Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Many A Mind And Blood	By : dra6on Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 3063 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and no money is made with this

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
MANY A MIND AND BLOOD by dra6on

Chapter 6. Run

Harry had woken up in worse situations.

During the night Suzy had somehow ended up between his legs, her head using his stomach as a fleshy pillow while her sister and cousin were curled around both his arms. All of them, Harry included, were quite naked and he was starting to show some interest. He hoped Suzy wouldn’t decide to wake up right now.

Then again…

No. No. NO. Harry drew in a deep breath and concentrated on pushing the voices in his head to the background. Though hearing the wolf grumbling after yesterday’s silver episode filled him with relief he needed to be human now and feel responsible for his actions. No matter how tempting it was just to repeat last night’s performance he needed to get a grip and get out of this position. Easier said than done.

Down, boy, down, he tried to command but his Junior just wasn’t listening. Suzy shifted against him and her breasts rubbed against his erection and her hair tickled Harry’s bellybutton. That was so not helping.

Unconsciously Harry licked his lips and noticed that he was still transformed, his split ends flicking against his lips. Some concentration brought his tail in his view. The ends were covered in dried white cum but with both of his hands held down by beautiful naked women he couldn’t exactly perform a Cleaning Charm at that moment.

It’s theirs anyway, he mentally shrugged and wound the appendage around Victoria. Slowly he nudged her away from him until she voluntarily rolled away, baring her back at him. The young creature’s eyes followed the curves of her body and his cock rose to halfmast.

“Fuck, no,” he whispered and mentally shook himself before repeating the nudging away on Rebecca.

Now only Suzy was left. He called out more length to his tail and practically bound her, then slipped out from under her and lay her where he had been earlier.

Finally out of his perilous situation, Harry took a proper look around the bedroom. The window had blue curtains drawn half closed and the bed took most of the space. One wall was lined with closets that Harry ignored in the same manner he was attempting to ignore the three naked bodies still lying on the bed. He snatched his clothes and wand from the floor where they had been piled near the door and, certain he had everything, the young man left the room in search for a shower, hoping that he would have some time before he needed to deal with erasing the girls’ memories.

By the time his last night’s victims – and, really, no matter what he wanted to tell himself, that’s what they were – started stirring, Harry had showered, checked his body for any remaining injuries and, finding none, had prepared breakfast for his no doubt starving hosts.

His sharpened hearing picked up on them awakening and he quickly finished his coffee. He heard hushed conversation but tried not to eavesdrop too much. From what he could tell, the cousins were quite embarrassed about the situation they found themselves in – at least in Rebecca and Suzy’s case. They finally made a pact that this was all somehow his fault and that they would never talk about this night again. They had their dignity after all.

Harry wondered in his male mind where that dignity had disappeared last night when all three had been screaming in ecstasy while he pounded into them.

Women. Thank Merlin his Incubus side helped him somewhat understand them.

“Morning,” he called softly as the women entered the kitchen. Three pairs of different coloured eyes landed on him and blushes crept on their cheeks. Harry could see and he smirked. He had already decided to not erase their memories but to bind them in the same manner he had done to Moody, Luna and Snape. He never knew when he might might find himself in peril again and need their help.

“Incarcerous.” Ropes sprang from the tip of his wand and wound around the three women. They gasped and struggled and shouted in surprise. Suzy’s legs gave out and she fell on the floor, her mouth opening and closing without a sound.

The hybrid wizard rose slowly from his seat.

“Get away from us,” Rebecca hissed with a surprising amount of venom in her voice. It gave Harry a pause but he could hardly regret what he was about to do. It was about survival.

“I’m not going to hurt you. Just making sure you don’t go blabbering about me to anyone else. That would be… bad.” He advanced on the women and the scent of their fear tickled his nostrils. But he couldn’t stop.

He made it look like he was simply nuzzling their necks but they could not help their fear that intensified when his fangs pierced the soft flesh on their necks. They made protesting noises and he could sense the confusion, the fear, the terror. The remnants of lust.

And when he was done, he released them from their ropes and backed away, giving them their space. “Now. That wasn’t too bad, was it?”

Victoria was the most level headed of them and stared at him with accusing eyes. She felt responsible – for letting him in the house, for not fighting harder against her own desire. Harry gave her a small, sad smile.

“What are you?” Rebecca whispered. She had her arms around Suzy who was simply staring at him with wide eyes. Harry gave the breakfast he’d prepared a regretful glance and then looked right into Rebecca’s eyes. No need to make it any longer than it already had been.

“I told you. Last night.” He grinned roguishly. “Something of a sex god.” With that he Dissapparated with a soft pop.

And appeared in Diagon Alley Apparition zone. The moment he materialized, he lifted a glamour over his normal features and conjured a set of robes that settled comfortably over his frame. He knew he was risking it by trying to get to his account but it was possible that the Ministry would be too busy trying to find him to think of checking about his account at Gringotts. It would be consistent with their record.

Harry let his steps lengthen into strides and took on a confident poise, digging up the vampiric coldness that he carried within him. The sunlight shied at his eyes and he squinted at the street before him. It seemed there was something going on. A lot of wizards and witches were clustered around in small groups and talking in hushed tones. Some were holding the Daily Prophets. Harry’s stomach plummeted at the implications.

Cautiously the wizard approached one of the stacks that held today’s edition. He only needed one look at the front page to see that the kneazle was out of the bag, the secret was out.

Someone had snapped a picture of him yesterday. It showed him in all his Siren glory, getting airborne in an endless cycle. Above the moving photograph was a gigantic headline: “POTTER REVEALED – MONSTER IN HOGWARTS.

His heart skipped a beat but really – he should have thought of this. Everyone whose opinions mattered knew the truth and everyone else could go to hell as far as Harry was concerned. He doubted the news article even had the facts – therefore putting the “news” in a completely relative context as was the Prophet’s style.

But of course the sheep of the wizarding world would believe everything the paper fed to them. Voldemort’s continuing existence would be overshadowed by the Ministry’s hunt for their previous savior and the world would be fucked. Harry tried to tell himself that it wasn’t any of his business, especially not now that they had driven him from his home and hunted him. He should not care but still his stomach lurched uncomfortably as he passed by the fearful groups of wizards and witches.

His only option was to run and start his life somewhere else but he was reluctant. All his life he had only known the British wizarding world. His hunt for Voldemort last summer had taken him to Europe but it was not something he had done for sightseeing. Now the world was open for him and the only place shut for him was home.

That just means finding a new home, he decided grimly as he passed Gringotts’ double doors.

His glamours did not fall but he did not take anything for granted. This could be a trap as easily as it could be nothing out of the ordinary. Selecting the teller with the shortest line, Harry only had to wait for ten minutes before his turn – never mind that those ten minutes passed agonizingly slowly.

“Yes?” the goblin drawled.

“I’m here to make a withdrawal.” He put his key on the counter and readied himself for any kind of reaction. The goblin’s eyes flashed up to meet his momentarily but then he was calling for another goblin who took Harry down to his vault. He ignored his guide’s protest as he emptied his vaults and only left behind a handful of Knuts. He was not going to be returning here anytime soon and any money left behind was money lost to him.

He applied the strongest Lightening Charms on the money bag and hid it beneath his robes. With that he was ready to go.

Emerging from the depths of the bank, Harry knew right away that this had been a trap. There was twice the number of goblins in the lobby and most were armed and staring at him. Even the guests were giving him vary glances, noting the hostility of the goblins. Harry guessed that the Auror corps were waiting for him outside, not being allowed on goblin ground.

He needed something fast and small to get out of this spot. He did not want to hurt anyone that did not deserve it and he knew the wolf was up in arms after the silver episode and the vampire was hardly any better. He had no control over his Siren self, or otherwise putting a compulsion over everyone would be his first choice of action.

The nearest goblin snarled at him, projecting a tight ball of fury, hostility and caution that Harry picked up on with his Empathy. He let out a nearly imperceptible sigh and started moving again. A path opened up for him and even though he knew his glamour was still in place, they must have at least suspected who he was. Or at the least think he could lead them to Harry Potter’s trail.

The wolf growled in defiance.

The sun had climbed higher during his stay in the bank and it blinded him momentarily. As his sensitive eyes cleared, he focused on the dozen or so Aurors that had positioned themselves around the entrance though his Empathy could pick up on the emotions of dozens more hidden around corners and some even Disillusioned.

He had been made a priority, it seemed.

“Take out your wand, slowly, and place it on the ground!” one of the red robed law enforcers commanded with a Sonorus enhanced voice. Harry did not recognize him but he did wince at the volume.

He raised his arm, showing empty hands and bending his knees as if to kneel on the ground. Next many things happened simultaneously.

Three Stunners were shot at him from all directions, two shouts broke the tense silence that had fallen over the street and Harry sprung into the air and transformed.

He needed speed and agility and a small target. Truthfully, at some point in the summer he had done research on the extremes of the animal kingdom so that he could try them out. He had never actually got to trying anything but the list had stayed in his mind the past few months and he’d thought of it this morning while cooking. While the Peregrine Falcon was the fastest animal on the planet while in its hunting dive, the Spine-tailed Swift was the fastest bird on level flying. The idea of flying by himself faster than most people even drove on their cars had intrigued Harry.

The Aurors were served with the sight of a medium sized black bird with a white belly that beat its wings swiftly and effortlessly. For a fraction of a second it hovered in the air and surprise caught everyone in the moment but then the three Stunners met each other in midair and exploded.

The magical explosion sent ripples through the air and Harry was sent scrambling in the air. He managed to right himself but by that point the Aurors had recovered too. Turning his back on the shouts and commands, Harry aimed for the cloudless skies and the Muggle side of the city where he could disappear.

Whoosh.

He dived left, starting to zigzag in the air to evade any other spells sent after him. His pursuers must have been desperate to follow him where Muggles could see them. Obliviators would be working overtime today.

He needed to Apparate. This aerial cat and mouse – or bird and wizard – was getting old.

With that thought in mind Harry dove. Wind beat against his feathers and he dropped like a bullet towards the ground. It was like a Wronski Feint without a broom. His muscles strained against gravity, trying to hold himself as tiny as possible and wish against all odds that all spells would miss him before…

Wrenching at his muscles, Harry spread his wings and righted his course. He shot like a bullet through the traffic, followed by honks and sizzling spells that missed him by a hair’s breadth. Doing as tight a turn as he could, he turned on a narrow side alley but still his longest wing feathers grazed the walls. He slowed his speed, dropped on the ground, transformed and Disapparated before the first of his pursuers could even turn on the alley.

It was the Forest of Dean where Harry appeared and he only stayed long enough to catch his breath and make sure no tracking spells had taken hold. Taking a deep breath he Apparated again, this time to a back alley of a bar he had frequented during the summer. He knew the code to the back entrance and knew he could crash here for a couple of hours. The cleanup crew would not arrive until at three and he was shaken after the Gringotts visit.

“Potter.”

Before he could stop himself, Harry’s instincts took over and he slammed the speaker against a wall and wrapped his hand around his throat and the other restrained the most probable wand arm. His senses returned to him and the identity shocked him into letting the other boy go.

He fell into a heap on the dirty ground, coughing and gasping for breath.

“Malfoy? What the fuck are you doing here?”

Pale grey eyes glared up at him but the Empath could sense a healthy amount of fear among confusion, reluctance and plain stubbornness.

“Looking… for you, Potter. I… owe you,” the blond boy said between gasps.

Harry blinked in surprise and cocked his head to the side. “Huh?” What the hell was he talking about? Unless…

“I owe you a Life Dept,” his school rival spat out, bitterness lacing his voice. “Once I knew it was you who saved me from the wolves, I knew I owed you.”

Ah. The pesky issue of Life Debts that you accumulated if you saved people without ulterior motives. Harry thought he might have a few of them from different people. Ginny was one he could think of the top of his head, and Hermione probably another. But he hardly wanted anything from Malfoy. And he had just happened to have been passing by. No one deserved to live with the curse of the moon if there was an alternative.

“You don’t owe me anything, Malfoy,” Harry sighed and backed away from the blonde. “I officially release you from your debt.”

He swirled to Disapparate yet again and to find himself another place to crash for a moment but… “Wait!”

He gave the blonde a glare that could rival Snape’s but Malfoy just heaved himself up from the ground brushed the dirt off his clothes. Not that it did much good, these back alleys weren’t known for their cleanliness.

“I had to use a Tracking Spell to find you and I used the Debt as the focus point. It means that I acknowledged the debt’s existence as well and it won’t go away until I pay you back.” He eyed Harry up and down and grimaced. “Even if you try to release me.”

So… he was stuck with Malfoy. Harry sighed and leaned against the opposite wall from the blonde. It wasn’t even noon and still it felt like this day had gone on forever. Or maybe he was just mixing events from yesterday and today together because that was when it all fell apart. His life and his future… all gone. And now he had on his hands an immature brat that insisted on – what exactly?

“So what are you gonna do?” he snapped. “Follow me around like a puppy until you miraculously manage to save my life? In case it escaped your notice, Malfoy, I’m not exactly helpless.”

“I noticed.” His level of fear spiked but Malfoy did not show that on the outside. “Do you have a plan?”

The answer must have been easily read on Harry’s face as the blonde sighed condescendingly and pulled out a pocket watch. “This is a portkey to my family’s castle in Switzerland. No one will come looking for you there and Switzerland is known for its neutrality. Even if British Aurors find out you’re there, they can’t do much about within the boundaries of law.”

“What about outside the law?”

The other wizard rolled his eyes. “I’m not a miracle worker, Potter. Like you said, you’re not helpless.”

Harry was of two minds about accepting this. It could be a trap but getting Malfoy to act as decoy was something he doubted anyone had the power to do. Also, he literally had no plan – just money in his pocket. He could just go on his own but a part of him liked the idea of resting a couple of days and figuring out what he wanted to do with his life. At the moment he was living day to day – and that was how he always had lived. But now he needed plans and he needed to make decisions that affected his entire life.

He needed to be an adult.

And doing that in shelter where the biggest problem would be keeping clear of Malfoy…

Suddenly the air around them shifted and the hairs on Harry’s arms stood up. Shit.

“And now they put up Anti-Apparition wards. I heard they were doing this the entire morning while you were in Gringotts and they plan on covering the whole London and mobilize Aurors, Hitwizards and Unspeakables to look for you on brooms and by foot. Just take the damn portkey, Potter. It’s a free, non-monitored ticket out of the country. I doubt even you could manage that so easily with the national wards and floo monitors.”

That was some dedication, Harry had to admit. He could of course just fly away. Become one pigeon among others but even that plan had risks. If they were covering the Apparition, they could just as well be casting Homenum Revelios left and right. Malfoy’s option had less risks and he could sense no deceit from him.

“Swear that this is not a trap.”

“I swear on my mother’s life that this is not a trap.” The blonde held out the watch. Praying that he was not walking into another trap, Harry touched it with his fingertips. Malfoy uttered something in a language he could not recognize and the two were whisked away into a swirl of colours, leaving no trace of their presence on the back alley.

Next thing Harry knew his feet slammed into the ground but thanks to his improved balance he did not end up face down on the shining marble floor that expanded in all directions.

“Welcome to Chateau Toucan. It was my mother’s dowry and has been quite empty for a while, save for the servants.” Harry twisted his neck so he could look at Malfoy who had taken on a nonchalant attitude as apparently years and years of pureblood etiquette training forced him to be somewhat polite to the person he owed his life to. “This is the Entrance room. The Castle can only be accessed through magical means and as per Black custom has been laden with wards. The Aurors would have to be crazy to try and enter this place.” The other wizard shrugged off his overrobe and headed to a doorway on their right.

Cautiously Harry followed.

After living in Hogwarts for the past six years, calling the place a castle seemed overrated in Harry’s mind. While the Scottish school could host over a thousand people easily, Chateau Toucan was a lot smaller with capacity for maybe fifty people. It did have six towers that – as Malfoy told him – were built in corresponding angles with the constellation Tucana in the sky.

Apparently the Blacks’ obsession with stars had reached beyond naming their offspring.

Inside the castle was decorated with practicality that Harry rarely saw in magical buildings. Some of the doors were open and it was clear the castle design mostly followed straight lines and was designed with an open feeling. There were no portraits of moving and talking occupants but mostly of landscapes. They passed a room where the every wall depicted a different season of a same scene and another that seemed to have been plucked right out of a sea shore. Most rooms had huge windows that opened to a huge drop.

The place was built on the side of a mountain, Harry learned.

“We don’t employ elves here. Instead we have an agreement with a couple of Erklings. I’ll introduce you and then I’ll go back to England. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like but disappearing is not an option. I can always find you.”

The blond said this with such a haughty voice that Harry felt like strangling him. Or reminding him why he had had to leave England in the first place. Perhaps going vampire on him would cancel the debt somehow. He remembered reading something that Life Debts were all based on intent and if he truly intended to kill Malfoy, the ruddy Debt would vanish. On that note…

“Do you have a library here?” he asked Malfoy. The blonde deemed to glance back at him.

“Small one. You’re of course welcome to it.”

Harry bit his tongue and tasted blood as a canine pierced the soft tissue. He quickly retracted his fangs, slightly concerned how easily they had shown up. Of course he was already tense but that was no excused for his control slipping because Malfoy was giving him some attitude. He was above this and he was more mature than his current host.

While Harry was silently admonishing himself, they had arrived at the kitchens where the Erklings greeted them. They were small, less than a foot tall, creatures with long and pointed noses, chins and ears. Their skin was greenish and they were wearing clean black coats and trousers but no shoes. Their eyes were pit black but shone with uncanny intelligence.

“Master Malfoy!” one of them exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. The four creatures quickly organized themselves and came to stand in line before them looking decidedly innocent. Harry might have even believed that to be true if not for the unmistakable tang of blood that he drew in with every breath. Perhaps it had not just been his control that had excited the vampire.

In the meantime Malfoy was frowning. “There’s supposed to be five of you.”

“Yes, sir. Tilling went to get food.”

Harry did not want to know what kind of food that was.

“All right then. This is Harry Potter. He will be staying here. You are to treat him like he is your Master.”

The raven haired wizard saw the derisive looks the tiny creatures were giving him and knew immediately he needed to set them straight as to how to treat him. Malfoy seemed to be oblivious to his “loyal” servants’ thoughts and turned to look at Harry. “I’m leaving. I’ll check up with you in a couple of days to bring you news.” With that he was out of the door and Harry was left alone with the creatures that now openly showed their attitudes.

“Look,” he started quite reasonably. While most creatures could see him for what he was, it was clear Erklings were not included in that lot. “I don’t really care for looking over my shoulder every second of my stay here. So let’s make this simple; you stay out of my way and I stay out of your way.”

“Puny human,” an Erkling laughed and smiled, revealing four rows of sharp teeth. “We will eat you.”

Harry had called out his tail and readied himself for an attack. However, he was tired of letting everyone else call the shots and himself just going with the flow. Before any of the Erkling could so much as flinch, his tail shot out and wrapped around the talkative one while his Incubus traits took over. He brought the unfortunate creature before and sneered at it, his forked tongue lapping at his teeth.

“Oh really? Maybe I will eat you instead.” He flicked his tail and the Erkling slammed into the wall while the other three stared in shock at what they had thought to be another arrogant and careless wizard. “Not that you’d make even a snack.” He turned his glowing green eyes on the remaining creatures. “Do we understand each other?”

He left after receiving over-enthusiastic nods – even one from the Erkling he’d thrown into the wall.

In the next hour he looked through the entire castle and familiarized himself with the layout in case of any future incidents with intruders. He came to realize that as an original Black property the castle responded to him. It was nowhere near as strong as Hogwarts’ level of sentience but it was there. He was the Head of Black family – as little as he put weight on the title – but it was his right. The property might have been given away as dowry but convincing the magic of that would take longer than a few short decades.

The young wizard ended up choosing one of the tower rooms as his. It helped that it was so far away from the kitchen that he had immediately dubbed as Erkling territory and as much as he had scared the little creatures, he also knew curiosity was a strong motivator.

His chosen room was in the Southern most tower where half of the walls were placed with windows that opened into one of the most magnificent views that Harry had ever seen. He felt at peace there – he felt like he could open his wings and float away from the troubles of the world. The two portraits on the wall were of a lush forest and of a sea shore that both called to something in him. But he tried to push that aside now as he evaluated his choices.

This place was an unexpected sanctuary where he could rest and plan his next move. He had got out of Hogwarts with his stuff and he had retrieved his money from Gringotts. His escape was a definite black mark on the Aurors’ record and he expected that would com bite him in the ass in the future. But now he was where he was and he could rest.

With that Harry conjured sheets and covers for his four poster bed and crawled in after warding the room. Some good sleep would do him wonders.

The next two days he spent simply lazing about. He read a couple of books in the library that was quite extensive even though Malfoy had said otherwise. There were a couple of interesting books on dark creatures and Harry was painfully aware that there were still a couple of creatures in him that had not yet reared their heads. They could take him completely by surprise which could be a good thing – as in the case of the Siren – or a potential disaster.

But in the morning of his third day in the castle he came across a dilemma. He was getting hungry. His nightly incident with the girls had kept him going this long but now he needed food. That meant going shopping because, no matter how much the wolf kept whining, he was not going to hunt his food and eat it raw. He needed to have his humanity and since he had the money buying his food was not a problem. He could even eat out.

The day turned to be one of adventure. Harry had to of course fly off the castle and then find himself a city big enough that one British accented English speaker would not stand out. He glamoured himself, exchanged his remaining Muggle pounds into Swish currency and spent the day shopping and eating out. He knew at some point he would need to chance the Magical World and exchange the Galleons into another currency if he intended to stay in the Muggle world for good. The thing was he had not decided yet. He had not even honestly thought about.

But this was a day for relaxation.

Not everyone could speak English and Harry did not understand German or French. Still, he took things in stride and managed to not care too much when a couple of girls giggled behind his back or someone cast him a sideways glance. He was used to staring anyway and his glamour only subtly changed his looks. His hair, for one, stayed exactly same.

At the end of the day he Apparated to the castle and deposited his shopping in his room except for the groceries that he took to the kitchen. It was the first time that he willingly went anywhere near the Erklings’ lair but he needed the room for cooking and he could always bind the creatures while he did his thing.

In the past days he had not seen any of the creatures but had continued to ward his room. One could never know with demonic creatures. They could carry a grudge and probably did.

“I need to use the kitchen,” he announced to the lonely Erkling that he encountered. He placed the plastic bags on the counter without sparing the creature another glance and nearly tripped over it as he turned to look through the cabinets. The tang of blood in the air had his vampiric senses distracted.

“I am Tilling, sir guest. I am apologising for the others. They did not know you are a greater demon. They are sorry.”

Harry looked down at the creature that looked properly sorry. This was the one that had been out on his arrival. Getting food… whatever that food was. He closed his eyes for a moment and called the Incubus to the surface. As he opened his eyes again they glowed an ethereal green. “I made a deal with your kin, Tilling. Will you hold to the same agreement?”

The green head bobbed up and down a couple of times. “Yes, sir guest. But I can also help you if you wish so.”

“I don’t. Not at the moment, anyway,” Harry amended when it occurred to him that his future was as undecided as it could get. “Thank you for the offer.”

“As you wish. Do you need help with the food?” The Erkling was eyed the bags with mild curiosity but as reasonable as this one seemed to appear, Harry was not going to trust it with his food. He might have considered Moody one of his main enemies at the moment but he could appreciate the aged Dark Wizard hunter’s calls for vigilance.

“No, I’m fine,” he turned to his groceries. “I just need to use the kitchen for cooking. I’ll be out of your way in a moment.”

Tilling bowed and left, his tiny bare feet carrying him over the floor with unnatural speed and Harry set to cooking.

The kitchen was huge and it took him a while to orient himself to the place. Once that was done, he had no problem making some beef stew that vanished in record time though the vampire and wolf both grumbled at the cooked meat. The highlight of the day was when he heard a new voice in the mix.

The Siren.

Harry had been levitating his plate to the sink to wash it when a melodic voice had burst through his conscience and nearly made him fail the spell. The voice told him it too would have preferred something bloodier. That was a fourth voice in his head and it was getting crowded. There was no telling how it would feel once he had mastered every aspect of his changed nature. He hoped it would not mean insanity.

There and then he made a resolution. He would live his life to its fullest because there really was no telling of how tomorrow shaped up. And with the grumblings of a Werewolf, Vampire and Siren in his mind, the young man headed to his room.

oooOOOooo

It took a week for Malfoy to show up and Harry had settled down in the castle by that point. He had not really taken his things outside the tower room but still he always chose different rooms to spend his time in. The blonde found him in the season room, as Harry had dubbed it, when he finally decided to show up and spare some attention to the man that had saved his life.

At that point Harry welcomed any news from the outside world.

“Congratulations, Potter. You have managed to turn the entire Magical Britain against you and got a fifty thousand Galleons reward to prove it.” Malfoy deposited a stack of Daily Prophets on the table next to him and took an empty seat with his back to the summer scene. Grey eyes focused on him with intensity Harry had rarely witnessed in the other wizard.

He put away his book on Empathy and picked up the first paper. It was dated a week ago and sprouted the familiar title proclaiming his monsterhood on the front page.

“That’s not exactly news.”

“They raided the Black town house and interrogated the two Muggles within. They seem to have been struck with the same incapability to speak about you as Moody has. None of the Healers have an idea what you did.” Here he paused, subtle clues revealing his desire to know Harry’s secrets. When no answer was forthcoming, the wizard continued, “They have also interrogated Hogwarts students, myself included. They pretty much decided you were also the werewolf that ‘attacked’ me. At the moment they have no idea what you are or what you can do. They talk about you like you’re the new Dark Lord.” Malfoy hesitated. “Even some of his old supporters believe you might be the future of Dark.”

Now that caught Harry’s attention. He looked over the paper at the blond wizard but did not stay anything. They could keep on guessing but only he knew the whole truth and neither Severus, Regan or Luna could talk about him. And besides, that was the past. He could not return and this only confirmed it.

Before he could ask his questions, Malfoy ploughed on, “Your escape is a serious black mark on the Ministry’s record. They had you cornered and you escaped – without using the same compulsion techniques you employed in Hogwarts, I might add. That tells them you are powerful, dangerous and don’t respect them. The reward is for either dead or alive. In both cases you are to be turned over to the Unspeakables for study purposes.”

“Great.” That seemed like the last nail on the coffin. Harry let out a breath and closed his eyes, knowing red was bleeding in them. It seemed the more often he fed, the more his inner demons expected to be fed. He was trying to adapt to a bimonthly feeding cycle in case he needed to live among Muggles in the future but in the past week – that he had spent in a castle that in some places reeked of fresh human blood – that was not easy. He had very nearly fed on his outing and that had only been a couple of days after his “feast”.

“Have you… made any plans for the future?” Despite the bluntness of the question, it was asked in a nearly timid voice that did not suit Malfoy at all. Harry tried to read his emotions but they blended together and shifted so fast he only got the main gist. Fear, reluctance, curiosity, resignation. It was unbelievable how much the both of them had changed since last year. Come to think of it, in three weeks was the anniversary of his last Wheel of the Year and he needed to decide if he wanted to restart it. That meant committing to eight rituals for the year but at least this time he would not be calling for and negotiating with spirits. Or proving himself to them.

“Potter?”

His eyes snapped open at the tentative tone and from the way Malfoy drew back and the fear that had been only lurking at the background drew to the forefront he knew his eyes had changed. The world was tinted in red and green and he honestly did not know what kind of an image he presented right now.

Careful not to let his fangs be seen, he said, “I haven’t got any definite plans. It’s Muggle versus Magical and both sides have their pros and cons.”

Shock passed over Malfoy’s features and Harry saw it as clearly as he felt it. “You’d leave the Magical World?”

“There’s a fifty thousand Galleons reward on my head. That much money will bring out the best of bounty hunters and I really don’t know if living with the level of vigilance I’d need to simply survive is something I want to do.” Why was he explaining this to the blond? “I’d have to be careful in the Muggle world as well but nowhere near that level. Like I said: pros and cons.”

“But you can’t abandon magic! That’s…” The other wizard floundered. Why did he care so much, Harry wondered.

“I’m not going to abandon magic, Malfoy. I’m just considering living among Muggles.” Harry laughed dryly. “It’s not like I can just snap my wand and turn my back on magic. I’m a magical creature, remember?”

That was a statement that most wizard sneered at but to Malfoy’s credit he did not. In fact the amount of fear he was feeling was slowly residing and Harry knew for a fact his eyes still reflected his true nature. Was there something the matter with the blonde? He felt oddly… calm. No one felt calm in Harry’s presence after knowing what he was. Luna was an exception but she was an oddball with serious emotional issues. Speaking of that…

“I have a couple of letters that I’d like for you to deliver.” He waved his wand, Summoning for them from his room. As indignation spiked in the room, Harry quickly continued, “Just give them to Snape and he knows what to do. I think they might have got to Hedwig and she can’t come to me. She knows I need to hide and will stay away if they have a Tracking Charm on her – otherwise I would use her.” The letters zoomed through the door and Harry snatched them from air, right away handing them to the other.

Malfoy frowned as he read the names but did not ask even though Harry could almost feel the questions bubbling right beneath the surface. His empathy did pick up on a great amount of curiosity from Malfoy. He wondered when that would bubble over because even if the blonde was more composed than your average teenager, Harry had always been good at finding and pushing his buttons. At the moment he needed to avoid them and not get himself kicked out of a safe place. The Debt bound them but even Harry knew there were ways around them.

So why had Malfoy chosen to honour this one?

Apparently Malfoy wasn’t the only one with unanswered questions but Harry was not going to be the first one to take that step.

“I need to return. I’ll be back next week.” He got up from the seat, tucking the letters away.

“Sure.” Harry turned his attention back to the stack of newspapers and began to read up on the news. He heard the blonde’s steps slowly disappear into the distance before the biased headlines demanded his attention.

It took three days for his fury to calm down and by that point he also was starving. He had had to know that he would not take his ire with the sheep of the Wizarding World on an innocent bystander who was only there to serve as his food. He doubted he would have survived as long as he had without feeding if not for staying in a semi-deserted castle in the middle of nowhere. There had been no temptations available but now he had to go outside and get his ass in gear. He had rested enough and now he needed to decide what he did with his life.

That was after dinner.

Because he had no knowledge of Switzerland’s magical areas, the young man had to do with Muggles. He quickly took care of his greatest thirst by snatching a couple of lone people from the streets of the town he had picked. He left them with no memory or evidence of anything happening and made his way to a bar. It was not about enjoyment but about satisfying his hunger.

He picked up the best smelling woman in the bar and had her out in the back alley in half an hour. Simple Notice-Not and silencing charms made sure they were not interrupted and soon he pounded into her against a wall. Her blood tasted sweet but Harry missed the spicy extra that magic added to it. He modified her memory afterwards and made his way back to the castle, letting the wolf hunt on the way.

He was as calm as he could get in the current circumstances as he sat down on his bed and pulled out a fresh piece of parchment . He had rested enough and Malfoy was a weak link that he had wilfully ignored in the past week in favour of letting all the shit that had hit the fan that was his life flow away. He needed a level head to objectively consider his life and what he wanted to do with it.

In his disastrous fifth year MacGonagall had asked him what he wanted to be in the future as Umbridge listened. An Auror had been his answer. That was because he did not know any better and he had not believed he had the talents needed for anything else. He had followed Ron’s lead and his only talent had been with Defence. By now he knew that was a mental issue he had had with outshining his friends in something that was not expected of him. Defence consisted of both Charms and Transfiguration and it did not add up that he was good in the derivative class and not in the basics.

And after he had channelled the power of thousands dead, that was a moot point anyway. He still had knowledge popping up in his head when it clearly had no right being there. Luckily, he had that somewhat under control.

What do I want to do with my life? he asked his inner creatures but they did not have any answers. A profession was a human requirement. The wolf would be content if it could just live in the forest and hunt for the rest of its days, maybe even create a pack. The incubus could get anything it wanted from women and men alike and the vampire was the same. The siren was still the most silent of the all and at times its voice sounded really feminine in Harry’s head. It did not express an opinion in one way or the other.

So… what did he want to do? He thought back at all those carrier pamphlets and realized everything to do with Ministry was out. Because of the bounty on his head, he also needed to have a job that didn’t tie him down. So owning his own company was out as well. He also had to have independence or otherwise trust his employers or partners to keep him safe.

That felt like too much to ask.

He did not even have his NEWTs and his OWLs weren’t that great. Of course he did have a certain reputation now that would help him in certain professions – mostly illegal ones. First of all he needed to have Malfoy check out if the bounty had been registered with the International Confederation of Wizards because if it was his options became that much limited.

He wrote that as the first point on the parchment.

The more he thought about leaving Magical World entirely, the more he detested the idea. But neither could he settle down and tie his money into a bakery or a store. The risk was too great and it was too easy a target for anyone who decided to come after him. So it would have to be something about his skills that he advertised to customers and that allowed him to move as he liked.

But if he mixed with the scum of the Wizarding World, the risk grew exponentially. Say he worked as a bodyguard and instead of being called to protect someone he was invited to an ambush. In that profession the best bet would be to find a client that hired for long periods at a time. With his inner demons and talents like empathy and parseltongue, he made quite an exotic package.

But did he want to spend any of his time protecting people that needed protections like the ones he offered? Did he want to bend his twisted morals even more and risk turning into what everyone accused him of being? He was quite certain that he could never become that but then he remembered everything he had done in the past year and reconsidered. The potential was there. It had always been there and always would be.

What else could be become? Achieve a Mastery in something? Wards maybe? Become a Master of Warding and create wards so powerful none of his hunters could get to him even if they knew where he was? It sounded challenging and he put it down on the list, but it did not feel like something he could do for the rest of his life. And studying for a Mastery took years.

Damn it, this was difficult.

Maybe concentrating on one thing was stupid. Everything had its risks and Harry had never come across anything that he felt passionate about. Even Defence he had learned to keep himself safe – not because he enjoyed it as much as… as Hermione enjoyed reading or Voldemort enjoyed the Cruciatus Curse. Deciding on the spot that he needed to be a Healer was stupid and he knew himself well enough that any serving position would only strain his patience until it snapped.

He had already given enough of himself to the people who had only spit in his face and put a bounty on his head. He had lost his family and his friends and he was damned if he was going to take any shit from anyone anymore. He was going to live his life as he saw fit and not as others dictated.

Maybe he could just find some remote paradise and spent his time writing memoirs or something. The thought felt familiar, like he might have had it before. There were so many questions that the people had about him and his actions that the book or books were bound to sell better than well. If he gave them the answer they so desperately desired and on the side revealed a couple of Ministry cover ups… it was worthy of consideration.

He jotted that one down.

Slowly the list grew and Harry had to admit that his desire to not serve anyone ever again might be a pipe dream. He would not figure out what he wanted to do with his life by sitting in an empty castle and reading. He needed to get out in the world and see what went on in there. And most of the jobs available for someone of his qualification were serving positions.

Who could he be certain did not give a fuck of him being a wanted man? Someone that could appreciate his unique set of skills? So far he could charm any man or woman, overpower most beings, turn into any animal possible, fly without a broomstick and put a web of compulsion over even larger crows. He could command snakes and take a measure of people by the emotions they felt. Not bad for a list of skills.

And the only answer in his mind was goblins.

Gringotts was an international bank that was the sole right holder in England. On British ground they were a monopoly and London’s branch was one the biggest goblin residences in the world. There were other banks around the world – some of them maintained by humans and others by dwarves. Gringotts was still by far the most powerful organization as every bank was an embassy in their own right. You stepped into a bank, you were on goblin ground. Which explained the goblins’ independence in punishments and wards.

More than that, the goblins weren’t part of the ICW that was strictly a human organization. And getting them to recognize a warrant issued by humans was a fool’s errant – especially because for a bank any kind of reward money was hardly worth considering. But before he could make any kind of decision he needed to learn more about Gringotts and goblins in general. He was woefully ignorant in anything regarding them.

Malfoy’s library had books on magical beings and those were Harry’s only source of information. He knew he needed to talk to the blonde, simply because as the heir to a powerful family he was bound to know his way around the goblins and the information in the books was far too general. He spent the rest of the week before the blonde’s arrival reading and lazing about the same as he had so far. Because there was no hurry.

And then the full moon arrived.

The wolf had been acting up the couple past days and Harry had felt restless as well but it had been cloudy and time had simply flown away from him. When the transformation rippled over his skin he could only curse and slip out of his clothes as quickly as he could. The wolf took over and Harry let it but stayed near the surface, ready to take control if something happened.

An hour of prowling the castle brought them to a dilemma. There really was no way out of the castle if you didn’t count the mile drop off the mountain side and even Harry would not survive that. He also could not transform into anything else and fly off the mountain.

While the wolf was giving him the most thorough tongue lashing that it could muster, Harry tried to think. He had called his vampire fangs in this form before so maybe he could call his wings as well? The wolf took notice of that and quieted down as it too considered. It did not like anything destroying its beautiful fur but neither did it like being cooped up in the castle on one of the few nights it got freedom to move in its own body.

With great reluctance it agreed and they moved to a balcony on the lowest level. They just simply crashed through the door and looked around them as glass rained all around them. It was a clear night for once and this high up winter was already starting. The mountains smelt fresh and inviting and Harry too wanted to experience the hunt.

He concentrated on calling the incubus because he had more experience with it. Swimming through all the wolf instincts when not powered by adrenaline and all consuming need was hard. It was more difficult than Harry had thought possible. It was as though the rest of his inner monster had been buried between miles of sand that flowed down his throat and blocked all his senses as he dove to look for them. He did not remember it being this hard.

“Potter?”

His concentration snapped and with a snarled he whirled around, claws digging into the marble floor. Malfoy gave an indignant squeak and fell flat on his arse while scrambling backwards, completely forgetting his wand as the huge black werewolf from his nightmares crouched down to ready to attack him. Harry’s nose twitched as the smell of fear assault his nostrils and he hid his fangs. The blonde was no danger to him and now they had an alternative to getting down from the mountain. The wolf readily agreed.

His nails scraped against the floor as Harry closed the distance between him and the shivering wizard. He stopped right next to him and lowered his head, looking straight into the widened grey eyes. Huffing, he sat next to the blonde and began wagging his tail, ready to wait the panic reside slightly.

They sat there for nearly ten minutes until Malfoy came back to himself. The wizard’s body jerked slightly and then relaxed. Very slowly Malfoy sat up and when Harry just sat there, wagging his tail, the human offered him slight smile.

“So it is you?”

Harry nodded and his tongue rolled out as he laughed at the boy. He knew Malfoy had a reason to be so scared but the boy also looked quite ridiculous with the first class robes crumbled and spread all around him.

“I forgot it was full moon,” Malfoy murmured and dragged a hand through his blond locks. They reached his shoulders now and Harry suspected he was going for the same look his father had had. The grey eyes looked him over and the wizard frowned. “Shouldn’t you be out hunting?”

Harry huffed again and rolled his green eyes. Slowly he stood up and shook his fur, then eyed Malfoy up and down when the blonde squeaked again and the smell of fear spiked up. He looked out to the balcony and back at the wizard and jumped up and down, hoping the human would not be too far gone in his fear to get his meaning.

He really wanted to get out.

Malfoy had frozen again and Harry cocked his head to the side as both he and the wolf gave resigned sighs. They lay down and put their head between their massive front paws yet again waiting for the blonde to get his breathing under control. The night was wasting away.

Malfoy seemed to be practicing some of the breathing techniques that Harry had seen on television and he gave the boy another ten minutes before he raised his head and rolled his eyes. He huffed, looked outside and then gave what he hoped was a meaningful look to the scared human. Finally, understanding dawned in the grey eyes and the boy swallowed.

“You... you forgot too?” Harry nodded. “You want me to… Apparate you?” He gave two very emphatic nods.

Malfoy let out a breath he had been holding. “I’m going to need to… touch you.” He was clearly terrified of the thought and Harry wished he could somehow tell the blonde he was not going to harm him. He and the wolf were in complete control of themselves and eating human flesh felt very unappealing to them since they thought of themselves as human most of time. It was not like the vampire killed when it drank or did the incubus suck out all the life with the sexual energy.

Harry knew he could kill. He was no stranger to death or killing but… but doing it simply because he relished in bloodshed… was unnatural.

He and the wolf kept very still as Malfoy’s hand inched closer to them. They knew they had to let the blonde be in control and not show their impatience. This about the hunt and they could wait a little. Just not too long. Finally the long fingers curled around his fur and the familiar tube squeezed around them.

Next thing they knew, they were in a forest.

It hardly mattered where exactly they were. They knew they were the strongest creatures around and with a happy yowl, Harry leaped into the role of a werewolf on full moon. He quickly left the newly terrified blonde behind him and dove into the green that was quickly turning the full colour scale of autumn. He smelt the fresh earth that held the first hints of change of seasons and heard the scurrying little feet of his possible prey. The forest was not alive in the same way as the Forbidden Forest was but it was an excellent hunting ground.

In no time had they surprised a rabbit and jumped into the chase. The hunt took them deeper and deeper into the foliage as the tiny ball of fur tried in vain to save its hide. As Harry’s jaws closed around the animal’s neck the rush of blood reached the vampire even through the sand and it sluggishly informed them it preferred magical blood just before the presence left them. Harry knew he should pause and consider this but the wolf was far too ecstatic at being outside when it had fully expected to spend the night locked up in a stuffy human construct. This night belonged to it.

Harry let his mind melt together with the wolf for the first time ever. There was no longer him and it but them. And the world was at their feet.

The night passed far too quickly for their tastes and when the moon set Harry was left butt naked in the middle of a strange forest. With a shrug he took the form of the owl he had been with Hedwig and set out to find Malfoy hoping the blond had not left yet.

His fears were for naught as he found Malfoy in the clearing where he had left him. The wizard had conjured himself a chair and was sitting next to a fire. There were wards designed to keep wild animals away but Harry was no wild animal and he passed through them easily and landed on the ground near the blonde.

He was actually surprised the wizard had stayed this long what with his history of forests at night.

Grey eyes narrowed at him in suspicion but otherwise the wizard did not do anything. Harry hooted and cocked his head from side to side. He had seen Hedwig sometimes do this even though Snowy White Owls weren’t really designed for it. As expected one finely shaped eye brow raised in question.

“What? You have a letter?”

If owls could have sighed, Harry would have. Instead he gave his most piercing glare at the blonde and flapped his wings until he was behind a tree but still within the wards. Then he transformed and stuck his head in plain view. The look on Malfoy’s face was priceless though it was quickly hidden away.

“No, I was just wondering if you’d had your fill of the forest yet. Clothes don’t carry over in werewolf transformations.” He kept his head in sight as he transformed again, this time into a squirrel. With quick movements and his lush tail following and balancing him, he crossed the distance between them and climbed on the boy’s knee.

The surprise was again visible on the blonde’s face and Harry heard the very faint whisper of “Therianthrope?” but Malfoy did not comment on it further. He just instructed Harry to climb on his shoulder and then Vanished all traces of his presence. One uncomfortable moment later they were back in the castle and Harry scurried to where he had left his clothes. He’d just magicked them on himself when Malfoy entered.

“Thanks for that. I think the wolf might have torn the castle apart if it had to stay cooped up all night.” The raven haired wizard took a seat on the couch. They were in one of the outer wall rooms and just by craning his neck a little Harry could see the majestic drop not a foot away from him. The magical fire in the fireplace had kept the room warm through the night and the morning sun lit up the room. Books and notes littered the floor and tables and the Boy Who Lived could not help smiling when Malfoy looked around him distastefully. “I know. But I’ve been too busy making decision about my future to care about neatness. I’d ask you to have a seat but since it’s your castle and I’m just a guest…” Still, he motioned to the free chair that the blonde took after a moment of hesitation.

“I expect you to keep the castle in the condition it was when you first arrived.” But there was no strength behind the words and they both knew it. Moreover, it appeared as though Malfoy had got over most of his terror issues and Harry could barely detect the emotion within him. It was just the usual mix of resignation, curiosity and, surprisingly, excitement.

“I’m glad you stayed,” Harry said quietly, and quickly amended when he felt the other’s confusion, “I have some questions. Do you know if the British Ministry of Magic registered the warrant with the ICW?”

The look on Malfoy’s face told it all and Harry sighed in resignation, mentally crossing most options out of his list. The parchment crinkled as he stared at them. So few options.

“It was one of the first things they did,” Malfoy murmured. “It was at Dumbledore’s insistence and there was nothing I could do about it. The old man might not be the Supreme Mugwump anymore but his words still carry heavy weight internationally. They usually don’t even consider registering warrants internationally but I suppose that’s where your fame works against you.” He shrugged.

Harry looked up and let out a defeated sigh. “Not just there.” He leafed through his writings. “I honestly don’t know what I want to do with my life. And I’m not gonna figure it out if I stay here, isolated. With the ICW after me as well I don’t really have that many options. The countries outside ICW have chosen to stay that way for a reason.” He shook his head. “So there’s really only one option.”

Malfoy nodded. “If you don’t want to hide out for the rest of your life, you need to get a powerful ally. And the most powerful neutral party are the goblins.”

“They operate in almost every ICW country and while in their banks, I’m on goblin soil. And as you said, they are neutral and don’t give a fuck of what I am as long as it means I can be useful.” Harry crumbled most of the papers in his hand and threw them in the fire place. He was left with a single piece of parchment that outlines the knowledge he was lacking on beings he was considering allying himself with. “So I need you to tell me everything you know about them.”

Malfoy regarded him silently for a moment. “You do realize these are the same creatures that practically handed you over to the Aurors a couple weeks ago? Even if your options are limited – which I admit – do you really want to work for them?”

Harry gave the blonde a level look. “I. Do. Not. Have. Options. And I can’t just laze around for the rest of my life and wait for the world to grow up. I don’t know what I want to do but I know what I want to have.”

“And what is that?”

“Freedom.” Surprise flickered over Malfoy’s features and Harry leaned back on the couch and dragged a hand through his red and black hair. “And I can’t have that if I’m on the run everywhere I go. I can’t rely on the money I withdrew from Gringotts to last me that long and I don’t want to work in the Muggle world. With the goblins I would have a steady income and I would be as free as anyone in my position can be.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “Though it would still be risky.”

“Have you thought about changing your identity? Become someone else entirely? There are potions that can do that, you know.”

“I know. I know. But that does not change anything for me. I might get a new face but I could never stop being me. And eventually I would slip. I don’t know what you see when you look at me, Malfoy, but I have the instincts of several creatures. Someone surprises me and I might rip their throat out just because…” He paused midway through his rant, wondering if telling Malfoy about this was a good idea. He had not bound the blonde and the Debt only covered his life.

A horrible thought occurred to Harry. Maybe this had been a trap all along. One that was designed to make him trust someone, then spill his secrets to them without regard to his own safety. And he had nearly done so! Why did he feel so comfortable discussing these things with Malfoy? Why had he allowed Malfoy to bring himself here? Arrogance? Naivety? Idiocy? A combination of all three?

Fuck.

He must have shown something on his face because Malfoy frowned. “Potter,” he said very steadily. “The creatures the Ministry has identified you with are an incubus, a therianthrope and a siren. They suspect werewolf and vampire as well but there is no conclusive evidence. I won’t spill your secrets to them.” He sighed in a very un-Malfoyish manner. “I know asking you to trust me is too much – especially considering what we were not too long ago to each other. You might be a Dark Wizard, a Light Wizard or something from between, or even something I cannot ever comprehend, but you did more than save my life that night. You saved the Malfoy lineage. By all rights and by my Family Magic even the future generations owe you a Debt that might be too big to ever be paid back in full. Selling you out to one of the most corrupt political organs in the magical world would be a poor way to pay you back.”

Harry had kept his eyes on the crackling fire while the blonde had spoken. There were too many thoughts in his head to keep track of them all but what shone through most of all was a acceptance of truth. Malfoy was not lying. Harry could not sense any deceit in him, just sincerity, and that shook his entire image of the blonde. While his instincts screamed against him not grabbing a hold of the blonde right now and binding him like he had Luna, Snape and Moody, he still did not move.

Instead he sighed heavily and settled down for a talk that would possible shape his entire future. Blazing green met bluish grey and Harry nodded in acknowledgment.

“So, what can you tell me about goblins?”

A/N: So we’re out of Hogwarts and on the run. And Malfoy has entered the picture. Just a reminder: this is not a soul-/mate story and Malfoy will feature a lot in future chapters.
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Many A Mind And Blood