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For Their Unconquerable Souls	By : Lomonaaeren Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 29228 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Title: For Their
Unconquerable Souls

Disclaimer: J. K.
Rowling and associates own these characters. I am writing this for fun and not
profit.

Rating: R/M

Pairings: Harry/Draco,
Lucius/Narcissa (past Harry/others).

Warnings: DH
Spoilers, but ignores epilogue. Profanity, slash and het sex,
blood, and angst.

Summary: Having
Harry Potter assigned as the mediwizard for his father when Lucius is hit with
a mysterious Dark curse is not something Draco ever thought he would encounter.
And then Potter spoke rudely to him! And had the gall to be attractive! And to
have past lovers! It was a wonder that Draco could tolerate him. Not to mention
his parents� opinions of the situation.

Author�s Notes: This
fic is dedicated to duchessa, who made a generous donation
to the �livelongnmarry LJ community to support equal
marriage rights for gays and lesbians. She requested the Malfoy POV on various
scenes from my novel-length story Bloody But Unbowed, which is Harry�s perspective on the
situation that makes him Lucius Malfoy�s mediwizard. Therefore, this story
won�t make much sense if you haven�t read Bloody
But Unbowed, and will tend to skip some chunks of
time, as well as include scenes that weren�t in the original, taking place when
Harry was asleep or elsewhere. Like Bloody
But Unbowed, this story is titled, with a slight
twist, after a line from William Ernest Henley�s poem �Invictus�: �I give
thanks to whatever gods may be/ For my unconquerable soul.�

For Their
Unconquerable Souls

�� Chapter One�Survival Comes First

�� How deep
are the wounds?� Narcissa�s words were mild, cold, patient, the way they always
were when they were outside the walls of Malfoy Manor and needed to beware the
presence of other people. But her fingers against his wrist were damp and
tight. Lucius focused his mind on the sensation of his wife�s hand so that he
could reply rationally.

�� Getting deeper each time.�

�� He glanced
up when Narcissa didn�t reply at once, to see her eyes shut and her face furrow
as she bowed it, the long blonde hair falling gracefully to her shoulders.
Someone else might have thought she was trying to keep tears back. But Lucius
knew that look. His wife was meditating vengeance against the madman who had
cast this curse on him.

�� Madman indeed! Of all the things Lucius
had not expected yesterday, being assaulted by someone who spat at him as he
cast an unknown Dark curse which caused increasingly deeper wounds to open and
then close themselves throughout Lucius�s body had been near the top of a very
long list.

�� It does
not seem right,� Narcissa observed remotely, �that we should have to come here
for treatment, instead of having it occur safely in our own home.� Though
Lucius had his own eyes shut now, struggling to recall
the attack exactly as it had happened, he could imagine his wife scowling at
the walls of the St. Mungo�s hospital room.

�� It does
not seem right,� Lucius agreed, and moved his hand slowly up and down the
inside of her elbow. He would not grunt as the injury in his chest worked
itself slowly open, rather like someone slitting the belly of a pig. Even if
his enemy, now in Auror custody, never knew of his indignity, Lucius and
Narcissa shared a bed some nights, and the memory of his weakness would linger
between them. Besides, lowering one�s emotional defenses for a sign of pain
outside the home could lead to lowering them again later, for a worse reason.
Lucius would never allow himself to become so careless.

�� Survival comes first, said the list of
rules that Lucius�s father Abraxas had made him
memorize when he was a child. And being cold and closed-off everywhere but the
home meant showing no vulnerabilities to anyone, and that meant increasing the family�s chances of survival by
convincing their enemies they were too strong to attack.

�� He did not
enjoy coming to this cold place, where enemies disgusted by his activities
during the war waited�some of them angry that he had been part of the group
that cursed their relatives, some convinced he had not remained loyal enough to
the Dark Lord�and where others were in charge who had the power to hurt him
because he had withdrawn his power to
help them. But here were Healers who had access to healing spells he had no
command of and no time to learn. He would do worse things than the merely distasteful
to ensure he lived.

�� His life,
of course, might depend on the Healer they assigned him. When the door opened, in
the middle of one of Narcissa�s speculations on what the Aurors might find out
about their prisoner and the feasibility of using Draco to sneak in Veritaserum,
Lucius looked around, expecting to recognize a face that resembled one of his
victims during the war.

�� It was
worse, or better, or perhaps this was simply the way that fate laughed at him.
Facing him was Harry Potter, clutching a file and staring at him with an
expression that could be taken for anger or wonder in his eyes. His face was
pale and the lightning bolt scar looked like a streak of blood. Lucius would
have snorted if he had the courage. Did Potter expect to face a proud Death
Eater, intent on denigrating him for his impure blood? Lucius would not do such
a thing to anyone who held his life in his hands, no matter how much he might
privately think it. The Potters had been one of the families once considered
worthy of intermarrying with the Malfoys. That they could have disgraced
themselves with a Mudblood marriage was hardly to be borne.

�� But that
was more than twenty years in the past, and the man in front of him at the
moment was the one Lucius needed to think of, rather than the James who had
been wasteful of his pure seed.

�� Mr.
Malfoy?� Potter�s voice held a tinge of nervousness that Lucius knew he did not
imagine. Perhaps he did fear curses after all, from Narcissa if not Lucius.
Lucius made some effort to lie more still than he was doing
right now. That might convince Potter he was no threat. �I�m the mediwizard
assigned to your case. Harry Potter.�

�� Mr.
Potter.� Lucius summoned a faint smile that Potter would take for sincere. He
laid pain behind it, too. The better the part he could play, the sooner Potter
would apply his utmost effort to the case. Perhaps having him here would prove
to be more useful than not, after all. He might retain that heroic complex
Lucius had always heard attributed to him and try to materially heal a Malfoy.
Or he might see the usefulness of acting quickly so that they would not have to
endure each other�s company for long. �We are together under more�auspicious
circumstances than last time.�

�� Yes, we
are.� Potter�s eyes were raking over him, Lucius noted with approval that had
grown faint through the pain. Though the boy did not have a Healer�s rank and
thus not a Healer�s training, at least he was observant.

�� Of course,
observation was not enough, and so the boy cast a spell that sent a series of
small silver frogs leaping at Lucius. Lucius raised an eyebrow at the choice of
the shape, not least because they sank into his body with a rippling of cold.
If the boy had selected a phoenix, as would fit from his having been the
prot�g� of Albus Dumbledore, at least Lucius might have felt some warmth.

�� What is
the curse? Do you know who cast it, and do you know what must be done to
reverse it?� Potter asked the questions as if he didn�t know the Malfoys would
be at home with a private Healer or their own spellbooks if that were the case.
Lucius regretfully adjusted his opinion of the boy�s intelligence. Observation
sometimes went with intelligence, yes, but not always. If it affected his
treatment, then Lucius might need to ask Draco to spend some time with Potter
and drag the useful information out of him, so the Malfoys could put it
together on their own.

�� Obviously
we do not know the latter, or we
would not have bothered coming here,� said Narcissa.

�� Potter
looked at her as though he assumed Narcissa were always ruffled up like a cat,
and not because of a stupid question. �I meant no insult to your spellcasting skills,� he said. Lucius would have laughed
were the situation less serious. The idiot was using a gentle voice. Does he speak
the same way to the kittens he undoubtedly rescues? �Sometimes the patient
does know the cure for his condition, but is prevented from using it himself
thanks to a lack of power or ingredients for a potion��

�� In this
case, we don�t know,� Lucius said. He thought it wise to take over. This was a
greater strain for Narcissa than for himself; she had been sure they would find
some cure in the Manor, whilst Lucius had suspected from the first that they
must venture into the wilds of St. Mungo�s. �We do know who cast the curse, and
he is now in Auror custody. But he destroyed the book from which he took the
spell, and he cannot be legally forced to take Veritaserum, so he yet retains
the secret to the cure. If he knows of it, which I doubt.�
He raised his hand from his chest. �As to the spell�s effects, see for
yourself.�

�� Potter�s
eyes widened at the sight of his wound, and then narrowed in a motion which
surprised Lucius. He asked, �They open throughout your body?� more quickly than
Lucius would have suspected the question to arise.

�� Lucius
could not respond at once, because the diagnostic spell leaped back out of him,
coalescing into a great frog that landed on Potter�s palm. Potter promptly
closed his eyes and stood in a listening attitude. Lucius frowned inwardly,
though he knew his face remained blank. Fancy having to wait a moment to report
on his own symptoms because a spell was doing the same
thing!

�� The wounds
have been appearing since yesterday,� Lucius said, when a slight shift in
Potter�s face told him the man might be paying attention to the people in the
room with him again instead of the spells. �On my chest and
my legs so far. They have always healed without leaving more than a scar
behind, and the scar itself heals within an hour.� He had an idea as Potter
opened his eyes again and touched the wound on his chest, swirling one finger
along the line of the scar as if he were worried about that particular one. His
idea worked; one hard-pressed corner of Potter�s mouth relaxed. Perhaps that
would induce him to be both kinder and more thorough in his treatments. Lucius
did not mind showing vulnerability to someone not of the family if that
vulnerability was feigned. �You understand my reluctance to allow the curse to
continue when it may open a wound through my heart at any second.�

�� Potter
hummed for a moment under his breath, and then said, �Yes,� and moved his wand
in a motion far too quick for someone who had given Lucius no warning. �Defendo contra malitiam!�

�� Though
Lucius could understand the Latin and knew that Potter was casting a protective
spell on him instead of one that would hurt, he felt himself stiffen with
outrage as the silver lump of light collapsed on him. Potter didn�t actually
seem to have proper control of it at first; that made Lucius wonder if the
Healers had assigned Potter to him not because he was the only one who would
care for a Malfoy but because they would find it amusing to see him die at the
hands of an inexperienced mediwizard. But Potter cast more magic, and Lucius
had to admit he could feel a small easing of tension in his chest, centered around the wound.

�� A slight
shuffle to the side showed that Narcissa had drawn her wand. Lucius appreciated
the gesture too much to reprimand her. Besides, it gave him a moment to relax
and calm his tone so he would speak with something less than the outrage he
felt. �Potter did not deserve to know
that much of his true feelings. �I am accustomed to having warning before
foreign magic is cast at me. What was that?�

�� The spell
has a buried malice component.� For the first time, Potter�s voice took on the
tone of a proper Healer or mediwizard; he sounded as if he might know something
about the situation. And then he cast the spell again without asking for
permission. Lucius held himself still; doubtless Potter, who had grown up so
far from the closed and defended world of pure-blood households, would think it
strange that he should have been expected to inquire. �It ensures that you�ll
go on getting sicker�in this case, the wounds will be worse than they would
otherwise. It also picks up on your worst fear. Because you said the spell
would open a cut through your heart eventually, it makes it all the more likely
to happen.�

�� Ah,�
Lucius said, to cover the rapid gyrations his brain was currently traveling
through. This was more than he expected the madman attacking him to be capable
of. �That would make sense. This man believes I raped his daughter.�

�� Did you?�

�� Lucius felt
his startlement strike through him like a sluice of cold water. Narcissa spoke,
scolding Potter, and again Lucius was grateful that she had taken the defense
on her shoulders. He needed a moment to recover, and she must have seen that.
Potter had asked the question with a tone of mild interest, as though he regularly
tended patients who admitted such crimes.

�� It was the
first thing about Potter that was eye-catching for itself, rather than for the
fame that other people attributed to him or because he was in the position of
perhaps saving Lucius�s life. Lucius felt a quiver of anticipation in the back
of his brain. People who drew attention to themselves in such a way inevitably
turned out to be of use.

�� Of course,
he would have to think about that later, because saving his life was the more
important task, but he would remember.

�� Potter told
them then, straight-out, that he was the only Healer or mediwizard likely to
help Lucius. Lucius arched an eyebrow as he redirected his awareness to the
conversation. Interesting that Potter felt confident enough in his precarious
position to admit that. Or was it another case of damnable Gryffindor honesty,
emerging no matter what the consideration for tact or danger? Just because
someone had an unexpected quality like the touch of cold humor with which
Potter addressed Lucius didn�t mean he didn�t have faults, too. Lucius would
have to determine where along that spectrum of flaws Potter fell.

�� Lucius
asked quietly why someone would refuse to treat him, and received a grin in
return, along with a recital of the expected reasons: that Lucius had been a
Death Eater and the hospital had treated many Death Eater victims, along with
the idea that he had only donated in order to impress the public with his
repentance. Potter also seemed unafraid to tell those reasons to a man who he
might have known would resent the imputations, even if they were false. Was he
politically unaware? Did he know his name might protect him against Lucius�s
reprisals? Or was he as Lucius was beginning to think he was, someone so
focused on doing his job that outside considerations didn�t matter to him?

�� Lucius did
not know enough about Potter to predict which of those might be the truth, and
so he did not want to remain silent too long, lest Potter decide that Lucius
was taking too much time to consider words he must have expected. And yes, he
probably was not intelligent enough to notice the pause, but Lucius still
wouldn�t take the chance. Survival in a world that wanted to slaughter
pure-blood families didn�t rest on chances. �Well, I can see the advantages of
that perspective,� he said. �What do you believe you will need to restore me to
health?�

�� As many
details on the crime as you can give me.� Potter tilted his head as if it took
effort to summon the list of what he needed to the forefront of his brain.
Lucius could well believe that. �The details the Aurors have collected from the
prisoner will be useful as well, but I have contacts in the Ministry who can
obtain them for me.� And here he nodded wisely, as if he imagined that contacts
in the Ministry�no doubt Weasleys�made him special. Lucius could see why his
superiors in hospital had kept him about, even if they disliked him. He could
be amusing. �Dark Arts references; those, I have.�

�� Lucius swallowed
a laugh as he thought of the thousands of Dark Arts books in the Manor. They
had surrendered the most obvious choices to the Aurors after the war, and still
had a library richer than any other in Britain, at least to Lucius�s knowledge.
Of course, Potter was probably so unaccustomed to true luxuries instead of
their garish imitations that he would not even think to ask that.

�� He felt
good enough to say, �I may be able to help you with yet more of them, Mr.
Potter.�

�� Of course
Narcissa protested again, but Lucius was feeling confident enough to disregard
her. If the hospital had given him a mediwizard only because doing nothing was
more obvious than they could bring themselves to be, they had at least given
him an entertaining one.

�� Potter, of
course, asked if the books would be interdicted through owl post. That amused
Lucius further. Draco had told him when he was younger and in the mood to
complain because Potter had won yet another of their constant confrontations
that Potter showed a fanatic regard for the rules on the surface whilst doing more
than any other student to confound them in practice. It seemed that trait had
persisted.

�� Perhaps that is another thing I owe Potter
for, then. He taught my son about disappointment, and that in turn may have
enabled him not to break under the trial of the Dark Lord.

�� Because he
was curious and his thoughts had already turned in that direction, Lucius
offered to let Narcissa or Draco carry the relevant Dark Arts books to Potter.
How would he react when Draco was mentioned?

�� He smiled,
and spoke some nonsense about a cubicle of his where he could receive them.
Then he drew out a Replication Quill and the parchment that abounded in places
like this one�frayed and tattering at the edges from being shoved into too many
pockets�and asked Lucius for details of the case. Lucius told him most of what
he felt it proper for Potter to know. Some information was, of course, reserved
because it was private to the family, and some more because Lucius wanted to
see what Potter would do if he was without it.

�� Now and
then Narcissa squeezed his shoulder. She invariably did it during the
omissions. Lucius would have raised an eyebrow at her if they were alone. Did
she think Potter trustworthy enough already to be honored with confidences like
this? Or maybe Lucius�s danger�which she had never suffered as gracefully as
Lucius suffered it himself�had convinced her that they could hold nothing
relevant back, because they would really need Potter�s help to let him recover.

�� Lucius
ignored the squeezes for now. Narcissa had adapted wonderfully well to the code
of laws that governed Malfoy life, because a code not unlike it had governed
the Blacks. The survival of the family was paramount among them, too. But she
was not a born Malfoy, and she could not often remember that, along with
survival, one had to look for the advantage to be gained from any situation.

�� Potter
wrote everything down, his head bowed and attentive, his eyes shadowed as he
heard the bloodier details. Lucius was almost ready to call him what he
appeared to be on the surface, honest and dedicated.

�� They had
nearly come to the end of the questions that Lucius would have asked were he in Potter�s position when the door burst open and
admitted his son. Lucius felt a small relaxation of the muscles around his heart
on seeing him. He had sent an owl to Draco before he went to hospital, but
Draco was deep in a challenging part of his study for his Potions mastery and
might not have responded. Now that they were together again, Lucius was as safe
as he could be anywhere outside the guarded walls of the Manor.

�� And then he
saw the way his son looked at Potter, and the way Potter pivoted towards Draco
as if expecting a confrontation despite his smile earlier, and his amusement
coalesced again. If fate had put him into an awkward and life-threatening
position, it had at least arranged ample entertainments for him in recompense.
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For Their Unconquerable Souls