Ch 25

Beginning of A New End

It was the day of Harry and Draco's wedding. However, Harry's mood was far from happy or giddily nervous. He woke up in absolute darkness, the shadow-creatures surrounding his bed. He was not surprised, or even angry. Instead he got out of his bed, put his glasses on, then walked. He arrived moments later into an empty bedroom where clothes were waiting laid out for him. It was a white wedding suit with a long back, almost robe-like. Harry frowned at it, it was something that he would never wear in his life. On the breast pocket was the Dark Mark sewn into it. Seeing it made Harry feel uneasy, both a mixture of pride and disgust. It was just another reminder that the day was not his, not truly. It was his father's.

Next to the wedding robes was a letter, written in his father's handwriting.

Potter, these are the robes you will be wearing to your wedding. You shall put them on and wait for me to personally escort you to the reception room. In the meantime, food will brought to you. You are to wait in this room. Do not leave. The door is locked for your own safety. Your wedding vows, along with a speech you will be giving during the reception afterwards, are both found on the vanity table. Memorize them. Commit them to heart and recite them at the appropriate times. The wedding will begin at three, with the reception continuing immediately afterwards. Do not worry about those meddlesome fools you deceive yourself with. They will not miss you.

Harry frowned at the letter. It only made his day worse as he heard a sound at the door. "Um, come in?" Harry said cautiously at the door. It opened only for a tray to float in unaccompanied, full of food. It set itself down on a nearby table, the door closing with a small clicking sound. "Of course, nobody would be there," Harry muttered. He sat down and stared at his breakfast for a moment before eating. He wondered what the others were doing, did they notice he was gone yet? Or that he was still sleeping. He remembered the potion he gave Ron and Hermione a few months ago and hoped that its effects would have wore off. "Either way," he said, "I'm not leaving here until the wedding, so I might as well get ready for it. I hope Draco is having an easier time."

.

"Harry! Ron! Wake up, Breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Weasley called out, knocking on the door. "Wake up." She kept knocking until the door opened and Ron yawned at her, looking extremely groggy. "Finally," she huffed. "Get dressed and downstairs," she said, "We're visiting your father after breakfast—and wake Harry up too."

"Yeah, alright," Ron yawned. He closed the door and Mrs. Weasley shook her head before making her way back down the basement kitchen. She was at the stairway when the door opened once more, Ron walking out still in his pajamas. "Harry's already up," he said. "He's not in bed."

"Well he's not in the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley said, "Go get dress and I'll find him. He has to be in one of these rooms."

Ron nodded and closed the door before he could see his mother's worried face. Walking urgently, Mrs. Weasley made her way back to the kitchen where both Sirius and Lupin were sitting. "Have either of you seen Harry?" she asked worryingly. "He wasn't in his room."

"No, I haven't," Lupin said. "He must have woken up earlier."

"But where would he go?" Sirius asked. "Most of the rooms here are still full of trash."

"Either way I'm sure he'll be here soon enough," Lupin said, "Let's not worry yet."

"But what if something happened?" Sirius said. "What if he got hurt or captured?"

"No! No! I will not even think of the possibility!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Remus is right, he'll be here soon enough for breakfast. Let's all just calm down and relax before the children get here. Sirius, go get the plates out, will you?"

Sirius got up and helped set the table. The Weasley children and Hermione, who arrived only a day prior, arrived and sat down for breakfast. Noticing Harry's absents, the adults shared worried looks. "Where's Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Probably cleaning his broomstick," Fred snickered.

"Fred!" Mrs. Weasley yelled, giving him a sharp glare.

"What? I didn't say anything," Fred said, failing to hide his mirthful giggles. "It's good for a Quidditch player to clean his broomstick regularly—ow!" A wooden spoon smacked his hand lightly.

"That's enough of that talk," Mrs. Weasley said. She gave a warning look to the twins. They all filled their plates with breakfast and Mrs. Weasley looked around. "I'll save a plate for Harry," she said, "Just in case he got lost. God knows that it's a mess around here mostly."

They started eating, Sirius, Lupin, and Mrs. Weasley glancing at the kitchen entrance every now and again expecting Harry to walk in, but he never came. They were done with breakfast, everyone having seconds, and Ron having thirds, but still Harry's plate sat on the side, growing cold as it waited for him. "This is bad," Sirius muttered to Mrs. Weasley.

"He has to be around here somewhere," she frowned.

"I'll look around while you are at St. Mungo's," Sirius offered.

Mrs. Weasley thought for a second before agreeing. She then looked at her children and told them all to get ready, for they'll leave as soon as Tonks arrive.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked. "He didn't show up."

"Don't worry about him, Ron," Mrs. Weasley said. "Harry will meet up with us at the hospital."

Ron looked as worried as Mrs. Weasley and Sirius were, but went to get ready either way. The adults alone in the kitchen, they looked at each other. "Should we tell Dumbledore?" Lupin asked.

"I'm not sure," Mrs. Weasley said, "I really hope that Harry is just lost here in this house… we've barely started on the fourth floor."

"But all that is on there is my room and…" Sirius stopped, looked worried and stood up quickly. "I'll check there right now," he said before rushing out the room. Lupin and Mrs. Weasley shared a confused look before starting to clean up. By the time they were done, Sirius came back looking a little colder. "He wasn't there," he said.

"Are you alright Sirius?" Lupin asked.

"I'm fine Remus," Sirius said. "I'll look around the rest of the house, go give Arthur my best regards, eh?"

"If you're sure," Remus said, looking uncertain. Sirius just flashed a smile at him and assured him that everything will be fine.

"I'll find Harry quickly," he said, "He'll be at the hospital before you even realize he was missing breakfast!"

Mrs. Weasley and Lupin still looked uncertain, but they didn't talk about it anymore. Instead they left it to Lupin to search the house as Tonks arrived, and they all left for St. Mungo's.

.

Harry was extremely bored locked in the room. He was dressed in his wedding robe and sitting in front of the vanity table, where his vows and speech laid. Feeling miserable, he decided that he should read both, in order to just avoid his father's wrath.

"I wish I could at least be with Draco," he sighed as he picked up the vows. "'I, Harry Potter, take Draco Malfoy to be wedded as my husband. To have and to obey, from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health till death do us part. I will be your servant, your lover, and your faithful and loyal husband.' My father has no sense of romance," Harry sighed. He did not even think of his wedding vows, of what he will say to Draco when they will be married. It then hit him, how young both he and Draco are. "I want to be married but we're so young," he spoke to himself, looking in his reflection.

As he looked at himself he felt older. His eyes looked tired; the youthful green that shimmered now dulled. His face seemed paler, there were worry lines on his forehead and he looked unhappier. He looked more a tired adult, then a teenager. Looking away from the mirror, he picked up the speech and read it.

"'Thank you all for coming to my and Draco's wedding, and thank you all even further for coming to this celebration of not only our wedding, but more importantly the return of our Dark Lord, my father. Yes, my father. I, who was once the beacon of Light for Dumbledore and all of his followers have found the error of my way, and pledged myself to our master, our Dark Lord. It was through his kindness and mercy did I survive that faithful night on his revival, and it was through his generosity that he became my teacher. Together, I have begun to learn the truth, to learn the culture and views of purebloods, of how right they are, and how strong our side and society must be in order to overthrow all who oppose us. It is with this strong belief that I followed my father's footsteps and allowed myself the honor to becoming his son through blood. Through his blood I have cleansed my body of all impurities, becoming pure in every sense of blood and his. Now his son and heir, I am honored to take my place next to him and do my Lord's bidding both in loyalty to him as my master and father.

"'It is in this loyalty that I am honored and excited to bind the Malfoy family to our Dark Lord. By tying our two families together, not only am I strengthening the Malfoy's loyalty to our cause and Lord, but I am showing the world the future my father, our Dark Lord, will build. A world for Purebloods. A world where those who are deemed superior will be in charge, and those lesser will be in their true subservient roles. I am a Pureblood; I am part of the proud few who are worthy to rule Wizardkind and follow my father's example. Together, everyone here will achieve greatness. But only through my father, only by following the Dark Lord shall greatness be upon us, and our natural order will be restored!'"

Harry frowned and crumpled the speech in disgust. He never believed any of that. The world that his father is building is one that is furthest of what he wants. "It's disgusting," he said, "I only like aspects, the submissive aspects, the noble aspects of this society. The rest can burn." He took out his wand and aimed it at the crumpled speech, smiling madly as he watched it spark and burn. When the speech was just a pile of ash, Harry checked the time to see that he had two hours till his wedding.

Standing up to stretch, Harry's thoughts turned again to Draco and their situation. He wanted the day to be over. The last two hours seemed to drag on. His boredom was soon replaced by anxiety and nervousness. Laying on his bed for the last hour, Harry jumped up more in shock than relief when there was a loud knock on his door, and Lord Voldemort entered. "Follow me, Harry," he said, "it's time."

.

Sirius was going mad. He ran around house several times, yelling at the portraits who yelled back at him, looking in every small hiding hole and room he could think of but there was no sign of Harry. With each room he looked in, the more desperate and frantic he became. "KREACHER!" he yelled, looking in the first floor drawing room for the third time. "KREACHER! Get over here you useless elf!"

There was a crack, and Kreacher appeared in front of Sirius, bowing so low that his nose pressed against the floor. "What can I do you for, Master?" Kreacher asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Did you look in all the pantries? The closets? Are you sure that you haven't seen Harry?" Sirius said, "I swear I'll ring you by the neck if you're lying!"

"Never lie, Kreacher never lie. I haven't seen the Potter boy. Not that I want to see such an ugly boy—"

"THIS IS NO TIME FOR YOUR OPINIONS!" Sirius roared. "HARRY IS MISSING AND I CANNOT FIND HIM!"

"Harry is missing?"

Sirius whirled around to see Mundungus Fletcher standing in the doorway. "Well, that's a surprise, ain't it?" he said.

"Fletcher!" Sirius said, "Do you know something?"

"Me? No, no, I don't know anything about Harry," Fletcher said.

"Then why are you here?" Sirius demanded.

Fletcher shrugged, "Can't I just be here to spread some Christmas cheer?" he said.

"Now's not the time," Sirius said irritably. He pushed Fletcher out of the way into the hallway. "I need to get Dumbledore."

"You think that's wise?" Fletcher said, "I heard that he's being watched a little closely."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"Well with that Umbridge woman and the Ministry and stuff… Dumbledore's a busy man," Fletcher said.

"So? We still need to tell him about Harry!" Sirius said, "He could be in trouble for all we know!"

"Well he is a teenager," Fletcher shrugged, "that's what they do. When I was his age I was also deep into trouble, and a few gir—"

Sirius pushed Fletcher against the wall, his arm on his throat with his wand jabbed in his cheek. "Do not joke about this," Sirius threatened. "My godson is missing! And you think now is the time to talk about you?"

His nostrils flared as he glared at Fletcher for a long moment. Scared, Fletcher kept his hands up until Sirius let him go and moved towards the front hall. "I don't care if he's being watched or not—I need Dumbledore here now!" he said. His wand still in his hand, he stood in front of the front door and opened it. Concentrating, he aimed his wand outside. "Expecto Patronum!" he called out clearly. His wand burst into a brilliant light and a large wolf made of white light jumped into existence. "Dumbledore, Harry is missing. Come immediately!" Sirius said to the Patronus. The wolf Patronus gave a howl and jumped out of the house and out of sight. Sirius slumped against the wall, closing the door. "All we can do now is wait," he said, glancing at Fletcher who was still eyeing Sirius cautiously. Ignoring him, Sirius decided to go back to the kitchen, his throat suddenly feeling very sore from his screaming.

.

The reception room was one of the bigger rooms in Malfoy Manor. It was decorated lavishly. It reminded Harry of a church. Marble columns were erected on either sides of the room, holding the ceiling. In the direct middle of the room, lining with two huge wooden doors through which both Harry and Voldemort entered, was a dark red carpet trimmed with gold, leading between rows upon rows of eloquent seats, all glittering and balancing precariously on three legs that met in the center. On each chair sat a witch or wizard that Harry knew but hated, all dressed in their finest. Shimmering crystal bubbles and baubles floated in the air, glistening in the candlelight, and even producing their own light. Music was playing softly somewhere, and Harry was surprised to hear that it was actually sweet sounding, almost romantic. Something that would normally play at a wedding. I guess music was Mrs. Malfoy's responsibility, he thought to himself.

The carpet led down to the far end of the room, where an elevated platform was waiting, and on top was Draco, dressed in a simple, but handsome, black suit. Draco and Harry's eyes connected and shared a faint smile. Harry focused on Draco as he and Voldemort walked up the aisle, ignoring the looks, and most likely sneers, the people were giving him. As the music died down, they reached the platform and climbed the short steps, and a second later Harry was once against in Draco's arms.

"I missed you so much," Draco whispered.

"I missed you too, sorry that I had to leave so suddenly," Harry whispered back.

"I understand, don't worry."

Voldemort moved in front of them, and all mutters and whispers stopped. "My friends, followers," he called out. "Today we are gathered here to celebrate the joining of my blood, my heir and apprentice, to the Malfoy Family!" Harry had to resist a sigh. He and Draco squeezed each other's hands. "Today, my son… Harry Potter himself, whom I have stolen from the Light and bred into my own child will join in holy matrimony with Draco Malfoy, the son of my most loyal of followers."

There was a huge commotion, that died down instantly as Voldemort raised his hands. "Silence!" He called out. "Before we move forward with this union, if there are any reasons on why this couple should not be wed today, speak now or forever hold your peace." Voldemort paused and stared at his followers, as if daring someone to speak. Surprisingly, both Daphne Greengrass and Pansy Parkinson stood in unison, and Voldemort's eyes fell on them.

"Sit down Pansy!" Pansy's father said in an urgent whispered that carried throughout the room.

"Daphne! No!"

"Let us hear it," Voldemort said, his voice sending a deathly chill throughout. "Girls, why shouldn't Draco Malfoy wed my son?"

The room went deathly quiet, all eyes turning to the two fifteen year old girls, who stood so proudly and so confidently, as if they were about to do something spectacular. "He's a half-blood! And a disgusting Potter!" Pansy Parkinson said.

"And he insulted my family for no reason!" Daphne said, "He made Draco slap Pansy and insult me! He is acting completely different! Potter has him entranced!"

The room stayed silent as Voldemort turned from the girls to Harry and Draco. "Boys?"

"I've only hit Parkinson because she was insulting Harry, and both her and Greengrass had forgotten that Harry is your son… my lord," Draco said in a smooth voice. "I was only protecting my boyfriend's reputation."

"A valid reason if any," Voldemort said, "especially since my son's reputation reflects my own… such as actions against my son will be treated as if they were actions against me." He paused, letting the threat linger before continuing. "If there are no more objections, we will not move onto the vows they have written for their partners."

You mean you've written, Harry thought. "Draco, you will start," Voldemort said.

Draco turned to Harry and took both hands in his. "I, Draco Malfoy, vow to take Harry Potter as my loving husband. To have and to hold, to cherish and protect, from now till the rest of time. Harry, I know that our past has been rough, but I believe that it is because of our rough past that our love will shine through, and through our marriage, it will only grow ever stronger. I promise to be the caring husband that you need, and to always be there."

They smiled and despite himself, Harry found himself tearing, sniffling slightly. "Harry, your vows," Voldemort said.

Harry sniffled and wiped his eyes before saying the vows that his father wrote for him, wishing that he had the foresight to add more. "'I, Harry Potter, take Draco Malfoy to be wedded as my husband. To have and to obey, from this day forward, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health till death do us part. I will be your servant, your lover, and your faithful and loyal husband." He paused, Voldemort looked as if he was about to say something, but Harry continued, "I wished that I could have accepted your hand back when you first gave it to me, but I am also grateful that I refused it. We had a lot of arguments and battles… our rivalry was pretty big, wasn't it?" He gave a cheeky grin, "but despite it all, I don't regret a single second. I knew you more than anyone at Hogwarts, Draco, and because of that I know that we're meant for each other. I love you so much Draco, more than the world."

"Yes, well with vows taken, if we may present, the rings," Voldemort said. He took out his wand and with a wave, a small pillow appeared, on which two golden rings laid. "Take the rings," he commanded. Harry and Draco did. "Draco, slip your ring onto Harry's finger, and repeat after me."

Harry held his hand out and Draco slipped the golden ring on his finger, repeating after Voldemort, "With this ring I name you mine, you are my lover, my submissive, and my husband. I will take care of you, as you take care of me. Command you as you obey me. And love you as you love me." The ring glowed on Harry's finger, and he felt a warm sensation.

"Good… now Harry, take the ring and repeat after me," Voldemort said.

Harry nodded. He placed the ring on Draco's finger and said, "With this ring I name myself yours. I am your lover, your submissive, and your husband. I will take care of you as you take care of me. Obey you as you command me. And love you as you love me." The ring on Draco's finger glowed as Harry's. Voldemort waved his wand around the two hands. The glow grew in strength and two small orbs trailed from the rings, hovering for a moment before following Voldemort's wands, entwining and twisting around both hands, their trails of light dancing with one another until, with a twitch of the wand, they shot towards Harry and Draco's chest, a warm sensation growing around their hearts.

The light began to fade until the rings grew normal. Voldemort returned his wand and spoke again, "The two are now tied as husband and submissive," he said, "In my power, Draco, you may kiss your submissive."

"Been waiting for this part," Draco muttered, causing Harry to giggle before their lips smashed against one another, gliding across as the faint sound of clapping reached their ears. Their eyes slipped close, Draco holding Harry tightly as their kiss continued. When they separated, Voldemort forced them to step back as he walked between them. His wand in his hand, he gave a sweeping wave and the room changed. The seats the guests were sitting floated up, moving among themselves as tables appeared and they floated down, sitting where both Voldemort and Mrs. Malfoy planned weeks before. On the platform, a large table appeared with five chairs. Harry frowned at this, watching as Voldemort moved to sit in the center chair, Harry and Draco left to sit on one side of the table, and Draco's parents the other.

Once everyone was settled, and food was on their plates, Voldemort stood up and silence fell once more onto the room. "My son has prepared a speech to celebrate this momentous day," he said. He turned to Harry, and as their eyes met, an anger inside Harry snap. This was supposed to be his day, a day that came too early, but still his father made it about him. And there was no way that Harry would repeat that speech like a mindless drone.

So instead Harry stood up, he looked down at his husband and reached for his hand, holding it tightly.

"I started learning the Dark Arts not because I believe in some message or culture, but because I thought that it was the only way to get to Draco," he began. "I first read about the Submissive Clause, and like a naive boy I fell in love with the idea. Being tied to one man, the man you love, and having your union honored above any other… it was a perfect romantic daydream for a small gay child, suffering in a tiny room or cupboard as he waited to return to his true home in September. A daydream that became a reality thanks to my father, your Dark Lord. Because of him, I've fell to the Dark Arts. I've learned the spells, the curses, and most of all your society and culture. And it is with this learning that I can say the following proudly: I despise each and every one of you. I long for the day where I can watch you all die, choking by your backwards beliefs and idiotically toxic ideology." Harry paused. There was a loud outrage. He smirked at them all, his eyes meeting each pair of angry eyes glared back at them. Calmly he pointed his wand at his throat, repeating the spell he watched Dumbledore use to amplify his voice. "Yes! The pureblooded ideology! Your pitiful belief that having no muggle blood in you makes you superior. That is the most heinous and pitiful thing about your culture. You actually believe that you are superior than half bloods, then muggleborns—because you all would rather keep the blood pure in faux-incestuous marriages instead of reaching out. Look at the Goyles, the Crabbes and the Parkinsons! Look at their spawn and see the ruin that is your own creation!

"The Pureblood Society is nothing, means nothing. It is just hatred, an old and pitiful hatred longing for a past that never existed. You look to the Dark Arts, to my father to bring back your superiority, and instead fall into a dangerous and fatal ideology, become a slave to a man whose concerns are only for his own power. The muggleborns and half-bloods did not make you weak—you have! All of you in your disgusting beliefs have made yourself weaker! And I for one cannot wait to watch you all fall. For without you—without the Parkinsons, the Crabbes, the Goyles, the Greengrasses—without the whole lot of you! Those who rely on hatred and bigotry and call it superiority, with you dead, the world will become a better place. So thank you for coming to my and Draco's wedding, I hope you all choke."

.

Dumbledore arrived at Grimmauld Place to find Sirius, Fletcher, Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, and Tonks sitting worryingly in the kitchen. "How long as he been gone?" he asked, "When was the last you all seen Harry?"

"Last night," Sirius said, "Harry and I were talking in one of the drawing rooms, I was telling him things his dad and I got into. After that, he went to bed around eleven. I stayed up an hour to finish my drink then I went to bed."

"I've seen him last night too," Mrs. Weasley nodded. "He helped me with the dishes then said goodnight. He looked rather worried or nervous."

"He did? He didn't show me that," Sirius said.

"Could it be possible that Harry was kidnapped during the night?" Lupin suggested. "This house is almost impenetrable, but it could be possible that You-Know-Who or his followers could have—"

"Harry sleeps with Ron," Mrs. Weasley said, "they both shared a room. If someone snuck in, it surely would have woken Ron up! And he was the one who told us that Harry wasn't in his bed."

"And when was that?" Dumbledore asked. "Do you remember?"

"Around eight I think," Mrs. Weasley said, "We had to get ready to go visit Arthur at St. Mungo's."

"So sometime between eleven in evening and eight in the morning Harry disappeared," Dumbledore said, sounding very troubled. He looked at Mrs. Weasley, "Where are the children?"

"In their rooms," Mrs. Weasley said, "this isn't something they really should hear about."

"Do you think this is connected to the weapon?" Tonks suggested.

"Perhaps, we do not know for sure," Dumbledore said. He was silent for a long moment, lost in thought. He then turned to Mrs. Weasley, "I would like to see Harry's room," he said.

"Of course, yes," Mrs. Weasley said. Everyone stood up, the room full of the scrapping of chairs being pushed in. Mrs. Weasley led the small army of adults of the kitchen basement and up the few sets of stairs, quiet and softly so as not to wake the portraits, until they were in front of Harry's room.

Dumbledore opened the door, and Ron jumped out of his bed, sweaty. "Professor Dumbledore!" he squeaked.

"Sorry to interrupt your napping, Ron," Dumbledore said good-naturedly. He took out his wand and stopped, looking slowly around the dark, barely decorated room. Mrs. Weasley was making movements to get Ron out of the room, hissing at him but Dumbledore shook his head. "For this, I believe young Ronald can stay," he said, "they are roommates, and best friends after all."

"Is this about Harry?" Ron asked. "Did you find him?"

"Ron!"

"It is alright, Molly," Dumbledore said, "but no we have not find Harry yet. Instead, I would like to look around your room in case there are traces of the Dark Arts."

With his wand, Dumbledore began muttering to himself, walking slowly around the room tapping the walls and furniture as he went. Every now and again, he would stop at a place and tap it several times before muttering "interesting" or "curious" before moving on. Three times, he surveyed the room, always returning to the same spots, lingering in the dark corners or forgotten spaces that many rooms can have. Every now and again he stopped and whirled around, standing in place as he eyes darted this way and that before turning back again and resumed his muttering and pacing. "There is magic here," he said, "strong dark magic… magic that is new to this house yet older than anything I have encountered before."

"Do you know what it is?" Sirius asked. "What took my godson?"

"I do not," Dumbledore said, "however we may see in a moment. … For I wonder if any of you have also noticed this."

"What is it?" Sirius asked.

"We are being watched—and by something ingenious I must say so myself," Dumbledore said. "Never would I have imagined the shadows themselves to be working against us."

"Shadows? What do you mean?" Sirius demanded. "Dumbledore what is going on!?"

"Patience, Sirius, let me see if I cannot invite a shadow to answer your questions," Dumbledore said. He looked around, "But there is far too much light in here—Ron, if you would please, be a good lad and close the curtains and extinguish the candles?"

Ron nodded and moved quickly around the room, closing the curtains over the windows and snuffing the candles he had lit. The room became darker, but still easy to look around. Dumbledore turned his wand to the darkest corner of shadow. He started chanting in a language none of them understood, and almost immediately there was a loud howling that filled the room. Dumbledore kept the chanting, as wind magically picked up in the room, sweeping and whirling around, pushing the furniture against the walls and pushed everyone inside, the door slamming shut. The unearthly howling continued, and Mrs. Weasley gave a gasp of shock as red eyes appeared in the corner.

"What is that?" Lupin demanded, but his question went unanswered as the red eyes shook as though in pain. Dumbledore kept his wand aimed at them, and from the corner a shadow, black as night, seemed to be ripped away from the others. Its red eyes moved erratically all over the ripped body, never resting in one place as a slit opened for it to scream. Dumbledore reached out his free hand, fingers stretched out ready to grab the creature. The shadow stretched and tore, struggling to stay in one piece as the red eyes all screamed violently. The others all covered their ears in pain, but Dumbledore kept his focus until, at last, with a great strain the shadow flew into his free hand and he grasped it tightly.

It's screaming died down as Dumbledore's wind forced the curtains open and the candles flared to life and light was reintroduced to the room. The dark creature struggled in Dumbledore's hand. It was long, about two feet, and slender with no real shape as it reminded Sirius simultaneously of rope, a snake, and a very long tongue. Dumbledore pressed his wand against the creature and a cage appeared, locking it in place. It stayed still, any motion of life gone from the creature as it sat in the light.

"What is that?" Lupin repeated breathlessly, staring at it curiously. "I never saw a creature like this…"

"This, I believe, is one of the many creatures that took our young Harry," Dumbledore said, out of breath.

"But what is it?" Sirius asked.

"From a guess, a creature of shadows," Dumbledore said. "It seems to prefer the dark, moving in it easily but, as you can see, it is motionless in light. At least that is what I am theorizing." He moved the cage from the light to a nearby shadowed dresser. He placed it on top and watched as the creature started to move, groggily as if it woke up. Dumbledore took the cage away from the shadows and the creature again laid limp in the light. "Fascinating… it can only move in shadows," Dumbledore said. "Hand me that candle—we must keep this creature in light at all times."

Sirius handed Dumbledore the candle and the two men stared at the creature. "This creature will tell us where Harry is," Dumbledore said, "but until then, we must relax and study this creature closely."

Sirius looked uneasy but agreed. Glaring at the creature, he said, "If you harmed one hair on my godson, you will be sorry," and left. Dumbledore followed, his focus on keeping the candle near the cage, his thoughts on his student and worrying for his safety.

.

Harry and Draco were laughing. As soon as Harry finished his speech, darkness overtook them, and the two began to run until they appeared in a bedroom unfamiliar to Harry. It was big with a king's size bed, two long dressers standing next to each other, and a lavish sitting corner, fireplace, mirrors and nightside tables. "Where are we?" Harry asked.

"A family home in France," Draco said. "This is where I want us to spend the night, away from everything." He kissed Harry roughly and guided him to bed. They kicked their shoes off as they kissed, holding onto one another until both were comfortable, cuddling by the pillows. "Did you mean it?" Draco asked hesitantly.

"Mean what?" Harry asked.

"Everything you said, about hating everyone… do you mean it?" Draco asked.

Harry frowned. "I do," he nodded. "All of them… I hate all of them. There are a few exceptions, your parents and our friends obviously, but besides that… I hate them all, including my father."

"You said you wanted to kill them," Draco said, looking worried. "I knew you were learning the Dark Arts, but I never saw you so angry…"

"I know," Harry said, "we both have done terrible things, but… I can still feel it inside me. My anger, my hatred. It's growing more and more each day. I—I never felt like this before, not since I started learning the Dark Arts."

"Do you think the Dark Lord might have something to do with this?" Draco asked.

"Most likely," Harry nodded. "The more he taught me, the easier I found to feel the hatred and anger inside me. It's like a force just gnawing inside me. Turning me closer and closer into my father, I think." He sighed and looked at his love. "He told me that I'm a Horcrux. A thing that he made, unintentionally, that sort of holds onto a piece of his soul."

"Wait… you mean that the Dark Lord's soul is inside you—like right now?" Draco asked.

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "and because of that, he cannot die." He frowned. "And neither can I, not really anyway. He just wants to use me, I think, to keep his soul safe. Because if it's destroyed, then he can die."

"Why are you telling me this?" Draco asked.

"Because I love you, because I want to keep you safe, keep us safe," Harry said. "Everything the Purebloods are doing, everything my father is doing, it'll just make our world a worse place. You know how Pansy and Greengrass acted, how wrong they are and how angry it made all of us feel."

"Yeah," Draco nodded. "I'm working so hard to get your friends' trust and it seems like they can break it at any moment."

"Well, Voldemort wins, it'll be worse, much worse. The most extreme beliefs you grew up on will be established I fear…" Harry said.

"So? We can't exactly kill him, can we?" Draco asked.

"No… at least I don't think so," Harry frowned. "But wouldn't you agree that in the long run it'll be safer for us… for our family if we leave him?"

Draco thought and nodded, "Yeah love, it is," he said. He sighed, extremely tired. "So what should we do?"

"Leave my father," Harry said. "We will tell Dumbledore everything, see if he knows more and if not…" he sighed and took a deep breath, looking Draco in the eye, he said, "if Dumbledore cannot help us, then I will use my father's training against him. I'll kill any and all of his followers who will remain loyal to him."

Draco exhaled slowly. "I'm with you," he said.

"Thank you," Harry smiled. He snuggled closer and sighed, "I thought wedding nights were all supposed to be about fun and, well, you know."

"Sex," Draco said, Harry nodded. "Well… we can try again when we have a real wedding that we plan, in our twenties of course."

"Of course," Harry agreed, smiling tiredly. "Would you hate me if I fall asleep right now?"

"Harry Potter-Malfoy, there is nothing you can do that will make me hate you," Draco said. "You're mine boy, and I love you forever."

"I love you too," Harry said. They gazed at each other and Draco gently took Harry's glasses off. They shared one more kiss before falling into a peaceful sleep, all too aware of the dangers that waited for them on the horizon. Overhead, dark clouds gathered over Britain and France, but, for now, none of that mattered, and all was well.

THE END