink the
draught. It was a Saturday but Draco could not longer sleep late since he had
to take the potion every eight hours. After he dressed (in a long-sleeved
sweater and winter cloak), he walked slowly toward the Great Hall for
breakfast. It was the first Hogsmead weekend, and
third-years were bouncing around the halls in excitement.

Draco
wasn�t in the mood for Hogsmead. But then again, he
wasn�t in the mood for a lot of things these days. However, for the sake of
appearances, he had to go. His housemates were already sensing his recent
oddities; he didn�t want to give them more reasons to be suspicious.

He took a
seat at the Slytherin table. A brave third-year greeted him, and he nodded
back. None of his friends were down yet. Unconsciously, he had sat with his
eyes facing the rest of the hall... facing the Gryffindors.

The Pride
was nearly fully assembled. Clearly, not only were they brave, they were also
morning people. Familiar smiles lit up familiar faces, faces that he had seen
for five years but never bothered to learn about. Their happiness made Draco
nauseous.

He made Draco nauseous.

Lightly
tanned skin shimmered under the autumn sunlight that seeped through the
enchanted ceiling. Fiery red lips quirked up at the corners in a shy and yet
tempting smile. Graceful fingers brushed away a strand of stray silky hair.
Verdant eyes twinkled every so often at a joke made by Weasley or the Irishman.
They flashed toward Draco�s direction; emerald met mercury, and quickly turned
away again.

A small
tinge of scarlet decorated Harry�s cheeks. Obviously, the boy hadn�t forgotten
about that night, that mistake.

Over the
last week and a half, Harry Potter had tried to speak with Draco numerous
times. But the draughts made Draco cold and indifferent. With Crabbe and Goyle glued to his
sides, Draco was inapproachable. He now knew better than to venture out after
curfew. He did his Prefect duties, but made sure that Pansy was with him
everywhere he went.

Yes, Draco
Malfoy was running away, deliberately avoiding Potter. Call him a coward if you
want; he�d tell you he didn�t care.

Green eyes
flashed around again, and Draco could see a slight bewilderment in them before
they moved away. Perhaps he should turn his stare as well. He didn�t want to
send the wrong message.

But he
couldn�t! For the life of him, he couldn�t understand why his eyes were so
intent on that small figure surrounded by red and yellow. Ginny Weasley laid a
hand on Harry�s shoulder, and Draco felt the slightest spark within him. That
feeling was all too familiar to the blond. By the heavens, he was getting
jealous!

He took
that draught this morning, he was sure of it. He shouldn�t be feeling anything
toward the Gryffindor�s interactions. Hatred and
loathing were allowed, but where did the jealousy come from?

He felt
his eyes glued unto that set of perfect lips. The itch was still nonexistent,
but he could feel the slight shimmer of desire. The ember was faint, but it was
there.

Draco
forsook his breakfast and exited. No, the draught had worked. It was just a
hallucination caused by past memories of an erroneous kiss. He was not getting
attracted to Potter again. He would not allow it.

�Mr.
Malfoy!� The familiar voice of Professor Snape called
for his attention as Draco strolled around in the dungeons.

�Professor,�
Draco gave him a curt nod, �what is it?�

Severus
looked around before speaking. �Inform your friends that you have a meeting
with me and cannot attend Hogsmead. Meet me in my
chambers as soon as you can.�

It was all
the same for Draco, he didn�t really want to go. He left a note for Blaise and
jogged back to Snape�s room in less than ten minutes.

The
professor handed him a pot of Floo powder. �Snape Keep� was their apparent destination.

Draco had
been there a few times as a child. Unlike the Malfoy Manor, the Snapes� ancestral home lacked a certain oppressive
grandeur, though it was dark and fearful all the same. It seemed like Severus had done a bit redecoration to the drawing room
since the last time Draco was there. The blond teen was just about to go over
and check out a medieval shield when the older man shoved another pot of the
powder into his hands and told him to say �Malfoy Manor�.

�What?!�
Draco all but screeched. He wasn�t in the right state to see his father. He
hadn�t even thought up of an excuse for his lack of a mate. How could Severus deliberately do that to him?

�Your
father requests your presence, Draco, immediately,� Severus
repeated. �I won�t be coming with you.� His face was expressionless as usual,
but there was a tornado of emotions visible in his eyes. He was definitely
excited (and not in a good way), a bit guilty, and somewhat relieved. His tone
left no room for arguments.

And so
Draco dropped back home very begrudgingly.

He didn�t
even get a chance to clean himself of the soot before a familiar scent reached
his nostrils. Narcissa had practically crushed him in
her arms, and the woman was sobbing like a maniac, or something very close to
it.

�Mum?�
Draco asked in concern. Was everything all right? He hadn�t checked the paper
yet. Was Lucius in danger of capture?

�Narcissa, let him breathe,� said Lucius. Okay, so his
father was safe.

Lucius,
dressed flawlessly as always, led his wife and son toward the sitting area. Tea
and crumpet were already poured and prepared.

Draco sat
down in his usual seat. Lucius and Narcissa sat as
well, but neither of them was looking at him in the eyes.

�Dad?�

Lucius
cleared his throat and finally looked up. �Draco,� he began in a very somber
tone, �have you found your Intended?�

Draco
swallowed some saliva and shivered. There was something in his father�s tone
and his mother�s behavior that told him somehow they already knew the answer to
that question. Severus told them, no doubt. The
question was, why weren�t they screaming in his face and threatening to disown
him?

Draco
stood from his seat, took two steps forward, and dropped down on his knees in
front of his parents. �I�m sorry, Father, to disappoint you yet again. But rest
assured that the bonding will go no further.�

Lucius
sighed. Draco had always called him �Dad�. �Oh, you foolish, foolish boy...�

The room
remained silent for a very long time.

�I
remember telling you that I would support you on whichever road you choose to
take. But this road, Draco, is one which I cannot condone. What were you
thinking, you foolish child?�

Half of
Draco wanted to shout back that it wasn�t his fault; he himself had not wanted
to choose Harry Potter as a life mate. The other half, however, wanted to admit
to this mistake and ask for proper punishment. Lucius continued to speak.

�This,�
Malfoy Sr. took out a familiar looking vial of potion from his robes and shoved
it in front of Draco�s face, �is poison. You�re losing your humanity with every
drop you take. This, Draco, I want you to forsake.�

He dropped
the vial unto the carpet, brought up a custom-made shoe, and crushed the thing
to pieces.

�This,
Draco, I want you to destroy.�

Draco�s
jaw dropped and he looked from his father�s eyes to his mother�s. They were
brimming with worry and undeniably, pride.

Narcissa
cupped his cheeks with her cold hands and placed a kiss onto his forehead. �You
will never be fully alive without your Intended. And your Harry will never feel
alive without you. Do not deny yourself that, my darling, and do not deny Harry
that love either. The two of you could have so much together.�

�Mum, you
can�t be serious!�

�A Malfoy
is always serious,� said Lucius.

�But what about the Dark Lord?!�

�Let us
take care of that.�

�No!�
Draco howled and stood up. �I�m almost of age! First it was my wings, and now
this! I will not let you take all the burdens of my faults!�

�It�s not
a fault, Draco!� Narcissa shouted back. �It�s who you
are! And besides an almost pure soul, you�re also Harry Potter�s mate for life,
and a Malfoy to the last day. You�re our son, and it�s our duty to protect you.
Our allegiance with the Dark Lord was great, but nothing can be compared to our
love for you. Did you think for a moment that if you were willing to give up
someone so important for your family, we wouldn�t do the same for you?�

Narcissa
and Lucius continued to study him as Draco took in his mother�s little speech.
It was asking so much of his parents.

And then
verdant eyes and unblemished skin invaded his mind. The feel of Harry�s lips,
his skin under Draco�s fingers, and the sound of his voice were all so
precious. He remembered the emotions that threatened to suffocate him during
their kiss, and how gladly he would�ve given his life for just one more second
of contact. He remembered a proud stature, raven hair in disarray, a full blush
on a defiant countenance. He remembered meeting those eyes on the Hogwarts
express and thinking how he�ll spend the rest of his life waking up to that
pair of gems. He remembered feeling powerful, yet vulnerable. He remembered
saying to himself that Harry was his, his and his alone.

�Thank you,
mum, dad.� Draco�s shoulders hunched forward in defeat, yet he had never felt
so relieved.

Draco
spent the rest of the day in his home, talking over the situation with his
loved ones. He briefly told them how the first part of their bonding began, but
skimmed over the details of their first two physical contacts. Lucius looked a
bit sick when Draco mentioned how he had actually kissed Harry.

The
morning�s draught died away in mid-afternoon. The result was quite disastrous.

�Lucius,
we have to give him the draught, he�s suffering!� Narcissa
begged as she cradled a trembling Draco in her arms. The slightly diluted
potion hadn�t really offer Draco much leeway. He still thrashed and groaned
continuously.

Lucius was
at a loss. He still had some of it stocked away, but if Draco were to drink it,
he would be aloof again. With the Zephyr draught in effect, the second and
third stage of the bonding would never be complete. He had to go through this
someday.

�No,� said
Lucius determinedly. �This is just the initial onslaught of ten days of
suppressed emotions. It�ll be over soon, Severus said
it would. The pain will die down, Draco, it won�t completely disappear, but
it�ll get better. Hang in there.�

Draco
managed to look up through wet eyes. �Can I be alone until then, dad?� he asked
shakily. Lucius and Narcissa exchanged knowing
glances. Draco always had trouble crying in front of others.

The two
nodded and retreated into another part of the Manor, and left Draco alone to
his own devices.

What they
didn�t suspect was that Draco didn�t care about the tears anymore; he actually
longed for his mother�s comfort. The truth was, there
was another set of suppressed emotions of which he didn�t want to deal with in
front of his parents: Lust.

Draco
ungracefully sprawled over the grand carpet and clutched the legs of the chairs
around him. Ten days spent close to Harry�s presence but not touching the boy
attacked him all at once. Draco didn�t even touch himself; he let his
imagination run wild instead. What made it easier was the fact that he knew the
feeling of Harry�s lips, the texture of slightly calloused hands, and that
scent of lilies and chocolate which drove him insane with want.

Phantom
hands caressed his burning skin. Each touch was a blast of pleasure. A husky
voice whispered his name sensually. Each breath was a promise of eternal love.
A heartbeat pulsated in rhythm with his. Each throb was a call for more.

More of
green eyes; more of ghostly touches; more of him...

�Harry!� A gasp later, Draco
relaxed. The pain and the burning heat died back into a hum inside his ribcage.
He could feel the need for more, but his mind was now clear enough to deal with
the desire. His sweater was now suffocating him.

He
whispered �scourgio� and cleaned himself with
a swish of the wand. After he dried his trousers and the carpet, Draco stepped
confidently out of the drawing room and into the library. His legs were still
shaky, and so were his hands. But for the first time since he found out about
his fate, he was a confident Malfoy once more.

Draco
searched and collected a high pile of the best books on Zephyrs. He was almost
positive that Harry didn�t have these kinds of reading material. The shorter
boy would need them.

If what he
heard that night was correct, Harry had no idea that Draco was a Zephyr as well
and a dominant Zephyr at that. Harry had blamed himself for that kiss. It was
all the better for Draco. He could use this to his advantage and get more
kisses without getting slapped on the face. Oh, and that Seamus fellow. Draco
made a mental note to cut off his balls later.

The blond
Slytherin chuckled to himself. A month ago, the thought of kissing Harry Potter
would�ve sent him to St. Mungo�s. But the new Harry
was so beautiful, and such a good kisser! To make it even better, the boy who
lived was already unofficially branded as property of Draco Malfoy. The sense
of ownership made Draco absolutely giddy.

The itch
flared up a little, and he welcomed it. Draco could finally feel again. He
breathed in deeply and observed the brilliant colors of the decorated books. It
felt so good to be alive.

-------------------

Harry put
away his Chocolate Frog and followed Ron out with his invisibility cloak and Firebolt in hand.

�Good
luck, Harry!� the other three roommates cheered.

Harry had
a nice time in Hogsmead earlier that day. They
stocked up on candy and Hermione brought a book. It was she who suggested
having their first flying lesson tonight. Harry had agreed easily. He needed a
distraction.

After that
heated kiss with a certain blond, Harry found himself back in his dorm, and
once again, �ugly�. This time, the ugliness stayed for an hour after he woke
up, so Ron and the other could see that he really wasn�t lying the first time.

He hadn�t
stopped trying to speak with Malfoy ever since the �incident�, but the other
boy was bent on ignoring him. Malfoy hadn�t picked a fight or an argument, and
instead, hid between his bodyguards like some sort of frail sick person. Every
time he wouldn�t look Harry�s way as they walked past each other in the hall
added to Harry�s worries. He just wanted to apologize!

That
morning, however, had a quite nice surprise in store for the back-haired teen.
Draco Malfoy had sauntered in breakfast alone, and was staring at him. The mere
thought of those intense grey eyes made Harry blush and his breath quicken,
grey eyes filled with lust, desire, and a whole lot of eagerness. Harry didn�t
know what was worse, Malfoy�s tender lips or his
smoldering glances.

Somehow,
after five years of torture, Harry found that he could no longer hate Malfoy
even if he tried.

Harry
quickly pushed those thoughts away and greeted Hermione in the common room. It
was a bit past eleven at night, and all the Prefects should be done with their
patrols. The common room was empty as well except for Ginny, who volunteered to
stay awake and serve as their watchperson. Ginny had the Marauder�s Map and a
special made calling galleon in hand. If she were to see anyone untrustworthy,
meaning anyone who wasn�t in on the secret, move about the castle grounds, she
was to inform Hermione right away using the galleon. Harry was going to try
flying without invisibility tonight so Ron and Hermione can help observe his
progress, and they didn�t want anyone else to see them.

The wizard-turned-Zephyr
draped his invisibility cloak over Hermione and Ron and shimmered into thin air
himself. They were a lot older and bigger now, and could not fit under the
cloak together. Even with only Hermione, Ron, and the Firebolt,
it was a tight squeeze.

Harry
didn�t even try to hide his smile as Ron�s blushing faced disappeared under the
cloak.

They
walked in silence down the hall with a pre-made agreement to meet on the
southern side of the Quidditch pitch if they lost
track of each other. They almost bumped into Flitwick,
but the little wizard had been humming quite loudly, and they had enough time
to dodge out of his way.

Ron and
Hermione made themselves comfortable on the seating area. Harry, on the other
hand, was gripping his Firebolt tightly, as if his
life depended on it.

�Hermione,
are you sure I�m ready to do this? I mean...�

�Yes,
Harry.� Uh oh, Hermione was using her condescending mother-hen tone. �Besides,
you have to learn one day. Go on, flap those things.�

�Right...
What�s my strategy again?�

�Hover on
your Firebolt at a safe distance from the ground;
call forth your wings and see if you can lessen your bodyweight like the books
said. After that, flap them just as you did when you wanted to create winds,
and try to propel yourself and the Firebolt forward.�

�Of course.�

�C�mon,
mate,� Ron said cheerily, �it�s easy enough!�

Harry was
tempted to smack Ron on the head. Instead, he straddled his broomstick and made
his way down. Once he was about seven feet above the ground, Harry shook off
his shirt and let his wings find their way out.

He had
imagined that it would be harder, and would take days to perfect. But it seemed
like Harry was a natural when it came to flying, broomstick or not. The moment
his inner Zephyr realized that his feet weren�t on the ground, Harry felt a
change in his body. It was as if every bone and muscle he had were free of
gravity�s restraint. It felt a bit like he was swimming. Every breath he took
lifted him higher.

Almost
immediately, Harry flapped his wings backward, and he was propelled forward.
Encouraged, he waved his hand on instinct, and a breath of wind current
appeared out of nowhere and lifted up his lower body parts. Now parallel to the
ground, Harry let go of the Firebolt and flew.

He could
hear Hermione�s gasp and Ron�s cheer in the distance. With every light flap, he
moved faster and faster. A Firebolt was exhilarating,
but nothing could compare to this.

Every once
in a while, a cold breeze would approach him, threaten
to blow him off course. But Harry smelled it, sensed it before it reached him,
and with a sight wave of his hand, the wind was gone. His bare chest glowed in
the frictionless air. His bright eyes served as a beacon for his friends. It
was near midnight, and yet he felt like laughing aloud, or waking up everyone
he knew to show off what he could do.

But
Hermione told him not to approach the castle. They never knew who could be
watching.

And
Hermione was right.

One Draco
Malfoy had found no reason to go back to his room after patrol. Pansy had
whined and pleaded, but he shrugged her off. He found a nice corner in the
southern astronomy tower, and stared down the Quidditch
pitch, thinking about all those time he wasted bickering with Harry during
matches, when he could�ve been kissing the lights out of him instead. The itch
taunted him endlessly.

He was
about to leave when three forms appeared out of nowhere. Draco felt his breath
die midway down his lungs.

Harry was
there, with his broomstick and sidekicks, chatting about something. And
suddenly he was off alone on his Firebolt, while the
Weasel and mudblood watch on in something akin to
excitement.

Draco lost
his power to think when Harry shredded his shirt away. Familiar black wings
danced regally under the moonlight.

Harry was beautiful.

Then he
started to fly as if he had never been a creature of terra firma. Harry shot
straight forward with impressive speed, flew upward so he was almost parallel
to Draco�s line of sight, and did a backspin.

Harry was
smiling brilliantly. He stopped in midair and waved to his friends, then did a
720. Draco noticed that sometimes, Harry didn�t even need to flap his wings
much in order to move in the same spot.

Draco blew
an unseen kiss to his Harry, and went back to his room.

As they
say, let the chase begin.
- 5
- 6
- 7
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

Wind Rider