Windbound 19/35

[herumtreiber]

Title: Windbound - 19/35
Chapter: Nineteen
Author:herumtreiber 
Genre: post DH, slash, romance, adventure
Disclaimer: The world and characters of Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling. Nor do I make any money from the writing of these stories.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Epilogue compliant? Epilogue complaisant
Chapter length: ~3,894 words
Summary: Draco/Harry, Ron/Hermione, Hannah/Dean, Justin/Daphne, Ginny/??? My take on the Marriage Law. Should they obey the government’s edict or fight it the Muggle way? This leads to marriage equality. Plus there’s a twist exploring how a Horcrux operates. Good!Lucius, finally:) Hufflepuff house is amply represented here.



Table of contents



Chapter eighteen

December 4th, 1998
The Infirmary, Hogwarts

Madam Pomphrey consoled the students with the results of her scanning spells. After an early intervention, Draco seemed to be doing ok. Madam Pomphrey said, "Mr. Malfoy was suffering from the effects of a nasty concussion. If he had been left without medical care for 48 or even 24 hours more, he could've died. I have treated his broken ribs and the wound in his head that caused the concussion. He should wake up in a few hours.

"So you can go on to your rooms. Mr. Malfoy is being guarded here by his father, mother and Mr. Finch-Fletchley."

Indeed, they were two beds near Draco, obviously conjured by Lucius, because they appeared to be very luxurious. Narcissa stood guard like a lioness protecting her cub, as her husband and his confederate probably examined ways to make the miscreants pay.

Comforted indeed by the normalcy in the midst of the crisis, Susan left for Hufflepuff, accompanied by Robert. Justin waited a moment for Daphne to return. She had been speaking to Mr. Finch-Fletchley. Jason seemed to enjoy her no-nonsense behavior and adherence to traditions. Finally the brunette Slytherin appeared and waved good-bye to Jason. Then she and Justin went out the door towards Slytherin.

Hannah was accompanied to Hufflepuff by the ever cheerful Dean Thomas. The black wizard had been worried about the frustrated attack on Hannah, and now tended to hover near her. The petite Hufflepuff felt a little uncomfortable with all the attention and hoped Dean would go back to normal soon.

Terry left with Hermione. He was being a gentleman and would see to her safety in Gryffindor. The brunette still held in her hand the Serpent's Map, and held in her arms a sleeping Teddy. While they were walking to Gryffindor, they encountered a seemingly angry Andromeda.

Andromeda Tonks said exasperated, "There you are! I've been searching all over for you! It's time for Teddy to go home. Thanks, Miss Granger!"

Mrs. Tonks took Teddy from Hermione's shoulder, where the toddler was drooling adorably, and proceeded to walk away with a now grumpy Teddy.

Ginny left with Harry. The brunet had been uncharacteristically quiet during the talk Madam Pomphrey had with the students. He appeared to be meditating about something. He hardly heard her when Ginny started to talk about Quidditch, but then, he seemed to have lost his enthusiasm for Quidditch along the way when he defeated Voldemort.

After Ginny muttered the password, "Two hearts beat as one" to a sleepy Fat Lady, the door opened and they entered the gaudy world of Gryffindor Tower.

A little after midnight, the door to the Infirmary opened soundlessly and then closed itself. Something, perhaps an air current, disturbed a piece of parchment that was on Lucius's bed.

Draco looked almost peaceful lying there. Narcissa and Lucius were dozing lightly and could wake up if they heard any noise, which was the reason the unseen person was using a Muffliato spell. Ensconced beneath his Invisibility Cloak, Harry kept faithful watch over Draco.

He looked at the unconscious blond, and remembered the many fights they'd had through the years with a strange mixture of nostalgia and regret. Nostalgia because they occurred in the irretrievable past and regret because they lost so many years fighting when they could have tried to be friends.

Draco acted like a beacon sometimes. Memories of First Year were somewhat blurred, except the fight with Voldemort, and the scenes involving Draco. Because the memories were so intense, they involved other parts of his psyche and offered succor when the environment seemed numb.

He had seen the face he was growing to love expressing many passions, despite the Malfoy Mask. Likewise Draco knew him intimately, perhaps better than Ron and Hermione. They were truly two of a kind.

Harry smiled as he remembered the ferret incident, although he concluded that must have been very painful and humiliating for Draco.

The blond always knew how to push his buttons, but in return, Harry had learned how to maneuver the blond.

Eventually, a sleepy Harry laid down on a bed in the Infirmary and slept some hours under the Invisibility Cloak. He woke up in the morning and found a sandwich and a flask with pumpkin juice laying next to his head and a small note which said,

Mr. Potter,

I could imagine it was you beneath that Cloak. Thanks for helping Draco!

NM

oOoOo

On Saturday, Draco woke up approximately at 11:00 AM. He remembered fuzzily what had transpired: the attack on the Prefect's Bathroom, the moment when he used wandless magic to escape, only to be thwarted. Lying there and watching two – no, one – redheads appear, look mockingly at him and then leave. His subsequent recapture, the time when he was left alone for a while and he could reacquire the mental state necessary to cast a wandless spell and become invisible and then he recalled the sensation of blacking out. As he was apparently in a bed in the Infirmary, he must have been rescued somehow.

That left the matter of retributions. He knew his attackers' voices and could say which houses they belonged to. He would get them in good time, especially Finnigan.

Then there was the Weasel, the one who found him helpless and then turned the other way, delivering him to what may have been a grisly and merciless fate. The Weasel deserved no succor, because he gave none. Trapped in the eternal, changeless past, the Weasel could not imagine a time when it might be profitable to know Draco.

Still, the Weasel was Hermione's boyfriend and Harry's best friend. In all good faith, he could not get proper revenge on the Weasel without affecting his friends.

So Ron Weasley would get a reprieve. Draco decided to blatantly ignore the Weasel King from now on. He would not spare him a glance for as long as he lived, and maybe someday, Ron would be lying around somewhere, helpless, and this time it would be Draco who walked away and left him to his fate.

oOoOo

Narcissa sauntered into the room, fuming a little; Lucius and Jason were plotting somewhere! They were like a pair of kids sometimes! Antonia and she had really their hands full dealing with these overgrown kids. Talking about Antonia, she wanted to call her on this cell phone they gave her, but apparently it wouldn't work in Hogwarts!

Narcissa smirked when she saw Draco alert. She felt pleased her only child had weathered that particular storm. Perhaps she would be able to go on her scheduled visit to St. Othilde's Orphanage on Wednesday?

Narcissa called a house-elf and told her to bring Draco some light breakfast. Draco started eating lackadaisically, more to please his mother than out of real hunger. He asked about his friends, and Narcissa told him what she had heard of their adventures trying to rescue him.

After he had finished his breakfast, and facing Narcissa's scowl, Draco asked if Liz Lehmke, the ombudswoman, could be contacted.

Narcissa frowned, but left to do his bidding, all the time muttering under her breath that Lucius had better come soon, or else he'd face the wrath of a Black.

An hour later, the door to the Infirmary opened and Liz Lehmke walked in. She said, "I'm sorry for your ordeal, Draco. If there is something I can do to help, let me know."

Draco sat up in his bed, apparently still weak from the concussion and he started, "Well, there is something you could help me with, Liz.

"You see, there were students from all Houses in the group that attacked me. I'm sure by now Seamus Finnigan has blabbed like the coward he is and he's given their names. I'm also sure he will be protected by the zealous Headmistress. McGonagall will do everything in her power to make sure that nothing happens to poor Seamus."

Liz interrupted, a little uncertain, "Are you sure, Draco? Would McGonagall do that?"

Draco replied, "She sure would. She was one of the few who knew about the dastardly trick Sirius Black played on my godfather, luring him to be maimed and killed by an uncontrolled werewolf. She let them go scot free. She was the one who caught the teacher red-handed, the one who transfigured me into a ferret. She just halfheartedly scolded him and left it at that.

"She is also the one who, together with the other Heads of Houses, dutifully ambushed and almost killed their Headmaster, as the confrontation between the Light and the Dark heated up.

"So you see, I'm pretty sure she will do what she wants, when she wants it, duty be damned!

"I'm sure she will let Seamus go scot free. I entreat you, therefore, to look out for the welfare of a simple Slytherin. His name is Elias Flint, and he was among those who captured me."

Liz gasped and looked at Draco with evident surprise, "You want me to help one of your assailants?"

"Yes, I do. Allow me to explain. Elias's uncle and cousin are in Azkaban. They'll remain there for a long time. He's asked for my help, but I was unable to get them free. They still swear by Voldemort.

"I can imagine that the persons responsible for this plot offered him the liberty of his family. Elias jumped at the chance to help them and participated in the whole exercise.

"You may ask, how do I know this so surely? I know because that was exactly the modus operandi of Voldemort, when he dangled the safety of my family in front of my eyes. I knew that I had to toe the line, or he'd kill them mercilessly.

"I see Elias, and I can imagine myself in that position, because it is one I intimately know. I cannot, I will not allow this mistake to ruin his future. It is not fair that a person like Seamus Finnigan, who is operating out of prejudice, gets to go free while a person acting under incredible duress like Elias gets to pay for the broken plates.

"Therefore I beg you, Liz, to watch out for this lonely boy. Not only now, but hopefully in the years ahead, when I have graduated and left Hogwarts. Watch out for him, so his future at least reaches its full potential!"

oOoOo

Late in the afternoon, someone knocked timidly at the door. When Draco bade them enter, the door opened and a bashful Lavender Brown went to Draco's bed.

The Gryffindor seemed more calm. She radiated some kind of inner contentment that had been absent before. She brushed her blond hair from her face and sat in the chair next to Draco's bed.

Draco asked gently, "How are you doing, Lavender?"

"I'm fine, Draco. I'm sorry about the attack my former fiancé suffered. It must have been ghastly."

"It was, Lavender. Luckily I survived."

The blonde Gryffindor said wistfully, "Do you know McGonagall offered me a teaching position at Hogwarts?"

"That's great, Lavender. Which position?"

"Divination. I've always had a flair for it."

Draco timidly commented, "Do you have visions?"

Lavender replied, "No, not visions. What I have is dreams. For a while I dreamed of a blond man who showed me what love is. We had a beautiful blond boy, and fighting against mysterious forces, we remained together. Those dreams disappeared some time ago.

"Now I dream of a black-haired boy. The dreams are unclear, but there is certain tenderness there."

Draco sighed and held Lavender's hand. He said, "Any one would be lucky to have you. You have smarts and courage. You are resourceful. Since you are going to be a teacher, could I ask you to watch someone for me? I'm sure you will know who it is when you meet him in your classroom."

oOoOo

On Monday, Draco received the visit of Hermione. The bushy-haired witch came bearing gifts: the homework to be done for the classes Draco had missed. Hermione put the parchment containing the Map in the middle, as she explained patiently to Draco how they had managed to find him.

Hermione said, "The rooms had a notice-me-not charm especially strong. We would never have found them without the Map!"

Draco commented, "Teddy operated the Map? I'm not surprised; he looks like a Black through and through, not unlike that vindictive grandmother of his!"

As Draco explained what had happened to him, under the intense gaze of Hermione, he realized he couldn't tell her that her fiancé had left him to die. He owed it to his friendship with her to keep mum.

The Weasel seemed to care for her, and she for him. So he would not say anything about their little encounter.
As Hermione was leaving, Draco asked her to please fetch Elias Flint for him. Hermione scowled and nodded. She left the room, thankful that she was helping her friend in the road to recovery and by the way, insuring he kept up with schoolwork.

Twenty minutes later, a diffident Elias Flint came in. The dark-haired Slytherin appeared contrite and fragile.

Draco bade him to sit down. Elias started apologizing profusely for what he had done. Draco interrupted him and asked what had transpired in relation to McGonagall.

The younger Slytherin commented that McGonagall wanted to expel him and send him to the Aurors, but Liz Lehmke prevented that. The ombudswoman explained succinctly that fairness should always be applied. She marveled that Seamus Finnigan was not punished in any way; she intimated that the unfair wheeling and dealing in Hogwarts would become widely known if the Headmistress persisted in her common folly of blaming the Slytherins.

At the end Liz Lehmke had threatened a hearing about what had really happened the night the former Headmaster was forced to flee Hogwarts and searched for sanctuary in the Shrieking Shack, where he was killed by Nagini. She had talked about ambushes laid by the supposedly stout and faithful Heads of Houses, who turned out to be as loyal as any Wormtail.

Here McGonagall had paled and promptly conceded the demands of the ombudswoman. Elias Flint remained free.

The blond Slytherin said, "You made a mistake, Elias. You cared about your family so much, that other people noticed that and used that love to manipulate you to do their bidding.

"I know because someone did the same to me. Now it is the time to look toward the future. For better or for worse, your uncle and cousin will remain in Azkaban and there is nothing you can do, unless it is joining them there. I'm sure neither of them would like that.

"They would like you to continue your life, to grow old and keep up the Flint traditions. You can do that. They tell me your trust fund has been set up. You will not have to worry for money."

Elias interrupted, "But everyone will know I betrayed you. They will all hate me!"

Draco replied serenely, "You are wrong, Elias. Most people don't care what happens to us anymore. Many people will be proud of you for trying to get me, they would have been happy to crow that the dastardly Malfoys deserved what they got. If anything, they will be angry that the plot failed and I'm still around to inflame them with my sarcastic wit." Here Draco stopped to exchange a smile with Elias, which imperceptibly changed into a smirk.

Draco continued, "The ones who might be really angry at you are my friends, and they will listen to me when I ask them to leave the past behind. So don't worry on that score."

Draco said, "I would like you to go to Dervish and Banges, the magical shop in Hogsmeade. Mr. Joseph Dervish, the owner, is looking for someone interested in magical machines. I noticed that you seem to have a thorough grasp of the subject, so it will be profitable for you to meet with him.

"Next year, you'll have a new Divinations teacher, whom you might find interesting."

Draco inwardly smirked, thinking about his subtle manipulations going into play and turning things all right for Elias. Then the blond mentally slapped himself, he was starting to sound exactly like that loony Albus Dumbledore. Any moment now he would offer Elias some Lemon Drops. There is no way he would emulate the former Headmaster this way!

Draco bade Elias good-bye, and the brunet Slytherin exited the room with a faint smile.
Half an hour later, Draco received the latest visit of the day, a thoughtful Harry Potter.

Harry went to Draco, hugged him and kissed him fiercely. Draco wanted to respond in kind, but he felt tired, so very tired. Madam Pomphrey kept giving him blood strengthening potions, and they took their toll on him.

Harry reclined on the bed behind him, and toying with his blond hair, said, "I'm sorry I didn't act at first, Draco, but I was somehow convinced that you were at the Manor.

"Later, though, when you didn't show up, I felt like shit, literally. I wanted to find you so much, I wanted to help you.

"Nothing we did worked. The teachers searched and found nothing, we searched and found nothing. I've never felt so helpless before, not even while investigating Voldemort's artifacts. Luckily I noticed when Teddy activated the Serpent's Map, and we were able to find you and rescue you on time, or I don't know what I would have done."

Harry waved the Elder wand and murmured an incantation to make the bed larger. He proceeded to transform his clothes into pajamas and laid down beside Draco, gently spooning him and crooning pleasantries in his ears, until the two fell asleep.

During this night, Seamus apparently fell down the stairs. He had several broken ribs that needed magical attention. Everybody thought it was an accident. During the days and weeks that followed, several people had similar accidents, enough that concerned parents asked that something be done about it.

December 9th, 1998
Hogwarts

On Wednesday, Draco returned to classes, and if people turned to stare or gawk at him, he was used to it. He sat down at the Hufflepuff table and all his friends were there: Susan accompanied by Robert, Justin and Daphne, Hannah and Dean, a forlorn-looking Terry who had not received any recent communication from Pansy, Hermione, Ginny and Harry.

Draco greeted them and they fell to eating ravenously. The owls with the mail came in, and a particularly handsome tawny owl dived and made for Draco. The blond quickly offered the owl some bacon and untied the parchment. After unobtrusively casting the spell in Portuguese that would unravel the cryptographic nightmare the parchment originally was, Draco read it:

Draco

Please convey my gratitude to your friends who stood by you in your hour of need. To celebrate the final days of the year, your mother and I would love to have their presence in the Manor. Could you please invite Mr. Finch-Fletchley, Miss Bones and Miss Abbott, Miss Granger and Miss Weasley, Mr. Lehmke, Mr. Potter and Mr. Boot? If they want to invite some other person that would be delightful. Please inform Mr. Finch-Fletchley that his father and mother have confirmed their presence for the holidays.

Of course you can invite your Slytherin friends who are studying abroad.

In my pride is my solace

Lucius

Draco passed the letter around and everybody read it. Ginny commented sarcastically, "Well, Lucius is very pompous stil, isn't he?"

Draco asked irritated, "What do you mean?"

"That part 'In my pride is my solace' sounds right arrogant to me!"

Hermione commented, "Really, Ginny, maybe Lucius is playfully commenting on his leonine appearance. You know what a lion's pride is, right?"

Ginny answered uncertainly, "Yes, well, his pride?"

Draco replied acerbically, "The family, the pack of a lion is called a pride."

Ginny gulped and looked away. Finally, to deflect attention from herself, she commented sotto voce to Terry Boot, "Here's your chance, you can meet Pansy!"

Terry blushed and looked at Draco beseechingly. The blond answered the unspoken comment rapidly, "Of course I will invite her, together with Greg Goyle and Blaise Zabini!"

The Hufflepuffs readily agreed to go, provided they could invite their prospective partners. When Draco looked at Ginny, though, she shook her head. Ginny said, "I can't go, Draco. I'm sorry but I have to go to the Burrow and stay with my family. I know this will be a particularly  painful time for us, having to endure Fred's absence, and I must be there with them, helping as much as I can."

Hermione nodded, thankful that at least she had a good excuse not to go to the Manor. She still could not forget her experiences there as she was tortured by that madwoman Bellatrix. Some time would have to pass before she was ready to face those demons.

Hermione said, "Like Ginny, my place is at the Burrow. I have to console Ron. He's still suffering from Fred's loss. I can not leave him alone. I'm sorry, Draco."

Harry added his voice, "I am also sorry, Draco. I can not leave my adopted family to face these trying times alone. I think our presence will help them to realize that life goes on, that the sacrifices were worth it, if only so the family could survive the growing darkness.

"You will be on my mind as we enjoy Mrs. Weasley's delicious cooking. I will be thinking of you as we exchange our Christmas presents. I'll think of you as we usher in the New Year. It's what I do anyway. Being close or far apart is almost immaterial."

Sighing, Draco took out his parchments and quills and quickly wrote short notes to Goyle and Pansy in Durmstrang and Blaise in Beauxbatons. He whistled and some minutes later his owl Osiris flew in. Before tying the parchments, he thrust one towards Terry and said, "I want you to write a covering letter, Terry."

The Ravenclaw blushed and was seemingly tongue-tied. Draco pushed gently, "Come on! Say something nice to Pansy, like how you expect to see her soon!"

The dark-haired student took out his own quill and quickly penned a note to the parchment directed to Pansy. Then Draco grabbed it, and together with the other ones, tied them to the owl's leg and said, "To Greg Goyle and Pansy Parkinson in Durmstrang, and afterwards, to Blaise Zabini in Beauxbatons. Take some days between deliveries; we don't want to raise you from the dead, Osiris!"

Osiris glared at Harry mistrustfully, because he was one of the owls used by the Eagle Animagus to practice hunting. Then the owl pecked affectionately Draco's hand and flew away.

They watched the hazy figure of the owl as he flew through the open windows and disappeared, comfortably riding an updraft that leisurely took him to the clouds and beyond.

Chapter twenty

Comments

[lijahlover.livejournal.com]

Another amazing chapter.

[herumtreiber.livejournal.com]

Thank you!! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.