Reading Time:
21 Minutes

Chapter 6

“Something is different,” Pansy said. “What did Potter tell you?”

“Things I shouldn’t discuss,” Draco admitted and took a deep breath. “If it were just about me, I’d tell you.”

“Yeah, of course,” she said and settled on the stool in the safety zone near the end of the worktable. “You’ve been spending a lot of time in here—instead of using the potions lab in the suite. It looked well-supplied.”

“It’s great,” Draco acknowledged. “I have a personal project in the works, and the materials are toxic if not handled properly so I don’t want to do it outside of this warded space.” He shifted around on his own stool and focused on her. “I want him.”

“You always have,” she said and shrugged one shoulder. “You weren’t alone in that at Hogwarts, but you didn’t ever pursue him.”

“He had concrete bounties and I understood that even if others were too selfish to see it,” Draco said roughly and she nodded. “I fully intend to leave Britain with him, Pansy.”

She stared for a moment then slowly nodded. “Okay, let’s start planning your seduction campaign.” She pulled out her journal. “At least he’s more approachable now than he was at Hogwarts.”

Draco laughed and sighed. “I kissed him.”

“How was it? Was he weird about it?” She raised an eyebrow. “At least we know he’s not a virgin. The international press can’t give that man a single bit of space. It won’t get any better. His last reported romantic partner was like six months ago.”

Draco made a face. “You mean that arsehole who gave that lurid interview to Wizard’s Monthly?”

Pansy laughed. “It wasn’t that bad. Regardless, he’s at least willing to engage in some kind of relationship. So, the kiss?”

“Perfect,” Draco confessed. “Intense. He might have ruined me.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Pansy muttered. “That’s going to require more work than a seduction. If you want to marry that wizard and have babies with him we’re going to have to bring your A game.”

Draco laughed. “Shut up.”

“I’m just saying that Potter has magical power to burn, which means a ritual baby is absolutely in his wheelhouse.” She flicked a hand. “Susan and I have been talking about it, actually. We’d need a coven for it so she’s reached out to Professor McGonagal to see if we can join the Rowan Circle during our second maturation. She’s declined in the past because of the corruption, but if that can be fixed….”

“If not then surely you could find a coven abroad that would help,” Draco said. “And I’m willing to donate if you need to go a more traditional route—I’ve not changed my mind about that.”

“Well, if you’re in the market for a partner then you need to remember that such a decision would impact him, too,” Pansy pointed out. “And he might not be on board with you having kids with me and Susan.”

“I made that decision years ago, and I promised you,” Draco said. “Any future partner would be required to accept it, Pansy. Besides, just having potential for more isn’t enough. Especially not with a wizard like Harry Potter. Maybe I won’t even be enough to keep his attention in the long-term.”

“If that’s the case then the fault will be with him, not you,” Pansy said. “You’re brilliant and gorgeous. Any wizard would be lucky to have you.”

“My looks, wealth, and intelligence will never trump the infamy my father generated, Pansy,” Draco said quietly. “And you know it. You suffer with it, as well.”

“Eh, at least my father only went crazy and killed himself,” Pansy said dryly and Draco laughed before he could help himself.

“Right?” Draco sighed and looked at the cauldron in front of him that was currently holding an extraordinary amount of pure mercury in a stasis field.

The element itself wasn’t rare but precious few sources on the planet could provide what he knew to be magically pure, and he had a whole bloody liter of it. It was worth millions of galleons.

“Where did you get it?” Pansy questioned and he found her staring at the cauldron.

“I can’t say,” Draco admitted. “But I have equal amounts of sulfur, antimony, and liquid sophic gold in the same quality.”

She stared for a moment, eyes dark and serious. “Where will you get the salt?”

“I’ve not decided,” he admitted as he wasn’t all that surprised she’d figured it out. “Alchemy doesn’t come easily to me, but I’m motivated to get it right. Since salt represents Earth within the elements, I need to make a considered choice regarding the source.”

“Somewhere deeply magical, of course,” Pansy said. “But relatively untainted by human contaminants. That will mean the Himalayas. The enclave in Tibet might agree to a visit from an intermediary but if you want to go personally then you’re going to have be ritually cleansed. They’d never let one of us into Shangri-La right now without some serious work to clean up our magic.”

“I agree and I wouldn’t ask,” Draco said. “But the bank can arrange a purchase for me, and I agree it might be the best choice.”

She nodded and frowned. “I had no idea that the Master of Death is immortal.”

Draco exhaled slowly.

“I won’t ask any questions, but I understand why it would be…an avenue of exploration for you if the relationship goes well. But why start this research now?”

“Did you ever wonder if you had a soulmate in a previous life? Before the magic of it died?” Draco questioned and her eyes widened in shock.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Pansy muttered. “That tosser! He’s known forever, right?”

Draco winced. “Probably since the day we met, certainly.”

“Oh, I want to curse his stupidly attractive arse right out!” She crossed her arms and wiggled so much in irritation that she almost fell off the stool.

Draco reached out in and steadied her with a laugh. “Ah, hell, Pansy, just imagine how that would’ve gone. Please. Do you think eleven-year-old me could’ve kept that secret? I would’ve never taken Dumbledore seriously as a threat, and you know it. Harry understood, from the beginning, that we had no power in that school.”

She took a deep breath. “We had no power because Dumbledore has no limits.”

“Right,” Draco said. “I think, looking back on it, he would’ve killed any single one of us to gain control of Harry Potter. His childhood was disgustingly lonely, but he protected us all from a threat we didn’t have the experience to see. Most of our peers will never know that, they’ll never understand it. He had more discipline at eleven than most adults do.”

* * * *

Draco hesitated in the entry of the ritual space, Harry was kneeling in the middle of the ritual circle, glowing faintly with magic. As magical auras went, Harry’s appeared relatively normal for his age and power. He didn’t know what he expected but ordinary wouldn’t have been included in a list of adjectives. He knew that Harry was very powerful—an archmagus in his own right—and that kind of power was often very prominent in a magical person’s aura.

“You can come in,” Harry said.

Draco pulled the door shut behind him. “Nev and Hermione are having dinner in the common area, and Pansy is using one of the public meeting rooms to eat dinner with her girlfriend.”

“Susan Bones, right?”

“Yeah, I guess your research is pretty complete on all of us, then?”

“Yeah,” Harry admitted and sighed. “I can’t believe you banged Michael Corner. What’s wrong with you?”

Draco scowled. “I’ve never instantly regretted a fuck more in my whole life.”

Harry laughed as he left a kneeling position and sat down. “So, the others are having a date night, and we’ve been left to our own devices?”

“Yeah, I snagged us some food.” Draco walked across the room, sat down in front of Harry despite the fact that the ritual circle was still glowing with power. “I just picked sandwiches from the menu. I hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah, of course. Thanks.” Harry took the parchment wrapped sandwich he was offered. “I eat most food I’m presented with.”

“I remember,” Draco said. “You always tried everything that was put in front of you—except you seemed to find pumpkin juice genuinely offensive.”

“It’s too sweet,” Harry said. “I know they encourage magical children to consume a lot of sugar for energy, but pumpkin juice put me off like mad from the start. I was grateful when you suggested I try to ask for different juice.”

“You mean that time you rolled your eyes at me and went back to reading your book on magical theory without even saying thank you?” Draco asked in amusement and pulled two butterbeers out of his bracelet. “I remember.”

Harry huffed. “Sorry, first year I was still trying to find the right level of….” He waved a hand.

“Indifference?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Harry murmured. “I was really worried I’d get one of you injured or killed just by being there. My father interfered repeatedly over the years in Dumbledore’s machinations. That old bastard tried to lure the wraith of Voldemort into the school with Flamel’s bloodstone. My father took it and returned it to Flamel and lectured him severely about allowing Dumbledore to borrow it. As a result, the Flamels moved to South America and have refused all contact with Dumbledore ever since.”

“I don’t blame them,” Draco said and unwrapped his sandwich. “I just got roast beef for both of us. Though I had the chicken salad yesterday for lunch and it was very good.”

“Yeah, the master chef here in Britain is amazing,” Harry said. “He’s probably the best in the Horde, but it’s to be expected since he works in the royal seat. I’ve attended events he’s catered several times over the years.”

“So, was Flamel’s stone the worst of it?”

“No, not at all,” Harry said. “There used to be a basilisk in the school. I found it the middle of our third year, and my dad had to relocate it to a preserve in Japan. Then there was the Triwizard Tournament. Dumbledore tried to enter me into it despite the fact that I wasn’t old enough and would’ve ended up being the fourth participant. Dad prevented that, too.

“But his overt interference really put Dumbledore on guard. We still don’t know what he intended to accomplish with it, perhaps it was about putting me at risk to see how I would respond. At any rate, he often followed me around when I was outside of the dorm like a creepy old stalker. He had an invisibility cloak, but I can see through those things to the point where I have to avoid looking at hidden people, so I don’t give myself away.” He took a bite of sandwich and hummed a little as he chewed.

It was good. The beef was cooked perfectly and rich with flavor, so Draco was pleased to have made a good choice.

“One of the better business models in the Horde is the catering box,” Harry said. “You can order enough food for a month of meals in a single box. It cost 150 galleons, but worth it in my opinion since I’ve never invested myself in learning to cook. My father acquired all the food I ate and brought it to me when I was little—he favors Greek and Italian food, so I didn’t have any traditional British food until I started at Hogwarts.”

Draco laughed. “That explains the faces you used to make at the food we were served.”

“Breakfast was the worst—I was used to eating fresh fruit, yogurt, and cheese pies for my first meal. My dad used to sneak me Spanakopita as an afternoon snack because I complained so much about the heavy food I was eating. After you pointed out the juice option, I did send a note to the kitchens and asked for yogurt—I was relieved the first morning it appeared as an option.” He paused. “I never did convince them to make me Strapatsada.”

Draco grinned. “I suppose they would’ve if you’d given them a cook book with the recipe in it.”

Harry huffed a little and scowled. “You’re right. At any rate, I’ve expanded my food options over the years because I’m not bothering with cooking and I prefer the Horde food service across the board. Though, if I get my box from Italy or France, there are local food options available that I prefer.”

“You don’t visit the branch in Greece?”

Harry took a deep breath. “No, I don’t go to Athens. In fact, I’ve set foot in Greece just once as an adult. The people there…not everyone…but a certain population responded very oddly to my presense. Dad doesn’t think I should go back unless I have no choice.”

“They recognized you,” Draco speculated.

“Yes, but not as the Master of Death,” Harry said and shrugged as he took a sip of his butterbeer.

“Is Greece a power base for him?”

“It’s the origin of one of his more popular embodiments,” Harry said. “And the one Sirius Black chose during the sacrifice. That being said, Greece is also the home of the only genuine cult that still worships Death on the planet. Many religions give Death a nod of respect either out of fear or habit. But in Greece, Thanatos is recognized as a god on a level many of the ancient celestials no longer enjoy.

“While the people I encountered in Greece didn’t genuinely understand what I am, they did respond to me in ways that was discomforting. Having a stranger take a knee for me in the middle of a busy shopping district was… a lot. Moreover, it happened repeatedly. Some because they sought me out and others out of happenstance. I left as quickly as I could and I’ll never go back if I can help it.”

“I can’t fault them for it,” Draco admitted. “A devout man would have no choice but to take a knee for his god’s son if their magic recognized something of their god in that son. It was probably the honor of their lives and now they know at least part of who you are.”

“Yeah.” Harry cleared his throat and finished his sandwich.

The silence wasn’t awkward, so Draco focused on his food and stored his trash in his dimensional store for disposal later.

“Does it bother you?”

“Which it?” Harry questioned.

“The fact that there are people on this planet who worship your father?”

“I didn’t know, you know, that he was a god. In fact, he didn’t tell me until we talked about the adoption which took place in the year before I went to Hogwarts. We knew our time in that awful Muggle house was coming to an end, and that the blood wards my mother set were being heavily taxed by his continued presense in the house.

“Since they were going to fail, the official beginning of my formal education as a wizard would mean I would be very vulnerable to other magicals. I didn’t intend on going to Hogwarts, but Dumbledore basically tried to blackmail me with the safety of my Muggle relatives. Granted, I barely knew those arseholes because Dad forced them to avoid me as much as possible. They think they treated me very poorly and starved me.”

“What did you do to them?”

“We moved them to Australia, then sold the house through the bank since it actually belonged to the Potter estate. My mother had inherited that house from a maternal aunt and allowed my aunt to live in it. Regardless, the Dursleys are gone and will never willingly return to Britain. I probably did them more of a favor than any of them deserved. I came to Hogwarts so I could see exactly who and what Dumbledore was.”

“How did you respond to the celestial reveal?” Draco questioned.

“Oh, I had a complete tantrum,” Harry said. “Ugly cried, accused him of betraying me for keeping it a secret, and even declared he didn’t love me. It remains the hardest conversation we’ve ever had because I came to understand just how abnormal my circumstances were and always had been. We basically lived in a magical trunk in a boot cupboard, Draco. The trunk belonged to James Potter, and my dad retrieved it from the bank at James’ suggestion. It was originally made to be used as a base of operations during the war, so it was basically a flat.”

“A trunk in a boot cupboard.”

“Yeah, that’s my aunt thinks I spent my entire childhood in that boot cupboard,” Harry said. “She still hasn’t figured out how I didn’t die since she never once fed me. Maybe that was a result of the magic my dad used to keep them away from me, or maybe they’d have been worse if I’d been there alone. I don’t know. I’m glad I don’t know.”

“Me, too,” Draco said quietly. “You know blood purists tell stories like that about Muggles to make other magicals hate them.”

“There are hateful people everywhere,” Harry said and stored his own trash with a flash of magic. “You’ve had some time to think about everything.”

“Yeah, a little bit,” Draco agreed. He moved closer and caught one of Harry’s hands in his own. “So, listen, and take this on board. It’s deeply wounding that soulmate magic is dead. I’ve never known what it was—this awful little hurt I’ve carried all of my life. Now, I know, and I feel compelled to fix it. Not just for us but for the world. I’m not asking you the help me fix it, but I did need you to understand.”

“I do understand,” Harry said. “How will you deal with failure?”

“Do you think that’s what will happen?”

“I always prepare for it,” he admitted and flushed. “It’s just…the world is an awful place and fucked up shite is the norm. We don’t know what killed soulmate magic, and maybe it can’t be returned in this lifetime. It might be beyond our current magical circumstances.”

“You mean a future version of us could bring it back,” Draco speculated. “How?”

Harry exhaled slowly. “The same way we could in theory bring it back right now.” Finally, he met Draco’s gaze. “A profound magical bond—magic and life force—between two magical soulmates could be enough to restart the engine so to speak. And if it doesn’t this time around, the next time we’re born we could bring that magic back with us. A genuine rebirth would be a very magical event for the world.”

“That’s a lot to ask of a man like you,” Draco said. “You avoid commitment like the plague and the last arsehole you dated told the whole damn planet you were emotionally unavailable.”

Harry grimaced. “He’s fortunate I declined to respond to that stupid interview. He’d probably never get laid again.” He looked down at their hands, then slowly laced their fingers together. “I can’t even say he was wrong. I didn’t make myself available to him emotionally, and he was pushy about it. Of course, I made it clear from the start what I could and could not provide before we ever began that relationship. Damien just assumed he could take more, and when he tried I dumped him.”

Draco laughed a little before he could help himself. “What did you tell him could provide?”

Harry shrugged. “Monogamy, companionship, and frequent sex—which I though was very fair since we’d only known each for a few months. He asked me if I was aromantic, and I really wish I could’ve lied and said yes. During the last argument, I told him plainly that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to fall in love with him. How could I?”

Draco took a deep breath. “What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter that the magic of it is dead, Draco. You’re my soulmate. Why would I give my love to anyone else?”

“Were you ever going to tell me?” Draco questioned.

“I didn’t plan to, but denying it wasn’t an option either. Nothing really felt fair, it never has felt fair. You deserve better than what I have to offer.”

Draco hesitated for a moment then just crawled into the arsehole’s lap because he was more Gryffindor than he’d ever admit to anyone, and he was tired of being denied what magic had been trying to give him forever. He shuddered as their mouths met in the softest of kisses, and Harry’s hands settled on hips like they belonged there.

“Stop getting in our way,” Draco murmured against his mouth.

Harry was still against him just briefly then he shifted slightly, relaxed against him and took a deep breath. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Magic flexed around them, and Harry apparated them right out of the ritual space and into Harry’s room. They landed on the bed with a little thump and Draco laughed.

“You just apparated in the bank.”

“I do have limited access to do so,” Harry explained. “At least in what the Horde considers public space, and in an emergency I could probably gain access to other parts if Ragnok had a need for me to do so.”

“They must trust you a lot,” Draco said as he let his hands drift their Harry’s hair. “Is that about your job or about your duty?”

“A mixture of both,” Harry admitted and pulled Draco’s shirt from his trousers then he slowly started unbuttoning it.

When he could, Draco shrugged out of the shirt and tossed it away. Some small part of him wondered if they were moving too fast, even as he tugged at the T-shirt Harry was wearing and threw it in the same direction he’d sent his own.

“I’m not emotionally dangerous to you,” Draco murmured.

“I’m sure you think so,” Harry retorted and he sighed.

“I don’t intend to be,” Draco said then and Harry nodded. “But that’s probably not enough to be a comfort.”

“You’ve always been a comfort—one I couldn’t afford and refused to acknowledge. I used to lay in bed at night in the dorm and listen to you breathe. That probably sounds creepy. At any rate, it was awful being so close to you all the time. I hated it and loved it and resented the fuck out of it all at once.”

Draco kissed him because he didn’t have any other response to the depth of loneliness that Harry had just revealed. Harry shifted them around, tipped him onto his back and settled on top his body in a gesture that felt like acceptance and surrender. He spread his legs and pulled Harry as close as he could.

Harry lifted his head, pulling his mouth free and met his gaze. “What do you want from me?”

“Everything,” he admitted and blushed despite his best intentions.

Harry slid off of him but stayed close as he settled down on his side to stare at him. “You’re probably the only mortal person to have the slightest idea what that would mean for me.”

“I know,” Draco said. “But letting you walk away from me again feels like it would ruin my life.” He averted his gaze when Harry’s eyes widened in shock. “The last day at Hogwarts might been relieving for you, Harry, but it broke something in me because it felt like I’d never see you again. At the time, I didn’t understand how or why it was upsetting. You’d barely ever given me a moment of your time, but…at least you were close. Then you were just gone—completely from the country and no matter what anyone said, or did it was clear you never intended on coming back.”

“And now you know.”

“Yeah, now I know,” Draco admitted roughly and stared at the ceiling. “It’s devastating actually, how easy it was for you to walk away when you always knew that we’re soulmates.”

“It wasn’t easy,” Harry said and ran his fingers through Draco’s hair. “But it kept you safe, and that was important to me. It’s still, obviously, very important to me. I don’t consider you a weakness, but you are a pressure point. Dumbledore would destroy you to gain control of me.” He paused. “Well, he’d try and it would get him killed. Then, depending on the circumstances, I’d probably have to explain myself to several people.”

“You’d hate that,” Draco muttered. “You’ve never liked explaining yourself.”

“True enough,” Harry said and too his hand then laced their fingers together. “I want to give you everything. I just don’t know if it’s possible, for more than one reason. Beyond our current circumstances, I have a greater duty to the magical world that I can’t turn my back on.”

“I wouldn’t expect that.”

“Imagine how the world would treat our children,” Harry said softly and Draco took a deep breath. “They would be the most magical of people from birth because of my adoption. They would be demigods, Draco, just like me. The grandchildren of Death and they would move through this world like the very magical creatures they would be.”

“I’ll publish a paper on my creation of a bloodstone,” Draco said. “If there are children, we’ll raise them in private and educate the same way until they can defend themselves. Their aging won’t matter because the knowledge that our family has a bloodstone won’t be a secret.” He wet his lips. “And if you don’t want to have your own children because of that legacy, we can pay for a surrogate to have my biological children. You can adopt them legally but not in blood or magic.”

Harry grimaced.

“You hate that idea.” Draco took a deep breath. “The thing is that I promised Pansy that I’d help her have kids one day if she wanted.”

“Oh.” Harry exhaled slowly then nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“You made a promise and I’d never ask you to break it,” Harry said quietly.

“But?”

“You should warn her that I’d probably get pretty…territorial regarding any child she had with you when it comes to their safety. We’d probably have to house her family fairly close to us.”

Draco stared for a moment and laughed. “Pansy is mercenary as fuck, Harry. That’s not going to put her off in the least.”

“I also think we’d both find that situation difficult to manage if we create a bond,” Harry admitted. “If we can create it. I believe it’s possible, but failure isn’t out of the question considering the damage done to both of us in this life. I’m not exactly immune to the corruption that has been going on in this country. I did, very briefly, host a connection to Tom Riddle when he tried to kill me.” He paused. “A pseudo horcrux.” He looked down at their hands. “Let’s not rush into this.”

“I already told you I’m not going to tolerate any crap from you,” Draco muttered and Harry laughed. “I mean it.”

“I know you do,” he said quietly. “And I don’t want to…get in our way. I’ve never wanted to, but I had to make the best possible choices I could when we were younger, which weren’t always the optimal when it came to my emotional well-being.”

Draco cupped the back of his head and pulled gently. “Stop saying horrible things that hurt my feelings and kiss me some more.”

“Yeah, okay,” Harry murmured and let himself be drawn back in.

A little kissing wouldn’t hurt anything at all.