Icarus Rising: Chapter 1 by Ryokoblue
Chapter 1: "Icarus Rising 1"
1.
Around him, a bloody war raged on. The normally pitch black sky, illuminated by the countless spells flying through the air, embraced the scene as wizards on both sides fell by the numbers. Harry couldn't stop to think about that. He had but one goal in mind. Voldemort. To find and destroy him. Only then would the killing cease. Only then would everything be over. The sacrifices made by his friends and allies would all have been worthwhile.
Bellatrix lay dead at his feet. Harry would never admit it, but he had sought her out first. Put his personal feelings ahead of his political obligations and dueled with the witch. After trading several spells, Harry finally cast Incendio, stumbling back to watch her burn. She screamed and moaned; it should have been music to his ears. It wasn't. He clamped his hands over his ears and looked away, sick at the very sight of what he had done.
He didn't allow himself to stay distracted for long. Locating his greater target became his immediate priority. Before he could take two steps, however, he heard a familiar scream in the distance. Ron. He had completely lost track of his best friend in all the chaos. "Ron! Ron! Where are you?"
Ron continued to scream. Harry glanced around wildly, looking for his best mate. Even with the brightened, spell-streaked sky, his visibility was limited. "Lumos!" Harry exclaimed, scanning the battlefield.
Something caught his eye to his right; a twitching figure on the ground in blue robes. On top of the figure sat a beast with bright white wings and long pale hair. "Impedimenta!" Harry yelled, knocking the creature several feet away from the fallen Auror.
Harry knelt to help his fallen friend. "Ron! Thank god. Are you alright?"
"What the hell is that thing?!" Ron shouted.
Harry looked at the monster, struggling to right itself on the ground. It was bare-chested, wings flapping angrily behind it. It wore no shoes, and sported fingernails sharp like talons. Long, glistening fangs shone brightly amidst a row of white teeth. The eyes were bird-like, silver-rimmed with impossibly-wide pupils; long hair flowed over its chest, so blond it shown white in the moonlight. Harry gasped. "I think... I think that's a Veela."
"What? That doesn't look like any bloody Veela I ever saw. For starters, it's male."
"I suppose there would have to be some male-- Ron? Ron!"
The redhead had ceased to listen, attention rapt on the animal which he stared at, slack-jawed. Brushing Harry aside, Ron began crawling towards it. "Ron! What the hell are you doing?"
"Have to... touch him..."
"Oh no you don't," Harry tackled his friend. "That's a Veela, alright. You're just reacting to him."
"I have to tell him I'm the youngest Auror in a century," Ron panted, still struggling to move out of Harry's grasp.
"This is not a good time, Ron."
Harry looked up then making eye contact with the creature. Something bothered him about it. Something he couldn't put his finger on. Something about the Veela seemed almost... familiar. But he'd never met a male Veela before, of that he was certain. Vaguely, he remembered learning in Care of Magical Creatures that the Veela gene lay dormant in males. Beyond physical resemblance, males with Veela blood differed little from any other wizard.
The Veela froze upon meeting Harry's eyes. It didn't make a move to attack, simply staring at the pair of them. Harry leaned down to help Ron get to his feet and the creature growled. Harry halted his movements reflexively and the growling stopped. Unfortunately, that freed Ron to start crawling back towards the Veela and Harry was forced to grab his friend and drag him further away. The beast began growling again -- a low, rumbling sound -- and stalked towards them on all fours slowly. "Draco!" a voice boomed.
Draco?
A breathless and worn Lucius Malfoy ran up behind the Veela, wand at the ready. "Potter," he sneered, catching sight of the young man. "What a... pleasant surprise. My Lord will be so pleased when I take you crawling to his feet."
Harry didn't seem to hear. He couldn't peel his eyes off the figure behind the tall Death Eater. Draco. There was no doubt about it, this creature was Draco Malfoy. Virtually unrecognizable, but Malfoy nonetheless. Harry kicked himself for failing to see it before. The slate-grey eyes, the silver-blond hair; the pale, flawless skin. It was all there before him. Harry had never spent much time looking at the boy while they were at Hogwarts together, but recognition flooded through him now with a startling surety.
"See something you like, Potter?" Lucius scorned.
Harry blinked, and switched his gaze to the elder Malfoy's. "What did you do to him?"
Lucius ignored the question. "Draco. Kill the other. Leave Potter for the Dark Lord."
His son didn't move, simply continued staring at Harry from his crouching position several feet away. "Malfoy?" Harry appealed. "Malfoy, do you know who I am?"
Harry was grateful Ron had stopped squirming, having stopped to watch the interaction with wide, focused eyes. Draco blinked and cocked his head, peering at Harry and absently sniffing the air. "Draco!" Lucius boomed. "What's the matter with you? I gave you an order!"
Cursing his questionable instincts, Harry took a step towards the Veela. Draco tensed but otherwise made not a move. "Malfoy?" Harry tried again, walking slowly. "It's me, Harry Potter. I'm not going to hurt you." The lie tasted bitter on his tongue. One threatening move and the Veela would find himself at the wrong end of Harry's wand. Something told him that Draco wasn't exactly in his right mind at the moment and Harry had not been trained to take chances.
He came to a halt directly in front of the Veela, noting that the wings collapsed back at his approach. Extending a trembling hand, Harry reached out to touch the top of Draco's head. The moment his fingers made contact with the pure silk of Veela hair, the eyes closed and a low groan emitted from Draco's chest that sounded suspiciously like a purr. Do Veela purr? Harry thought, wildly.
Draco rubbed his head against the outstretched palm, fangs and talons receding before Harry's very eyes. "Harry?" Ron inquired behind him.
He didn't have the chance to answer. With a roar, Lucius Malfoy aimed his wand at Harry and attacked. "Crucio!"
Ron leapt to defend his friend, but before either Auror could move, Draco shot to his feet, wrapped Harry in his arms, and turned them around. The curse dissolved into nothingness, absorbed by his large, outstretched wings. The blond collapsed to the ground in pain. "Stupefy!" Harry screamed at a shell-shocked Lucius. Falling to his knees, Harry attempted his rouse his unlikely protector. "Malfoy, are you okay? Malfoy!"
"Harry, what the hell just happened?"
"I have no idea. Malfoy's hurt."
"Which one?" Ron gawked.
"Which one?! This one!"
"Draco? Who the hell car--" Ron stopped as he looked down at the Veela, promptly reaching out to touch him.
Draco growled and moved closer to Harry. "Ron, stop looking at him, it's messing with your head!"
"Right. No touching Malfoy. Got it. Could I just--"
"No! Go find Snape! He'll know what's going on here!"
"Yes, find Snape. Going. Right now."
"Stop ogling Malfoy and go!"
"Okay, okay!" Ron ran off.
Harry looked over to where Lucius lay on the ground, at a loss as to what to do. He rested several feet away, weakened and unable to defend himself, while his only child was little more than a mindless animal on the ground before Harry. Of course, it would be at that precise moment when Harry would finally spot Voldemort, cutting a swath through the ensuing violence directly towards him.
Draco, seemingly recovered, clutched Harry's arms in his hands and began nuzzling Harry's neck. "Malfoy! Get a hold of yourself! Voldemort's coming!" Draco pulled him closer. "Malfoy, stop! Let me go!"
The Veela froze and released Harry instantly. Harry blinked at the sudden change, but didn't spare a moment to question it as he shot to his feet, wand gripped tightly in hand, pointed unerringly at the approaching figure. Malfoy rose by his side, wings fully outstretched, watching with him as Voldemort neared. "Draco," the Dark Lord hissed. "Why aren't you attacking this boy? Don't you know who this is? He's against us, Draco." Voldemort looked down at the prone form of his top lieutenant. "Look what he's done to your father."
Malfoy said nothing, instead positioning his body directly between Harry and his enemy. Harry uttered a sound of protest, stepping out from behind a feathered wing in frustration. "Malfoy, move. Let me handle this."
"Eviscerate him, Draco," Voldemort rumbled. Harry glanced sideways at the Veela, who gave no acknowledgment of the command beyond the narrowing of his eyes. "Fine," Voldemort spat. "Avada--"
Harry leapt to push Malfoy out of the way, but his hands fell on empty air. Before he could even duck the curse, Malfoy had charged the Dark Lord, pinning him viciously to the ground. Harry bolted over, grimacing at the sight of Malfoy's clawed hand buried wrist-deep in Voldemort's gut. The Veela's fangs had descended once again, giving every bit the appearance of the wild animal Harry had first taken him for. "Malfoy! Malfoy, stop!" Draco froze instantly. "Move," Harry directed.
The Veela did as Harry ordered. A savaged Voldemort looked up at the green-eyed wizard and grinned through bloody teeth. "Ever... the hero..."
Harry put his boot down on Voldemort's chest and aimed his wand at his head. "You killed my parents. I should kill you the same way. As you've killed so many."
"Killing Curse," Voldemort snarled, blood beginning to pour from his grimacing mouth. "Don't have it... in you..."
Harry smiled a slow, unnerving grin. "I know. Congelo!" Voldemort barely had time to blink before his body froze over in an impossibly hard shell of ice. The cold continued seeping into his flesh until his insides themselves began to harden. Voldemort's eyes stared wildly at Harry as the boot on his chest rose to hover over his head. "This end's here," Harry swore, bringing his foot down on the face of the man who had started it all.
The head shattered into a million pieces. Aiming his wand, Harry uttered one final curse, exploding the remaining corpse into a shower of debris. The rain of ice quickly turned into a rain of blood as the spell ended and the scattered pieces of Voldemort returned to flesh and bone. Carrion covered the two still standing. Exhausted in every sense of the word, Harry fell to his knees, head bowed. Malfoy sank down beside him.
Without warning, Harry felt a rough tongue licking the blood off his cheek. "Malfoy!" he gasped, jumping away and rubbing his cheek.
Malfoy simply watched him, a curious look in eyes. Harry scrambled to his feet, Malfoy immediately following, prompting a gesture from Harry for the Veela to halt. To his left, Harry could see Snape and Ron approaching at breakneck speed. "Harry! Harry, are you alright?" Ron was hollering. "You're covered in blood!"
"It's not mine," Harry replied absently, wiping off his glasses.
Something squished beneath Ron's boot and he made a face. "What the hell is this?"
Harry glanced around. "This was Voldemort."
"What happened?" Snape demanded, overwhelmed with the implications of this moment.
"Well, Malfoy sort of... gutted him and then I--"
That's when Snape noticed Draco to Harry's left. He reached out to touch the Veela's hair, but Harry stepped between them first. "Professor, don't look at him. He's a Veela."
Snape shook himself out of it and turned his glare to Harry. "I don't know what the hell has been going on here, Potter, but I hope to Merlin you have a good explanation."
"Can it wait?" Harry queried, yawning. "I'm feeling rather... tired..."
Malfoy grabbed Harry's arms as the smaller man began to sway on his feet. Ron moved immediately to take Harry from him, but Malfoy growled and lifted the drowsy man up into his arms. "Malfoy!" Ron shrieked, deliberately not looking at the blond. "Put him down this instant or I'll hex you into next year!"
The Veela stood stagnant, unmoved by the outburst. Snape, meanwhile, had begun poking around at what little remained of his former Lord, inelegantly nudging large chunks around with his foot. "Weasley, get someone to... scrape this up."
"What?!"
"Be glad I'm not making you do it, Weasley!"
Ron gulped. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to take Malfoy into custody."
"I don't think he's going to let go of Harry any time soon, sir."
"Not that one." Snape pointed to the ground, a few feet away. "That one."
Ron glanced over at the unconscious Lucius. "What about... the other one?"
"Draco's... not himself. I have no idea what exactly has been done to him, but for now he appears to be pacified. Go now, things seemed to be quieting down."
Ron looked around. Snape was right. Death Eaters were scampering frantically in every direction, toppling over beneath the binding spells of the Light. He breathed a sigh of relief. Voldemort was dead. Harry had killed him, just as he was meant to. The war was over. Ron didn't want to think of the casualties yet. Every sibling he had but one was on the battlefield, not to mention his parents. Not to mention Hermione. Hermione...
"Move, Weasley!" Snape barked.
"What? Oh, right!" Ron took off to find the first member of the Order he could.
Snape cast a binding spell on Lucius in the event he revived before they could put him behind bars. Purposefully keeping his eyes on the ground, Snape walked back over to the creature that had once been his favored pupil and godson. "Draco," he spoke softly. Unthreateningly. "Put Potter down." Draco didn't budge. Snape tried again. "What do you want with him?" Silence. "Can you even understand what I'm saying to you? Put Potter down." Snape raised his wand. "I don't need to look at you to hex you."
Draco growled, tightening his grip on Harry. Before either could make a move, chains shot out of a wand behind the Veela, wrapping around his wings and arms. Draco cried out, falling to his knees and dropping Harry to the ground. Harry blinked, rousing fully in alarm. McGonagall approached them slowly from behind, wand still pointed at the Veela. Draco bucked and thrashed trying to get loose, as Harry scrambled back away on instinct.
This seemed to cause Draco even more pain. "Malfoy!" Harry reached out. "Calm down! It's okay. Don't resist." Draco's body stilled instantly. "That's it. No one's going to hurt you." Draco looked up at Harry, his eyes pleading and uncertain. "Everything's over," he continued evenly. "You don't have to fight anymore."
"Stupefy."
Draco slumped forward in his chains, eyes closing. Harry turned to glare at Snape. "Why the hell did you do that? I had him under control!"
"Potter, he's a Veela. Only one person could ever really have him under control."
"What do you me--"
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, running up together with Ron.
Harry looked at the pair of them, overwhelmed with relief. "Hi, Hermione."
"Are you okay? Is that Malfoy?"
"Sort of."
"Don't look at him, Granger," Snape snapped, just as she took a step in his direction.
She shook herself as if coming out of a trance. "What... what was that?"
"He's a Veela," Harry explained. "You know, we really should make a sign for him to wear."
Snape didn't dignify the quip with a response. "He'll have to go to Azkaban with his father."
"What?!" Harry leapt to his feet. "He saved my life!"
"Malfoy saved your life?" Hermione gasped.
"What do you propose be done with him, Potter?" Snape sneered. "He's too dangerous for St. Mungo's."
Harry conceded the point. "I suppose you're right. Just be careful. There's something off about him."
"Thank you for that brilliant observation. It's obvious he's become little more than an animal."
Harry opened his mouth, but McGonagall cut him off before he could protest. "This is neither the time nor the place, Mr. Potter. All three of you should be helping to collect prisoners. I'll see to Mr. Malfoy."
Nodding, Harry took one final glance at the unconscious blond before following his two best friends back into the open wound of a battlefield, infested with the dead and dying.
>>2
1.
Around him, a bloody war raged on. The normally pitch black sky, illuminated by the countless spells flying through the air, embraced the scene as wizards on both sides fell by the numbers. Harry couldn't stop to think about that. He had but one goal in mind. Voldemort. To find and destroy him. Only then would the killing cease. Only then would everything be over. The sacrifices made by his friends and allies would all have been worthwhile.
Bellatrix lay dead at his feet. Harry would never admit it, but he had sought her out first. Put his personal feelings ahead of his political obligations and dueled with the witch. After trading several spells, Harry finally cast Incendio, stumbling back to watch her burn. She screamed and moaned; it should have been music to his ears. It wasn't. He clamped his hands over his ears and looked away, sick at the very sight of what he had done.
He didn't allow himself to stay distracted for long. Locating his greater target became his immediate priority. Before he could take two steps, however, he heard a familiar scream in the distance. Ron. He had completely lost track of his best friend in all the chaos. "Ron! Ron! Where are you?"
Ron continued to scream. Harry glanced around wildly, looking for his best mate. Even with the brightened, spell-streaked sky, his visibility was limited. "Lumos!" Harry exclaimed, scanning the battlefield.
Something caught his eye to his right; a twitching figure on the ground in blue robes. On top of the figure sat a beast with bright white wings and long pale hair. "Impedimenta!" Harry yelled, knocking the creature several feet away from the fallen Auror.
Harry knelt to help his fallen friend. "Ron! Thank god. Are you alright?"
"What the hell is that thing?!" Ron shouted.
Harry looked at the monster, struggling to right itself on the ground. It was bare-chested, wings flapping angrily behind it. It wore no shoes, and sported fingernails sharp like talons. Long, glistening fangs shone brightly amidst a row of white teeth. The eyes were bird-like, silver-rimmed with impossibly-wide pupils; long hair flowed over its chest, so blond it shown white in the moonlight. Harry gasped. "I think... I think that's a Veela."
"What? That doesn't look like any bloody Veela I ever saw. For starters, it's male."
"I suppose there would have to be some male-- Ron? Ron!"
The redhead had ceased to listen, attention rapt on the animal which he stared at, slack-jawed. Brushing Harry aside, Ron began crawling towards it. "Ron! What the hell are you doing?"
"Have to... touch him..."
"Oh no you don't," Harry tackled his friend. "That's a Veela, alright. You're just reacting to him."
"I have to tell him I'm the youngest Auror in a century," Ron panted, still struggling to move out of Harry's grasp.
"This is not a good time, Ron."
Harry looked up then making eye contact with the creature. Something bothered him about it. Something he couldn't put his finger on. Something about the Veela seemed almost... familiar. But he'd never met a male Veela before, of that he was certain. Vaguely, he remembered learning in Care of Magical Creatures that the Veela gene lay dormant in males. Beyond physical resemblance, males with Veela blood differed little from any other wizard.
The Veela froze upon meeting Harry's eyes. It didn't make a move to attack, simply staring at the pair of them. Harry leaned down to help Ron get to his feet and the creature growled. Harry halted his movements reflexively and the growling stopped. Unfortunately, that freed Ron to start crawling back towards the Veela and Harry was forced to grab his friend and drag him further away. The beast began growling again -- a low, rumbling sound -- and stalked towards them on all fours slowly. "Draco!" a voice boomed.
Draco?
A breathless and worn Lucius Malfoy ran up behind the Veela, wand at the ready. "Potter," he sneered, catching sight of the young man. "What a... pleasant surprise. My Lord will be so pleased when I take you crawling to his feet."
Harry didn't seem to hear. He couldn't peel his eyes off the figure behind the tall Death Eater. Draco. There was no doubt about it, this creature was Draco Malfoy. Virtually unrecognizable, but Malfoy nonetheless. Harry kicked himself for failing to see it before. The slate-grey eyes, the silver-blond hair; the pale, flawless skin. It was all there before him. Harry had never spent much time looking at the boy while they were at Hogwarts together, but recognition flooded through him now with a startling surety.
"See something you like, Potter?" Lucius scorned.
Harry blinked, and switched his gaze to the elder Malfoy's. "What did you do to him?"
Lucius ignored the question. "Draco. Kill the other. Leave Potter for the Dark Lord."
His son didn't move, simply continued staring at Harry from his crouching position several feet away. "Malfoy?" Harry appealed. "Malfoy, do you know who I am?"
Harry was grateful Ron had stopped squirming, having stopped to watch the interaction with wide, focused eyes. Draco blinked and cocked his head, peering at Harry and absently sniffing the air. "Draco!" Lucius boomed. "What's the matter with you? I gave you an order!"
Cursing his questionable instincts, Harry took a step towards the Veela. Draco tensed but otherwise made not a move. "Malfoy?" Harry tried again, walking slowly. "It's me, Harry Potter. I'm not going to hurt you." The lie tasted bitter on his tongue. One threatening move and the Veela would find himself at the wrong end of Harry's wand. Something told him that Draco wasn't exactly in his right mind at the moment and Harry had not been trained to take chances.
He came to a halt directly in front of the Veela, noting that the wings collapsed back at his approach. Extending a trembling hand, Harry reached out to touch the top of Draco's head. The moment his fingers made contact with the pure silk of Veela hair, the eyes closed and a low groan emitted from Draco's chest that sounded suspiciously like a purr. Do Veela purr? Harry thought, wildly.
Draco rubbed his head against the outstretched palm, fangs and talons receding before Harry's very eyes. "Harry?" Ron inquired behind him.
He didn't have the chance to answer. With a roar, Lucius Malfoy aimed his wand at Harry and attacked. "Crucio!"
Ron leapt to defend his friend, but before either Auror could move, Draco shot to his feet, wrapped Harry in his arms, and turned them around. The curse dissolved into nothingness, absorbed by his large, outstretched wings. The blond collapsed to the ground in pain. "Stupefy!" Harry screamed at a shell-shocked Lucius. Falling to his knees, Harry attempted his rouse his unlikely protector. "Malfoy, are you okay? Malfoy!"
"Harry, what the hell just happened?"
"I have no idea. Malfoy's hurt."
"Which one?" Ron gawked.
"Which one?! This one!"
"Draco? Who the hell car--" Ron stopped as he looked down at the Veela, promptly reaching out to touch him.
Draco growled and moved closer to Harry. "Ron, stop looking at him, it's messing with your head!"
"Right. No touching Malfoy. Got it. Could I just--"
"No! Go find Snape! He'll know what's going on here!"
"Yes, find Snape. Going. Right now."
"Stop ogling Malfoy and go!"
"Okay, okay!" Ron ran off.
Harry looked over to where Lucius lay on the ground, at a loss as to what to do. He rested several feet away, weakened and unable to defend himself, while his only child was little more than a mindless animal on the ground before Harry. Of course, it would be at that precise moment when Harry would finally spot Voldemort, cutting a swath through the ensuing violence directly towards him.
Draco, seemingly recovered, clutched Harry's arms in his hands and began nuzzling Harry's neck. "Malfoy! Get a hold of yourself! Voldemort's coming!" Draco pulled him closer. "Malfoy, stop! Let me go!"
The Veela froze and released Harry instantly. Harry blinked at the sudden change, but didn't spare a moment to question it as he shot to his feet, wand gripped tightly in hand, pointed unerringly at the approaching figure. Malfoy rose by his side, wings fully outstretched, watching with him as Voldemort neared. "Draco," the Dark Lord hissed. "Why aren't you attacking this boy? Don't you know who this is? He's against us, Draco." Voldemort looked down at the prone form of his top lieutenant. "Look what he's done to your father."
Malfoy said nothing, instead positioning his body directly between Harry and his enemy. Harry uttered a sound of protest, stepping out from behind a feathered wing in frustration. "Malfoy, move. Let me handle this."
"Eviscerate him, Draco," Voldemort rumbled. Harry glanced sideways at the Veela, who gave no acknowledgment of the command beyond the narrowing of his eyes. "Fine," Voldemort spat. "Avada--"
Harry leapt to push Malfoy out of the way, but his hands fell on empty air. Before he could even duck the curse, Malfoy had charged the Dark Lord, pinning him viciously to the ground. Harry bolted over, grimacing at the sight of Malfoy's clawed hand buried wrist-deep in Voldemort's gut. The Veela's fangs had descended once again, giving every bit the appearance of the wild animal Harry had first taken him for. "Malfoy! Malfoy, stop!" Draco froze instantly. "Move," Harry directed.
The Veela did as Harry ordered. A savaged Voldemort looked up at the green-eyed wizard and grinned through bloody teeth. "Ever... the hero..."
Harry put his boot down on Voldemort's chest and aimed his wand at his head. "You killed my parents. I should kill you the same way. As you've killed so many."
"Killing Curse," Voldemort snarled, blood beginning to pour from his grimacing mouth. "Don't have it... in you..."
Harry smiled a slow, unnerving grin. "I know. Congelo!" Voldemort barely had time to blink before his body froze over in an impossibly hard shell of ice. The cold continued seeping into his flesh until his insides themselves began to harden. Voldemort's eyes stared wildly at Harry as the boot on his chest rose to hover over his head. "This end's here," Harry swore, bringing his foot down on the face of the man who had started it all.
The head shattered into a million pieces. Aiming his wand, Harry uttered one final curse, exploding the remaining corpse into a shower of debris. The rain of ice quickly turned into a rain of blood as the spell ended and the scattered pieces of Voldemort returned to flesh and bone. Carrion covered the two still standing. Exhausted in every sense of the word, Harry fell to his knees, head bowed. Malfoy sank down beside him.
Without warning, Harry felt a rough tongue licking the blood off his cheek. "Malfoy!" he gasped, jumping away and rubbing his cheek.
Malfoy simply watched him, a curious look in eyes. Harry scrambled to his feet, Malfoy immediately following, prompting a gesture from Harry for the Veela to halt. To his left, Harry could see Snape and Ron approaching at breakneck speed. "Harry! Harry, are you alright?" Ron was hollering. "You're covered in blood!"
"It's not mine," Harry replied absently, wiping off his glasses.
Something squished beneath Ron's boot and he made a face. "What the hell is this?"
Harry glanced around. "This was Voldemort."
"What happened?" Snape demanded, overwhelmed with the implications of this moment.
"Well, Malfoy sort of... gutted him and then I--"
That's when Snape noticed Draco to Harry's left. He reached out to touch the Veela's hair, but Harry stepped between them first. "Professor, don't look at him. He's a Veela."
Snape shook himself out of it and turned his glare to Harry. "I don't know what the hell has been going on here, Potter, but I hope to Merlin you have a good explanation."
"Can it wait?" Harry queried, yawning. "I'm feeling rather... tired..."
Malfoy grabbed Harry's arms as the smaller man began to sway on his feet. Ron moved immediately to take Harry from him, but Malfoy growled and lifted the drowsy man up into his arms. "Malfoy!" Ron shrieked, deliberately not looking at the blond. "Put him down this instant or I'll hex you into next year!"
The Veela stood stagnant, unmoved by the outburst. Snape, meanwhile, had begun poking around at what little remained of his former Lord, inelegantly nudging large chunks around with his foot. "Weasley, get someone to... scrape this up."
"What?!"
"Be glad I'm not making you do it, Weasley!"
Ron gulped. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to take Malfoy into custody."
"I don't think he's going to let go of Harry any time soon, sir."
"Not that one." Snape pointed to the ground, a few feet away. "That one."
Ron glanced over at the unconscious Lucius. "What about... the other one?"
"Draco's... not himself. I have no idea what exactly has been done to him, but for now he appears to be pacified. Go now, things seemed to be quieting down."
Ron looked around. Snape was right. Death Eaters were scampering frantically in every direction, toppling over beneath the binding spells of the Light. He breathed a sigh of relief. Voldemort was dead. Harry had killed him, just as he was meant to. The war was over. Ron didn't want to think of the casualties yet. Every sibling he had but one was on the battlefield, not to mention his parents. Not to mention Hermione. Hermione...
"Move, Weasley!" Snape barked.
"What? Oh, right!" Ron took off to find the first member of the Order he could.
Snape cast a binding spell on Lucius in the event he revived before they could put him behind bars. Purposefully keeping his eyes on the ground, Snape walked back over to the creature that had once been his favored pupil and godson. "Draco," he spoke softly. Unthreateningly. "Put Potter down." Draco didn't budge. Snape tried again. "What do you want with him?" Silence. "Can you even understand what I'm saying to you? Put Potter down." Snape raised his wand. "I don't need to look at you to hex you."
Draco growled, tightening his grip on Harry. Before either could make a move, chains shot out of a wand behind the Veela, wrapping around his wings and arms. Draco cried out, falling to his knees and dropping Harry to the ground. Harry blinked, rousing fully in alarm. McGonagall approached them slowly from behind, wand still pointed at the Veela. Draco bucked and thrashed trying to get loose, as Harry scrambled back away on instinct.
This seemed to cause Draco even more pain. "Malfoy!" Harry reached out. "Calm down! It's okay. Don't resist." Draco's body stilled instantly. "That's it. No one's going to hurt you." Draco looked up at Harry, his eyes pleading and uncertain. "Everything's over," he continued evenly. "You don't have to fight anymore."
"Stupefy."
Draco slumped forward in his chains, eyes closing. Harry turned to glare at Snape. "Why the hell did you do that? I had him under control!"
"Potter, he's a Veela. Only one person could ever really have him under control."
"What do you me--"
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, running up together with Ron.
Harry looked at the pair of them, overwhelmed with relief. "Hi, Hermione."
"Are you okay? Is that Malfoy?"
"Sort of."
"Don't look at him, Granger," Snape snapped, just as she took a step in his direction.
She shook herself as if coming out of a trance. "What... what was that?"
"He's a Veela," Harry explained. "You know, we really should make a sign for him to wear."
Snape didn't dignify the quip with a response. "He'll have to go to Azkaban with his father."
"What?!" Harry leapt to his feet. "He saved my life!"
"Malfoy saved your life?" Hermione gasped.
"What do you propose be done with him, Potter?" Snape sneered. "He's too dangerous for St. Mungo's."
Harry conceded the point. "I suppose you're right. Just be careful. There's something off about him."
"Thank you for that brilliant observation. It's obvious he's become little more than an animal."
Harry opened his mouth, but McGonagall cut him off before he could protest. "This is neither the time nor the place, Mr. Potter. All three of you should be helping to collect prisoners. I'll see to Mr. Malfoy."
Nodding, Harry took one final glance at the unconscious blond before following his two best friends back into the open wound of a battlefield, infested with the dead and dying.
>>2