Rating:
R
House:
Schnoogle
Ships:
Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Characters:
Draco Malfoy Harry Potter Sirius Black
Genres:
Drama Slash
Era:
The Harry Potter at Hogwarts Years
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire
Stats:
Published: 06/24/2002
Updated: 02/17/2005
Words: 65,629
Chapters: 13
Hits: 39,011

Circles of Influence

Marysia

Story Summary:
Followup to The Marks We Bear. Harry/Draco slash. This story is unfinished on here but is being completed on archiveofourown.

Chapter 09

Chapter Summary:
Harry is in denial once more after Mrs Weasley catches him and Draco together. Can Ron and Hermione get him to see reason? Will Sirius help or make things worse? In the meantime Voldemort wants Draco dead. Harry/Draco slash.
Posted:
11/09/2002
Hits:
2,103

Rating: R (this chapter has been slightly edited to fit in with fictionalley's adult rating policies. The full version of the story is available on my website)

Notes: parts of the ritual dialogue are taken from "The Witches Bible" by Janet and Stewart Farrar and other parts I wrote myself or picked up online. The book is in the Gardnerian tradition which although I don't particularily follow was handier than writing the whole thing myself. I'm sure they would strongly object to drawing down the moon and enacting the great rite with two males as they are always going on about male/female polarity but I figured bugger that (literally!). We all have male and female aspects to us and I figure if you can enact the rite symbolically using an athame and a chalice then you can enact it symbolically using two men. Or whatever.

Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Richard Harris who died the same evening as this chapter was finished. I think it's appropriate that it be this chapter as it deals with the Celtic Day of the Dead. We will remember him fondly for his work as Albus Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies.

--------------------

Friday October 31st

Samhain

Snape paced tightly in the darkness of the trees at the end of the country lane.His contact was late and it was driving him insane. Who would it be? How much ofwhat was going on at school would they already know? Would they just leave and pass on the news or would there be... more...

Things could end very badly for him tonight. Things could end for him tonight, more to the point.

He refused to die before he got to see Potter fail his class. It just wasn't fair.

There was a crackle of dried leaves being stood upon behind him and he spun around. Before him huddled a short figure wrapped in a dark cloak.

"Dark night?" Snape said cautiously.

"It will only get darker," replied the figure, identifying itself as his contact. "For you at least, Severus. Did you really think you could just ignore orders? I'm surprised you even turned up."

"Pettigrew," replied Snape. "I haven't ignored my orders, I tried but Dumbledoresuspected something. I haven't been able to get near the boy since."

"Really? That's very interesting, Severus, because I hear that you spend a great deal of time alone with Draco. Of course my sources could be wrong... or you could be lying... I also note that you managed to meet me here despite your supposed house arrest."

"I have been able to get out of my room without getting caught, but the securityaround the boy is so tight now that it makes no difference. There's nothing I can do."

"Nothing? Somehow I doubt that."

-------------

Harry shivered in the chill air and hugged his robes to his body as he followed Draco into the woods. "This is a really bad idea," he muttered, no longer really arguing the point, just reminding the world that this was not his idea.

"It's not far," Draco said over his shoulder. "I set everything up already."

Sirius loped beside them in four-footed form. He had scouted the area out earlier and would keep an eye on things during the ceremony just in case. The clearing they were headed for was not so far from the castle really.

Harry was not up for this at all, religion was not something he dabbled in. Least of all whatever pagan rubbish it was Draco had planned, sacrificing chickens to the ancient gods or whatever. He wasn't sure he believed him when he'd said there would be none of that sort of thing. Actually he was a little scared in that saying Candyman five times kind of a way where you don't really believe any of it but what if it's true anyway. Aunt Petunia had been very outspoken on the habits of strange pagan cults. He hoped Sirius would put a stop to anything too wierd.

"Here we are." Draco came to a stop and with a flick of his wand set fire to a small pre-arranged pile of wood and leaves. The clearing was lit up in gold and orange.

Harry looked around and was startled to see Sirius lope off into the trees. "Where's he going?"

Draco looked up from the small alter he was picking things up from. "He agreed to give us some space, he's going to circle the area further out." He went around the edge of the clearing and lit small pumpkin and turnip lanterns, they were facing out so that Harry couldn't see what shapes they might be carved into.

"Can't he stay here?"

"I thought you wanted to do this, Harry."

"You said it was important," Harry deferred. "And I didn't want to go to the feast without you."

"It is important. This is the most important night of the year. Samhain, they don't have a feast tonight for no reason. Don't act like you don't know anything about this stuff."

"I don't!"

"Fine! Samhain is the end of the old year and the start of the new one..."

"But it isn't New Year until January."

"Not in the celtic calendar."

"I thought the Malfoy's were French anyway."

"Stop being difficult and pay attention. The day starts with the night and the year starts with the winter. The second most important date is Beltane which is the beginning of summer."

"Fine, I get it. But what are we going to do? I get the feeling it's not carols and gifts."

"I just thought we should celebrate the start of the new year together, celebrate the fact we're both still alive to see it. Thank the Gods. Besides, I always feel safer inside a sacred circle when the veil is this thin."

"I don't even know which Gods we're going to be thanking!" Harry protested, worrying that Draco was starting to sound a bit like Professor Trelawny.

"Well traditionally Mabon, the consort of the maiden, is killed on Samhain and the Goddess becomes the Cailleach Bheur who rules with the Lord of Misrule aspect of the God until Imbolc, the start of Spring. Although I tend to stick to particular facets of the Lord and Lady that I'm more familiar with. You can call them by whatever name you like really, whatever feels right. It's all a wheel and we celebrate it's turning. It's also the day of the dead who are ruled over by Arianrhod so I thought we might... I mean if you want we should remember..."

"My parents?"

"The souls of the dead are free to cross between worlds tonight."

Harry shivered. "What does that mean?"

"Just that we can invite them to join us, if you like. You won't see them or hear them, but you might feel their presence. If you want to try."

"I don't know, I never did anything like this before."

"Don't worry," Draco took his hand and squeezed it. "It's not as complicated as it sounds. Just stand by the fire while I cast the circle."

So Harry did as he was told, his back hot and his front chilled as he watched Draco walk to the edge of the clearing. He started as Draco drew a long knife out of his robe. "What's that for?"

"It's just ceremonial. I promise."

Harry watched it glitter in the firelight. Draco pointed it out at the ground and began to walk clockwise round the clearing with a look of concentration on his face. He then placed the knife back in his robes and went back to walking the circle with a bowl of water he had taken from the alter, he sprinkled the water as he walked. He then repeated this with a stick of burning incense and then lit a candle and carried it around the circle. When he finished he laid it on the alter walked out to a tree stump on which sat an unlit green candle. He stood facing out to the trees and Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when he started speaking.

"I call to the East, the spirits of earth. Enter and be welcome. Watch us and guard us. Join us in our ritual." Then he knelt and lit the candle. "Welcome to our circle."

He moved a quarter of the way around the circle and repeated this.

"I call to the South, the spirits of fire. Enter and be welcome..."

Harry peered off into the darkness half expecting to see whatever Draco was calling to rushing towards them through the trees.

"I call to the West, the spirits of water..."

And finally.

"I call to the North, the spirits of air. Enter and be welcome. Watch us and guard us. Join us in our ritual." He lit the last candle. "Welcome to our circle."

Draco turned into the circle, looking at Harry. He seemed taller and the fire cast mysterious shadows across his face. He walked over to Harry and led him to the alter, there he lit two more candles and took both of Harry's hands in a comforting squeeze. Then he released them and leaned forward to kiss Harry softly on the mouth, he looked up to the sky and called out.

"Lady I invoke thee and call upon thee. Great Mother of us all, bringer of all fruitfulness; by seed and root, by bud and stem, by leaf and flower and fruit, by life and love I do invoke thee to descend upon the body of this thy servant. Lowly I bend before thee, thy foot is to my lip." He knelt in front of Harry and kissed his right foot. "My prayer upborne upon the rising smoke. O Wise One, descend to aid me, who without thee am forlorn." He stood up again. "By the name of Bride I call thee. By the name of Morrigan I call thee. By the name of Arianrhod I call thee. By the name of Cerridwen I call thee. Maiden, mother and crone. Enter our circle."

He smiled at Harry and kissed him again, then he handed him a small sheet of parchment and said softly, "Will you read this part?"

Harry looked down at it with a frown and began to read. "Lord I invoke thee and call upon thee. Return to earth again, come at my call and show thyself to men. Shepherd of goats upon the wild hill's way, keeper of knowledge. He who runs with the beast and rides on the wind. I invoke thee and call upon thee, descend upon the body of this thy servant. By the name of Lugh I call thee. By the name of Dagda I call thee. By the name of Mabon I call thee. By the name of Cernunnos I call thee. Hunter, father and elder. Enter our circle."

Draco reached forward and took Harry's hands again, Harry gripped his hands a little tighter than necessary as he felt the energy swirling around them. This was definitely out of his league, he thought, as Draco kissed him a final time.

-----------

"I don't know who you've been talking to," Snape said as persuasively as he could. "But I tell you I can't get access to him. You'll need to find someone else, someone with less people looking over their shoulders."

"Actually, we already have," Pettigrew said with cold relish. "I'm just here to bring you in."

"What?"

"Your time is up Severus, I know you're a double agent and with a bit of judicious torture I'm sure I can prove it."

Severus moved to draw his wand but he was too late.

"Stupefy."

-------------

Sirius paced the forest, quite glad of the time alone in the wild on this night. He had never been one to share his beliefs and he preferred to simply spend nights like this in silent meditation outside. The only person he had ever really shared time like this with had been Remus. James and Lily had always been resoundingly atheist and Peter had only paid lip service to the old ways. Peter Pettigrew. Thoughts of Peter never failed to send a burning rage through him at the sheer injustice of it all. He only hoped that when the universe chose to right that injustice it would allow him to be its instrument.

He was loping towards his rendevouz point with Hagrid when he felt it, a strange rush of wind filled with a familiar presence. That and a tug, toward Hogsmeade. He glanced into the sky in that direction and saw it, a shower of bright red stars. The signal he had forgotten to watch for, the signal that Severus Snape needed help.

For a moment he thought about not bothering, after all Snape already had backup. There were supposed to be a couple of Aurors stationed nearby in case of exactly this situation. He was only the backup to the backup which is why he'd decided to go ahead with Draco's plans. By the time he even got there it would probably be already over, they must be two miles away.

Again the wind rushed past him, not just past him but through him. It tugged on his insides and smelled of James and Lily Potter.

Damn it, he thought, and began running as fast as he could toward the shower of stars.

-------------

Harry sat on the ground by the fire in a semi-dazed state, still trying to process what had just happened. Draco sat behind him, holding him close against his chest. As Draco had said, he had neither seen nor heard his parents, but he had felt them in a way he could not express. Different in every way from looking at the photo album Hagrid had given him or seeing them in the Mirror of Erised, different even than seeing them forced out of Voldemort's wand as he dueled for his life. He realised now that had only been an echo of them, not so very different from the images of them in his photo album. This had been real. Real in a way you couldn't explain but could only feel, couldn't prove but could only experience. They had been here, they had been right here with him and Draco and they had approved. They had been happy, happy to see him and happy for him. He felt like he had been blessed by the only spirits whose opinions he was interested in, his mother and father.

"Harry?" Draco said softly. "You okay?"

Harry turned his head into Draco and kissed him instead of answering. He felt utterly at peace in a way he hadn't felt... ever actually. At peace and very, very much in love and more than anything he wanted to express that love. He turned around and wrapped his arms tightly around Draco. "I love you," he said. "Thank you so much for asking me out here to do this. I had no idea it was even possible."

Draco hugged him back, surprised by the sudden declaration. He had hoped that this might be something that would help bring them closer together again, or at least allow them to share something personal. He had no idea it would be so successful, but then he had never had any spirits he had longed to meet as much as Harry longed to meet his family. He had grandparents who had died and a great-aunt he had been particularly fond of that he had welcomed into circle in previous years, but nothing like this. He had felt the presence of Harry's parents too, like curious moths fluttering around him and through him. Cool at first and then welcoming. It meant more to him than he had expected, their approval. He had not expected to even sense their presence, having no connection to them.

Harry drew back and looked into Draco's eyes. He thought about apologising for his previous behaviour but instead he just said it again. "I love you." Then he kissed him again, deeper this time as he pushed Draco back and wound their bodies together. He felt energised and he knew immediately what he wanted to do. He began to unbutton the front of Draco's robes.

"Harry?"

"Shhh."

"Are you sure..."

Harry silenced him with another kiss as he slipped his hand under Draco's robes and found he wasn't wearing anything beneath the soft cotton.

Draco moaned and tried to speak again. "It's just that we didn't..."

Harry ducked his head under the robes.

"Damn, Harry... it's the Great Rite... the invocation... we didn't release the..." Draco forgot what he was trying to say as Harry wrapped his mouth around him.

Harry sucked and teased him till he was hard as a rock then began pulling off his own clothes. The moment of respite let Draco clear his head a little and he sat up to again try and tell Harry that this might not be such a great idea. Which at this point was about the last thing he actually wanted to say. "Harry," he began. "I really don't know if..."

Harry straddled his legs, entirely naked but for his socks. "I want you," he gasped, pushing Draco's robes up over his head. "I want you inside me."

Draco groaned. "Harry, this didn't end so well last time we tried it."

"Then we'll do better this time. Fuck me, Draco."

"Are you even sure you want this?" Draco tried, cursing himself for not just taking Harry at his word and doing it. "Sometimes when you call down the Lord and Lady things get... a little frisky. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to draw down the Goddess into you and we haven't done the Great Rite yet. It was just going to be symbolic, it's not really..."

"I don't care what the Lord and Lady do," Harry interupted. "I want you to do me. We haven't done anything more than kiss in weeks, I thought you'd jump at the chance. Don't you want..."

"Of course I want!" Draco knocked Harry onto his back and settled between his legs, propped over him on his arms. "I always want... I just don't want you to change your mind after we've finished and the energy's gone and you stop to think about it. Then it'll be how could you take advantage of me and you promised we wouldn't go that far again." He had to fight not to lower his body to press against Harry's.

A fight that was taken out of his hands when Harry wrapped his legs around his waist and his arms around his shoulders and pulled them skin to skin and nose to nose. "If you don't fuck me right now I will die," Harry said hoarsely. "Please."

Draco bucked against Harry, nothing did it for him like Harry begging. He pressed their mouths together roughly, one hand tangling into Harry's hair as he pressed him into the now warm earth beneath them.

-------------------------

Sirius burst out of the woods just in time to see a cloaked figure fall to the ground revealing the man who had just killed him. Peter Pettigrew. With a snarl he leapt over the crumpled figure and toppled Wormtail to the ground before he could respond, jaws closing around his throat. With a squeak Wormtail transformed into his rat form and Sirius's jaws clicked closed on air. But Pettigrew would not get away from him, this time there were no other distractions and he would not be thwarted. He slammed a paw down on the tail of the escaping rat and picking it up in his mouth he shook it hard before knocking it against a nearby rock to make sure it was unconscious.

Carrying the limp rodent in his mouth he sniffed at the body he had seen fall. He didn't recognise the scent but it was definitely dead. A little way off was another body, also dead, and against a fence lay a third. This one was breathing, it was the body of Severus Snape. Glancing around and scenting the air to check for any unwanted observers Sirius transformed back into his natural form and spat the rat out into his hand. It was definitely still alive and despite his strong desire to crush it under his heel he decided to take Peter back to Hogwarts. Chances were he had useful information. Pulling his wand out he stupified the creature on top of it's current state to make sure it wouldn't escape on the way back, then he leant down and smacked Snape sharply about the face.

"Wake up. We need to get out of here."

Snape stirred slightly, indicating that whatever he had been hit with was starting to wear off. Unwilling to wait Sirius pointed his wand at him and muttered, "Enervate."

Just as Snape started to wake up he heard a shout from behind him and spun around.

-------------------------

Draco was vaguely aware that things were out of his control, he could feel the presence around him, above him and through him. Masculine and hungry and wanting. He couldn't have stopped this now even if he had wanted to. He hadn't been sure when he'd decided to draw the moon down on Harry, it was supposed to be the High Priestess but there had only been the two of them and somehow it had felt like it was okay. He'd drawn the moon down on himself before simply by focusing on the female aspects of his psyche. He'd planned to do the symbolic Great Rite in a similar manner, he had altered the words to fit and he found himself mumbling them now.

"Assist me to erect the ancient alter, at which in days past all worshipped. The great alter of all things. For in the old time, the body was the alter. Thus was the alter made and placed and the sacred place was the point within the centre of the circle."

He realised they were in fact lying in the centre of the circle as he kissed his way down Harry's body in a sloppy backwards fivefold kiss.

"The point within the centre is the origin of all things, therefore we should adore it. Therefore whom we adore we also invoke, oh circle of stars. For thou art the point within the circle, which we adore. The point of life without which we would not be. And in this way are erected the holy twin pillars, in beauty and in strength were they erected, to the wonder and glory of all men."

He stroked Harry's legs as he gazed down at his erection and then he looked up and caught Harry's eyes. Harry looked confused and aroused and yet fascinated.

"Alter of mysteries manifold," Draco said to him. "The sacred circle's secret point. Thus do I sign thee as of old, with kisses of my lips anoint." He kissed Harry on the lips. "Behold the mystery."

Beneath him Harry didn't have a clue, all he knew was that the earth beneath his back felt like a part of his skin and at the same time he felt immersed in water. Cool and open and desperately in need of Draco's heat to fill him up the way his words seemed to be doing. He dug his hands and feet into the earth as he spreadeagled himself under Draco, needing this intimate contact with the ground and knowing that Draco would no longer fight him.

"Here where the sword and chalice unite, and feet and knees and breast and lip," Draco whispered.

Harry just gasped.

-------------------------

Sirius burst out of the trees with Snape hot on his heels and the group of Death Eaters who had apparated onto the scene just after he had woken Snape up not far behind them. Before he could really register where they were he bounced off what was apparantly thin air. They had run so far they had reached the clearing in which he had left Harry and Draco and he had bounced off the sacred circle they had cast for their ritual.

"Harry," he shouted as his mind registered the two naked boys entwined together in the centre of the circle. It looked like they were sleeping but they both turned around at his call. "Death Eaters! Open the circle and let us in. Hurry."

Harry simply stared at him in surprise but Draco sprang to his feet and, ignoring his nudity, ran to fetch his athame from the alter. He ran up to the boundary of the circle and with a few muttered words and a gesture he opened a door in it. "How do you enter?" he asked quickly.

"In perfect love and perfect trust," Sirius answered, knowing that to enter without following the ritual would damage the safety of the circle. Draco kissed him quickly on the cheek then pulled him through, repeating the ritual with Snape.

Draco closed the circle again just in time, the first Death Eater appeared through the trees and promptly bounced off the barrier.

"Will it hold?" asked Harry with concern.

"I think so," said Draco. "We've poured enough energy into it." He raised a meaningful eyebrow at Harry who blushed.

They all stared in vague concern at the cloaked figures beating at the barrier as they sorted through their thoughts. Finally Harry realised he was still naked.

"Er," he said. "I'll just put some clothes on then." He knew he ought to be embarassed but very strangely he wasn't really.

Draco turned to Snape, "What's going on?"

"Voldemort decided he didn't trust me anymore," Snape answered, then gave him an appraising once over. "I suppose I don't need to ask what you've been up to."

"We need to contact the school," Sirius broke in. "Get a signal to them. This barrier won't hold forever." Indeed the figures outside the circle had stopped to confer as to how best to break through it. "And even if it does, we need to get out of here eventually."

"Can you use the fire?" Harry asked. "Like when you talked to me before at school."

Sirius shook his head. "That's a Floo network thing, Harry. Won't work on just any fire."

"Oh," Harry felt rather stupid for not realising that. After all why would Sirius have had to break into a house to do it if he could have just set a fire anywhere.

"I think I can contact the school," said Draco suddenly.

"How?" asked Sirius.

"Well, I've only managed to do it a couple of times before but tonight's particularly good for it..."

"Astral projection," said Sirius. "You really think you can do it?"

"It's worth a try," Draco answered.

"It's risky, though," Snape added. "Perhaps we should wait..."

"No," Draco insisted. "It'll be fine. Just don't wake me too fast if anything goes wrong."

"And if they break through?" Snape asked grimly.

"Then pick up my body and run," Draco suggested with a slight smile.

"In that case you better get dressed first," Snape told him.

Draco shrugged into his robes and lay down in the dirt again with Harry kneeling beside him. "Are you sure about this?" Harry whispered.

"Don't worry," Draco assured him. "If I can do it at all it's tonight and after the energy we just raised it should be no problem. I'll just pop over there, contact Dumbledore, and pop back. I'll be done before you know it."

"You better be," Harry said fiercely, kissing him on the mouth.

"I will be. Keep hold of my hand, it'll make it easier to get back quickly."

"Okay."

And with that Draco closed his eyes and fell completely still.

Sirius and Snape stood either side of the boys keeping a close eye on the Death Eaters.

----------------

Draco slowed his breathing and heart rate and then began to pull his senses inside himself, focusing his entire being on a spot centered on his solar plexus. He let his body fall away from his awareness. He was not body, he was mind, he was spirit, he was energy. He existed as a point of light, a ball of fire. Once he felt himself drift free of his shell he floated up to the barrier and opened it mentally, energy to energy. Free from the circle he threw himself toward the warmth and light that radiated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

---------------

Inside the circle Sirius and Snape took a moment to glare at each other. "Good thing I was around to save your skin, Snape," Sirius noted.

"Don't worry, Black. I won't assume it meant anything," Snape answered.

"Good, because it didn't."

"Then why didn't you just leave me there? It took you long enough to show up as it was."

"Maybe I didn't want to see two perfectly good Auror's die in vain. Not that you'd care, I suppose. What's a few more deaths on your conscience... if you even have one."

"Shut up, Black," Snape snarled. "My conscience is none of your business."

"Will you two stop it," Harry snapped. "Can't you stop fighting for five minutes."

They shut up and turned to him.

"They're up to something," Harry said, nodding out at the Death Eaters who had formed a small circle of their own and lit a flickering blue fire which did not look natural.

"They're going to try to raise enough energy to break open the circle," Snape said.

"Can't they just use their wands?" Harry asked.

"Different kind of magic. Wands can't do anything against a sacred circle with enough power behind it," Sirius answered. "Wands are human magic, this is older and deeper. We can call it up but we can't create it and calling it up takes time and focus and the right amount and kind of belief. I don't think they can do it though, their reasons are impure."

-------------------------

Draco could see the Great Hall below him in a way that didn't really involve sight. It was no longer full but had only the tail end of the student body, the die hard few who were trying to find out just how many hazelnuts you could fit in your mouth at once or just too involved in conversation to get around to leaving.

Dumbledore was still at the teachers table talking to Professor McGonagal. They looked well fed but concerned. As he drew closer he could hear their voices directly in his mind rather than with the ears he did not currently possess.

"I don't expect to hear from him directly for a while," Dumbledore was saying. "The only news we'll have at first will be from the Aurors who were watching the meeting. I'm sure they'll send a message soon."

"Unless it was a trap," said McGonagal grimly.

"In which case we will hear from Sirius or Hagrid," said Dumbledore firmly.

"This is getting too close to the school," McGonagal said sadly. "We've already had one death and countless disruptions. This place is supposed to be safe but as long as..."

"Not now, Minerva. Not here. We have had this discussion before."

"Yes, and you never listen. Harry is like a lightening rod for danger, having him here puts every other child in our care in danger. Severus' is in danger because he hasn't killed Draco Malfoy, but Draco Malfoy's life is in peril because he tried to protect Harry..."

"Draco has been in peril since he was born, his father's allegiances have nothing to do with Harry."

"Harry's presence takes everything to a new level. Draco could have escaped without much harm done if he hadn't been at school with Harry Potter, if they hadn't got involved. You-Know-Who wouldn't even be back if Harry..."

"Nonsense. This conversation is going nowhere, we deal the hand we have been given and Harry Potter is a part of our hand."

"This is not a game!"

Heads were starting to turn as Professor McGonagal's voice raised to more audible levels.

"Control yourself, Minerva. You will worry the students."

"They should be worried. Right now Death Eaters are meeting at the very outskirts of the school, this is not the place..."

Draco suddenly realised he was supposed to be getting help, he had to pay more attention. It was too easy to just drift and forget when you were disembodied like this and that was dangerous. He focussed his thoughts on the old man before him and thought at him. //Professor Dumbledore!//

----------

Watching the men outside the circle direct the spirits they had conjured up to attack their circle, Sirius felt a sudden twitch in his pocket. "What the hell?" he muttered, then suddenly remembered. How could he have forgotten? In his pocket was the unconscious rat shaped body of Peter Pettigrew. Which was all very well and good but awake he suddenly became an unwelcomed and unwanted intruder in the sacred circle.

He spun to Snape and Harry with a look of fear on his face. "Get ready to carry the boy," he told Snape. "We may have to run soon."

"What?" said Harry, clutching Draco's hand a little tighter. "I thought they weren't having much luck."

"Things change," answered Sirius as he pulled Wormtail out of his pocket and raised his wand to stun him again. Before he could two things happened at once. Wormtail bit him hard enough to make him fumble his wand and there was a rough crackle of energy as the barrier split open and collapsed around them.

"Run!" Sirius bellowed, trying to keep hold of the squirming rat.

Snape swooped down on the boys and picked up Draco's limp body carefully but quickly, ducking as a curse passed over their heads. "Help your godfather, Potter," he spat as Harry's hand holding onto Draco slowed him down. "I've got Draco now."

---------------

tbc

To recieve updates email [email protected] with the message "subscribe marysia-fanfic"