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keiramarcosTitle: Birth of the Serpent King
Author: Keira Marcos
Fandom: Harry Potter
Summary: What if Lucius Malfoy had interfered and saved Harry Potter’s life during the third task? The Harry that returns to Hogwarts after the resurrection of Voldemort has been tempered by fire, the Potter Family legacy, and a relationship he couldn’t have ever expected. In the wake of his father’s redemption—Draco Malfoy finds everything he could have ever wanted in the man that was once his enemy.
- - - -
Draco,
I testify in front of the Goblin Court in two days. I decided to do it before I returned to school because I can’t live with the lies that Fudge has told everyone. Everyone must be on guard, the ministry has to prepare for war and for Voldemort. I would very much like you to attend but I know hearing about it will be difficult for you. I won’t be angry if you feel you can’t.
Lord Harry Potter
The House of Potter
- - - -
Ragnok nodded at a goblin on his left and a deep resonating tone echoed through the hall from the large gong at the front of the room. “The Court calls Lord Harry James Potter to testify at his own request on the matter involving himself, Lucius Malfoy, Cedric Diggory, and the Dark Lord Voldemort on the final night of the Tri-Wizard tournament.” He banged his own fist on the surface of the large table in front of him when the audience erupted with noise. “Lord Potter present yourself to the Court!”
Harry stood and kept his gaze front and center as he walked up the wide aisle and took his place on a raised dais in front of the room. His testimony was a surprise but there were still quite a few wizards and witches in the room. He ignored the rush of sound at the back of the room and the swinging of the doors as people were hurried into the room from the waiting rooms and lobby outside the Goblin Court Hall. He purposely pulled Mehen from his wrist and placed him on the table in front of him. Then he placed his wand beside the little metal snake.
Two goblins approached the dais, one with a tray of potions and the other with a staff clenched in one gnarled fist. Goblins rarely used wands but staves were common in their ritual magic. He was given the maximum dosage of Veritaserum after the goblin with the staff verified that he hadn’t been given the antidote and that his mind was unshielded.
“Lord Potter, give your oath,” Ragnok demanded harshly.
Harry took a deep breath and picked up his wand as the Veritaserum started to move in his body. He’d been told that the goblin made version of the truth potion was far more sophisticated than what was widely available to wizards. He didn’t feel like a zombie but he wasn’t in the mood to test how effective the potion would be at punishing him if he lied.
“I, Lord Harry James Potter, solemnly swear on my life and magic to answer all questions posed to me on this day by the members of the Goblin Court honestly without exception. So Mote It Be.” He put down his wand and flinched violently as several spells hit him—one after another from the Goblin staff. A compulsion charm, a truth charm, an honesty hex, and finally an extremely delicate integrity curse that would torture him viciously for each lie he told. He knew about them in advance but feeling them settle on his magic one after another was very unsettling.
“Lord Potter, we will begin with the minutes before you and Mr. Diggory activated the portkey in the maze at Hogwarts.” Ragnok paused and waited until the room was entirely silent. “Whose idea was it for you and Cedric Diggory to claim the Tri-Wizard trophy together?”
“Mine.” Harry’s hands clenched in front of him. “I told him to take it at first and he told me I should take it. I knew he deserved to win—he was the true Tri-Wizard Champion. I shouldn’t have been in the competition to begin with. Finally, we agreed to share it.”
“When did you realize the trophy was a portkey?”
“The moment we touched it—it snatched us away. I’d only felt that sensation twice before but I knew it was a portkey. I don’t know if Cedric understood what it was immediately or not—we never had the chance to discuss it.”
“You landed in a cemetery in Little Hangleton. The Daily Prophet has accused you of cursing Cedric Diggory because you didn’t want to share the trophy. Is that true?”
“No, it’s not. I never raised my wand against Cedric Diggory. Shortly after we landed in the cemetery, we agreed that were in trouble and we both pulled our wands. We heard a voice…” Harry took a deep breath.
“What did he voice say?” Ragnok questioned.
“Kill the spare.” Harry flinched as the audience stirred at those words. “I’d heard that voice before—I knew it was Voldemort.”
“When had you heard Voldemort’s voice?” Ragnok prodded.
“I remember the night he murdered my parents—his voice echoes in my mind but I spoke with him in my first year at Hogwarts when his spirit possessed one of my professors. I also spoke with his disembodied spirit in the Chamber of the Secrets during my second year after I killed the basilisk.” Harry focused on the table in front of him, uncomfortable with the way the amplifying charms around him were making his voice resonate through the now completely silent hall. “I pushed Cedric aside as Peter Pettigrew cast the Killing Curse at him. It blew up a headstone near us but we both managed to fire a few curses back at him.”
“How did you come to know Peter Pettigrew well enough to identify him that night? The Ministry of Magic has the man dead since the week after your own parents were murdered.”
“I met Peter Pettigrew in my third year at Hogwarts when we discovered that he’d been living in rat form as a student’s pet. I learned that he was my parent’s Secret Keeper and that he framed my godfather, Sirius Black, with mass murder to cover up his own crimes and to throw off anyone who might have suspected that he was, in fact, a Marked Death Eater.” Harry paused when several people in the audience started talking at once and waited until each had been silenced by a near-death glare from Ragnok. “Pettigrew hit Cedric with several curses I’d never heard before and then he stunned me. Neither one us were prepared to duel with an adult wizard and didn’t last long in the fight.”
“What is the next thing you remember?”
“I woke up tied to a headstone and Pettigrew was preparing a large cauldron. He cut my arm and harvested my blood. Then he cut off his own hand, which he dropped into the cauldron along with a child sized body that I never clearly saw. Whatever it was—Voldemort was possessing it.” He ran one hand through his hair and cleared his throat. “I don’t know how much time passed before a body—the size of a grown man—rose up from the cauldron. It was Voldemort.”
“Are you certain?”
“As certain as I can be,” Harry admitted roughly. “It’s not every day you see evil incarnate resurrected with your own blood. I admit to being horrified and genuinely confused by the events. I’m not sure what happened while I was unconscious and at that point I didn’t know if Cedric was alive or not.”
“Then what happened?”
“Pettigrew put a robe on Voldemort and then Voldemort used the Dark Mark on Pettigrew’s arm to call Death Eaters. They begin to appear almost immediately—in a circle around him. Voldemort released me from the tomb stone and told me that we were going to duel. He wanted to prove to his Death Eaters that a child couldn’t have possibly beaten him.”
“He gave you your wand?”
“Yes.” Harry touched his wand with the tips of his fingers as if to steady himself and nodded. “I immediately looked around and tried to find Cedric. He was lying, unmoving several meters away from me. I tried to run to him but I was stunned by one of the Death Eaters. Then I was forced into the inside of their circle and made to stand before Voldemort as if he were really going to duel with me.” He spread his hands wide on the table and pressed down to steady himself. “He looked like a living, breathing nightmare. I see his face in my dreams every night and it never stops being a source of absolute horror for me.”
“Did you recognize any of the Death Eaters in the circle?”
“They were all wearing masks when they arrived but Voldemort unmasked several of them while I was still tied up—I can provide a pensive memory for anyone interested in seeing their faces. I would not be in a position to name any of them except for the names I heard spoken quite clearly: McNair and Goyle. Then he unmasked Lucius Malfoy.”
“Were you aware before this event that Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater?”
“I had heard rumors that he was a Death Eater during the first conflict with Voldemort and that he later claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse. I do not know if that was true or not—but I have come to understand than anyone wearing the Dark Mark has little free will of their own when they are in the physical presence of Voldemort.” Harry took a deep breath. “The Dark Mark is ripe with compulsion hexes, loyalty charms, and also exists as a magic sink of sorts.”
“Sink?” Ragnok questioned with a frown. “I’m afraid I do not follow, Lord Potter.”
“It is a Muggle reference,” Harry explained. “In situations where Muggle equipment might become overheated—they create a heat sink to help absorb the heat to prevent the equipment from being damaged. In the case of the Dark Mark, the mark acts as a magic sink—pooling magic from Voldemort’s marked followers for the Dark Lord’s own use. He siphons the magic from his own people to enhance himself. It follows that the more wizards and witches that he can mark—the more powerful he will become.”
“Very well.” Ragnok made several notes on the parchment in front of him before focusing once more on Harry. “What happened when the Dark Lord unmasked Lord Malfoy?”
“Lord Lucius Malfoy made excuses for not attempting to help the Dark Lord return to power in the thirteen years since he was banished from his physical body. Voldemort seemed unimpressed with his efforts but chose to forgive him for reasons that are, to this day, unclear to me.” Harry glanced out into the audience and his gaze connected with Narcissa Malfoy’s. “Lucius moved around the circle until he was near me. Voldemort took this as a sign of loyalty, I think. I’m not certain about that either but he said nothing about the behavior.”
“Did Lucius Malfoy interfere in the events that were taking place between you and the Dark Lord?”
“Not at first,” Harry admitted roughly. “Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse on me several times and seemed surprised that I was able to stand up after he cast it the second time. I don’t supposed he’d ever encountered a fourteen year old with my pain threshold before. I can’t say it didn’t hurt worst than anything I’ve ever experienced—but I learned a long time ago to never let an enemy see how much it hurts.” He looked down at his hands and twisted his ring on his finger as he considered his next words. “He started to curse me again and I tried a disarming hex out of desperation and our wands connected. The spells joined and we were surrounded by this golden light.”
“Do you have any theory as to why your wands might have connected?”
“When I purchased my wand, I was told that it was the brother wand to Voldemort’s. We share the same core from the same phoenix but there appears to be more to the brother wand concept than a shared core. I didn’t question it at the time. It’s lead me to believe that I’ll never be able to successfully duel Voldemort with the wand I currently own. The spectral forms of people Voldemort killed started to pour out of his wand—including my mother and father. I can’t say if they were actually real or not but they told me to hold on until they could gather enough power to distract Voldemort. I tried but he was strong and I was weakened from the Cruciatus.” Harry cleared his throat. “Our wands disconnected abruptly and we were both thrown out of the circle of Death Eaters. I tried to get to Cedric’s body at that point—dead or not I was not going to leave him at the mercy of that monster.”
“But you didn’t succeed at that point?”
“No, someone hit me with a curse—it slashed open my back. The next thing knew I was being dragged back to my feet again so that Voldemort could pretend to duel with me again. He may look like a snake but he’s very much like a cat.”
Ragnok frowned. “Pardon me, Lord Potter? A cat?”
“Cat’s play with their prey before they kill them—they are the cruelest of killers in the natural world. Voldemort is like that—casually cruel. Anyone that would follow him must be completely insane.” Harry cleared his throat. “He threw several curses at me—cutting curses mostly but I was able to dodge most of them. Then I accidently disarmed him—he was furious, as you might could imagine. It certainly didn’t play well for his plan to show his Death Eaters how superior he was to me. I was stunned by one of the masked Death Eaters and when I was revived—Voldemort was leaning over me smiling.” Harry shuddered briefly. “I hurt all over and I couldn’t believe he was going to be the last thing I saw before I died.” He paused at the gasps that elicited from the crowd. “I wasn’t… I hated him so much in that moment. Hated him for what he’d done—how he’d murdered my parents and how he would kill so many now that he’d returned. He is a living obscenity.”
“How did you get away, Lord Potter?”
Harry flushed. “I slapped him across the face. He was momentarily so taken aback by the physical assault that he stepped away from me and proceeded to berate me for resorting to Muggle behavior. I rolled to my feet and then figuring I didn’t have much left to lose—threw myself at him and managed to punch him several times in the face before his Death Eaters pulled me off of him and threw me aside. I landed near Cedric.”
“And then?” Ragnok asked in a somewhat shocked tone.
“I started to crawl toward him and found both his wand and mine in the grass just before I reached him. I turned to try to find the cup—I could only hope and pray that the cup had been set up to return my dead body to Hogwarts as a final insult and a calling card for Voldemort.” Harry closed his eyes and steadied himself because he just wasn’t ready to talk about what happened next.
“Could you see it from your location?”
“No.” Harry shook his head. “But it didn’t matter because Voldemort had recovered and he was livid. He started throwing curse after curse at me—a bludgeoning hex, several crucios, and then I heard Lucius Malfoy shout Stupify! I waited for it to hit me but it didn’t—I was able to turn and watched Pettigrew fall on his face. Then Lucius aimed his wand at Voldemort and moved to stand between us—between Voldemort and me. Voldemort screamed—he was enraged. They started to duel. It was fast and vicious—they both moved so quickly and were using objects around the cemetery to block the more violent curses. Then Lucius banished the Tri-Wizard cup right at me. I grabbed a hold of Cedric and caught the cup. The last thing I saw was him fall under reductos from several different directions.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I knew he wouldn’t survive an assault like that.”
“Do you have any inkling as to why Lord Lucius Malfoy would chose to defend your life that night?”
“At the time, no. I’d always believed he hated my guts and couldn’t figure out what could have motivated him to act against Voldemort like that.”
“Did you, at a later date, come to know why he might have defended you?”
“Shortly before I claimed my title the Potter family grimoire came into my possession. I learned that the Malfoy family owed my mother a Life Debt at the time of her death. That Life Debt transferred to me. I believe and accept without concession that Lord Lucius Malfoy fulfilled that Life Debt the night he was murdered by Voldemort and his followers as he defended the lives of myself and Cedric Diggory.”
- - - -
He hated the way Veritaserum taste lingered on his tongue long after it had worn off.
He’d placed one copy in the Family vault and taken another with him. The rest of the wizarding world would see it un-edited in the Daily Prophet within twenty-four hours. He knew that they would have to print it because the Ragnok had forwarded it to every wizarding paper and magazine in Europe. They’d also posted it on the front doors of Gringotts and then closed early for the day in the first time in over fifteen years.
Dumbledore had been outside the court waiting for him when he left and had done a lot to make sure they’d been able to get out of the bank and leave unmolested. The entire wizarding world seemed to have gone silent and it was deafening.
He stared at his tea in silence—everyone in the kitchen was staring at him. Then someone turned on the wireless.
“The crowd gathered outside of Gringotts to read the certified testimony that Lord Harry James Potter provided to the Goblin Court has grown to over a thousand. Diagon Ally is packed as the fifth vocalized reading of the testimony has begun. Shops are closed and aurors are everywhere trying to keep the peace. We once again live in a world with the Dark Lord. Minister Fudge has been unavailable since the testimony was placed on the doors this afternoon following Lord Potter’s departure from the bank.”
Harry pushed aside his tea cup and lowered his head to his arms. He tucked his face against his elbow and took a few deep breaths. The last thing he wanted was for people to panic and hurt themselves.
A large warm hand settled on his neck and patted his hair hesitantly. Sirius cleared his throat. “You did the right thing, Harry. The only responsible thing you could have done in the circumstances. We need to prepare for what is coming and the Malfoys deserved to have the truth of Lucius’ sacrifice told to the world. Fudge dishonored his Family, disrespected you, and lied to everyone to save face.”
Harry nodded and sighed. “I’d like to lie down for a while.” He stood up and turned to Sirius. “Can I speak to you privately upstairs?”
“Yeah, pup, right behind you.”
- - - -
Harry was finishing fastening his robes when Sirius entered. “I want to go see Draco. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him after the hearing and…”
“You don’t have to explain,” Sirius murmured. “Set a ward on your door and tell Dobby to pretend you’re here and want to eat dinner in private. Everyone should respect that considering what you’ve been through today.”
“Am I wrong to keep the… thing between me and Draco a secret?”
“There are members of the Order who will have a real problem with your relationship with the son of a Death Eater, no matter what his father did with the last minutes of his life. I think perhaps it’s best if you give them a little time to get used to it.”
Harry nodded and tucked his wand into his wrist holster. “It’s not just... it wasn’t just him you know. He bound his whole family in that Liege Oath—every single member of his family.”
“I know. A personal Liege Oath would have glowed blue—a green one tells the world that he has bonded the House of Malfoy and the House of Potter in a very ancient and permanent way. It was an excellent way to protect his Family magic from falling into Voldemort’s hands. As long as they are bound to you—they can’t be forced to take the Dark Mark.”
- - - -
He appeared in a marbled foyer and two House Elves immediately popped into place in front of him, frowning. Fortunately, Narcissa rescued him from their wrath in under a minute and guided him up a beautiful staircase.
“Sorry. I should have owled or sent Dobby in advance but I’m using him to hide the fact that I’m not where I’m supposed to be.”
Narcissa smiled gently. “Quite alright. Draco is in his wing, resting. It was a difficult day for us.”
“I’m sorry I asked him to come—it was selfish of me.”
“Nonsense. He had every right to bear witness to the event that would see his father’s honor returned to him. You could have given him no better gift in this life, Harry.” She paused outside a pair of double doors. “I don’t know how to repay you.”
“You could brow beat the Wizengamot into actually giving Sirius a trial,” Harry responded honestly. “He went to prison for something he didn’t do. He shouldn’t have to spend the rest of his life hiding because Dumbledore doesn’t want him to draw attention to himself.”
Her eyes lit up. “I think I could work with that. I guess I’ll have to set a trap for a rat.”
“Indeed,” Harry murmured and then smiled when she walked away with a truly wicked smile on her beautiful face. He almost felt sorry for Wormtail.
He found Draco in a large room that sort of resembled the common rooms at school. He was sitting in a bay window, a vivid jade green snake curling around his hand. The snake was hissing almost non-stop.
“He’s sorry you’re upset,” Harry murmured. “He wishes he could make it better for you.” He slid onto the bay window beside him. The snake slithered up Draco’s arm and turned in Harry’s direction to hiss some more. Harry grinned. “He’s asked me if I’m your Serpent.”
Draco flushed. “Perhaps.”
Harry stroked the snakes head and responded in Parseltongue, “I’m his Serpent and he’s my Dragon… he just doesn’t know it.”
“His name is Scorpious.” Draco lowered his hand and let the snake slither away from him. “What you did today was extremely brave and completely insane. Fudge may very well try to kill you.”
“Like he did when he let the Dementors lose in Diagon Ally?” Harry questioned and then raised an eyebrow when Malfoy’s mouth dropped open. He laughed then, just a little. “You’re even pretty with your mouth hanging open.”
Draco blushed furiously. “You’re not the same at all, Potter.”
“Well, having read my Family history I can tell you I come from a long line of men hell bent on doing things their own way. My paternal grandfather had one-hundred and thirty six lovers male and female before and after he briefly married my grandmother and managed to make himself an Heir. He died in bed with a witch and a wizard half his age.” Harry grinned when Draco laughed softly. “That’s not true in your family is it?”
“No, Malfoys tend to love for life,” Draco flushed and his gaze dropped briefly to Harry’s mouth. “You know I’ve had a crush on you since that first day when I saw you at Diagon Ally.”
“You’ve been so wretched to me,” Harry murmured.
“Yeah, well, Malfoys don’t take rejection well at all.” Draco looked out the window and sighed. “My mother cried through most of the testimony. I couldn’t even cast a silencing charm to give her privacy because of the Goblin wards in the bank.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t be,” Draco shook his head. “As much as it hurt her—as much as it always hurt her to know the way he died—you made sure our place in society was secure. No one will ever doubt my father’s redemption or his sacrifice for you. Not after the way you held up under that Goblin’s questions. I’d always heard that Goblin Courts were extreme but I’d never witnessed a session before. I think that wizards could learn a lot about justice from them.”
“It was pretty intense.”
“Agreed.” Draco smirked then. “I simple cannot believe you punched the Dark Lord in the face.”
Harry blushed. “He had it coming.” Then he yawned deeply and rubbed at the back of his head with a sigh. “The bastard.”
“You should be sleeping,” Draco admonished. “Why did you come here? Why are you so different?”
Harry reached out touch him and smiled when Draco moved into the touch. He leaned forward little and smiled when Draco did the same. “I do have fifteen generations of magic and mayhem pressing down on me all at once.”
Draco closed the distance between them, his grey eyes flashing. “Don’t mistake me for a girl, Potter. You don’t have to approach me like I’m a going to burst into tears if you touch me too soon.”
Harry pushed his hand into Draco’s hair and pulled him forward. Their mouths melded together in a furious rush, tongues sliding together with the kind of familiarity that should’ve been impossible. Harry’s hand fisted briefly in his hair as they kissed and then with a soft moan he eased back. “I wanted to do that last year—after the first task. You were sitting in the stands and I looked over at you.” He leaned in and kissed him again—a soft brushing of lips before he retreated again. “All I could think was that I wanted you. I wanted to keep you despite how horrible you were being.”
“Me, too. You looked so beautiful flying that day. You’re amazing on a broom, Harry. I’ve never seen anything like it. The first time when I stole Neville’s stupid memory ball, I was in awe of you.” He sighed. “Just amazing and it was so fucking irritating.”
Harry laughed. “Why did you take his memory ball?”
Draco blushed. “You smiled at him that morning at breakfast and you were nice to him. I hated him for it.”
“You’re not allowed to hate him anymore, he’s my Heir.” Harry leaned in and kissed him again. “Your mouth is perfect.”
Draco leaned in and ran his fingers through Harry’s thick dark hair. “I dream of you, Harry. Sweet, hot, desperate dreams—I wake up wet with my own release more often than not. You’re to blame for that.”
Harry smiled then. “How wonderful it would be if I could share those dreams with you.” He sighed. “I should go before anyone realizes that I’m gone.”
“Give me another kiss,” Draco murmured and tugged Harry close. Harry let himself get lost in the soft, exploring kiss until Draco pulled away with a little groan. “Your ancestors are rolling over in their graves at the thought of you taking up with a Malfoy.”
Harry grinned. “No way.” He stood up and shook out his robes. “You’re the easily the prettiest bloke in school and my ancestors were all about having the best of everything.”
Draco stared at him in shock and then huffed. “Get out of my manor, Lord Potter.”
“As you wish, Lord Malfoy.” He touched Mehen and hissed ‘Padfoot’ to return to Grimmauld Place.
Author: Keira Marcos
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco MalfoySummary: What if Lucius Malfoy had interfered and saved Harry Potter’s life during the third task? The Harry that returns to Hogwarts after the resurrection of Voldemort has been tempered by fire, the Potter Family legacy, and a relationship he couldn’t have ever expected. In the wake of his father’s redemption—Draco Malfoy finds everything he could have ever wanted in the man that was once his enemy.
- - - -
Draco,
I testify in front of the Goblin Court in two days. I decided to do it before I returned to school because I can’t live with the lies that Fudge has told everyone. Everyone must be on guard, the ministry has to prepare for war and for Voldemort. I would very much like you to attend but I know hearing about it will be difficult for you. I won’t be angry if you feel you can’t.
Lord Harry Potter
The House of Potter
- - - -
Ragnok nodded at a goblin on his left and a deep resonating tone echoed through the hall from the large gong at the front of the room. “The Court calls Lord Harry James Potter to testify at his own request on the matter involving himself, Lucius Malfoy, Cedric Diggory, and the Dark Lord Voldemort on the final night of the Tri-Wizard tournament.” He banged his own fist on the surface of the large table in front of him when the audience erupted with noise. “Lord Potter present yourself to the Court!”
Harry stood and kept his gaze front and center as he walked up the wide aisle and took his place on a raised dais in front of the room. His testimony was a surprise but there were still quite a few wizards and witches in the room. He ignored the rush of sound at the back of the room and the swinging of the doors as people were hurried into the room from the waiting rooms and lobby outside the Goblin Court Hall. He purposely pulled Mehen from his wrist and placed him on the table in front of him. Then he placed his wand beside the little metal snake.
Two goblins approached the dais, one with a tray of potions and the other with a staff clenched in one gnarled fist. Goblins rarely used wands but staves were common in their ritual magic. He was given the maximum dosage of Veritaserum after the goblin with the staff verified that he hadn’t been given the antidote and that his mind was unshielded.
“Lord Potter, give your oath,” Ragnok demanded harshly.
Harry took a deep breath and picked up his wand as the Veritaserum started to move in his body. He’d been told that the goblin made version of the truth potion was far more sophisticated than what was widely available to wizards. He didn’t feel like a zombie but he wasn’t in the mood to test how effective the potion would be at punishing him if he lied.
“I, Lord Harry James Potter, solemnly swear on my life and magic to answer all questions posed to me on this day by the members of the Goblin Court honestly without exception. So Mote It Be.” He put down his wand and flinched violently as several spells hit him—one after another from the Goblin staff. A compulsion charm, a truth charm, an honesty hex, and finally an extremely delicate integrity curse that would torture him viciously for each lie he told. He knew about them in advance but feeling them settle on his magic one after another was very unsettling.
“Lord Potter, we will begin with the minutes before you and Mr. Diggory activated the portkey in the maze at Hogwarts.” Ragnok paused and waited until the room was entirely silent. “Whose idea was it for you and Cedric Diggory to claim the Tri-Wizard trophy together?”
“Mine.” Harry’s hands clenched in front of him. “I told him to take it at first and he told me I should take it. I knew he deserved to win—he was the true Tri-Wizard Champion. I shouldn’t have been in the competition to begin with. Finally, we agreed to share it.”
“When did you realize the trophy was a portkey?”
“The moment we touched it—it snatched us away. I’d only felt that sensation twice before but I knew it was a portkey. I don’t know if Cedric understood what it was immediately or not—we never had the chance to discuss it.”
“You landed in a cemetery in Little Hangleton. The Daily Prophet has accused you of cursing Cedric Diggory because you didn’t want to share the trophy. Is that true?”
“No, it’s not. I never raised my wand against Cedric Diggory. Shortly after we landed in the cemetery, we agreed that were in trouble and we both pulled our wands. We heard a voice…” Harry took a deep breath.
“What did he voice say?” Ragnok questioned.
“Kill the spare.” Harry flinched as the audience stirred at those words. “I’d heard that voice before—I knew it was Voldemort.”
“When had you heard Voldemort’s voice?” Ragnok prodded.
“I remember the night he murdered my parents—his voice echoes in my mind but I spoke with him in my first year at Hogwarts when his spirit possessed one of my professors. I also spoke with his disembodied spirit in the Chamber of the Secrets during my second year after I killed the basilisk.” Harry focused on the table in front of him, uncomfortable with the way the amplifying charms around him were making his voice resonate through the now completely silent hall. “I pushed Cedric aside as Peter Pettigrew cast the Killing Curse at him. It blew up a headstone near us but we both managed to fire a few curses back at him.”
“How did you come to know Peter Pettigrew well enough to identify him that night? The Ministry of Magic has the man dead since the week after your own parents were murdered.”
“I met Peter Pettigrew in my third year at Hogwarts when we discovered that he’d been living in rat form as a student’s pet. I learned that he was my parent’s Secret Keeper and that he framed my godfather, Sirius Black, with mass murder to cover up his own crimes and to throw off anyone who might have suspected that he was, in fact, a Marked Death Eater.” Harry paused when several people in the audience started talking at once and waited until each had been silenced by a near-death glare from Ragnok. “Pettigrew hit Cedric with several curses I’d never heard before and then he stunned me. Neither one us were prepared to duel with an adult wizard and didn’t last long in the fight.”
“What is the next thing you remember?”
“I woke up tied to a headstone and Pettigrew was preparing a large cauldron. He cut my arm and harvested my blood. Then he cut off his own hand, which he dropped into the cauldron along with a child sized body that I never clearly saw. Whatever it was—Voldemort was possessing it.” He ran one hand through his hair and cleared his throat. “I don’t know how much time passed before a body—the size of a grown man—rose up from the cauldron. It was Voldemort.”
“Are you certain?”
“As certain as I can be,” Harry admitted roughly. “It’s not every day you see evil incarnate resurrected with your own blood. I admit to being horrified and genuinely confused by the events. I’m not sure what happened while I was unconscious and at that point I didn’t know if Cedric was alive or not.”
“Then what happened?”
“Pettigrew put a robe on Voldemort and then Voldemort used the Dark Mark on Pettigrew’s arm to call Death Eaters. They begin to appear almost immediately—in a circle around him. Voldemort released me from the tomb stone and told me that we were going to duel. He wanted to prove to his Death Eaters that a child couldn’t have possibly beaten him.”
“He gave you your wand?”
“Yes.” Harry touched his wand with the tips of his fingers as if to steady himself and nodded. “I immediately looked around and tried to find Cedric. He was lying, unmoving several meters away from me. I tried to run to him but I was stunned by one of the Death Eaters. Then I was forced into the inside of their circle and made to stand before Voldemort as if he were really going to duel with me.” He spread his hands wide on the table and pressed down to steady himself. “He looked like a living, breathing nightmare. I see his face in my dreams every night and it never stops being a source of absolute horror for me.”
“Did you recognize any of the Death Eaters in the circle?”
“They were all wearing masks when they arrived but Voldemort unmasked several of them while I was still tied up—I can provide a pensive memory for anyone interested in seeing their faces. I would not be in a position to name any of them except for the names I heard spoken quite clearly: McNair and Goyle. Then he unmasked Lucius Malfoy.”
“Were you aware before this event that Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater?”
“I had heard rumors that he was a Death Eater during the first conflict with Voldemort and that he later claimed to have been under the Imperius Curse. I do not know if that was true or not—but I have come to understand than anyone wearing the Dark Mark has little free will of their own when they are in the physical presence of Voldemort.” Harry took a deep breath. “The Dark Mark is ripe with compulsion hexes, loyalty charms, and also exists as a magic sink of sorts.”
“Sink?” Ragnok questioned with a frown. “I’m afraid I do not follow, Lord Potter.”
“It is a Muggle reference,” Harry explained. “In situations where Muggle equipment might become overheated—they create a heat sink to help absorb the heat to prevent the equipment from being damaged. In the case of the Dark Mark, the mark acts as a magic sink—pooling magic from Voldemort’s marked followers for the Dark Lord’s own use. He siphons the magic from his own people to enhance himself. It follows that the more wizards and witches that he can mark—the more powerful he will become.”
“Very well.” Ragnok made several notes on the parchment in front of him before focusing once more on Harry. “What happened when the Dark Lord unmasked Lord Malfoy?”
“Lord Lucius Malfoy made excuses for not attempting to help the Dark Lord return to power in the thirteen years since he was banished from his physical body. Voldemort seemed unimpressed with his efforts but chose to forgive him for reasons that are, to this day, unclear to me.” Harry glanced out into the audience and his gaze connected with Narcissa Malfoy’s. “Lucius moved around the circle until he was near me. Voldemort took this as a sign of loyalty, I think. I’m not certain about that either but he said nothing about the behavior.”
“Did Lucius Malfoy interfere in the events that were taking place between you and the Dark Lord?”
“Not at first,” Harry admitted roughly. “Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse on me several times and seemed surprised that I was able to stand up after he cast it the second time. I don’t supposed he’d ever encountered a fourteen year old with my pain threshold before. I can’t say it didn’t hurt worst than anything I’ve ever experienced—but I learned a long time ago to never let an enemy see how much it hurts.” He looked down at his hands and twisted his ring on his finger as he considered his next words. “He started to curse me again and I tried a disarming hex out of desperation and our wands connected. The spells joined and we were surrounded by this golden light.”
“Do you have any theory as to why your wands might have connected?”
“When I purchased my wand, I was told that it was the brother wand to Voldemort’s. We share the same core from the same phoenix but there appears to be more to the brother wand concept than a shared core. I didn’t question it at the time. It’s lead me to believe that I’ll never be able to successfully duel Voldemort with the wand I currently own. The spectral forms of people Voldemort killed started to pour out of his wand—including my mother and father. I can’t say if they were actually real or not but they told me to hold on until they could gather enough power to distract Voldemort. I tried but he was strong and I was weakened from the Cruciatus.” Harry cleared his throat. “Our wands disconnected abruptly and we were both thrown out of the circle of Death Eaters. I tried to get to Cedric’s body at that point—dead or not I was not going to leave him at the mercy of that monster.”
“But you didn’t succeed at that point?”
“No, someone hit me with a curse—it slashed open my back. The next thing knew I was being dragged back to my feet again so that Voldemort could pretend to duel with me again. He may look like a snake but he’s very much like a cat.”
Ragnok frowned. “Pardon me, Lord Potter? A cat?”
“Cat’s play with their prey before they kill them—they are the cruelest of killers in the natural world. Voldemort is like that—casually cruel. Anyone that would follow him must be completely insane.” Harry cleared his throat. “He threw several curses at me—cutting curses mostly but I was able to dodge most of them. Then I accidently disarmed him—he was furious, as you might could imagine. It certainly didn’t play well for his plan to show his Death Eaters how superior he was to me. I was stunned by one of the masked Death Eaters and when I was revived—Voldemort was leaning over me smiling.” Harry shuddered briefly. “I hurt all over and I couldn’t believe he was going to be the last thing I saw before I died.” He paused at the gasps that elicited from the crowd. “I wasn’t… I hated him so much in that moment. Hated him for what he’d done—how he’d murdered my parents and how he would kill so many now that he’d returned. He is a living obscenity.”
“How did you get away, Lord Potter?”
Harry flushed. “I slapped him across the face. He was momentarily so taken aback by the physical assault that he stepped away from me and proceeded to berate me for resorting to Muggle behavior. I rolled to my feet and then figuring I didn’t have much left to lose—threw myself at him and managed to punch him several times in the face before his Death Eaters pulled me off of him and threw me aside. I landed near Cedric.”
“And then?” Ragnok asked in a somewhat shocked tone.
“I started to crawl toward him and found both his wand and mine in the grass just before I reached him. I turned to try to find the cup—I could only hope and pray that the cup had been set up to return my dead body to Hogwarts as a final insult and a calling card for Voldemort.” Harry closed his eyes and steadied himself because he just wasn’t ready to talk about what happened next.
“Could you see it from your location?”
“No.” Harry shook his head. “But it didn’t matter because Voldemort had recovered and he was livid. He started throwing curse after curse at me—a bludgeoning hex, several crucios, and then I heard Lucius Malfoy shout Stupify! I waited for it to hit me but it didn’t—I was able to turn and watched Pettigrew fall on his face. Then Lucius aimed his wand at Voldemort and moved to stand between us—between Voldemort and me. Voldemort screamed—he was enraged. They started to duel. It was fast and vicious—they both moved so quickly and were using objects around the cemetery to block the more violent curses. Then Lucius banished the Tri-Wizard cup right at me. I grabbed a hold of Cedric and caught the cup. The last thing I saw was him fall under reductos from several different directions.” He paused and cleared his throat. “I knew he wouldn’t survive an assault like that.”
“Do you have any inkling as to why Lord Lucius Malfoy would chose to defend your life that night?”
“At the time, no. I’d always believed he hated my guts and couldn’t figure out what could have motivated him to act against Voldemort like that.”
“Did you, at a later date, come to know why he might have defended you?”
“Shortly before I claimed my title the Potter family grimoire came into my possession. I learned that the Malfoy family owed my mother a Life Debt at the time of her death. That Life Debt transferred to me. I believe and accept without concession that Lord Lucius Malfoy fulfilled that Life Debt the night he was murdered by Voldemort and his followers as he defended the lives of myself and Cedric Diggory.”
- - - -
He hated the way Veritaserum taste lingered on his tongue long after it had worn off.
He’d placed one copy in the Family vault and taken another with him. The rest of the wizarding world would see it un-edited in the Daily Prophet within twenty-four hours. He knew that they would have to print it because the Ragnok had forwarded it to every wizarding paper and magazine in Europe. They’d also posted it on the front doors of Gringotts and then closed early for the day in the first time in over fifteen years.
Dumbledore had been outside the court waiting for him when he left and had done a lot to make sure they’d been able to get out of the bank and leave unmolested. The entire wizarding world seemed to have gone silent and it was deafening.
He stared at his tea in silence—everyone in the kitchen was staring at him. Then someone turned on the wireless.
“The crowd gathered outside of Gringotts to read the certified testimony that Lord Harry James Potter provided to the Goblin Court has grown to over a thousand. Diagon Ally is packed as the fifth vocalized reading of the testimony has begun. Shops are closed and aurors are everywhere trying to keep the peace. We once again live in a world with the Dark Lord. Minister Fudge has been unavailable since the testimony was placed on the doors this afternoon following Lord Potter’s departure from the bank.”
Harry pushed aside his tea cup and lowered his head to his arms. He tucked his face against his elbow and took a few deep breaths. The last thing he wanted was for people to panic and hurt themselves.
A large warm hand settled on his neck and patted his hair hesitantly. Sirius cleared his throat. “You did the right thing, Harry. The only responsible thing you could have done in the circumstances. We need to prepare for what is coming and the Malfoys deserved to have the truth of Lucius’ sacrifice told to the world. Fudge dishonored his Family, disrespected you, and lied to everyone to save face.”
Harry nodded and sighed. “I’d like to lie down for a while.” He stood up and turned to Sirius. “Can I speak to you privately upstairs?”
“Yeah, pup, right behind you.”
- - - -
Harry was finishing fastening his robes when Sirius entered. “I want to go see Draco. I didn’t get a chance to talk to him after the hearing and…”
“You don’t have to explain,” Sirius murmured. “Set a ward on your door and tell Dobby to pretend you’re here and want to eat dinner in private. Everyone should respect that considering what you’ve been through today.”
“Am I wrong to keep the… thing between me and Draco a secret?”
“There are members of the Order who will have a real problem with your relationship with the son of a Death Eater, no matter what his father did with the last minutes of his life. I think perhaps it’s best if you give them a little time to get used to it.”
Harry nodded and tucked his wand into his wrist holster. “It’s not just... it wasn’t just him you know. He bound his whole family in that Liege Oath—every single member of his family.”
“I know. A personal Liege Oath would have glowed blue—a green one tells the world that he has bonded the House of Malfoy and the House of Potter in a very ancient and permanent way. It was an excellent way to protect his Family magic from falling into Voldemort’s hands. As long as they are bound to you—they can’t be forced to take the Dark Mark.”
- - - -
He appeared in a marbled foyer and two House Elves immediately popped into place in front of him, frowning. Fortunately, Narcissa rescued him from their wrath in under a minute and guided him up a beautiful staircase.
“Sorry. I should have owled or sent Dobby in advance but I’m using him to hide the fact that I’m not where I’m supposed to be.”
Narcissa smiled gently. “Quite alright. Draco is in his wing, resting. It was a difficult day for us.”
“I’m sorry I asked him to come—it was selfish of me.”
“Nonsense. He had every right to bear witness to the event that would see his father’s honor returned to him. You could have given him no better gift in this life, Harry.” She paused outside a pair of double doors. “I don’t know how to repay you.”
“You could brow beat the Wizengamot into actually giving Sirius a trial,” Harry responded honestly. “He went to prison for something he didn’t do. He shouldn’t have to spend the rest of his life hiding because Dumbledore doesn’t want him to draw attention to himself.”
Her eyes lit up. “I think I could work with that. I guess I’ll have to set a trap for a rat.”
“Indeed,” Harry murmured and then smiled when she walked away with a truly wicked smile on her beautiful face. He almost felt sorry for Wormtail.
He found Draco in a large room that sort of resembled the common rooms at school. He was sitting in a bay window, a vivid jade green snake curling around his hand. The snake was hissing almost non-stop.
“He’s sorry you’re upset,” Harry murmured. “He wishes he could make it better for you.” He slid onto the bay window beside him. The snake slithered up Draco’s arm and turned in Harry’s direction to hiss some more. Harry grinned. “He’s asked me if I’m your Serpent.”
Draco flushed. “Perhaps.”
Harry stroked the snakes head and responded in Parseltongue, “I’m his Serpent and he’s my Dragon… he just doesn’t know it.”
“His name is Scorpious.” Draco lowered his hand and let the snake slither away from him. “What you did today was extremely brave and completely insane. Fudge may very well try to kill you.”
“Like he did when he let the Dementors lose in Diagon Ally?” Harry questioned and then raised an eyebrow when Malfoy’s mouth dropped open. He laughed then, just a little. “You’re even pretty with your mouth hanging open.”
Draco blushed furiously. “You’re not the same at all, Potter.”
“Well, having read my Family history I can tell you I come from a long line of men hell bent on doing things their own way. My paternal grandfather had one-hundred and thirty six lovers male and female before and after he briefly married my grandmother and managed to make himself an Heir. He died in bed with a witch and a wizard half his age.” Harry grinned when Draco laughed softly. “That’s not true in your family is it?”
“No, Malfoys tend to love for life,” Draco flushed and his gaze dropped briefly to Harry’s mouth. “You know I’ve had a crush on you since that first day when I saw you at Diagon Ally.”
“You’ve been so wretched to me,” Harry murmured.
“Yeah, well, Malfoys don’t take rejection well at all.” Draco looked out the window and sighed. “My mother cried through most of the testimony. I couldn’t even cast a silencing charm to give her privacy because of the Goblin wards in the bank.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t be,” Draco shook his head. “As much as it hurt her—as much as it always hurt her to know the way he died—you made sure our place in society was secure. No one will ever doubt my father’s redemption or his sacrifice for you. Not after the way you held up under that Goblin’s questions. I’d always heard that Goblin Courts were extreme but I’d never witnessed a session before. I think that wizards could learn a lot about justice from them.”
“It was pretty intense.”
“Agreed.” Draco smirked then. “I simple cannot believe you punched the Dark Lord in the face.”
Harry blushed. “He had it coming.” Then he yawned deeply and rubbed at the back of his head with a sigh. “The bastard.”
“You should be sleeping,” Draco admonished. “Why did you come here? Why are you so different?”
Harry reached out touch him and smiled when Draco moved into the touch. He leaned forward little and smiled when Draco did the same. “I do have fifteen generations of magic and mayhem pressing down on me all at once.”
Draco closed the distance between them, his grey eyes flashing. “Don’t mistake me for a girl, Potter. You don’t have to approach me like I’m a going to burst into tears if you touch me too soon.”
Harry pushed his hand into Draco’s hair and pulled him forward. Their mouths melded together in a furious rush, tongues sliding together with the kind of familiarity that should’ve been impossible. Harry’s hand fisted briefly in his hair as they kissed and then with a soft moan he eased back. “I wanted to do that last year—after the first task. You were sitting in the stands and I looked over at you.” He leaned in and kissed him again—a soft brushing of lips before he retreated again. “All I could think was that I wanted you. I wanted to keep you despite how horrible you were being.”
“Me, too. You looked so beautiful flying that day. You’re amazing on a broom, Harry. I’ve never seen anything like it. The first time when I stole Neville’s stupid memory ball, I was in awe of you.” He sighed. “Just amazing and it was so fucking irritating.”
Harry laughed. “Why did you take his memory ball?”
Draco blushed. “You smiled at him that morning at breakfast and you were nice to him. I hated him for it.”
“You’re not allowed to hate him anymore, he’s my Heir.” Harry leaned in and kissed him again. “Your mouth is perfect.”
Draco leaned in and ran his fingers through Harry’s thick dark hair. “I dream of you, Harry. Sweet, hot, desperate dreams—I wake up wet with my own release more often than not. You’re to blame for that.”
Harry smiled then. “How wonderful it would be if I could share those dreams with you.” He sighed. “I should go before anyone realizes that I’m gone.”
“Give me another kiss,” Draco murmured and tugged Harry close. Harry let himself get lost in the soft, exploring kiss until Draco pulled away with a little groan. “Your ancestors are rolling over in their graves at the thought of you taking up with a Malfoy.”
Harry grinned. “No way.” He stood up and shook out his robes. “You’re the easily the prettiest bloke in school and my ancestors were all about having the best of everything.”
Draco stared at him in shock and then huffed. “Get out of my manor, Lord Potter.”
“As you wish, Lord Malfoy.” He touched Mehen and hissed ‘Padfoot’ to return to Grimmauld Place.
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no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 05:11 am (UTC)This is going to rock
~L
wow.
Date: 2011-01-23 05:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 05:28 am (UTC)Re: wow.
Date: 2011-01-23 05:30 am (UTC)Defies the absolute bounds of awesomeness allowable in the universe. I need more Methos in my life. :)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 05:31 am (UTC)Is this a whole new 'verse or just a single story?
Re: wow.
Date: 2011-01-23 05:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 05:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 05:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 05:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 05:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 05:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 05:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 06:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 06:28 am (UTC)And already I see that snark appearing (like you could ever write something without an indecent level of snark), and am having orgasms just thinking about it.
You ever decide to take a lesbian lover, I'm your bitch!!!!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 06:29 am (UTC)This just goes to show how awesome you are, because I don't even follow the Potter fandom, let alone the pairing, and I am absolutely captivated and cannot wait to see the rest of this!
Major kudos to you Keira.
(Also super excited to see that there is progress on your other SGA fics as well).
*is tres excited* Eee!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 06:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 07:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 07:42 am (UTC)Just as I was getting bored with it and you throe this!! I adore you!!!
And thank you for the update on writing progress, I will wait patiently for all the stories. :)
THANKS!!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 07:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 08:30 am (UTC)Here's to you making it better!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 08:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 09:54 am (UTC)I couldn't wait to read it... And you made it worse today with this excerpt.
I love all the hints you're giving us in this short part: Harry knowing his family history, Lily saving Malfoy once upon a time, Sirius being a "grown-up" and supporting Harry, the Goblins having a real society with rituals and justice,...
Great way to make us addicted to yet a new story.
Thanks a lot for sharing.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 11:44 am (UTC)I know it's not my fault you're in this fandom now, but I can't help being gleeful about it - I've been reading Harry/Draco for years; it's to date the longest time I've ever been in a fandom, and I'm still not over it. It's very interesting to see what you're doing with it. x)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 11:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-23 12:29 pm (UTC)Awesome! I look forward to reading the rest!