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Chapter Three

When Draco opened his eyes, he saw Harry lying next to him, eyes closed and breathing deeply. Deciding to take some time for himself, Draco eyed the curtain, and summoning his wand from the nightstand, he pulled the curtains around the bed and settled back down under the warmth of the cover. Then he immediately froze and realized what he did.

He’d wandlessly and wordlessly summoned his wand. It was something that should be well beyond him, even as a 6th year. That was a NEWT-level or higher accomplishment. It certainly wasn’t something that he was able to do before he’d come online and wondered if it was some kind of inherited gift from the family magic for online members or maybe something that came with being an online Guardian.

Slowly he breathed out in an attempt to calm his racing heart, and forced his thoughts away from that and toward what he did know about being a Guardian. First things first, Draco was aware that he would need some kind of shield to protect himself from outside emotions and feelings. Being a skilled Occlumens, Draco was very familiar with the process of creating a shield and wondered if he could layer the new shield on top of his Occlumency shield.

Closing his eyes, Draco pictured his current shield and saw the walls holding up well. Stepping outside of them for a moment, Draco looked around and considered the kind of wall that he would need. Something that he could manipulate, unlike his occulmancy shield, which was always up and at full power; this new shield needed to be able to let in others when he wished for it.

Speaking of, it occurred to him that he would need to allow his new Protectorate inside of his existing shield, and therefore, walking inside the wall, he pictured a bed with Harry lying on it, sleeping peacefully. It might be premature for such a thing, but then Draco was much less reluctant to trust Harry Potter than his reputation would suggest.

Draco had always wanted a friendship with Harry and was able to admit at least privately that his acting up was nothing more than jealousy and resentment for what he now knew to be an uninformed decision on Potter’s part. Besides, in Draco’s opinion, one of them had to go first, and therefore it might as well be him. So, Harry officially had a place inside his Occulmency shields, a place that not even his mother or his Godfather enjoyed.

Once that was done and Draco was confident that Harry wouldn’t disappear the second that Draco left to build the next shield, he walked outside of the walls and stood again, considering how he could accomplish this. Turning, he looked back at the wall and realized that he’d need a way for his Guardian abilities to let information through the fortress walls that he’d previously built.

Looking at the diamond walls, he imagined windows at the very top made of a hard but breathable material that would allow in information like the way sunlight gets let in, in real life. Once those were created, Draco turned again and imagined a stretchy but hard bubble around the diamond walls. The material was something that he could manipulate. This time, instead of treating it like walls, he imagined the structure to be more like the wards that he’d manipulated at Malfoy Manor.

This time, he set different people to have access to him immediately. People like his mother and his Godfather, Harry, Pansy, Blaise, and Theodore were also automatically let in. He also had all of his personal House Elves on that list, as he trusted them and knew that they would keep his secrets. He considered the others currently in the infirmary with him, but decided they would be subject to a secondary ward rule, like at the manor, where the wards would ask him for permission before letting them in. Lastly, he created a third ward rule that would keep everyone else out but allow him to grant them temporary or one-time access to him if needed in an emergency-type situation.

After that was done, Draco checked both the bubble ward and the diamond wall for any dings or weak spots, firming both up at certain points, before pulling himself out of his head. Opening his eyes, he found Harry studying him. “What were you doing? It felt weird. All of a sudden I could feel you doing things; I just couldn’t feel what you were doing.”

“I was creating my shields to protect myself once we are let out of the infirmary. I should create shields for you as well, so that I can protect you from intrusion, and I need to teach you Occlumency so that you can protect your mind. Now that you have access to mine, it is important that people can’t get to me through you.”

“I’ve already been down that road, and wasn’t able to learn it, and would rather not undergo that kind of torture again. It was quite painful and disheartening, if I am being honest. I certainly won’t agree to having Snape teach me again. I think both of us have had enough of that experience.”

“Snape…” Draco started and rubbed his face before taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. “While my Godfather is a skilled Legilimens and Occlumens, I would not have selected him to be the one to teach you anything so delicate. Occlumency teaching requires a level of trust and compassion between the teacher and the student that neither you nor Severus have for the other. Let me try, please. It really is vital that you learn. I don’t know how Severus started, but I would start with the book I read before I started and also some classes on meditation. If you can’t meditate, then there is no way that you can do Occlumency because you have to be able to clear your mind.”

“The meditating was the thing that I had a problem with,” Harry pointed out with a huff, and Draco nodded before considering the problem quietly.

“Maybe we should ask Theo to help also,” Draco muttered mostly to himself before focusing on Harry instead. “Tell me something, Potter. Are your thoughts organized carefully and orderly, or is it more a mass of chaotic thoughts zooming in and out all together, never quite leaving your mind quiet, even in your sleep?”

“The second,” Harry said decidedly. “Definitely the second. I often have trouble going to sleep because I can’t quiet my thoughts.”

“Aah, definitely need Theodore to help us with this then. Have you ever been tested for an attention disorder? They have potions that can help you with it, or you can get therapy to teach you tricks that will help you as well. Theo had that problem, but is now nearly as good at occlumency as I am. He hasn’t been able to master Legilimency yet, because that requires more focus than he can muster just yet, but he regularly meditates.  I am sure that he’d help us if you are willing to let him. Why was Snape trying to teach you, by the way?”

Harry sighed long and hard, nibbling on his lip before eventually answering the question. “I have a… connection of some kind with Voldemort. It’s how he tricked me into going to the Department of Mysteries last year, which resulted in Sirius’ death. Dumbledore thinks that if I learned occlumency, then I could stop that from happening. He ignored me most of last year because he was afraid that connection with Voldemort would give away our plans.”

“He thinks…” Draco trailed off before sitting up and calling for Apollo. When the PA Elf popped in looking flustered and mussed up, still holding two letters in his hand, Draco smirked, amused. “Started with mother’s letter, did you? How is Ares doing?”

“You no is funny,” Apollo said, straightening his shirt. “How can Apollo be of assistance?”

“I hate to drag you away from your… visit, but I have discovered something most urgent. I need you to go to McGonagall and let her know that my accounts manager needs to come here immediately and then go see Gragin and tell him that it’s an emergency. Tell him I will pay whatever fee he needs, but I need him here with whoever can test Potter for a supposed mental link between him and the Dark Lord. Apologize to Minerva for interrupting and make sure Gragin reads the letter before coming because it has information he may need in advance.”

Apollo immediately popped out, looking wide-eyed and concerned, and Draco looked at a frowning Harry. “Yes?”  He asked, and the Gryffindor just scowled before shaking his head.

“I get tired of not understanding things. One thing that I hope you would be willing to do if we do go forward with this is teach me the things I need to know, but don’t. I never would have rejected your handshake first year if I’d known what a monumental deal it is. Why are you specifically so freaked out? And why are you including the Goblins in this? I thought they were greedy and not to be trusted.”

Draco let loose a soft growl as he pinched the bridge of his nose at both insults. He then forced himself to calm down, reminding himself that Potter didn’t know better. “First off, you’ve just added Dragon relations onto the list of things you need to learn. Second off, never call them Goblins. It’s a slur that a bunch of motherfuckers in the Wizengamot added to the last treaty, forcing the dragons to accept it. It’s not the name for their species. The beings who run Gringotts are not greedy and can most certainly be trusted. I have quite a close relationship with my accounts manager, as he has been helping me ever since I was first given a vault on my ninth birthday.

“So, short lesson on dragons. There is more to them than the creatures that you fought in the first task in fourth year. The creature you fought would be considered a common dragon or lesser dragon depending on whether the person you’re talking to is an areehole or not. There are three other kinds of dragons. The Wizardborn Dragon, the Dragonborn Dragon, and then the Dragon Mage.

“Wizardborn and Dragonborn dragons are basically the same thing. The only difference is whether their primary magical ability leans more toward wizarding magic or if it leans toward dragonic magic, which is a combination of elemental magic and green magic, basically earth and elements based magic and such. The Dragon Mage is the most powerful kind of magical creature in the world, and the reason that some weak-minded witches and wizards hate them. It’s not because they’re creatures; it’s the fact that these creatures are more powerful than they are.

“Lucius liked to deny the fact that I am a Dragon Mage. In fact, he tried to cover it up, but once I hit the age of 11, the bond he tried to put on me broke. It was another reason I was such an arsehole that first year, because my head was a very confusing place to be.

“Gragin Gentleheart has been secretly helping me learn about my abilities, as has Snape, who is Wizardborn, but has a higher-than-average level of Draconic ability. The fact is that if people were tested for such things, it would be much easier for them to learn magic. The dragons feel that a good majority of the witches and wizards in the world, but specifically Magical Britain, are one of the last three types of dragon.”

“How do you find this out? And what does this have to do with why you are concerned? Is it because you let me inside your occlumency walls? And don’t you think that at this point you and I should be using each other’s first names? I will if you will.”

“Partially, but not completely,” Draco admitted, taking Potter’s hand in his. “I am in no way an expert on mind links, but there is only one way for the Dark Lord to have the kind of link to your mind that you have described to my knowledge. That is something called a Horcrux.

“It’s Black magic. Horrible magic that no one should be practicing. It involves splitting your magical soul up via murder as a way to ensure immortality. The problem, besides the obvious bit about murder, is that the magical soul never recovers from this and is forever fractured. This means that when you inevitably die, you can never be reborn, and eventually you will die because no one can evade Death forever. And I am happy to use your first name, Harry, if you agree to call me Draco.”

“Magical soul?” Harry asked, and Draco nodded, still holding Harry’s hand between both of his own.

“Any magical being has two souls. One is the mortal soul, which is what makes us human, and the second is the magical soul, which is what gives us magic. Now, this is something that purebreds like to deny because they don’t want to admit what this means for other beings such as Dragons. For they also have two souls. One mortal and one magical; it’s just that there are more than one kind of mortal soul, and theirs is a mortal dragonic soul and a magical soul. Ours would be considered a mortal human soul and a magical soul. The magical soul is what allows us to have a magical core, and it is that which determines how magical you are.

“If you have one solid magical core, then you are just a normal witch or wizard, no draconic or any other kind of magical being in your magic. If you have a bi-core or even a tri-core, then you have one or more kinds of magical cores. Mine, to continue that example, would have partly human magic and partly draconic magic, and those halves would be equal in size. How big the core is in general determines how powerful the magical being is.”

“And me? And the rest of my questions?”

“This is just a guess, because the test to determine if you are any kind of dragon has to be performed by the Dragons at Gringotts, but based on how powerful you are and your lack of talent in certain classes, like for example Herbology, I would say you are Wizardborn. I would guess that you have a larger-than-average magical soul, but I would say that your human magical half is huge and your draconic magical half is average-ish. I could be wrong about that second half. The dragons will be able to tell us for sure.

Harry tried to ball up his fist, but Draco just rubbed it soothingly, trying to comfort his Protectorate. “How can I have come online if I have part of Voldemort’s soul in my head?”

“Well, if the rumors about how not just you died, but that your mother died protecting you are true, then I would say that it’s because of her sacrifice. That can create powerful magic that can protect you for all of your life. It’s probably doing its best to protect you from that piece of black magic.”

“It is true,” Harry confessed, sniffling, and Draco ached to draw the smaller boy into his arms. “That is partly why I have such problems with the dementors, because I hear my mother screaming and begging Voldemort not to kill me.”

“I really wish you wouldn’t use that name,” Draco admitted quietly, letting loose a soft sigh at the end.

Harry just scrunched up his nose at the words and shook his head. “I refuse to give that thing power he doesn’t deserve. Is he even a real Lord?”

“No, in fact he isn’t even a pureblood. He’s a half-blood, but detests his Muggle father, and only acknowledges his link to the Gaunts who were so pureblooded that they intermarried themselves into extinction. If you really want to call him what his name is, then Voldemort isn’t his name either. It’s part of an anagram of his real name. I am Lord Voldemort, which translates to Tom Marvolo Riddle. His name is Tom.

“The reason I don’t like Voldemort is, firstly, as you said it isn’t his name, and secondly, there was a curse put on it in the first war that helped the Death Eaters locate people who were their enemies, and it’s how a lot of the pureblood families were killed. So, just call him Tom instead of that name. Or the Dark Lord, which is a more grey area. He may not be a Lord in the traditional way of succession, but he is a Dark Lord based on his magical allegiance and his position at the head of his faction. In this case, dark equals evil, not dark equaling someone’s magical affiliation, which is a whole different conversation that we can have at some other time.”

“I don’t want a part of anyone’s soul inside of my head, let alone Tom’s,” Harry whined, and Draco nodded in understanding.

“That is why I contacted the Dragons. They are skilled at removing such things. Their curse breakers are world-renowned for helping with such things. There are parts of the world where creating Horcruxes isn’t quite as taboo as it is here, but at the moment that is a them issue, not an us issue. Don’t worry; once we get Gentleheart here, we can get you fixed up.

“The reason I know about Horcruxes is that I read about them when I was eight, and Father ordered me to read a book on death magic because I might need it someday. The second reason is that in our second year, Father tried to put a diary in the Weasley girl’s cauldron. Only Mother saw him and stopped him. When she got her hands on the diary, she realized what it was and took it straight to the Dragons to be cleansed. I don’t know what happened from there, except that father beat mother severely for interfering in something that was supposedly none of her business.”

“What would have happened if she had used that diary, because your mother never took it away?” Harry asked, concerned. Just because he was fighting with Ron didn’t mean he didn’t still care about the rest of the family, and Ginny was like a little sister to him. He was happy that when he stayed over that previous summer, she admitted to having a previous crush on him, but that she’d moved on to girls.

“If she had actually used the diary and written in it, then she would have eventually been possessed by Tom. As it was, and I assume you know but maybe not, Father had to call on Gilderoy Lockhart, who had been trying to get Lucius’ attention for years, claiming that he would be a valuable recruit for the… for Tom. So, it was Lockhart who opened the chamber, knowing how to say a few words in Parseltongue because of his travels and then awakened the basilisk. Did you really kill it?”

“Yes, with the Sword of Gryffindor,” Harry confirmed bashfully. “It almost killed me because one of its fangs pierced my arm, and I would have died if not for Fawkes crying on the wound.”

“Amazing,” Draco breathed before knocking Harry’s shoulder with his own, “it seems that you have been working on your Protectorate abilities far longer than you’ve been online. It seems I need to catch up.”

“I have been thinking about you and me,” Harry admitted, and Draco froze, worrying if this was the point where he was going to get dumped.

“I think you and I need to decide now whether we really want to do this thing that is happening between us. I know that you don’t have much, if any, formal training, but I did have some classes in primary before coming here. I know that the bond between us is very fragile at this point, but the longer that we wait, the harder and more painful it will be to sever it if things go wrong.

“I’m not saying that it will; I just think it would be easier to decide now if we’re going to commit to this. I think that we need to ask ourselves if we can do this. Should we do this? I mean, it won’t be easy for you to be my mate. I can’t do anything without the public having an opinion one way or the other, and their feelings about me change as often as the wind changes direction.”

“Harry, it isn’t like it will be any easier for you than it will be for me. Just because I am trying to be better, my father died a Death Eater. He may have been cleared after the first war, but many never believed that he was under the Imperius curse. People are going to be irate that you have bonded yourself to me. We can’t make these decisions based on what the general public will think because that will always be a no, no matter how many yeses there are in our favor.

“I think that the only thing that matters is what you and I think. Can we get past our pasts? Can we find enough things in common that our differences won’t overwhelm us? Can each of us overcome our backgrounds and prejudices enough to not just call each other friends but to go as far as calling each other mates?”

Both boys paused, considering the questions. In Draco’s mind, it wasn’t a matter of if he was willing, because he knew the answer to that question was, of course, he was willing. He’d never really gotten over that first interaction and wanted to make this boy his friend. Even through all the years they fought, secretly, in his heart, he knew that he would have given it up in a second if he had an offer of true friendship.

The real question was if Potter should be put through the negativity that would come from being Draco Malfoy’s mate. As tumultuous as his relationship was with the general public now, Draco suspected that it would only get worse if they were mates, and Draco wasn’t sure that the other boy deserved more negativity aimed at him. Despite his Lordships, despite the heirship to the House of Emrys, Draco didn’t think he was worth all the angry words and slurs that would come Harry’s way.

“It isn’t that I don’t want to be your mate; it’s that I feel as if you have suffered enough, and I don’t even know much about your background. I suspect a few things based on the state of your clothes, how skinny you always are after returning from home, and how you react in certain situations. Being your Guardian means that I should be protecting you as much as you should be protecting me.

“But when I think about what I have to offer you, all I can think is that you deserve so much better than me,” Draco said quietly and insecurely as he looked down at the blanket they were sitting on.

“Don’t you think that it should be my job to determine what I deserve and what I feel is worth suffering through to be with you? I am surprised, and I am not saying this as a criticism; I just think we should be honest with each other and limit the things we hold back from each other. You’re right. It is our jobs to protect each other, and part of my job as a Protectorate is to care for and protect my Guardian. I never suspected that there was an insecure bone in your body, and yet everything I hear right now is you practically screaming that you don’t think you are good enough.

“I thought we weren’t listening to outsiders? Because they’re not the ones whose opinions matter to me. Also, it isn’t as if we will be the only ones facing these problems. Hermione and Theo specifically will also have this problem. Be honest here: how would you feel if she refused to be Theo’s Guardian… Protectorate – we really need to have a group conversation and talk about these basic things – because he was going to draw negative attention to her.”

“I feel like that is different, but in my head I know it isn’t. I want to tell you that Theo doesn’t come with the baggage that I do, but I know he does. He’s not just my friend. Hel, he’s not even just my Godbrother. Theo is, in fact, as much a brother to me as he is to Alexander. I couldn’t love him any more if we came from the same mother. So, I might be a tad bit biased when it comes to him. That being said, I hear what you are saying, and all I can do is consider how I would feel if this was all coming from you.”

“And how would you feel?” Harry asked with a smirk, and Draco huffed dramatically as he threw himself back onto the bed, nearly braining himself on the metal bar of the headboard.

“I would be at least irritated with you because I hate it when people try to suggest that they know better about what I am thinking or feeling. Looking at it in reverse, I can see that it is exactly what I am doing right now. I would say sorry, but it’s honestly how I feel, so I don’t know what to say from there.”

“Say that you accept the fact that I am capable of making up my own decisions about my half of this equation. I know that I just said a bit ago that I don’t think you should have to put up with the things that would come at you being my mate, but that is your decision to make. I also know that I am willing to put up with whatever the public throws at us. Or even what our fellow schoolmates throw at us because I am not naive enough to think we won’t get flak from some here within Hogwarts.”

“So what are you saying when it comes to can we and should we?” Draco asked shyly, turning his head towards Harry and letting the younger boy take his hand.

“I think we can, and I think that we should,” Harry replied gently as he ran his thumb over the other boy’s knuckles. “I say that we go for it. Be a united front. Learn to let go of all that negative crap that happened between us. What do you say? Are you on board with you and me being us?”

Draco looked up toward the ceiling as he considered the question. He and Harry Potter being not just two childhood nemeses but actually being DracoandHarry, maybe they could be one of those cutesy names like the famous magical couples. They could call themselves Drarry, and everyone would know it meant Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.

It certainly would be hard, and sometimes it might even hurt, but it would be worth it. Harry was worth it, and his mother would be thrilled. She had not so subtly been hinting at Draco needing to find himself a partner. Someone he could love and who would love him in return. He wasn’t sure that Harry would be the person she had in mind, but he did know she had the same suspicions about Potter that Draco did and, given a chance, would mother him to death.

Letting loose a long and soft sigh, Draco turned his attention back to Harry and nodded yes before verbally agreeing to his question. “I am on board with there being a you and me. Let’s do this. Can we? Yes. Should we? Maybe not, but we’re going to do it anyway. We’re going to be happy together and damn anyone who disagrees with us.”

“Yes! Thank you, Draco, thank you!” Harry gushed, and Draco blushed before he was yanked up by the smaller boy into a hug.

“Ahem,” They both heard, and Draco turned to see McGonagall looking at them, amused. “As happy as I am to see the two of you getting along so well, I believe Mr. Malfoy sent his PA Elf to me with a question. I needed to know why you want your Gringotts accounts manager to come here before I can approve his visit. Technically, neither of you have been approved for outside visits yet, So, I need a good reason why I should overrule my own mate.”

“Were you aware of this supposed link between Harry and Tom?”

“Tom?” McGonagall asked, and Draco huffed before explaining.

“Yes, Tom. The Dark Lord’s real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle.”

“Voldemort is Tom Riddle?” Minerva echoed, surprised, and Draco twitched but did his best not to give a snarky response. The older woman had no idea he’d just had this same conversation with Harry.

“No need to answer that. I don’t see you making things up about that considering the circumstances. Yes, I knew about the link between Harry and… Tom. I also knew that Albus was very concerned about it and wasn’t sure that he could trust Harry as a result.”

Draco growled, agitated at the very thought. “Well, maybe if he’d actually done something about it instead of just avoiding the situation, then Harry wouldn’t currently need emergency healing from the Dragons. Do you know what a Horcrux is?”

McGonagall paled and sat heavily down on the empty bed behind her. “Why do you think it’s a Horcrux? How do you even know what a Horcrux is?”

“My father was an unsavory kind of man and thought that an eight-year-old should know about death magic. So, he had me read a book about the subject, and it gave me nightmares for a month. Mother was irate when she found out. As to why I think it’s a Horcrux, I can’t think of anything else that would create the bond that Harry has described. I am not claiming to be an expert on the subject, though. So, if you know something else that could create this link, please let us know.”

“I am not an expert on the subject either. When Albus told me about it, he advised me that he suspected what was going on, and he had a plan. I knew I should not have trusted him because very rarely have his plans been good for anyone but himself. I take it that is why you are asking for the Dragons to come here? If so, absolutely let’s get this taken care of as soon as possible.”

“It is,” Draco confirmed and was unsurprised to see Harry looking nervous and afraid when he glanced back at him. “I want us to get this thing out of Harry as soon as we can. I know that this is a common practice for them, and I would be unsurprised if the eldest Weasley sibling was brought in to perform the ritual. His team is one of the experts on the subject, and William is highly thought of at the bank.”

“How are both of you doing? I can’t have you meeting with someone on the outside if you are not stable.”

Harry shrugged and looked at Draco. “I am fine. Unlike Draco, I had training in primary before coming to Hogwarts. I still need more, I don’t think that being self-taught is good enough or that I understood everything correctly. That being said, I had enough that the first thing I did was to check my dials.”

Draco scrunched up his nose, upset with himself that he hadn’t asked Harry that question yet. “I have created a barrier for myself outside of my occlumency walls to keep the general day to day noise out of my head. I did bring Harry inside of my occlumency walls so as not to damage our bond. I also want, hopefully with Theo’s help, to teach him occlumency. I understand that he and Snape tried it last year without much success, but I’d like to approach it a different way. I am going to order him a copy of some books to read first and have Theo help to teach him about meditation when you have a chaotic mind.”

“Well, that all sounds like you have good plans in mind to deal with your issues. If you have allowed Mr. Potter inside of your occlumency walls, I can understand why you are wanting to deal with… Tom’s soul piece as soon as possible. Do I need to send word to your accounts manager, Lord Malfoy?”

“No, Apollo will see to it. He just needed approval. Apollo!”

This time, when Apollo popped in, he only had one letter and looked much more presentable. Not that it kept Draco from smirking at his friend, who narrowed his eyes and glared back in return.

“Apollo, you are free to go see Accounts Manager Gentleheart. Give him the letter and then give him the message I gave you earlier. If he questions why, let him know that it concerns Heir Potter and Black Magic. If he wants to bring with him the Potter Accounts Manager, then it’s most acceptable. Lastly, I didn’t put it in the letter but Hermione needs a lineage test to see how she is connected to Camelot. I would like to see hers done today if that is possible, please. I will pay for it.”

Apollo nodded and popped out of the room. Right after that McGonagall made her excuses and went back to her classroom leaving the teens alone. Harry scrambled over to sit next to Draco facing the others.

“So, Draco and I were talking and realized the lot of us have never shared if we are a Protectorate or Guardian. So, we thought that maybe we could just have a conversation and share information about each other.

“For instance, I am the Protectorate and Draco is the Guardian. We have been talking and have decided we don’t care what the outside world thinks about us. We’re going to let bygones be bygones and we have decided that we are going forward with our bonding. What about the rest of you?”

Theo spoke up next giving Harry a smile, which Draco was thankful for. He found it amazing that his best friend had been paired with Harry’s best friend. It would certainly make things easier going forward. “I am a Guardian and Hermione is a Protectorate. I’m going to concentrate on my muggle studies class this year to learn more about her world, and in return Hermione is going to let me teach her about Pureblood traditions, the holidays, and other things that I and the Thunder think the muggleborns and half-bloods who grew up in the muggle world should know. She’s going to take me out into the muggle world next summer so that I can see it for myself. That way I can make up my own mind about it.”

Susan jumped in with a smile. “I don’t have a partner just yet, but i am a Protectorate. I think going into the muggle world sounds like a lot of fun. I’d love to come with you if it isn;t like a date or something. I’ve never been there. It sounds a little scary, but like Theo I would love the opportunity to see it for myself so that I won’t be so afraid of it. My goal in life after Hogwarts is to work for the ministry like my aunt. I’m going to become an Auror and work my way up to minister.”

Hermione looked to Theo before beaming at Susan. “It isn;t a date, and while we didn’t discuss it, as long as Theodore isn’t opposed to the idea, I would be happy to take anyone who would like to go. Maybe Harry can come so he can help since he is familiar with the muggle world, too.”

Harry nodded fast but it was Draco who spoke up. “Im in, if Harry is. I plan on focusing more on my muggle studies class, too. But I had that planned before all of this. I know what the reputation of both myself and my House is. I want to change that, or at least try. I want to be a better person, and like Susan I find the muggle world scary, but it’s mostly my father’s fault. Anytime I was curious about it he’d tell me horrible stories until I stopped asking.”

“My father did the same,” Pansy shared with a shudder as she leaned into Blaise. “Although Blaise has been in the muggle world with his mother and says that it isn’t really so scary as long as you have someone with you who knows how to navigate it. As far as Blaise and I go, we’ve known each other forever, well before Hogwarts, and found out that we each had a crush on the other.”

Blushing a pretty pink, she received a kiss to her cheek from Blaise before he took up from where she had left off. “We also are going to put more effort into muggle studies this year because where Draco goes we go. He is the leader of our little group and we agree that you can’t really have an honest opinion about something that you know nothing about. I was already online, and that happened this summer after a… situation… with my step father. I am a Protectorate and Pansy is my Guardian. Mother Thesia said that she would speak to my mother about a betrothal contract. We are over the moon about the idea, and so relieved that we don’t have to worry about such things now and can just focus on school and where we want to go in our future.”

“Well, I was the one who came online in my pairing with Alicia,” Mercury said, holding his partner’s hand. “Alicia was already an online Guardian, and I am her Protectorate. I already noted that my connection to Camelot is through the archivist, and the only one that didn’t come online in my family is my father. Everyone else, which would be my Uncle Drew and his son Palladium, who goes by a nickname of Hyde; and my Aunt Garnet and her twins Peridot and Gold, who goes by his middle name Alec, came online as Protectorates except for Peridot who is the only Guardian in the family.

“Father says that historically the Barrows family has always been Protectorate heavy when we were online. I have a great aunt and uncle that are still alive, and my grandmother is still alive as well, she’s one of the Paddingtons. None of them came online. As to going out in the muggle world, I would love to go and I can help those that haven’t been.

“My family has always done quite a bit of work in the muggle world, and have quite a few current business dealings there so I have spent a lot of time there. It really isn’t that scary, but I can understand how it would seem scary if you haven’t been there and have only heard bad things about it from other people.”

Alicia piped in here interrupting Mercury. “Mercury has taken me there a couple of times, and I agree that it isn’t as bad as some make it seem. My grandfather also told me horrible scary things about the muggle world and I was terrified to go, but Mercury convinced me to try it. But then his grandfather’s best friend was  killed during the witch burnings back in the 1600’s. So, he refused to ever go there and wasn;t happy when he found out Mercury and I went there. But then he doesn’t like Mercury either because he’s a werewolf and he’s quite biased about such things. It’s horrible and embarrassing.”

“It’s not your fault, Alicia, I have told you that, and I in part understand where he is coming from. Things in the werewolf community are different here than they are in America where I grew up until it was time to start third year. The werewolves in America don’t have the curse on them that the British ‘wolves do. So, father and I are much more in tune with our inner wolf than others here in Britain are. Lovely Luna, how about you?”

Luna blushed and put down her magazine, folding her hands in her lap then answered. “I think it’s just lovely that so many of you are open minded. I have never been there myself, but I would love to go. Like Susan I don’t have a partner yet, but I expect that I will get one when it is time for me to. I am a Guardian also, and I am connected to Camelot through Nimue. How about the rest of you? I know some of your connections but not all of them.”

“Merlin Emrys for me and Arthur Pendragon for Harry,” Draco shared and gave a nod to Theo who smiled and kissed the back of Hermione’s hand.

“As you know we are not sure how Hermione is connected, but I am connected to Lancelot du Lac.”

“I am connected to Gawain and Pansy is connected to Morgan le Fay and there is a chance that she will develop seer abilities as it runs in her line. Her mother, whom we call Mother Thesia, has some minor seer abilities.” Blaise informed as Pansy nodded alone, smiling up at him, obviously besotted with her mate.

Last was Susan who chewed on her lip blushing. “I am connected to Galahad. Does that mean that our lines are connected somewhere Theo? I mean, Galahad was Lancelot’s son, correct?”

“He was and we are although I don’t remember how right off the top of my head. Draco? Do you remember? You have always been much better at remembering the family lines than I am.”

Draco nodded and folded his hands together in his lap, leaning against Harry. “I do believe that you have to go back three or four generations but the Bones’ and the Nott’s share a connection through a father and daughter. I think it was Cicero Nott who had a daughter named Atha Nott.

“She married Ryland Bones and they had a son named Blair Bones whose line eventually leads to your aunt’s parents, Susan. I am a little surprised that your aunt didn’t come online, but as we saw with Mercury’s family not everyone comes online. I would have expected his father, Sterling Barrows, to come online, and he didn’t.”

Draco found himself staring at Hermione who eventually arched an eyebrow at him and he couldn’t help but huff. “I obviously have no proof. It’s only speculation, but I see a very important name missing from those who came online. All of the major players have come online except for two… The first missing is Sir Gawain, and I wonder if he will be someone outside of the castle or maybe his line genuinely just is extinct or the heir is too young to be at Hogwarts yet. The second, well, the second is Queen Guinevere. That would certainly make heads spin in the Wizengamot and Magical Britain in general if a muggle born ended up not only with a seat in the Wizengamot, but also was the Queen’s Heir.”

Soon everyone was laughing at the very thought. That talk then turned to the Wizengamot in general and Mercury began sharing tales about his father’s battles to counter Delores Umbridge’s biased laws that she’d gotten passed through before eventually ending up in Azkaban for the stunts that she pulled the previous year as a professor then headmistress. Next to Draco, Harry sat nervously, hoping and praying to Gods he didn’t believe in that the Dragons could get the soul piece out of his head.