Windbound 26/35

[herumtreiber]

Title: Windbound - 26/35
Chapter: Twenty-six
Author:herumtreiber 
Genre: post DH, slash, romance, adventure
Disclaimer: The world and characters of Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling. I don't make any money from writing these stories.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Epilogue compliant? Epilogue complaisant
Chapter length: ~4,051 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 twenty-five

Draco asked Hermione earnestly, "Granger, what's in a name?"

Hermione sat up and began munching on a granola bar which had been in that mysterious box of Justin's. She answered contemplatively, "A name indicates meaning, purpose or descriptions of something. It serves to place the object in its own light, metaphorically speaking."

Draco nodded, taking a sip from the diet cola he was holding.  "I believe that you're correct, but a name holds much more than this. It has historical context, it tells us about the environment surrounding that word when it was first coined."

Draco stopped and munched nervously a Chocolate Frog. He continued in a somber tone, "For example, the name of a certain tool would explain whether it is made of wood or metal and could lead us to a geographical area. If we narrow down the world to a particular region and time, it's much easier to research the context of the word, circumscribing the geographical and cultural area in which it was coined."

The blond continued, "A name is more than a description. It fits into the historical environment like a piece of a puzzle."

Draco took out the Serpent's Map from his bag. He activated it by holding it in his hand and he invited Hermione to watch it along with him.  "The Map is now attuned to describe the dominating magical feature of the person." He smirked weakly at the witch. "I've also made the icons look nicer."

Hermione looked at their two icons on the map, the smirking snake and the now seemingly calm lion. Then she read the words beneath their names and she said, full of awe, "Can you do this, Draco? Can I become that?"

Draco said affably, "Sure, Hermione."

She watched intently the Map as Draco moved his index finger. It showed the different corridors and staircases, finally arriving at Gryffindor Tower.

Hermione looked with trepidation as the Map showed the Gryffindor common room. Several students were there, including Ginny. Hermione was pleased to note that beneath the words Ginevra Weasley appeared the inscription, Animagus. The redhead would be pleased that she had that ability!

Hermione's momentary upbeat mood crashed down to Earth seemingly hard when the Map moved, following Draco's command, and it showed the interior of Harry's bedroom.

Harry was apparently lying on the bed. Draco slid his finger sideways and the Map zoomed in on him. Thus Hermione was able to see Harry's icon and the two words beneath his name which sent a feeling of despair so profound she felt like jumping out from the Astronomy Tower. She felt exhausted as if she couldn't breathe deep enough. She went to the couch and lay down, for the ominous and malign words beneath Harry's name were 'hors crux.'

Draco folded the Map and put it in his pocket. "These are the words whose provenance I sought to research. As you suggested, I was going to look in Provence. However on the way there I visited Blaise. He suggested that I look at a place located in the Ticino canton in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. I found a monastery with ancient manuscripts."

He paused for a moment. "What I read…"

Hermione rose up and started to say something but Draco held up his hand, saying softly, "Allow me to explain, Mione.

Taking a deep breath, Draco took the plunge. "Hors crux is clearly French mixed with Latin, as would sometimes happen in the waning days of the Roman Empire. It means, 'Out of the nucleus,' in Spanish 'Fuera del núcleo,' in German 'Ausser dem Kern.' At any rate, it has come to denote the process wherein a sliver of the soul is separated from the whole and cast outside, thereby insuring some kind of immortality."

Hermione mumbled to herself, "I know all that, Malfoy. We three found Voldemort's bloody horcruxes!"

Draco went on, as if he hadn't heard her. "In those ancient manuscripts I read about the harsh struggles of the Ticino natives. They were subjected to the depredations of  Saxons, Franks, Romans, Vandals and others. Very often only a strong chieftain could save them. If they made a false step they were doomed."

Hermione crossed her arms, gazing at the stone walls of the room. "I reckon the fall of the Empire caught everyone by surprise."

"Anyway, the chieftains sought to make the transition easier. The earliest manuscript about hors cruxes speaks of the magic powered by the strongest emotions and the coin that must be paid, a life for a life."

Draco sat by the witch and put a hand on her shoulder, looking into her warm brown eyes. "Later interpretations of the spell concentrated on the emotion of hate, and  offering a victim to make a hors crux out of a non-living thing or a being. Yet the earliest extant mentions of this spell tell about the most powerful emotion, love - and the offering of the caster's life. Some chieftains in fact offered themselves up for love of their village. They died while focusing their immense love in one person. Later their reincarnated wisdom helped that village. Those small regions endured and prospered even in the midst of ruins."

Draco took a sip from his diet cola, which he was clutching as if it were a lifeline to a more secure, less maddening place. "I've become aware that Voldemort had several horcruxes created out of hate, until Harry and you destroyed them all. I can also surmise that Voldemort used living horcruxes, including Nagini and Harry himself. Though Harry has tried to keep this from me, I heard the story through Ginny."

Draco looked earnestly at Hermione as he continued, "I submit to you that when Dumbledore died, he sacrificed himself so he could live in Harry. Potter became then a horcrux, a living hors crux for Dumbledore. That's why the Map points it out. It's his current salient magical feature."

Hermione shivered. "All we did was in vain then. Harry's sacrifice that ended the War. Was it only the beginning?"

"Maybe. Tell me, Mione, why else would Dumbledore petrify Harry and made him witness the Kabuki  play that was his staged death at the hands of Severus, that whole scene in the Astronomy Tower? Instead of letting Harry fight the Death Eaters, Dumbledore  knowingly cut the Saviour off at the knees. I think events that year were carefully engineered to arrive at that particular moment. Dumbledore needed Harry present to wandlessly cast the spell at the moment of his death. He also didn't want to face Harry's 'untoward' reactions that might imperil his mad scheme."

"I just can't believe it!" Hermione shook her head whilst Draco realized he would have to point out certain facts to the witch.

"During the Triwizard Tournament strange things happened, like teachers turning students into ferrets, senior government officials dying at Hogwarts, the tampering with the supposed foolproof Goblet of Fire? What did Dumbledore do? Fumbling around and twinkling ineffectively his eyes, projecting an image of bonhomie that ultimately didn't help Harry or the school at all."

Draco pointed at the wall beyond which was the floor where he had been taken. "During my kidnapping, what did Harry do? At first refuse to help, then lackadaisically participate in the search, not really caring to use his Marauder's Map. How can two such extraordinary wizards behave so similarly during a crisis?"

"You have a point there." Hermione had to concede that there were similarities in Harry's behaviour lately with Dumbledore's apparent jolly mood.

"I have always felt that the explanation provided by Harry about why the Elder wand obeys him is a little fishy. What he is saying is that if I get your wand, Granger, then all your wands belong to me, even your future ones!"

"But that is wandlore!"

"No, this doesn't make any magical sense at all. The way the Elder wand works for Harry doesn't depend on the abstruse theory of some wandmaker, but instead relies on the fact that a piece of Dumbledore's soul resides in Harry. Therefore the  wand obeys its true master, Dumbledore, when it follows Harry's commands."

Hermione started hyperventilating. Draco went to her side, he held her and gently rubbed circles on her back. With one hand, he managed to take out the Calming Draught vial he carried expressly for this meeting. He gave the vial to Hermione.

The brunette drank it whilst Draco said, "We'll save him, Hermione! I can't do it alone. Need your help, and  strength. Harry does as well. Together we'll save Harry, we'll set him free where he can find shelter from the storm!"

Once Hermione calmed down, Draco continued to explain. "Looking back over the last year, and hearing the story from your side, I get the feeling that there was a benevolent hand directing you. It's wonderful how Severus knew exactly when Harry needed to find the Gryffindor sword and sent him his Patronus. Isn't it wonderful how Harry received the Snitch and knew exactly what the clue entailed?"

"Well, I was there helping Harry all along," huffed Hermione.

Draco waved his hand. "I think coincidences multiply until they become overwhelmingly strange. It seems clear that Dumbledore somehow controlled things, even from beyond the grave. How could this be? It's easy to explain it all if part of Dumbledore's soul resided in Harry. Dumbledore would unobtrusively offer Harry his knowledge whilst everyone would rest assured that their hero Harry Potter had things under control."

"But when Harry died, Dumbledore himself explained it all!"

The blond went on, waving his arms wildly. "Ginny has told me about Harry's encounter in King's Cross after Voldemort killed Harry. Why in the nether hells hasn't anyone wondered how it could be that amongst all souls, Harry had to meet precisely Dumbledore? Why not his parents, or Sirius Black, or Remus Lupin? Why did it have to be the bloody Headmaster?" Draco said low under his breath, "Similar things attract, and the thread that binds the two forced them to meet."

Hermione said calmly, if a bit distractedly, "I refuse to think that Dumbledore is evil!"

"For the purposes of this talk, it doesn't matter if Dumbledore is the Wizard version of the Dalai Lama or a  demon. Either way, what interests me is that someone is taking away Harry's choices. His will and his life. I repeat it, I need your help, Granger."

Draco tried to appeal to Granger's logical side. "I want to point out Harry's duplicitous game, he is scheming to marry Ginny through the Marriage Law while he tries to actively pursue a relationship with me. That is something quite manipulative and Byzantine that Dumbledore would surely do. Harry did not like me before he became a hors crux, yet now he says he can't live without me."

The blond's sad gaze enthralled Hermione. "My nagging doubt which haunts me, is that maybe our coupling is Dumbledore's design. Thanks to Skeeter, we know that Dumbledore was gay. The bloody Headmaster may be influencing Harry so his personal history is repeated. Dumbledore was great friends with the Dark wizard Grellert Grindelwald - they were even lovers. Eventually they fought and Grindelwald ended up in Nurmengard prison. I cannot help but ask myself, is that supposed to be my fate, too?"

Hermione frowned. "In that case, if we heal Harry, he may decide to woo Ginny instead of you."

Draco, having finished the cola can, got up to get a glass of pumpkin juice. He turned to face Hermione and said passionately, "I don't care if Harry is gay, bi or straight. If he decides to go for Ginny, my heart will be broken, but I'll recover, knowing that it is Harry taking the decisions.

The blond lowered his gaze to the floor. "I've known what it feels to be made to follow another man's orders on pain of your life. I can only imagine what Harry's soul is going through. I'lll not leave him alone, just sitting and doing nothing when Harry goes through the motions of being a demigod, and his mind is in turmoil. I'd much rather have a flawed, yet human Harry, able to decide on his own."

"But why would Harry support a Marriage Law?"

Draco scowled at the witch. "You forget it is not Harry, but Dumbledore. Probably Dumbledore functions as Harry's 'conscience.' He knows how Harry suffers from guilt, and he may have used that to further his means. He could mentally hint to Harry that another pureblood war is inevitable unless conditions change dramatically. What better way to change than eliminating the Purebloods by making them marry Muggleborns? Dumbledore is certainly a skillful politician; he knows how to get his way. Perhaps by subtly buying Ministry officials like the Minister of Magic himself, promising the redistribution of the Pureblood wealth. Harry certainly talked with Woodgrinder, the General Manager of Gringott's, to get his support in this mad scheme."

Hermione shook her head sadly, hardly believing what Draco told her. Yet it had a certain ring of truth to it.

"The thing that we must always take into account in dealing with these matters is the difference between possession and seduction. In possessions like Ginny's in the Chamber of Secrets, the victim may realize that something is wrong, yet they are powerless to stop it. In seduction, the victim is brainwashed into doing something out of their own free will."

Draco pointed out the conditions of Potter's upbringing. "Harry was stuck up with his dreadful relatives for ten years. No one bothered to check living conditions there, even though he was the boy who saved us all. When Harry had the chance to see the Wizarding World and perform magic he jumped and grabbed it. His friends were duly met that day in the Hogwarts Express, perhaps with a little nudge from Dumbledore. The aged Headmaster became Harry's hero and mentor figure, especially when he sacrificed himself so nobly for the cause."

Hermione recalled Ron telling her all about the Dursley's harsh treatment, she had to concede Draco had a point.

"There are two mental images one can have from the former Headmaster, he could be all-knowing, all-twinkling and all-powerful, or he could be a bumbling fool that let appalling things happen regularly at Hogwarts without lifting a finger. Each of these images can stand on their own, but they cannot be true together, they contradict each other at the deepest level. I rather believe in an all-knowing Dumbledore."

"Well, I always looked up to him, Ron too and especially Harry." Hermione winced hearing her own words.

"Dumbledore knows about Harry's ideals because he carefully cultivated them. He knows Harry's weakness; chief amongst them is Harry's lack of guile. He tends to trust everyone. It must be child's play for Dumbledore."

Draco pointed a finger at his chest. "What Dumbledore didn't count on was me. I'm the unknown in the equation. You know Harry very well, Hermione. You've been in many adventures together with him and Weasel. He's always treated you politely and protected you; you have protected him in return."

"Ron and I are Harry closest friends. If what you say is true, how come we didn't notice?"

"Because I know him from a very different angle. I know Harry like a hunter knows a weary lion that lives in the nearby savannah. The hunter knows when the lion will pounce, what his weak points are, where his strengths lie. He is used to the growls, the unsheathed claws, and the subtle signal to attack. He knows this very well because survival demands it. Not even the lion's mate and cubs know him that well."

Draco went on, choking back a sob. "I also know him as a friend. Harry saved my family when you two declared in the Wizengamot. I'll never forget that I felt uplifted, joyous that Harry  finally noticed me positively. Things were progressing smoothly. Then I got the hunch that something was not right. I knew Harry very well, knew that his temper sometimes flared out of control. Yet now he always keeps his cool. It was remarkable at first, then quite uncanny."

Hermione mused. "Harry has never gotten angry since we returned for this final year..."

Draco went on. "Surviving under extreme conditions like those imposed by Voldemort leaves its toll. I grew to be a little weary of unexplained things. Small things kept happening with Harry, like when we went to Dervish and Banges in Hogsmeade and all the Sneakoscopes went off."

Hermione bit her bottom lip as she remembered Ron's Sneakoscope, the one that kept malfunctioning in 12 Grimmauld Place until they had to get rid of it. Obviously those Sneakoscopes were reacting to Harry's plots, or to put it more precisely, Dumbledore's.

Draco continued, "Those feelings led me to keep small things from Harry, like our opposition to the Marriage Law, and I'm glad I did that."

Hermione remembered something."There's one inconsistency with the scenario you paint. During the war, Harry had a very heated exchange with Remus Lupin. In fact he lost his temper with  poor Remus and said very hurtful things. If Harry was under Dumbledore's control, he wouldn't have done it!"

Draco tried to smile but it came out rather feebly. "That was during the period of time that Harry was still Voldemort's horcrux. Can't you see what it must be like, when the two horcruxes vied with each other? They  neutralized each other. Dumbledore's thoughts only came out when they were needed. After Voldemort's horcrux was destroyed, Dumbledore had more leeway, thus we began observing Harry's tilt towards good and safe."

Hermione nodded desolately whilst Draco frowned at her.

"Of course this tilt went unnoticed because people demanded that Harry perform to the usual standards of a hero - all affable and cheery. They care about the Boy Who Lived, and not Harry."

The blond stood up and paced back and forth, gesticulating wildly with his arms. "Well, I care about plain Harry. After saving the world, he must reap his reward and be free to make his own mistakes and grow old. Harry's situation is akin to that of a sea voyager in the Sixteenth Century, sailing a ship out of England, ruled by the Good Queen Bess, and seeking to land in Virginia at the other end of the wide ocean. Imagine that the captain meets contrary winds during the sailing, and the ship remains stationary. The voyager, looking windward, sees with desperation how his supply of food and drink dwindles everyday. Beneath the cold Atlantic night, he checks the stars and finds his position unchanged. They despairs of succor and prepare to meet the final dark night."

Draco shivered and wiped his cheeks unobtrusively. "Harry is alone amidst the crowds. He's lost his compass and I  imagine he's losing himself a bit every day whilst Dumbledore gains ground. The world apparently doesn't care, but I do. I intend to prevent this outrage. Everything is leading to this moment, Dumbledore and Voldemort plotting, my father, you, myself, we all have our parts to play."

He knelt down in front of the couch, gazing earnestly at Hermione. "I would inevitably fail acting alone. You and I together have a chance. We're not among the top students of Hogwarts for nothing! We'll face the demon and stare the beast in the eyes as we succeed. Take care and use your abilities as an Occlumens to the utmost. Harry must not know what we deliberate or all is lost. We need to formulate a plan of attack."

Draco stood up and again paced back and fro, waving his arms as he said forcefully, "I cannot, I will not let him face that alone! I will do what I can to help and succor my windbound Harry. Because he saved us and deserves to be saved in his hour of need. Because it is the right thing to do."

Draco's voice broke a little as he fought not to sob. "And because I love him, and I want to see him free and proud at last."

Hermione, who was crying by now, joined him in a hug. Draco desperately hugged her back.

The two students collected themselves after a short while.

Hermione finally asked, "Why do you need my help, Draco? Couldn't you use the help of Susan or Hannah?"

Draco said seriously, "You are the smartest witch I know. You also managed to gain mastery of wandless magic. You've become a formidable Occlumens. The last is especially important, as I suspect Harry has been using Legilimency on some of us to gain information about the Marriage Law. If he continues to do that with any of our group, we are still safe because he will be content with finding about our Marriage Law plans. However, if he suspects we know something deeper, the Dumbledore in him will pounce."

He took her hand, squeezing gently. "So you see why you are the only one I can trust with this information. This must remain our secret. I need your ideas on how to get rid of Dumbledore's hors crux while protecting Harry.

oOoOo

An exhausted Draco made it to his rooms, only to discover a Black Mirror with a note from his father. The blond read the note. Taking a quick look at his watch, he found it was still comparatively early, 10:00 pm. It had felt that a great deal of time had passed while he had been talking to Hermione but it had only been 3 hours.

Sighing, Draco reached for the Mirror. "Miriam Malfoy! Come on, Mi! I know you are there!"

Draco knew that Miriam disliked being called Mi, but following the hallowed traditions of older brothers everywhere, he liked to harass Mi now and then.

Grumbling, Miriam saw it was her brother and following the esteemed traditions of younger sisters around the world, she decided to tease him.

She said, "What's up, Conis? Still drawing as bad as ever?"

Draco smiled weakly, cheered by her sarcastic remark. "You just don't understand Cubism, Mi. You'll learn when you get older. How are mother and father doing?"

Miriam made a moue of distaste as she answered, "They left me to eat dinner alone! Said they had a disagreement or something, and just left."

Draco pondered how to tell the truth and protect his sister's delicate ears at the same time. "Well, leave them to do their stuff. Trust me, Mi, you don't want to barge in on them when they are like this."

Mentally Draco tried to erect mental bulwarks against the image of his father and mother enthusiastically snogging each other in their bedroom,  a scene he witnessed when he was six years old.

 "What are you learning at school?"

Miriam answered proudly, "To read.  I know most of the words, but I've difficulty with spelling. And arithmetic. We listen to children's tales? They're boring."

She smiled brightly. "I prefer mother's tales; they're quite good, especially the dragon ones."

"When are you going to the counselor?"

"Mother's taking me tomorrow. Mrs. Brown is nice,  talks kindly. Mother's also taking me to Milan? Someplace like that,  for a shopping trip."

"Milan, mmh? Better you than me. Listen, Mi, I have to leave. I'm tired and need to sleep. It was nice talking to you and remember, don't barge in on Narcissa and Lucius! You'll thank me  later."

"Bye Conis! Nice talking to you, better luck with your drawings!"

Draco put the Mirror carefully down in his trunk. He fell asleep with a smile on his face thinking about sweet Miriam. Though later he had nightmares concerning the trying days they would surely face.

Chapter twenty-seven