Draco and Harry: Escorts Entangled

Chapter Four

Three glasses of wine sat on the table before Draco. Snape waited in the adjacent chair and watched expectantly as Draco drank.

"Well?" the winemaker demanded.

Draco suppressed a sigh. He was already slightly tipsy from the quantity of wine consumed and the subtle flavors were beginning to blend together.

"The second one," Draco replied. Snape sat back with a satisfied smile.

"Well, it's good to see your palate has not disintegrated by your association with the Gryffindor Wonder. He most likely has you guzzling cheap ale and eating Cornish pasties."

Draco refused to rise to the bait. "Speaking of Harry, can we please get back to the reason for my visit?"

"I thought you were here to evaluate the Chianti," Snape said placidly.

"Severus..." Draco was not amused. The black-haired man stood up.

"Oh all right. Potter, Potter, Potter. Honestly, Draco, perhaps you should forget him and stay here with me?"

"I did not know you inclined that way, Sev," Draco drawled.

"Don't give me your cheek, Malfoy!" the winemaker snapped. "It would be for your sake, not mine."

Draco shot to his feet. "Is it absolutely necessary that we have this conversation every single time?"

Snape gestured as if Draco's words were insignificant. He probably thought they were. "If you will not be swayed from this course of madness, then so be it. Do not come sobbing to me when it turns to ashes."

Draco glared. He had no intention of letting it turn to ashes, which was the purpose of calling on Snape. "The spell?" he prodded.

"You really are turning into a Gryffindor," Snape commented.

Draco wanted to act like a Gryffindor and smash the black-clad man into the nearest wall. "The. Spell." He spoke through clenched teeth and Snape chuckled.

"Yes, Draco." Snape straightened his robes and his demeanor changed immediately. "All right then, as we discussed, I believe the Dark Lord placed Avery's magic into the Horcrux, which was then absorbed by Potter upon its destruction."

"Yes, yes, and Avery's magic is being rejected by Harry's, which would have recovered naturally but is now augmenting that received from the Horcrux, hence his ridiculous levels of power."

"And his increasingly erratic behavior. His mind is trying to reconcile the two by suppressing Potter's inherent magic and embracing the new addition. Given time, the two sources will most likely merge into something completely different."

"Changing Harry's personality in the process," Draco said bleakly.

"Well, that could stand a change," Snape suggested.

"But it's more likely Harry will go completely mad before that happens."

Snape nodded. "It's possible. Either that or Avery's personality and magic will dominate, leaving you with the Avery-clone you are now enjoying."

Draco shuddered. "What are my options?"

"As I see it, there is only one. Remove the foreign magic and allow Potter's to reassert itself."

"And that will be difficult." It was not a question.

"That will be next to impossible," Snape admitted.

"But it can be done?"

"I believe so, using the same process the Dark Lord employed to remove it from Avery."

"That process killed Avery!"

Snape shrugged. "It killed him because he could not accept the loss of his magic. Potter will have an advantage--we will be removing only the foreign magic. Potter's will remain. Besides, even if he was stripped entirely of magic, I'm sure the Boy Who Lived would survive, as he has a history of doing so under impossible circumstances. Besides, I'm sure his Muggle upbringing would keep him from going mad to the point of death at the loss. Did you not say he was nearly a Squib when you met him after the war?"

Draco nodded. Harry might survive such a loss, but Draco believed his lover would rather be dead than live life as a Squib. Draco knew what his choice would be if confronted with such a dilemma.

"I have the original spell used by the Dark Lord," Snape said. "It was hidden in the Riddle house with some fascinating arcana."

"I can imagine. So are you certain we can cast this spell safely?"

"It will require some preparation, of course. Some of this ritualistic shite is unnecessary, but the Dark Lord doted on it. Since I'm not in the mood to pick it apart and decipher what can be left out, we shall have to follow the damned thing as written."

"We don't have time to alter it, anyway," Draco said. "The sooner we get this done with, the better."

"Give me three days," Snape said. "All shall be ready by then."

xxXxx

"What the hell is he doing?" Harry railed. "He had his bloody hooks in the Ministry all the way up to the Minister for years and now nothing!"

Bill Weasley watched him placidly. "Harry, I'm happy enough that we haven't heard from the Benefactor. Hopefully he gave up whatever strange plans he had when Umbridge was removed from office."

"That's another thing," Harry snarled. "We don't even know what his plans were. No one knows! Was it simply to keep the wizarding world in a bloody state of chaos? To what purpose?"

"Sometimes there is no purpose, Harry," Bill said and shot water from his wand to extinguish a plant that had spontaneously burst into flame. Harry felt a twinge of guilt and tried to rein in his magic. He took a calming breath, knowing anger was a dangerous enemy.

"Sorry," he said.

"Have you looked into that?" Bill asked.

"Into what?" Harry countered, pretending ignorance.

Bill shrugged. "Your magic seems a bit out of control lately."

"You noticed?"

"The missing wall in Susan's office was a bit of a clue," Bill said dryly.

Harry flushed. He had gotten into a tiff with Susan Bones over his inability to teach the Aurors how to dispel the Dark Magic. She had accused him of keeping the knowledge to himself in order to maintain his hero status. The wall of her office had disintegrated in a puff dust, along with two filing cabinets, three portraits, and a bookshelf. Harry had replaced the wall and the shelves, but the portraits were a lost cause and they were still trying to determine which books and files had been lost.

"Yeah, Hermione is working on a solution. It's sort of an inadvertent gift left by Voldemort. He's probably laughing in hell right now."

Bill only winced slightly at the name. "Is that why you can't teach the Auror's how to rid us of the Dark Magic?"

Harry nodded. "I can't teach anyone, apparently. Not even Draco and Hermione. I was hoping one of the Aurors would have better luck, but so far..."

Bill sighed. "I hate to overwork you." Harry had dispelled the threats nearest London and had been forced to fly farther and farther afield. The Death Eaters had been prolific in seeding the evil across Britain. Harry planned to travel to Hogsmeade and eliminate the pockets nearest Hogwarts. He had not quite worked out how to convince Draco to accompany him.

He smiled at the thought of the blond. Draco had not left 12 Grimmauld Place for the past three days. Harry felt somewhat guilty for being pleased about that--he shouldn't be happy that his lover was a veritable prisoner in their home. The increasingly aggressive side of him was satisfied, however. Draco did not need to work, after all. Harry would take care of him. Harry would always take care of him.

The guilt reasserted itself when he thought about how he knew Draco had not left the house. The new wards Harry had placed around 12 Grimmauld Place would alert him if Draco left the house for any reason. He did not feel guilty enough to take them down, however.

"The Aurors think I'm withholding information."

"Not all of them. They are just frustrated. They want to help. Umbridge had their hands tied for so long..."

"They have plenty to do without dispelling the Dark Magic! The creatures it spawned still roam the countryside. They certainly can't complain about not being busy enough!"

A fishbowl on the other corner of Bill's desk exploded, sending water and goldfish flying. Harry blinked at the mess and then sheepishly repaired the bowl with a pretend flick of his wand. When the fish were safely back in the water and Bill's desk dry, Harry met the unamused gaze of the Minister.

"Perhaps you should go see Hermione." His words carried the edge command. Even though Harry was not an official Ministry employee, he sighed and nodded. He headed for the door, but a comment stopped him with the door partially open. "And Harry? Don't come back until you have a bit more control, eh?"

Harry scowled. He'd just been banished from the Ministry. He stomped toward the lifts and spied Neville Longbottom. The lawyer had Luna Lovegood pressed against the wall and was apparently snogging the breath out of her. Their hands groped at each other madly. Harry watched in amusement for a bit and then cleared his throat. Neville stiffened and ceased his exploration of Luna's tonsils before he turned to Harry with a grin. Luna's expression was dreamier than usual and Harry thought she might have slid straight to the floor if Neville's hands had released her.

"Harry!" Neville cried. "I've been looking for you."

"You thought I was hiding in Luna's robes?"

Neville blushed and Luna buried her face in his shoulder with a giggle.

"She ambushed me with her womanly wiles," Neville said. "I had no chance."

Luna's small fist smacked into Neville's side. His breath woofed out with a laugh.

"Anyway, one of the Healer's asked me to tell you that Pansy Parkinson is requesting a visit from you or Draco. She refused to let them send an owl. Seems pretty frantic about it, so you might pop over there."

Harry's brow wrinkled. He had barely thought about Pansy since the Mulciber incident. Mulciber had kidnapped Draco, imprisoned him, tortured him, and modified his memories. He had likely done much worse to Pansy. When the opportunity had presented itself she had murdered Mulciber in cold blood. Frankly, Harry was grateful--she had saved him the trouble.

He thanked Neville, although the oblivious couple had already returned to their amorous activity and barely noticed his leaving. He left the Ministry for St. Mungo's.

Pansy Parkinson was on the fourth floor. Spell Damage. Harry expected to find her in the long-term residents' ward, since she had been there for months. He wondered if she stayed voluntarily, or if the Healer's thought she might be a danger to others. She had a private room. It was small, containing only a bed, a chest, and a petite desk with matching chair, but one wall was spelled to reveal a peaceful sunlit meadow, complete with chirping, fluttering birds, colorful butterflies, and grazing deer. Harry's eyes went to it immediately while Pansy rose from the chair.

She snorted. "They seem to think it relaxes me. I've told them I despise nature and would be far more relaxed by the view of a designer couture robe shop, but do they listen?"

Harry turned his attention from the wall. Pansy did not look nearly as thin and haggard as she had when they had found her in Scotland. The hollow places of her face had filled out and Harry noticed with a start that she was actually pretty. Her raven-black hair was waist-length and gleamed in the false light from the meadow.

"How are you?" he asked.

She shrugged. "As well as can be expected. The nightmares are diminishing. Some of my memories have returned, although I can't be certain which ones are mine and which ones were planted by Mulciber."

Harry swallowed in sympathy. "I'm sorry."

She made a huffing sound. "Why, Potter? Forget I mentioned it. I think I'm turning Hufflepuff in this place. I doubt you would have gone out of your way to save me even if you had known about Mulciber, if not for Draco. How is Draco, by the way?"

Harry wanted to protest that she was wrong, but in truth he wasn't certain. It didn't matter, anyway.

"He's fine." Harry wondered when Draco had last visited her. Probably before his stint in Azkaban. He expected her to mention the fact, but she surprised him.

"You know it was a trap, right?" she asked. She seated herself on the bed and gestured to the chair. "In Deerness?"

Harry sat in the chair and nodded.

She continued, "Mulciber did not initiate it. He was working for someone he called the Benefactor."

Harry gaped at her.

"You've heard of him, then?" she asked.

"He had control of the Ministry through Umbridge, before her recent... accident. She served him willingly."

"As did Mulciber."

"Do you know the Benefactor's identity?"

She shook her head. "No. Mulciber received written instructions. If they ever met in person, I was not aware of it. Or I was Obliviated." A shadow crossed her face and Harry winced inwardly at the thought of how many times she probably had been Obliviated. He suddenly wished he could do more to help her.

"Are you allowed to leave?" he asked suddenly. "You could always, um... come and stay with us for awhile." He nearly bit his tongue in half after the words left his mouth. He was jealous enough of Draco to keep him away from Hermione--allowing Draco's former girlfriend to live in the same house was inviting complete madness.

Thankfully, Pansy shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere, Potter. Frankly, I doubt I'm safe here, but I'll take my chances."

"What do you mean you're not safe?"

She reached into neck of her robes and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper. Harry took it when she held it out to him. The message was black ink, written in a flowing script. It said simply: Pansy, I'm coming for you.

Harry looked at her sharply. "You think it's the Benefactor?"

"Who else, Potter? No one cares about me. He likely wants revenge since I killed his little minion."

"Can I keep this?" Harry asked, thinking furiously. Why would the Benefactor target Pansy? Did she know something? Perhaps not consciously, but buried somewhere in her mind? Was the Benefactor afraid she would remember? He pocketed the note when she nodded. "You said it was a trap in Scotland; we knew that. Was it a trap specifically set for me?"

"I used to think so, but now I'm not so sure. I don't think you or Draco were intended to leave there alive."

"Wouldn't it have been easier for Mulciber to just kill Draco?"

"Then how would he have lured you there, Potter? Out of curiosity, why did you accompany Draco? There are rumors in the Prophet, of course, but I believe that rag only about a quarter of the time."

"In this instance, the Daily Prophet got it mostly right." Not long ago, Harry would have been mortified at such an admission, but now he felt no shame at all. "Draco and I are together now. In every possible way." The thought of Draco filled Harry with a nearly overwhelming need to see the blond. Since Draco had obligingly self-exiled himself at home, Harry had reciprocated by giving him plenty of space. He left the house early and refused to return until dinner time.

Pansy's eyes were wide. "Bloody hell, Potter, you've got it bad. You drifted completely away, there."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. He's brilliant. Anyway, I'll do what I can to insure your safety here."

"You do that, Potter." She rolled her eyes. "The Benefactor can Imperius anyone, you know. It won't be hard for someone to slip poison into my food or just hit me with a quick Avada Kedavra. I only hope it will be quick."

"You sound resigned to your death!"

She shrugged. "I don't have much of a life, Potter, in case you hadn't noticed."

Harry glared. Bloody fatalistic Slytherins. He hated the idea of her at 12 Grimmald Place, but the thought of her uselessly throwing her life away because he could not protect her was even worse. Perhaps Draco could convince her to leave St. Mungo's for a safer place. Hell, she could even stay with Hermione while Ron was away. The idea made him choke back a laugh. Pansy Parkinson and Hermione Granger in the same house was probably an invitation to disaster. Still, it wouldn't hurt to broach the subject.

"Do they allow you your wand?" Harry asked.

She produced it from her robes. "Yes, but it's spelled so I can only cast minor Charms. Nothing dangerous." A faint aura of magic surrounded the wand--evidence of the blocking spell.

"Do you know charms to detect poison?"

"I'm Slytherin, Potter."

"Oh, right, you likely cast those before every meal," Harry said dryly.

Pansy actually smiled and Harry decided he would do just about anything to keep her away from Draco. She really was attractive.

"Can you cast a Patronus?"

She shrugged. "I probably could if I worked at it. I'm not exactly full of happy thoughts at the moment."

"Well, work at it, then. Send it to me if you ever feel threatened. I'll come immediately."

"Now you're my protector?" she asked archly.

"Don't worry, I'm only doing it for Draco's sake."

"Gryffindor honesty."

Harry grinned. "Want me to lie, instead?"

"Do you know how?"

"You'd be surprised."

Harry Apparated straight to their room. He pondered the message sent to Pansy as he opened his wardrobe and pulled out a small case hidden in the back. Why would the Benefactor bother to warn her? Merely to torment her and make her jump at every shadow? He supposed it was likely. Harry opened the case and lifted out a vial before uncorking it and downing the contents.

Calming Draughts were nearly as effective as alcohol for keeping the monster at bay, but they created long-term dependency. Harry did not want Draco to worry, but he planned to keep taking the potions until Hermione's research bore fruit.

When his potion stash was secreted away and the knot of barely-acknowledged agitation loosened, Harry kicked off his shoes and socks and traipsed downstairs. As expected, Draco was in the kitchen hovering over a bubbling cauldron. Harry crept up and wrapped his arms around the blond before pressing hard against his back and nuzzling Draco's neck.

"Smells good," Harry commented.

"It's green curry."

"I meant you," Harry said and sucked lightly on Draco's jugular. The Slytherin's hands covered his and he leaned back into Harry's embrace with a sigh.

xxXxx

Draco relaxed into Harry's arms. He had been close to going out of his mind in the last few days, trapped in the bloody house with nothing to do but cook, read, and finally half-demolish one of the guest rooms in a pretense of redecorating. He had been determined to keep Harry in a state of relative calm, no matter the cost.

It seemed to have worked nicely. Harry had been placid and almost normal. Draco would not be able to keep it up much longer, however. He was definitely not the stay-at-home sort.

Harry gnawed on his neck until Draco thought about scrapping his plan in favor of dragging his lover upstairs for a shag, but the Lupins strolled in, followed by unwelcome guests--the Weasley twins.

"I stopped by their shop and they followed me home," Remus said apologetically.

"Can we keep them?" Tonks asked with a giggle. One of the twins bounced Lyra on his hip. The other enveloped Draco and Harry in a bear hug.

"My two favorite nancy boys!" he said and kissed them each soundly on the cheek. Draco deduced it was Fred, since George occasionally had something resembling dignity. "What's for dinner, Draco, love?"

"Curry."

"Oy, George!" Fred bellowed, nearly deafening them all. "Didja hear? Curry!"

"Draco, when you get tired of Harry, please move in with us," George said.

Fred nodded. "We'll treat you right, mate, honestly. We'll even switch teams for you."

Harry snorted and said, "You'll switch teams for his cooking, you mean." His tone was light, but his arm tightened dangerously around Draco's waist.

"Really, boys!" Tonks said with a laugh. "Willing to whore yourselves out for a decent meal? Surely some of those women you debauch regularly can throw down something edible?"

Fred cocked his head at George. "D'you reckon?"

"We wouldn't know. The debauchery takes precedence."

Draco gently detached himself from Harry's grasp, but squeezed his hands before releasing him. "All right, everyone sit down. Even the freeloaders. I'll dish up to avoid a stampede."

They obediently sat and Draco filled each dish before sending it across the room to land with a spinning flourish before each of his friends. Wine was poured and the twins immediately launched into tales of their products and customers that had them all holding their sides before long. Draco kept his free hand on Harry, whether resting on his thigh, caressing his shoulder, or lacing their fingers together. The Gryffindor seemed blissfully at ease.

Each of them took turns holding Lyra and Draco bounced the blond child on his knees while she squealed in delight. She managed to leave him a few locks of hair despite the ceaseless tugging.

Harry began to yawn before dessert, so Tonks offered to clean up while Draco coaxed Harry upstairs despite the catcalls and rude suggestions of the Weasley twins. The black-haired Gryffindor sprawled on the bed, fully clothed, and told Draco about his visit with Pansy. Draco stretched out next to Harry and listened while toying with the buttons on Harry's shirt.

Draco laughed when Harry suggested sending Pansy to stay with Hermione. His lover chuckled though a yawn. "I know, I know. They would kill each other in two days."

"Worse than that, Harry. What if they became friends? The world is not ready for such a combination of intelligence and evil. Can you imagine?"

Harry guffawed and buried his face in Draco's neck. "I never thought of that."

"Luckily, you have me to think for you."

"Lucky me," Harry said seriously and lifted his head to kiss Draco, who thought he might perish from guilt for a moment.

"Harry?" he asked when they broke for air. The Gryffindor's eyes were shut and he seemed ready to drop straight off to sleep. He made a questioning noise. "Harry, I want you to know that everything I do is because I love you. Everything."

The green eyes opened and blinked a few times before a smitten grin quirked Harry's lips. "I know, Draco," he said trustingly. He gasped slightly when the cold metal touched his chest and met Draco's eyes again when Draco reached around his neck and fastened the links around Harry's neck with a spell.

"What's this?" Harry asked in bemusement.

"An Inhibitor," Draco said quietly. "It prevents you from using magic. Any magic." Harry's brow wrinkled and his gaze became slightly more lucid. "Of course, you're so damned powerful that you might simply crush the amulet into a twisted bit of useless metal, so I also put a strong sedative into your curry. That's why you're so tired."

Eyelids slid shut over emerald again, thankfully, because Draco did not want to see the accusation there. It was bad enough to hear it in the single word Harry uttered. "Why?"

"Because I need to take you to someone who can help you, and I didn't think you would come willingly, especially when you find out who it is..."

"Draco, I took a Calming Draught earlier. I don't feel very well," Harry said weakly.

Oh fuck. "You did what?" Draco asked and sat up in alarm. He frantically sorted through the ingredients in both potions, mentally combining them and judging their effects. He grabbed Harry's shoulders and gave him a shake. "Harry, stay with me!"

The dark head lolled unresponsively. Draco snatched his wand, held Harry tightly, and Apparated them straight to Spain.