(fic) HP -- Wings Eclipsing Night pt.9; HP/DM
Wings Eclipsing Night
Part 9: Summer in Winter
by KC
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Harry, Draco and all the rest; they'd do a lot more stuff than they do in the books and it'd all be rated R through X. Alas, however, I do not.
Other info: Post-HBP, dark!Harry, veela!Draco.
Summary: Draco finally meets his family.
previous chapters: Beneath a Shattered Fountain, Angel on a Leash, Wings Underfoot, Bedroom Ornaments, Resilient Madness, Falling in Love with the Cage, Players on the Board, Rare Reward
Summer in Winter
All morning, Harry paced back and forth in their room, occasionally sitting at his desk and looking at the paperwork on top before standing and pacing again. Sometimes he mumbled to himself, sometimes he didn't speak for an hour. From his seat on the bed, Draco kept his gaze lowered, watching Harry's feet walk in front of him.
"I don't have to let you go," Harry snapped, coming to a stop and glaring at him. "I could keep you locked up and never let you out of this room, you understand? You understand?"
Draco nodded. He twisted the small amount of chain between his wrists and throat, too nervous to speak.
"You belong to me. Nothing will change that."
Draco nodded again. He briefly thought of trying smooth Harry's anger but shivered at what might happen. Far too dangerous now to touch Harry's mind.
The soft bell tone of the desk clock chiming the hour was enough to startle Draco. The slender chains binding his wings snapped tight as his wings spasmed, and Draco put his arms around himself as Harry watched him.
As he expected, Harry grabbed his chin and made him look up, taking one more look into his thoughts and pushing his way into the deepest corners searching for the slightest hint of an escape plan. Once again he found nothing. Growling low in his throat, Harry walked away and threw open the trap door.
"Come on, then," he ordered as he climbed down.
His heart fluttered in time with his wings. Draco followed after him, carefully climbing down the ladder so that his wings didn't catch on the floor. Rather than being led by his leash, however, Draco stumbled as Harry grabbed his upper arm and pulled him along through the castle, not once letting him go. As they walked, Draco saw that the castle had changed during his confinement.
Red tapestries now covered the walls, all of them emblazoned with a lion triumphant over a serpent. A close look revealed the scar on the lion's head, but the serpent was not Slytherin's mascot. It looked instead like Voldemort's snake Nagini with red eyes. The exposed fangs and hateful stare would have frightened Draco even though it was just cloth, but the lion's claws were firmly embedded in the serpent.
"You can see them for one hour," Harry said. "No more. After that, I need you when I meet my new vassals."
"Yes, Harry," Draco said, then chanced a question. He wouldn't have dared say anything except he could imply that he was eager to stay by his mate's side. "Will it be a long meeting?"
"Probably," Harry said. "They're afraid of me but only in an abstract way. Intellectually."
Draco had no doubt Harry was repeating something Hermione had said, but he kept that thought to himself.
"You'll help me show them exactly how I treat those who disobey me."
Draco couldn't help it. He stopped, eyes wide as his mouth opened in shock. "You--you're going to--? Harry, please, if I've done something bad, please tell me and I won't do it again--"
"You're not being punished," Harry said in exasperation. "It's not a punishment, it's a demonstration. I promise there won't be any pain."
The assurance hardly helped, but he knew he was lucky to have it at all. Draco nodded once and started walking again.
They reached the inner courtyard in a few minutes. Although snow flurries flew through the sky and landed on the castle roof, here a warm breeze blew through the stone architecture now covered almost entirely by frail green vines and moss. Summer in winter, Draco thought, powerful magic that wasn't just a luxury but a sign of Harry's vast strength to any potential enemies. And also a touch of comfort for a veela wearing nothing but a short white tunic and sandals.
"This courtyard is warded even more thoroughly than the rest of the castle except our room," Harry said, loosening his grip on his arm. "And it's guarded, even if you can't see anyone. You're not allowed to leave here until I come get you, understood?"
Draco nodded. "Yes, Harry. I won't leave."
"Not one step," Harry warned him. "Remember, you're not allowed to talk about anything I've told you about my plans. Anything you think might be off limits, don't talk about. I'll look through your mind later just to be sure."
"Yes, Harry."
Finally his master released him. Uncomfortably aware of Harry's paranoid eyes, Draco walked to the stone bench in the middle of the courtyard and sat down. He held absolutely still as he watched Harry turn and walk back into the castle. For the first time in weeks, Draco was alone.
He waited for someone to walk by the open air corridors or to appear in one of the windows. He strained to hear the slightest sound of voices echoing through the castle. Hogwarts was silent. The wind blew through his wings, inviting them to spread wide after their long captivity, but after so long in Harry's cage, Draco's wings were too well trained to twitch. He wondered when his family would arrive.
He wished he had normal clothes. He wished Harry trusted him enough to remove his chains. He wished he didn't have those small, tell-tale bruises on his knees.
"Draco?"
His head snapped up. Severus walked into the garden a few feet ahead of Lucius and Narcissa, both of whom paused as Draco's wings rose slightly. Draco stood, waiting for them to come closer, but as seconds passed and it became clear that they would not, his shoulders drooped and his wingtips trailed on the ground. He twisted his chain in his hands as he stared at the grass.
"Oh, for God's sake," Severus whispered harshly. He rushed to Draco's side and put his arms around him, holding him close.
Draco closed his eyes and leaned against his former master. His manacles rattled as he moved, allowing him to do little more than grasp Snape's robe like an anchor.
"He doesn't trust you enough to remove the chains, does he?" Severus guessed.
"I even sleep with them," Draco said. "And there's a cage, like a birdcage--" He stopped as Severus sighed.
"I'm not all that surprised," Severus said. After a moment, he stepped back just enough that he could sit down on the bench.
Draco sat beside him, forcing himself not to look up at his parents. A little to his relief, they drew closer, both ill at ease as Narcissa sat down on a large moss-covered stone next to the bench. Lucius stood at her side, unable to look at his son.
"You must forgive them," Severus said softly. "They moved the earth to help you, but they're still trying to come to terms with this."
"Nothing to forgive." Draco shook his head once. "I haven't been able to look at myself in a mirror."
"It's not your fault," Narcissa said suddenly, still not looking at him. "It's mine. The taint was strong in my blood. My grandmother--"
"We both have it in our blood," Lucius said over her, forcing her to fall silent. "We both knew there was a chance--we were so relieved when you were born without defects."
"I never imagined you'd change when you came of age," Narcissa whispered. "And you were in so much pain..."
"I...I was afraid you'd disown me," Draco said.
"You're my son," Lucius said in disbelief that Draco might believe that, his love overriding his disgust for a moment. "Nothing can change that."
"I just wish..." Narcissa whispered. She put her hand against her mouth as she turned away. "I'm so sorry for what our blood did to you."
Although Draco wanted nothing more than to curl up in her arms again and feel his father's reassuring presence at his side, he was glad for the chains that kept his hands close together. They kept him from doing more than turning slightly towards his parents, so that the only reaction he had to endure was their tensing, their sharp intake of breath as they steeled themselves for his touch.
He'd always known Severus was different from them, more knowledgeable about muggles, able to tolerate a half-breed's touch. The black sheep of the family continued to prove it as he held Draco, and Draco tried to banish his own feeling that Severus was somehow inferior for being able to touch him. He was sure Severus knew his feeling anyway. He wondered how it was that Severus put up with them.
"Does he treat you well?" Snape asked, brushing aside Draco's long hair to better see his face. "He doesn't seem to have hurt you."
"No, I'm all right." Draco didn't think it'd do any good to mention the--he refused to call it rape. Harry hadn't been in control of himself either. "He's just...he's afraid I'll try to leave him."
"That explains the chains and the wing fasteners," Severus said.
"Is that all?" Lucius leaned a little closer. "He hasn't seemed...odd? Moody? A little quick to anger, perhaps?"
"No," Draco said far too quickly. He winced that he'd given that away.
"It's all right," Lucius said. "We know our lord's changed since the night he killed Voldemort."
"We were there," Severus added. "You heard him before when he made your father a lord? When he mentioned how we brought him back?"
Draco nodded wordlessly. He didn't trust himself to say anything now, for fear Harry wouldn't approve.
"Voldemort's power overwhelmed him for a short time, but in those minutes he slaughtered a good deal of wizards on both sides of the war. It was only when your father bowed in front of him and pledged his service that Potter--" Snape growled and corrected himself "--Lord Potter stopped casting spells."
"What?" Draco looked at Severus to make sure he wasn't lying, then glanced at his father. "Were you mad?"
"Quite possibly," Narcissa grumbled.
Lucius ignored her comment, although the look on his face told Draco that this was an argument between them that they hadn't finished yelling about.
"When Voldemort grew enraged, kneeling was often the only way to turn his attention from punishing his followers," Lucius explained, able to face his son now that he could distract himself with politics. "I'd already helped him before by finding the dark lord. Swearing allegiance to him seemed to snap him out of his paranoia that everyone was out to kill him."
"And of course, where your father goes, we go," Snape said, and Narcissa made a small sound of agreement. "It wasn't as easy as that, but after he recognized that we wouldn't defend ourselves from him, he began to regain control of himself. Of course it took nearly a week and we--"
"That's enough, Severus," Lucius broke in. "If Draco doesn't know this yet, then I'm sure our lord will find a suitable time to tell him."
Obediently dropping the subject although he clearly wanted Draco to know everything, Severus instead began filling him in on everything that had happened to the family. They controlled most of the wizarding society in England, answering only to Lord Potter, Great Lady Hermione and Master Weasley, and had sheltered several families by making them vassals, including the Parkinsons. Other families held more minor positions such as tax collectors, but the wizards and witches of England now lived under Lucius' implementation of Harry's laws. Few families had escaped to the mainland before the borders had been sealed.
"It's become remarkably peaceful," Narcissa added. "After a war like that, you'd expect pockets of resistance now and again. Instead everyone's too afraid to fight."
"What about all the wizards that used to work in the Ministry?" Draco asked, glad to finally gain a little information. "What are they doing?"
"Working," Lucius said, "instead of sending reams of paper flying through the hallways. You wouldn't believe the marketplace that Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley have become. With the Ministry's laws revoked, nearly anything can be created or sold."
"There are flying carpets again in London," Narcissa said.
Draco took a moment to consider everything they had told him. So Harry hadn't destroyed the world. Rather he was making good on his promise to make everything better. Or at least what he considered better. He'd stripped away all the power and consolidated it for himself, making his own laws and destroying the stranglehold the Ministry had held for so long.
"Master Weasley?" he asked.
"Ronald Weasley," Lucius said. "He's something of a go-between for us and Lord Potter. I imagine our lord is insanely busy. The Master takes care of many of the smaller concerns that keep the country running, like where new stores can be placed or where dragons can be kept."
From the tone of his father's voice, Draco didn't think his family thought much of the weasel, but they paid him the deference due to his station. A small price to pay to remain in power and safeguard their son.
Little else was said. Little else could be said without straying into dangerous territory. Draco would've liked to hear about how they managed at home, what damage the Manor had suffered, but that would have forced them all to admit that he would never return there. He felt sick to his stomach enough just sitting in front of them with wings, but it was even worse that they knew what Harry used him for.
"Nearly an hour with your son and you haven't touched him."
Harry's voice brought them all to their feet. Draco didn't feel any anger or hostility in his master, but he brushed his feelings just to be sure. Harry didn't seem angry, only disappointed as he drew close. Draco thought the picture they made was ridiculous, a small teenager intimidating three much older dark wizards, but then Harry opened his mouth and his easy confidence made it real again.
"But then you haven't touched each other, either," Harry said to Lucius and Narcissa, noticing how they kept nearly an arm's span between them. "Can't you stand being close anymore?"
Draco's parents couldn't answer. To no one's surprise, Severus spoke up for them.
"They are fighting hundreds of years of tradition," Snape said. "Very few would have made the effort in the first place."
Harry smiled, but there was no kindness in his eyes. "Then it's a good thing they started practicing with you, isn't it?"
Confused, Draco looked to his master for clarification, but Harry only stared at Severus. To all of their surprise, however, it was Narcissa that spoke next.
"My father would have whipped me for fraternizing with a half-blood," she said. "The same with Lucius' family. Severus...yes, he is a huge break with tradition."
"As much as Draco?" Harry asked. When all of them flinched, he sighed and shook his head. His voice dropped to a whisper. "You make everything so much harder on yourselves. I'll never understand why."
No one replied. He had the air of speaking not to them but the whole world.
"Lucius," Harry said, changing the subject. "I'll expect you in this afternoon's meeting. You'd best hurry if you don't want to be late."
"I understand, my lord," Lucius said, not meeting his eyes. He didn't have to tell his family to follow. As if given a silent command, Narcissa and Severus left the courtyard slowly. Draco watched them go through blurry eyes. He hadn't even been able to say goodbye.
"Don't be upset," Harry said. He came close and wiped away Draco's tears with a faint smile. "You'll see them again. You were very good, and they behaved well, too."
A moment passed before Draco understood what his master meant. "You were listening."
"Mm-hmm. I was impressed. I thought you would misbehave somehow. Four Malfoys in the same room?" Harry frowned as a thought struck him. "Is Snape a Malfoy? What is he to your family?"
"I..." Draco had to collect his thoughts to answer, still distracted by Harry's breezy promise of seeing his family again. "It's hard to explain. He serves us, but he isn't a servant. He shares their bed but he isn't a slave. He's a confidant, a friend, but he isn't always told everything. He takes care of me and teaches me things, but he isn't a parent. He...he attends the family. I don't know any other way to describe it."
"Ah..." Harry nodded once in understanding. "He's a pet."
"I...what? No. I don't think..." Draco's voice trailed off as he tried to think of arguments but couldn't.
"I don't mean it as an insult," Harry said, "no matter how much I don't like him. Some families treat their pets better than other family members. Oh, I'm sorry," he winced as Draco flinched. "I didn't mean it like that."
Draco nodded once. He didn't doubt his master, who had yet to lie to him. But the truth stung. He let Harry sit him down on the bench, taking a little comfort in nuzzling his master's hand on his cheek. Only when he saw Harry's wand did he remember that he was to serve as a display for Harry's vassals in a few minutes.
"What are you going to do?" he whispered, shying away as the wand rose to his face.
"Nothing painful," Harry promised. "And you'll be set right as soon as the meeting is over. Now hold still."
Easy enough to obey when Harry had a deathgrip on his collar. Draco trembled as the tip of the wand hovered over his left eye. After a low mutter, Harry drew his wand slowly back. Something white and vaporous followed his wand and disappeared into the shaft of wood.
To Harry's surprise, Draco sighed in relief when he realized that he'd lost half his sight. Draco's wings relaxed and he even smiled. Harry wiggled his fingers in front of his slave's eye to make sure the spell had worked properly.
"It's all right," Draco said with a small laugh. "I know you're taking my eyes. I wish you'd told me before. I wouldn't have worried about it."
"Why not?" Harry wondered. "You're terrified of everything. Why aren't you afraid of being blind?"
"Because you're here," Draco said. "I'm sure your vassals will be frightened. But I know you'll lead me safely wherever you want me. You will, won't you?"
Draco knew Harry still didn't understand that kind of loyalty, but for once his veela and Malfoy blood were in complete agreement. When his right eye lost its light, he put his bound hands around Harry's, stroking his fingers and purring when his hair was tousled and his lips kissed. Draco laughed again as Harry's touch turned hesitant. Strange that he should grow more confident as his master grew confused.
"Don't worry," he said softly. "I'll pretend to be scared in front of your servants."
TBC...
Eggshell Wings
Part 9: Summer in Winter
by KC
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Harry, Draco and all the rest; they'd do a lot more stuff than they do in the books and it'd all be rated R through X. Alas, however, I do not.
Other info: Post-HBP, dark!Harry, veela!Draco.
Summary: Draco finally meets his family.
previous chapters: Beneath a Shattered Fountain, Angel on a Leash, Wings Underfoot, Bedroom Ornaments, Resilient Madness, Falling in Love with the Cage, Players on the Board, Rare Reward
Summer in Winter
All morning, Harry paced back and forth in their room, occasionally sitting at his desk and looking at the paperwork on top before standing and pacing again. Sometimes he mumbled to himself, sometimes he didn't speak for an hour. From his seat on the bed, Draco kept his gaze lowered, watching Harry's feet walk in front of him.
"I don't have to let you go," Harry snapped, coming to a stop and glaring at him. "I could keep you locked up and never let you out of this room, you understand? You understand?"
Draco nodded. He twisted the small amount of chain between his wrists and throat, too nervous to speak.
"You belong to me. Nothing will change that."
Draco nodded again. He briefly thought of trying smooth Harry's anger but shivered at what might happen. Far too dangerous now to touch Harry's mind.
The soft bell tone of the desk clock chiming the hour was enough to startle Draco. The slender chains binding his wings snapped tight as his wings spasmed, and Draco put his arms around himself as Harry watched him.
As he expected, Harry grabbed his chin and made him look up, taking one more look into his thoughts and pushing his way into the deepest corners searching for the slightest hint of an escape plan. Once again he found nothing. Growling low in his throat, Harry walked away and threw open the trap door.
"Come on, then," he ordered as he climbed down.
His heart fluttered in time with his wings. Draco followed after him, carefully climbing down the ladder so that his wings didn't catch on the floor. Rather than being led by his leash, however, Draco stumbled as Harry grabbed his upper arm and pulled him along through the castle, not once letting him go. As they walked, Draco saw that the castle had changed during his confinement.
Red tapestries now covered the walls, all of them emblazoned with a lion triumphant over a serpent. A close look revealed the scar on the lion's head, but the serpent was not Slytherin's mascot. It looked instead like Voldemort's snake Nagini with red eyes. The exposed fangs and hateful stare would have frightened Draco even though it was just cloth, but the lion's claws were firmly embedded in the serpent.
"You can see them for one hour," Harry said. "No more. After that, I need you when I meet my new vassals."
"Yes, Harry," Draco said, then chanced a question. He wouldn't have dared say anything except he could imply that he was eager to stay by his mate's side. "Will it be a long meeting?"
"Probably," Harry said. "They're afraid of me but only in an abstract way. Intellectually."
Draco had no doubt Harry was repeating something Hermione had said, but he kept that thought to himself.
"You'll help me show them exactly how I treat those who disobey me."
Draco couldn't help it. He stopped, eyes wide as his mouth opened in shock. "You--you're going to--? Harry, please, if I've done something bad, please tell me and I won't do it again--"
"You're not being punished," Harry said in exasperation. "It's not a punishment, it's a demonstration. I promise there won't be any pain."
The assurance hardly helped, but he knew he was lucky to have it at all. Draco nodded once and started walking again.
They reached the inner courtyard in a few minutes. Although snow flurries flew through the sky and landed on the castle roof, here a warm breeze blew through the stone architecture now covered almost entirely by frail green vines and moss. Summer in winter, Draco thought, powerful magic that wasn't just a luxury but a sign of Harry's vast strength to any potential enemies. And also a touch of comfort for a veela wearing nothing but a short white tunic and sandals.
"This courtyard is warded even more thoroughly than the rest of the castle except our room," Harry said, loosening his grip on his arm. "And it's guarded, even if you can't see anyone. You're not allowed to leave here until I come get you, understood?"
Draco nodded. "Yes, Harry. I won't leave."
"Not one step," Harry warned him. "Remember, you're not allowed to talk about anything I've told you about my plans. Anything you think might be off limits, don't talk about. I'll look through your mind later just to be sure."
"Yes, Harry."
Finally his master released him. Uncomfortably aware of Harry's paranoid eyes, Draco walked to the stone bench in the middle of the courtyard and sat down. He held absolutely still as he watched Harry turn and walk back into the castle. For the first time in weeks, Draco was alone.
He waited for someone to walk by the open air corridors or to appear in one of the windows. He strained to hear the slightest sound of voices echoing through the castle. Hogwarts was silent. The wind blew through his wings, inviting them to spread wide after their long captivity, but after so long in Harry's cage, Draco's wings were too well trained to twitch. He wondered when his family would arrive.
He wished he had normal clothes. He wished Harry trusted him enough to remove his chains. He wished he didn't have those small, tell-tale bruises on his knees.
"Draco?"
His head snapped up. Severus walked into the garden a few feet ahead of Lucius and Narcissa, both of whom paused as Draco's wings rose slightly. Draco stood, waiting for them to come closer, but as seconds passed and it became clear that they would not, his shoulders drooped and his wingtips trailed on the ground. He twisted his chain in his hands as he stared at the grass.
"Oh, for God's sake," Severus whispered harshly. He rushed to Draco's side and put his arms around him, holding him close.
Draco closed his eyes and leaned against his former master. His manacles rattled as he moved, allowing him to do little more than grasp Snape's robe like an anchor.
"He doesn't trust you enough to remove the chains, does he?" Severus guessed.
"I even sleep with them," Draco said. "And there's a cage, like a birdcage--" He stopped as Severus sighed.
"I'm not all that surprised," Severus said. After a moment, he stepped back just enough that he could sit down on the bench.
Draco sat beside him, forcing himself not to look up at his parents. A little to his relief, they drew closer, both ill at ease as Narcissa sat down on a large moss-covered stone next to the bench. Lucius stood at her side, unable to look at his son.
"You must forgive them," Severus said softly. "They moved the earth to help you, but they're still trying to come to terms with this."
"Nothing to forgive." Draco shook his head once. "I haven't been able to look at myself in a mirror."
"It's not your fault," Narcissa said suddenly, still not looking at him. "It's mine. The taint was strong in my blood. My grandmother--"
"We both have it in our blood," Lucius said over her, forcing her to fall silent. "We both knew there was a chance--we were so relieved when you were born without defects."
"I never imagined you'd change when you came of age," Narcissa whispered. "And you were in so much pain..."
"I...I was afraid you'd disown me," Draco said.
"You're my son," Lucius said in disbelief that Draco might believe that, his love overriding his disgust for a moment. "Nothing can change that."
"I just wish..." Narcissa whispered. She put her hand against her mouth as she turned away. "I'm so sorry for what our blood did to you."
Although Draco wanted nothing more than to curl up in her arms again and feel his father's reassuring presence at his side, he was glad for the chains that kept his hands close together. They kept him from doing more than turning slightly towards his parents, so that the only reaction he had to endure was their tensing, their sharp intake of breath as they steeled themselves for his touch.
He'd always known Severus was different from them, more knowledgeable about muggles, able to tolerate a half-breed's touch. The black sheep of the family continued to prove it as he held Draco, and Draco tried to banish his own feeling that Severus was somehow inferior for being able to touch him. He was sure Severus knew his feeling anyway. He wondered how it was that Severus put up with them.
"Does he treat you well?" Snape asked, brushing aside Draco's long hair to better see his face. "He doesn't seem to have hurt you."
"No, I'm all right." Draco didn't think it'd do any good to mention the--he refused to call it rape. Harry hadn't been in control of himself either. "He's just...he's afraid I'll try to leave him."
"That explains the chains and the wing fasteners," Severus said.
"Is that all?" Lucius leaned a little closer. "He hasn't seemed...odd? Moody? A little quick to anger, perhaps?"
"No," Draco said far too quickly. He winced that he'd given that away.
"It's all right," Lucius said. "We know our lord's changed since the night he killed Voldemort."
"We were there," Severus added. "You heard him before when he made your father a lord? When he mentioned how we brought him back?"
Draco nodded wordlessly. He didn't trust himself to say anything now, for fear Harry wouldn't approve.
"Voldemort's power overwhelmed him for a short time, but in those minutes he slaughtered a good deal of wizards on both sides of the war. It was only when your father bowed in front of him and pledged his service that Potter--" Snape growled and corrected himself "--Lord Potter stopped casting spells."
"What?" Draco looked at Severus to make sure he wasn't lying, then glanced at his father. "Were you mad?"
"Quite possibly," Narcissa grumbled.
Lucius ignored her comment, although the look on his face told Draco that this was an argument between them that they hadn't finished yelling about.
"When Voldemort grew enraged, kneeling was often the only way to turn his attention from punishing his followers," Lucius explained, able to face his son now that he could distract himself with politics. "I'd already helped him before by finding the dark lord. Swearing allegiance to him seemed to snap him out of his paranoia that everyone was out to kill him."
"And of course, where your father goes, we go," Snape said, and Narcissa made a small sound of agreement. "It wasn't as easy as that, but after he recognized that we wouldn't defend ourselves from him, he began to regain control of himself. Of course it took nearly a week and we--"
"That's enough, Severus," Lucius broke in. "If Draco doesn't know this yet, then I'm sure our lord will find a suitable time to tell him."
Obediently dropping the subject although he clearly wanted Draco to know everything, Severus instead began filling him in on everything that had happened to the family. They controlled most of the wizarding society in England, answering only to Lord Potter, Great Lady Hermione and Master Weasley, and had sheltered several families by making them vassals, including the Parkinsons. Other families held more minor positions such as tax collectors, but the wizards and witches of England now lived under Lucius' implementation of Harry's laws. Few families had escaped to the mainland before the borders had been sealed.
"It's become remarkably peaceful," Narcissa added. "After a war like that, you'd expect pockets of resistance now and again. Instead everyone's too afraid to fight."
"What about all the wizards that used to work in the Ministry?" Draco asked, glad to finally gain a little information. "What are they doing?"
"Working," Lucius said, "instead of sending reams of paper flying through the hallways. You wouldn't believe the marketplace that Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley have become. With the Ministry's laws revoked, nearly anything can be created or sold."
"There are flying carpets again in London," Narcissa said.
Draco took a moment to consider everything they had told him. So Harry hadn't destroyed the world. Rather he was making good on his promise to make everything better. Or at least what he considered better. He'd stripped away all the power and consolidated it for himself, making his own laws and destroying the stranglehold the Ministry had held for so long.
"Master Weasley?" he asked.
"Ronald Weasley," Lucius said. "He's something of a go-between for us and Lord Potter. I imagine our lord is insanely busy. The Master takes care of many of the smaller concerns that keep the country running, like where new stores can be placed or where dragons can be kept."
From the tone of his father's voice, Draco didn't think his family thought much of the weasel, but they paid him the deference due to his station. A small price to pay to remain in power and safeguard their son.
Little else was said. Little else could be said without straying into dangerous territory. Draco would've liked to hear about how they managed at home, what damage the Manor had suffered, but that would have forced them all to admit that he would never return there. He felt sick to his stomach enough just sitting in front of them with wings, but it was even worse that they knew what Harry used him for.
"Nearly an hour with your son and you haven't touched him."
Harry's voice brought them all to their feet. Draco didn't feel any anger or hostility in his master, but he brushed his feelings just to be sure. Harry didn't seem angry, only disappointed as he drew close. Draco thought the picture they made was ridiculous, a small teenager intimidating three much older dark wizards, but then Harry opened his mouth and his easy confidence made it real again.
"But then you haven't touched each other, either," Harry said to Lucius and Narcissa, noticing how they kept nearly an arm's span between them. "Can't you stand being close anymore?"
Draco's parents couldn't answer. To no one's surprise, Severus spoke up for them.
"They are fighting hundreds of years of tradition," Snape said. "Very few would have made the effort in the first place."
Harry smiled, but there was no kindness in his eyes. "Then it's a good thing they started practicing with you, isn't it?"
Confused, Draco looked to his master for clarification, but Harry only stared at Severus. To all of their surprise, however, it was Narcissa that spoke next.
"My father would have whipped me for fraternizing with a half-blood," she said. "The same with Lucius' family. Severus...yes, he is a huge break with tradition."
"As much as Draco?" Harry asked. When all of them flinched, he sighed and shook his head. His voice dropped to a whisper. "You make everything so much harder on yourselves. I'll never understand why."
No one replied. He had the air of speaking not to them but the whole world.
"Lucius," Harry said, changing the subject. "I'll expect you in this afternoon's meeting. You'd best hurry if you don't want to be late."
"I understand, my lord," Lucius said, not meeting his eyes. He didn't have to tell his family to follow. As if given a silent command, Narcissa and Severus left the courtyard slowly. Draco watched them go through blurry eyes. He hadn't even been able to say goodbye.
"Don't be upset," Harry said. He came close and wiped away Draco's tears with a faint smile. "You'll see them again. You were very good, and they behaved well, too."
A moment passed before Draco understood what his master meant. "You were listening."
"Mm-hmm. I was impressed. I thought you would misbehave somehow. Four Malfoys in the same room?" Harry frowned as a thought struck him. "Is Snape a Malfoy? What is he to your family?"
"I..." Draco had to collect his thoughts to answer, still distracted by Harry's breezy promise of seeing his family again. "It's hard to explain. He serves us, but he isn't a servant. He shares their bed but he isn't a slave. He's a confidant, a friend, but he isn't always told everything. He takes care of me and teaches me things, but he isn't a parent. He...he attends the family. I don't know any other way to describe it."
"Ah..." Harry nodded once in understanding. "He's a pet."
"I...what? No. I don't think..." Draco's voice trailed off as he tried to think of arguments but couldn't.
"I don't mean it as an insult," Harry said, "no matter how much I don't like him. Some families treat their pets better than other family members. Oh, I'm sorry," he winced as Draco flinched. "I didn't mean it like that."
Draco nodded once. He didn't doubt his master, who had yet to lie to him. But the truth stung. He let Harry sit him down on the bench, taking a little comfort in nuzzling his master's hand on his cheek. Only when he saw Harry's wand did he remember that he was to serve as a display for Harry's vassals in a few minutes.
"What are you going to do?" he whispered, shying away as the wand rose to his face.
"Nothing painful," Harry promised. "And you'll be set right as soon as the meeting is over. Now hold still."
Easy enough to obey when Harry had a deathgrip on his collar. Draco trembled as the tip of the wand hovered over his left eye. After a low mutter, Harry drew his wand slowly back. Something white and vaporous followed his wand and disappeared into the shaft of wood.
To Harry's surprise, Draco sighed in relief when he realized that he'd lost half his sight. Draco's wings relaxed and he even smiled. Harry wiggled his fingers in front of his slave's eye to make sure the spell had worked properly.
"It's all right," Draco said with a small laugh. "I know you're taking my eyes. I wish you'd told me before. I wouldn't have worried about it."
"Why not?" Harry wondered. "You're terrified of everything. Why aren't you afraid of being blind?"
"Because you're here," Draco said. "I'm sure your vassals will be frightened. But I know you'll lead me safely wherever you want me. You will, won't you?"
Draco knew Harry still didn't understand that kind of loyalty, but for once his veela and Malfoy blood were in complete agreement. When his right eye lost its light, he put his bound hands around Harry's, stroking his fingers and purring when his hair was tousled and his lips kissed. Draco laughed again as Harry's touch turned hesitant. Strange that he should grow more confident as his master grew confused.
"Don't worry," he said softly. "I'll pretend to be scared in front of your servants."
TBC...
Eggshell Wings