Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Freedom Bound in Chains	By : TaintedSensibly Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > Slash - Male/Male Views: 58477 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 13
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Harry Potter characters. I did not make money from this story.

Chapter List
- 60
- 61
- 62
A/N: OMG! It’s finished! I promise to revisit any important things we skipped over during the sequel. Thank you for sticking with me on this journey that started years before I began posting in March of 2016. I’ve attempted to write this story three times now, and I’m over the moon that I was finally able to finish. I hope I can be just as successful in the sequel: Freedom Found in Defiance. Be sure to check it out! I should have the first chapters up by the end of June 2017.
Epilogue
1988
Births and Prisons
Pandora visited the boys several times throughout the year. She wasn’t able to discover how to remove the Black magic attached to Harry’s core, much to Draco and Lucius’s frustration, but she continued to advance her research. She was certain that she’d be able to find a away to free Harry and she counseled Draco to have patience.
…
Lucius stood from his desk in his study with controlled force and faced the window with tension in the hard line of his shoulders and jaw.
Draco watched him impassively. He wasn’t any happier about it than Lucius. He wanted his boy free! But he wasn’t going to throw a fit, either.
As if sensing Draco’s judgment, Lucius turned and glared at his son. “Don’t you think it’s significant that the Unspeakable cannot find a way to remove the Black magic from Harry’s core even after all this time?”
Draco tilted his head against his fist, eyes falling half-closed, bored.
Lucius flushed with rage at his son’s insolence. “There is no freeing Potter from the Dark Lord’s hold, Draco, but there may still be a chance to unravel this bond…”
Draco’s gave a soft laugh. He got to his feet, a smile curling his lips. “You’re a fool if you think that.” He shook his head. “You should kiss Harry’s feet, Lucius. Without him, I wouldn’t have stayed five minutes in this house. If you had tried to stop me from leaving, I would have killed you.” His eyes brightened, gaining a metallic edge. “I could still kill you if you even think of interfering with my bond.”
Lucius slammed his hand on the desk. “I don’t understand this! You act like I am the enemy for wanting you to live! It’s not as if I haven’t grown fond of the boy, but what is the point of both of you dying? You could still be together, still be close, without the bond. You would simply have a life beyond the boy. I’m sure he would wish that as well!”
“I’m sorry you don’t understand, but it’s not an option. It’ll never be an option.” Draco held his father’s desperate gaze for a long second. “I’m going to do everything in my power to protect Harry and free him from his curse. I might come up short, but I’m not planning on it. You’re just going to have to trust that I can save him.”
Lucius lowered his head before straightening and turning back to the window. “Keep me informed of the Unspeakable’s progress,” he requested quietly.
Draco said nothing to that, leaving the man alone to stew in his fears.
…
While Hogwarts was open Percy stayed in contact with Draco. The man in the dark never came again. In return for protection, Percy became Draco’s spy at the school. Driven by Draco’s need, he quickly learned how to sniff out wrong doing among the students and staff, but he never told anyone except Draco what he found, so he wasn’t completely ostracized. However, those who were caught by Percy avoided him and it had a ripple effect, making most of the student body avoid him, too. That left Percy plenty of time to focus on his studies. He soon became top of his class, beating out the Ravenclaws for highest grades.
…
Perhaps the most significant thing that occurred during 1988 was the birth of Denebola Regina Tonks and Septimus Lysander Weasley:
It was the last day in April. Draco and Harry were scheduled to return to Malfoy Manor in the morning. They were just falling asleep when Ted knocked on their door.
Draco’s eyes flashed open and he sat up, fully alert. In almost a year, no one had knocked on their door in the middle of the night. Adrenaline sizzled along his nerves. “Yeah?”
“Get dressed! We’re going to the Leaky Cauldron!” Ted called anxiously.
Draco knew instantly this was about the baby. Andromeda looked like she had a ball under her dresses and sweaters, but it was too early. The due date wasn’t until the end of July. The boys quickly got dressed. Ted was already at the door, supporting Andromeda who was bent over, clutching her stomach.
Magical travel was too risky this late in the pregnancy, especially with something wrong happening, so they had to get somewhere where they could summon a healer. Harry felt - guilty - knowing it was because of his fame that they weren’t able to summon a healer to their house. His eyes were impossibly wide behind his glasses, his - panic fear - pounding through the bond.
A taxi was waiting for them outside. Draco was forced to ride up front while Harry, Andromeda, and Ted took up the the backseat. It was only a five minute drive to the Leaky Cauldron, but halfway there Andromeda began to scream in pain.
* Do it, * Draco commanded, turning fully around so he was looking into the backseat.
Harry immediately licked his palm. Ted tensed but allowed the small child to slip his hand under Andromeda’s shirt to touch her rounded belly. Draco watched his boy like a hawk. He could feel Harry’s magic building as a gentle pressure against his skin; it felt like sunlight. A lot of the tension in Andromeda’s frame eased. Ted clutched her to his chest, wide-eyed.
Harry was only touching her a few minutes, but he was already deathly pale. Alarmed, Draco was about to order him to stop when they arrived. Ted helped Andromeda out of the cab, pulling her from Harry’s reach. Draco practically had to drag Harry into the inn. The boy’s knees kept giving out. It terrified him. Harry had healed way worse before. Why had it taken so much out of him? Was Andromeda that bad off? Or was something else going on?
Ted took Andromeda to a room upstairs, calling for Tom to summon a healer. Draco and Harry were told to wait downstairs in the pub. Harry rested against Draco, putting his head on the blond’s shoulder. They watched a healer in green arrive. She had short black hair and had a suitcase with her. Tom hurried her upstairs. Thirty minutes later Dora arrived with a short, plump woman with greying blond hair.
Dora rushed to the boys, her hair short and brown, her eyes black with worry. She flung her arms around Draco, trembling. “Is she okay? What’s happening?”
“Don’t know,” Draco answered her softly. He made no move to dislodge the teen's grip. He could feel her heart pounding hard and fast as she pressed up against him.
“I’m sure everything will be fine,” the woman from Hogwarts told them kindly.
Draco turned his face away so she wouldn’t see his glare. Empty promises and false hope were cruel.
Silently, Dora settled next to Draco on the bench seat, hugging his arm for comfort, and joined them in watching the stairs.
An hour later another healer arrived. Tom appeared at the top of the stairs and ordered the healer to follow him. He was sweating and mopped at his face with a white rag he usually used to clean tables with. They both disappeared again.
“Giving birth takes time,” the woman tried to reassure them. “That’s not unusual.”
“You don’t know what’s happening up there any more than we do,” Draco snapped. Harry whimpered and Draco instinctively began stroking the boy’s messy hair. “Can you get him some water and a muffin or something? He’s not feeling well.”
The woman’s surprise at his angry tone melted into an understanding smile. “Of course. Let me see what I can find.”
Draco had to coax Harry into drinking and eating, but it made Harry’s hands stop shaking at least. Draco was less than impressed. He had no idea what went wrong. The only other times Harry had grown this weak after healing was when he’d healed Draco’s shoulder when he'd been shot. He’d also gotten pale when he’d healed Liam’s hand at the zoo and he’d fainted the very first time he’d healed Draco’s cuts in the Hold.
Draco narrowed his eyes as he considered the evidence. Very rarely did Harry heal when they weren’t also together physically. When they made each other feel so good, their power always merged and grew bigger. Maybe Harry’s healing magic was dependent on that boost?
His thoughts were interrupted by Dora’s grip tightening painfully around his arm. He looked up and realized the healer who had arrived last was coming downstairs. He had short, grey hair and a craggy, thin face. He was tall and skinny, but his forearms were muscular and his hands looked wide and strong.
“Tonks?” he asked softly.
“Y-yes,” Dora stuttered fearfully.
The man gave her a smile. “They are both doing well. Your mother is waiting for you upstairs. After she’s rested a few minutes, we’re going to transport her and the baby to St. Mungo’s to be sure they are both healthy.”
Dora practically ran up the stairs. Draco and Harry followed more slowly. Harry had his color back and felt stronger, but Draco didn’t want him running around just yet.
The room Andromeda was in had a metallic smell. She was in the bed, propped up against the headboard. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun on top of her head. She looked pale and there were dark circles under her red-rimmed eyes, but they were practically glowing with happiness. In her arms, wrapped in a white baby blanket, was a tiny baby with dark hair and a small wrinkled face. Dora was sitting next to her mother. Her hair had brightened to blond and her eyes were a bright, happy blue as she stared into the face of her little sister.
Ted held his hands out to the boys and pulled them in closer to the side of the bed. He looked nearly as exhausted as Andromeda, but he wore a large, goofy grin. “Only four pounds twelve ounces,” he told them, voice hoarse and proud. “Tiny little thing, isn’t she? But she’s strong. Her name is Denebola Regina Tonks.”
Dora groaned and playfully nudged her mother’s shoulder. “Dean-bol-ah?” she asked, sounding it out. “Really? That’s worse than Nymphadora.”
Andromeda chuckled. “What can I say? Naming things is my gift.” Growing more serious, she gently traced her finger over the baby’s forehead and round little nose. “One of my favorite cousins was named Regulus. He died when he was only eighteen years old. I saw him during Samhain. I feel like it’s because of his blessing that I was able to have her. Denebola is the star opposite Regulus in the constellation Leo, and Regina means queen.”
Dora sighed and gently touched the baby’s hand. “Hey, Dee. I promise never to call you by your name, so you better call me Dora, too, okay?”
Andromeda, Ted, and Dora went to St. Mungo’s shortly after that while Draco and Harry flooed back to Malfoy Manor and delivered the news of Denebola’s birth. Narcissa was shocked to hear the baby had come so early, but she was happy that her sister and niece were both safe and healthy.
It turned out that Molly also had her son that day, although he wasn’t born until sundown. Both she and the baby had come close to death, but the healers were able to save them. Septimus Lysander Weasley was named after Arthur’s father and weighed only four pounds two ounces. Molly and the baby stayed in the hospital nearly two months before they were released to return home.
Andromeda and Ted decided to move once Dee was born. They found a five bedroom house on Mount Road in New Maiden. It was about an hour’s drive south-west from their old place on Charing Cross Road. The was tall and narrow, three stories high, and painted white with a blue door. Much like the Black Family home on Grimmauld Place, it stood nearly touching the neighboring houses on either side.
Because they were now farther away from the magical world, Andromeda and Ted joined the floo network. Doing so technically made it possible for wizards to find them, so they also bought a protection plan to keep their information and location more secure. They also spent the next year layering warding and protection magic on their home and even their street.
It was a lovely house, though. Well worth all the money and effort. The front door opened up on a spacious sitting room followed by a elegant dining room. A kitchen sat at the back of the narrow house, which opened up to a long, fenced-in yard. Andromeda began a garden back there that Harry delighted in helping her with.
The second floor had the master bedroom, the baby’s room, a full bathroom, and a small art room for Ted. (Ted had to give up his spot in the Painter’s Warehouse to help pay for their new place.) The top floor had two medium-sized rooms, one for Dora and one for the boys, along with a second full bathroom.
…
Bill Weasley, Molly’s eldest son, graduated Hogwarts at the end of June and surprised his parents with the news that he’d been accepted to a school in Egypt with a full scholarship. He was going to study curse breaking.
Around that time, Draco was also able to master the spell Snape had taught him:
…
Sitting in Lucius’s dimly lit office, Severus and Draco sat across from each other. Draco sat back, sweat dampening his brow, smug. He had successfully cast Separanta Aeris for the first time. Eight years old and he had mastered the spell in little over a year.
Severus gifted the young boy with a rare smile, his dark eyes gleaming in satisfaction. “Well done,” he praised softly.
Draco flashed his teeth in a grin. “So how do we know it worked?”
“We test it. Repeat after me: Memoria,” Severus intoned, emphasizing the middle syllable. Draco repeated the word until Severus was certain he had it perfectly. “Now I’m going to trigger a flashback. When you feel it begin to happen, I want you to visualize the memory being placed in a bubble and cast Separanta Memoria. It should last a least an hour, but then you will have to face the trauma.”
Draco sat still for a long moment. Unknown to Snape, he was communicating with Harry, telling the boy what to expect and to be ready to help him through the flashback later. Harry responded with a warm gush of - protective love confidence - making Draco’s lips twitch into a smile. Harry had come a long way and Draco was proud.
“I’m ready,” he finally said, meeting Severus’s dark eyes.
Severus nodded his head and dove into Draco’s mind. Once inside, he reached out for a memory with violently charged emotion and quickly retreated. He watched as Draco tensed in the chair, his fingers digging into the leather armrests. His pale face bleached white as his lips shaped the spell.
A moment of confusion overcame Draco’s features. Tension ran out of his frame and color returned to his face. “It worked,” he said, mopping at his face with his sleeve. “Doesn’t feel good, but I can function.”
Severus bowed his head with genuine respect. “Congratulations, Draco. You should be exceedingly proud of yourself for mastering this spell in such a short amount of time.”
Draco smiled ruefully. “Thank you for continuing my lessons after…” He let the sentence trail off. They both knew Draco was talking about the time when they had nearly come to blows and he had seen Severus’s memories regarding Lily. That moment was best left in the past.
The office door opened softly. Harry shut it behind himself and padded quietly to Draco’s side. He leaned against the side of the chair, but he made no move to touch Draco without the blond’s permission.
“Harry,” Severus greeted, expression softening the way it did only for the messy-haired child. However, when he saw the bruises around Harry’s thin wrists, he frowned and cut disapproving eyes back toward the blond.
Draco sighed. Severus was never going to understand or agree with his relationship with Harry. He stood and said gently, “Thank you again, Snape. I trust you can see yourself out.”
Severus’s mask fell over his features, becoming foreboding once more. He gave a sharp nod of his head and swept from the room, his robes flaring around his ankles.
…
Two other important occurrences happened at the end of 1988:
Narcissa and Lucius took the boys into the woods where there was a clearing just inside the Malfoy wards to celebrate Samhain with a bonfire. They ate apples and lit candles for those who had passed away, but the fairies did not come for Draco to lead a Great Hunt.
Harry stepped up to Narcissa, taking her hand. “Are you well?” he asked her softly, easily seeing the sadness in her face.
Narcissa smiled tearfully down at the sweet child. “I had hoped to be invited into a faerie ring as Andromeda was last year.”
“Why?” Harry asked full of concern.
Narcissa’s gaze looked ahead to where Lucius led the way out from the woods. The man’s strong back and long hair seemed etched in soft silver from the moonlight. “There is a curse on the Malfoy men because of their ambition hundreds of years ago. They can only produce one male child every generation. Many times the Malfoy line has come close to extinction due to this curse, but the Malfoys have protected their sons and survived. I was hoping that a faerie circle could break the infertility curse or at least bend it. Those with Sacred Blood are so few now.”
Harry hated that Narcissa was so sad. He followed her gaze to Lucius’s back and wondered if he could help with his healing magic.
Draco stepped close to his boy, synching their steps. His voice entered Harry’s mind, soft yet implacable. * No, Harry. You can’t heal something that big unless we build our power by coming together. I won’t give that to Lucius. Besides, I don’t think it would work. He’s not ill or hurt. He needs a curse breaker not a healer. *
Harry bowed his head - acceptance regret submission.
Narcissa wiped at her eyes. “I will be fine,” she assured them. “It was a brief hope. I agreed to this marriage knowing I would have only one child.” She gave Draco a loving smile. “I am very happy with the child I have.” Her eyes moved to take in Harry, glasses and messy hair and all. “And that son has brought me another child to love. I am blessed.”
Harry blushed hotly as she tenderly stroked his hair.
Narcissa smiled happily. She still remembered last Yule when Harry and Draco danced in secret. It had been the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The pure love and adoration these two had for each other was something so rare for humans to possess. Harry had been absolutely breathtaking in the gown she had chosen and Draco had practically glowed with pride and affection. She hadn’t stayed long, standing Disillusioned in the corner. Just long enough to see the boys together and take a few pictures that she had locked away in her vanity to be treasured.
Taking Harry’s hand once more, she tucked away her regret over not having any more children and her regret over missing out on so much of Draco’s childhood and chose instead to be happy with what she had been given. She was indeed blessed to know these boys and be a part of their lives.
…
The last event of significance that occurred in 1988 happened in December - although only two people knew about it:
Lucius had spent hours over the course of the year planning and preparing to do something impossible: he was going to break someone out of Azkaban. He bound his accomplices with Unbreakable Vows, he bought rare ingredients and items, he bribed guards and learned all he could about Dementors, and on the night of Winter Solstice, the darkest night of the year, everything was ready.
He had built a perfect golem that needed only Bellatrix’s hair to be complete. He had a thief in place to get the golem in and Bellatrix out. The prison was at its emptiest; no one wanted to guard it when the Dark was at its most powerful and Yule was a time to be safe at home celebrating with family. The Dementors had been given several sacrifices and were content to leave Lucius’s thief alone.
While his plan went into motion, Lucius performed the Solstice rituals with his family. Narcissa and the boys remained ignorant as they decorated their tree and burnt the Yule log. Hours later, they went to bed happy and at peace as the sun began to rise. Lucius instead went to the dungeon below the manor.
There, in the farthest cell, was the thief he’d hired. With him was Bellatrix Black, Narcissa’s younger sister. She was disgustingly thin and her black, curly hair heavy had matted into dreadlocks. Her blue eyes - the same shade as Narcissa’s - were huge in her skeletal face, making her look younger than her thirty-seven years. Bellatrix took one look at him and began to laugh, high-pitched and insane.
Wordlessly Lucius Obliviated the thief who’d stolen her. He packed the man's pockets with the payment they had agreed on and sent him on his way. Turning back to the cell, he stalked toward the filthy woman. Smooth as a hunting cat, he crouched down and grabbed her by her matted hair, yanking her head back and making her look him in the eye. He stared at her without an ounce of compassion.
“You dared take my son from me,” he told her darkly, voice as cold as his eyes. She struggled weakly but couldn’t break from his grip. Furious and hissing, she clawed as his wrist. “I’m never going to let you go, maggot.” Shoving her head back by the grip he had on her hair, the woman’s skull cracked against the stone wall and she crumpled, unconsciousness.
Lucius stormed out of her prison, slamming the door behind him.
1989
Baseball Champions
Draco, Harry, and the Tonks family visited the Weasleys often throughout the year. In fact, that summer Ron was made to join the boys’ baseball league. At first, there was a lot of tension between Draco and Ron. Ron resented constantly being told what to do, but as they practiced for hours together and their team advanced through the summer tournament, Ron began to appreciate that Draco treated everyone that way. Even adults!
The coach had begun to listen more and more to the little blond as Draco demonstrated his understanding of the game and his ability to strategize. Plus their best pitcher would only play if Draco was his catcher. Harry may be the smallest on the team and his throws were on the slow side, but he had amazing ball control for a kid his age. He could pitch to all four corners of the plate. This earned him a lot of strike outs. When other players did get a piece of the ball, it usually popped up and was easy to catch. Coach wanted to win, so he decided to see just what Draco could do and made him team captain.
Some of the older kids weren’t happy about that. Draco was one of the youngest on the team and seemed to come from out of nowhere. They especially didn’t like the way Draco gave orders, followed by cold looks if they didn’t get it right.
One day, after a particularly hard practice when Draco had gone off on one of the older kids for not trying hard enough, Ron came into the locker room to see two of the older kids kicking Draco while he was curled in a ball on the ground while Harry furiously fought off another one, screaming with fury. Ron jumped in without thinking. When the coach finally separated them, all three were bruised and bloody, but the older kids looked even worse. In fact, the ring-leader came away with a broken wrist and wasn’t able to play for the rest of the season. Draco had broken it, exploding to his feet once it became one-on-one.
Everyone was too scared to fight Draco after that, not with Harry and Ron backing him up. Besides, they won their first game against a really famous, rich team. The rest of the team saw Draco in a new light. Draco knew what he was doing, and if they wanted to win, they’d shut up and do what he said. By the end of the summer, they won the whole tournament. For the very first time, their team was given trophies and had their pictures in the paper.
Ron had grown to tolerate the bossy little blond, but he still wouldn’t say they were friends. Harry, on the other hand, he liked a lot. He was nice and always made Ron feel like he was important to the team. Of course, Ron would like Harry a whole lot more if he didn’t obey Draco’s every word and expect everyone else to do so, too. Even growing up with weirdo twins like Fred and George, Harry and Draco were a little much to deal with.
Ron would also like Draco better if the blond didn’t clearly favor Percy when his older brother was home. What was so great about Percy anyway? He also hated it that Timmy, the new baby, just seemed to adore Draco. He’d cry until he was placed next to the blond whenever Draco was in the room. He never did that for Ron! And it only seemed to annoy Draco, which only pissed Ron off more.
The only good thing about that year in Ron’s opinion was the fact that Fred and George went off to Hogwarts in September. They were both placed in Gryffindor House. The Burrow was much quieter after that. Ron was now the oldest for most of the year with only Ginny and Timmy at home and he began to relax, revealing a more cheerful disposition.
…
In October of the same year, Pansy, Vincent, and Gregory came to Malfoy Manor for a playdate with Harry and Draco. Pansy and Harry were trotting around the lake on Caelius and Pansy’s horse, Messalina. Her father had finally given in and bought one. It was about the size of Caelius and Agrippa who had by now finished growing.
The twin Arabian stallions stood at 15 hands or 61 in/155cm. Their coat was a rare pristine white that Lucius was famous for breeding. Most Arabians were in a grey scale, brown, or black. Their long hair was only slightly darker, and their arched necks and graceful legs made them look deceptively fragile. In truth, their dense bones and solid skeletal structure made them stronger than many bigger breeds.
Messalina was a beautiful bay-colored Thoroughbred mare with white on her lower legs and running down her nose. She stood a little bigger than Caelius and Agrippa at 15.2 hands or 62 in/ 157cm, but she had a smaller, more narrow head and a slightly longer neck. She was a very spirited horse and would side-step and prance if kept to a slow pace for too long. Pansy adored her.
Pansy and Harry talked of simple things as they watched Draco, Vince, and Greg sprint across the field next to them on their stallions Agrippa, Maximus, and Galen. It seemed like an uneven race at first. Vince and Greg had brought their Friesians horses that stood at 17 hands or 68 in/173 cm, which made them bigger than Agrippa. However, the hot-blooded Agrippa had won three out of five competitions that the boys had already thought up.
Greg’s Maximus was the typical dark black for a Friesian, the long hair thick and almost shaggy and growing long around the hooves. Vince’s Galen was a more rare dark red or rowan color. Agrippa’s white coat stood out like a beacon among the two dark horses.
“I can’t wait to go to Hogwarts,” Pansy was saying. “Only two more years. I’ll meet lots of people there.” Her eyes regarded the three boys now doing a weird zig-zag pattern, likely showing off their turning ability. “Mother expects me to marry one of them, but she’s hoping for Draco. Greg and Vince might be a little too inbred, at least that’s what all the ladies say.”
“Marry…” Harry repeated, eyes wide. His eyes followed Draco.
Pansy looked over at Harry with a concerned smile. “I like you a lot Harry, but Mother would prefer a match from the scared families and you have Muggle blood.”
Harry looked away from her worried eyes and returned his attention to Draco. “I know,” he said matter-of-factly.
It wasn’t news to him that he was filthy. He hadn’t thought for a minute that he’d be worth marrying Pansy. No, what he’d been trying to imagine was who could marry Draco and he was drawing a blank. Pansy, Vince, and Greg were nice, so were Ron and Ginny and the twins, Dora was great, too, but none of them were a match for Draco whose eyes went silver and whose hands could give as much pain as they did pleasure. Harry couldn’t imagine any of their peers withstanding the force that was Draco.
Messalina gave a sudden whinny, rising up on her back legs and dropping down into a nervous prance. Pansy gave a cry and Caelius side-stepped away from the two right into the lake. He lost his balance and toppled into the cold water. The shock took Harry’s breath away. He pulled himself out of the saddle and stood, soaking wet. Caelius thrashed until he was on his feet again, knocking Harry back into the water in the process and ran from the lake.
Draco was there in a flash and jumped from Agrippa’s back. He waded into the water up to his thighs and helped Harry get back onto his feet. Draco walked him to the shore, checking him over, but as soon as it was clear Harry was just cold and not hurt, he laughed. Harry smiled, happy that Draco was happy. Pansy stood by worriedly, holding Messalina’s reigns. Vince and Greg had also dismounted. Their horses needed a rest anyway.
“Snake!” Pansy suddenly shrieked, terrified. She had seen a shadow move under Harry’s white, nearly see-through wet shirt.
“No,” Vince said softly, putting a gentle hand on her arm.
Draco pulled Harry’s shirt over his head and the three stood in shock to see a white dragon with massive wings that spanned nearly all of Harry’s stomach and curled around to cover half of Harry’s lower back. Its green eyes gracefully closed as it pulled its wings in close to its body and curled up on Harry’s right side just above Harry’s pants. The tattoo was big, the dragon’s rounded back as high as Harry’s ribs.
“Did it hurt?” Greg asked, wide-eyed and impressed. Pureblood's didn’t typically get tattoos as they were seen as vulgar and unrefined. This was the first tattoo he had ever seen.
“Where did you get it?” Pansy demanded. “Can I touch it? Does it always move?”
Draco ran his fingers over the inked skin. His eye shone with pride. “Oh, it hurt. Harry was screaming, weren’t you?”
Harry blushed. It’d hurt, but that wasn’t the only reason why he’d been screaming that night. Between his legs tingled as he remembered Draco’s hot mouth sucking on him.
Draco wrapped his arms around his boy, smug that he’d made Harry blush. “I gave it to him. No, you can’t touch it. It moves sometimes, but not very often. It mostly sleeps like it’s doing now.” He titled his head and regarded the three kids in front of him. “You can’t tell anyone, you know that, right?”
Pansy hastily promised, “I won’t tell!”
Vince and Greg simply nodded their head.
“Good.” Draco kissed Harry’s cheek and released him. “Dobby!”
The elf appeared with a little pop. “Yes, Master?”
“Help Harry dry off please,” Draco asked, sitting down in the grass. “And bring us something to eat.”
“Yes, Master!”
As Dobby and Harry fussed over Harry’s wet clothes and hair, Pansy folded her legs and sat gracefully next to Draco. “What’s it mean?” she asked carefully.
“The dragon?” Draco met her eyes. The look in them made her shiver. “Draco means dragon. It means Harry’s mine.”
Pansy fell silent after that. She had the sudden feeling that Draco wouldn’t marry her, and for the first time, the thought came to her that maybe she didn’t really want to marry Draco.
1990
A Dark Year
In January, Pandora made an incredible discovery. Through her studies of the Black magic in Harry’s core, she was able to find definitive proof that a wizard’s soul was located in their magical core. Such a discovery would revolutionize the understanding of cores and souls in regards to magic. It also meant that the Blackness wasn’t simply a piece of Voldemort’s core; it was a piece of his soul. In this way, Lord Malfoy’s fears had been correct. The Blackness was alive. That explained the way it was able to adapt and take over Harry’s core when threatened. It was fighting to survive the way a living organism would! This knowledge also opened up a wider range of possibilities for how to kill it. Obsessed and on the brink of creating a way to free Harry, Pandora disappeared into her lab and didn’t return for weeks. February arrived and with it came little Luna’s ninth birthday.
Xenophillius watched his daughter sit alone at their table, staring forlornly at her birthday cake, and made a decision that would alter the course of their lives. Pandora had given her husband a key to the lab just in case of emergencies. He scooped his daughter up, packed up the cake, and decided to take the party to his wife. Surely she could use a break. Surely she could spare a few minutes for cake.
They arrived at the Department of Mysteries and Xeno followed the path his wife had shown him. They arrived at the Time Room where the Unspeakable offices were. As expected, he saw that the lab inside the bell jar was in use.
“Is mummy in there?” Luna asked. Her big blue eyes looked around at all the clocks in wonder. She had never been to the department before.
“Let’s tiptoe and surprise her,” Xeno told her, smiling with his finger held to his lips. Taking his giggling daughter by the hand, he lifted his key. It created a door and they stepped inside the lab.
Xeno’s smile withered as he took in the three ritual circles, one inside the other, inscribed on the floor. The ouster most ring was created from purified salt. The middle ring was done in ash. The inner most ring was the most complex. It spelled out runes written in blood. Pandora, thin and tall, her long blond hair floating on the currents of the magic she had summoned, stood with her arms raised and her head titled back as she chanted. The magic felt like a powerful wave as it slammed into Xeno, dropping him to his knees with a painful scream.
Luna somehow remained standing. Her little body trembled, but she looked at her mother without fear. “Mummy?” she called softly.
Pandora turned. Purple lightning arched up from the ring of salt and struck at the bloody runes. Her eyes glowed a matching electric purple. “Luna. The princes need to be saved. I tried, but the Black One is too strong. Tell Draco, Luna. Tell him there are more pieces of Black. Tell him I destroyed one, but it took all my core to do it. Harry’s safe for now, Luna. Tell him not to mess with the Black until he must. Tell him to trust no one with my research. It’s too dangerous! More Black Ones would appear. He must learn it himself. Luna, can you hear me, daughter?”
Luna nodded her head slowly and, with tears streaking her face, she answered softly, “Yes, mother.”
“I can’t see you, Luna. I’m out of time. I lost this battle long ago. The circles held me here in the hopes your father would bring you. Tell the princes, daughter. They have to be careful of the Black One. He comes, Luna. The princes must be ready. Draco must study my notes. He’s stronger than me… He can defeat the Black One and free Harry…” Pandora began to grow transparent. Her body lifted off the ground. Her hands and hair floated above her head as her back arched. “Daughter… Protect the princes… Tell them… the Black One… They must defeat the Black One…”
A hungry roar exploded through the room, knocking Luna over backward and flinging her through the lab wall and back into the clock room. Xeno, screaming and sobbing for his wife, crawled after his daughter. The bell jar went transparent and empty as soon as he was free of the glass. Pandora was gone. All that was left of her were incomprehensible notes on magical cores left on her desk.
Xeno held a funeral for his wife a week later. He had not heard any of his wife’s message. It had been meant only for Luna, so he did not understand his daughter’s insistence that Draco and Harry be invited. Exhausted and broken-hearted, Xeno gave in.
After the funeral, Xeno invited the guest to return to his house for a wake and Luna finally left her father’s side to approach Draco. The blond prince met her eyes as she walked up to him. He was the only one who would. Everyone else had grabbed her and hugged her and tried to tell her it would be okay, but none of them would look her in her eyes.
“My mum gave me a message,” she told him.
Draco looked up at the beautiful woman next to him. “Narcissa, I’m going to talk with Luna. I’ll be back.”
The woman bowed her head in acceptance.
The blond gave the be-speckled prince next to him a look before turning away. He took her by the hand and led her to a quiet corner. He looked around to be sure no one could hear them and then gave her his full attention.
Luna shivered. Draco’s focus was almost like a physical force. She could feel it against her skin. It actually reminded her of her mother. A small smile touched her lips. It was her first one since her mother had disappeared.
She told Draco everything. He listened carefully. He never interrupted or tried to say she was making up stories. He simply listened. When she was finished, she stared at him, waiting to see what he’d do. She was surprised when he smiled at her.
Draco brushed her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ears for her. “I’m sorry you lost your mother. Thank you for giving me her message,” he told her seriously.
This time it was Luna who took him by the hand. She brought him upstairs to her room. She’d stolen her mother’s research from her father’s office and hid the them there. He’d been too sad to notice. She gave the thick folder to the prince and shivered when his eyes went silver with determination.
“I’ll keep her research is safe, Luna,” he vowed. “And I’m going to stop the Black One.”
Luna flung her arms around him. “I have to take care of my papa, but when I get to Hogwarts I’ll help. I promised my mum I’d protect the princes.”
…
In June, Charlie graduated and proposed to his girlfriend. At first she accepted, but when she learned two months later that he wasn’t going to play professional Quidditch, she left him. She had expected him to become a famous athlete with the income to match and was horrified when he told her that he wanted to study Magizoology at the Scamander Institute in Scottland. The loss of the girl he genuinely loved, her betrayal over money, devastated Charlie. He stopped sleeping and eating and, in November, took a job far from home working with dragons in Romania. Molly grieved as her two eldest sons left the family.
…
In late July, a letter went out informing a Muggle family that their child had been accepted into Hogwarts. When no response was given, Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall visited the home at the beginning of August to inquire whether the child would attend. The family denied the child existed, but the address was clear in the book at Hogwarts. Concerned, McGonagall cast a spell and it revealed the child’s body buried shallowly in the back garden.
The Aurors were called immediately. It was soon discovered that the Muggleborn girl, named Loretta Pleasant, had been physically abused by her father for years. In a fit of rage, the man had strangled the little girl to death upon the arrival of her Hogwarts letter.
The news hit the Wizarding World hard, especially coming so soon after the Dursley trial and the discovered abuse of Harry Potter. To quiet the demands for protection for magical children, the Wizengamot passed Loretta’s Law. In accordance with the law, a new department was created in the Magical Child Services Department.
The new division’s objective was to look for magical children throughout the UK and monitor the children from as early an age as possible. If a home was deemed unfit for a magical child, three things would happen: the child was taken, their Muggle family was Obliviated, and the Muggleborn was placed with approved Wizarding families.
The Muggle Prime Minister protested at first, but when faced with the evidence of Harry Potter’s trial and Loretta’s corpse, he signed an agreement that Muggleborns who fell under Loretta’s Law would no longer be considered Muggle citizens and would be under the complete authority of the Ministry of Magic.
And, with this, the Wizarding world began to change…
To Be Continued in:
Freedom Found in Defiance
A/N: I very much welcome any and all feedback regarding this story!
Also, please visit PIXI56 on Archive of Our Own. The art for this story is just amazing. Leave comments and kudos. :D
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Freedom Bound in Chains