Fic: Promised - Chapter 88
Title: Promised
Author: neddiheht (Ashavan Doyon)
Artist: ritalaura2000
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: All ATWT characters the property of P&G/Telenext. Harry Potter and the characters associated with that universe belong to J. K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, and Scholastic. No copyright infringement intended. No profit made from this fiction.
Characters/Pairings: Noah/Draco, Luke/Neville, Luke/Noah, Draco/Harry. Some mention of other fun pairings not involving Luke, Noah, Draco or Harry.
Word Count: 205,207
Warnings alternate universe, graphic sex, arranged marriages, mpreg, some mention of non-consensual sex. This is a Nuke fic set largely in the Harry Potter verse and combined with a Drarry pairing.
Summary: Luciano Grimaldi was a perfectly happy young wizard. His family carefully neutral during the war, he has found happiness in the years since Voldemort's fall with herbologist, hero, and friend of the Savior, Neville Longbottom. Only he's just been informed that in the tradition of ancient pure blood families, he was promised at birth, in an offering to keep his family safe, to the son of infamous American Death Eater Winston Mayer.
Noah Mayer is a very unhappy wizard. In love for years with fellow Death Eater Draco Malfoy, the two young men have secretly found solace and love in each others arms, dreading the day they knew would come. They are promised, in the traditions of the oldest families. Promised to young wizards who didn't know. Married, for all intents and purposes, almost at birth to strangers who will doubtless hate them. Now they must surrender to duty and obligation. Now they must turn their backs on a love they know and risk everything for what might be. Noah always knew he hated pure blood traditions. This was why.
Link to Story Master Post: Yeah, it's a LOT of chapters. Worth it though, I hope!
Link to Art Master Post: Some seriously beautiful banners and photo manips!
--
Previous Chapter
--
Chapter 88
Noah buttoned up the seemingly hundreds of buttons on Draco's dress robes. The fancy robes had more buttons than even Snape's old fashioned robes had and it was taking forever, not helped by the fact that the robe's occupant was not being still.
"Stop moving, Draco, or I swear I'll body bind you to do this!" hissed Noah.
"I... what if he..."
"You're already married, Draco. This is just the wedding."
"But."
"Shush," said Noah pressing a finger to his lips. "I'd always wanted you to be getting ready like this for me."
Draco ran a finger along Noah's neck where his tie hung loose around his neck, the collar still undone. "Things changed for both of us," said Draco, his fingers lingering at the mottled purple and harsh red of the claiming mark.
"Stop. That's his," said Noah, batting the fingers away and returning to his task.
"Where's Luciano?" asked Draco, still fidgeting.
"He's getting Teddy dressed. That boy is on his third tantrum today and only Harry and Luke can calm him. Even his grandmother has given up today."
"He thinks I'm stealing Harry away."
"No," said Noah. "I don't think that's it. Draco. He can smell the babies and it scares him. And with this, so formal... remember Harry's had him hidden away all these years. This is a lot for him to handle."
"Is he mad at me?"
"Teddy loves his Poppy. He does."
Draco was shaking his head. "I don't think..."
"He does, Draco," said Noah, cupping his hands around the nervous man's face. "Trust me."
Draco clutched one hand against his cheek. "Thank you, Noah. For... for being here. I know it must be..."
Noah closed his eyes and let his hands fall from Draco's face, one hand straying to the claiming mark. "I... I've found my place, Draco. I'm where I'm meant to be."
"I... Noah. I did think you belonged with me once."
"I know, Draco. It's okay now. You're bonding today, with your beloved. He loves you. Harry Potter, the man you always wanted. He loves you and he's going to bind you together forever, if you'll let him," said Noah.
Draco took a deep breath.
"Now hold still, I need to finish getting this buttoned if I'm to have any hope of getting ready myself. People will think your best man can't dress himself."
Draco laughed and let Noah get back to the buttons.
On the far side of the Great Hall in a rather similar room Harry and Ron were having a talk of their own.
"You okay, mate?" asked Ron, dressed in strikingly fashionable black robes touched with red and orange and gold in both the tie and the vest that set off his hair.
"Nervous," said Harry, looking at Ron. "Wouldn't you be?"
"You decided to go traditional, mate. 'Course the very nearly Muggle wedding simplicity of my wedding suited me fine, and it was probably easier for 'Mione's parents that way, but..."
"Molly would have preferred traditional," said Harry, looking at the elaborate white robes with their seemingly millions of buttons. Harry was going to want to get out of these robes after, probably desperately, and he had a feeling that Draco would never forgive him if he simply spelled them off to avoid undoing all the buttons.
Ron smiled and clapped him on his back playfully. "Yeah. She would have."
Harry sighed. "I'm not going to throw up, Ron, I'm not."
"Of course not. Noah gave you a potion to calm your stomach an hour ago."
Harry took a number of deep breaths and then sighed. "When?"
"Only a few more minutes," said Ron. "Look. He's a prat. But he's your prat, Harry. And he loves you."
"I know."
"He's just as nervous."
"How do you know?" asked Harry.
"Noah told me when he gave me the potion for you. Can't expect it's easy. I mean, he's going to be acknowledging to the world that you're pregnant with his children. Or am I wrong that his parents don't know?"
"Stop right there, Ron. It's all I can do to go through with this as it is. Lucius finding out he's going to have a Potter grandchild. It's a nightmare."
"Harry, you're," Ron hesitated. "You don't have to do the traditional form, you know. It's only done for pure blood promise bindings, and one between Families, really old families, it's not like those are that common anymore. Draco would..."
"I know he would. He needs this, Ron. For his family. But he'd... even after all he gave up, after all the dreams he's had his whole life about this. Us, here together, he'd give it all up if I asked. He'd keep it a secret, for me." Harry fixed his eyes on Ron. "I'm not going to ask."
"He made small changes for you."
"To the guest list, you mean?" said Harry. Tradition required a blood relative to witness the event if one was alive, and Narcissa, in a fit at the news that Harry's aunt was choosing not to attend, had threatened to go and fetch Petunia Dursley. Harry had been mortified.
"He did," said Harry. "Lucius and Narcissa. They were scandalized, I think, by your mum and dad witnessing the feast instead of a blood relative. And to do it for the wedding itself. They weren't happy."
"Not their place to decide, is it?" said Ron. "And she's your mum too, you know that."
"I know," said Harry. He stepped and set a hand on Ron's back. "I do know."
Ron smiled. "Well, at least mum won't be able to say none of her children had a proper marriage anymore."
"And I can't say I feel bad about how scandalized Narcissa will be at your mum being there as my family." he closed his eyes.
"Mate, he loves you. You're already married," Ron set a hand on Harry's belly, "you're having children together. It pains me to say it, 'cause we're talking about Malfoy, but... Harry, if you could have seen him when..."
Harry wiped the tear from his eye before it could fully form. "I know."
A silver cat manifested in the room, the markings on the face making plain that it was Minerva's Patronus. "It's time," said the cat in Minerva's voice, and then dissipated. Harry steeled himself and looked at Ron.
"You love him. Remember that and you'll do fine," said Ron.
Harry nodded and walked through the door. The room was full to bursting. The students were there by house, and in between the houses were the staff of Hogwarts, members of the Order of the Phoenix, the members of the DA and friends from school, and a contingent of black garbed wizards and witches that represented the necessary and traditional invited guests of the Malfoy family. Teddy stood in the very front, flanked by Luciano and his grandmother. He looked handsome in his brilliant white dress robes, and his hair had gone pure white as well. There were also two portraits in attendance. Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape watched from above the doors on either side of the chamber, doors open and framing the grooms.
Across from Harry an identical door had also opened. Noah stood in black dress robes, touched tastefully with gold and yellow in the vest and tie. Draco, dressed as Harry was in elaborate white robes sealed within a thousand careful tiny buttons, looked directly at him and smiled. They walked toward each other and Harry was dimly aware that Flitwick was leading the Hogwarts choir in something he was sure was entirely appropriate and achingly beautiful, but his stomach was too busy trying to rebel for him to concentrate on it.
When they reached the center of the room, Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped forward to stand in front of them. He looked around the room, gazing at the assembled students, teachers, and guests. "As Minister for Magic I have few happy duties. None brings me as much pleasure as this. I know many of you are half-blood, many Muggleborn," the Minister's eyes sought through the crowd. "So I know that some of you are probably confused. The press has reported on Harry's marriage, and yet here you are at the wedding."
Kingsley looked at Harry. "Everyone here knows that Harry Potter saved our world. He saved it and turned away every effort of our world to repay him. Instead he has sought to live a quiet life with his godson." Kingsley nodded at Teddy who managed a smile but began to fidget again.
"Recently that changed. Harry came back into our world. It was a promise that brought him back. A promise made by Lily Potter to Narcissa Malfoy. A promise returned in kind by the Malfoy family to the Potters. A promise that was renewed, it's vows spoken by the young men to each other in honor of that promise made long ago."
Kingsley paused. "Harry married Draco with those renewed promises. That is our tradition. He married Draco, and sealed his vows with the token of a ring and a kiss." Draco and Harry both blushed, remembering that hesitant kiss.
"And when in the fullness of time, Harry and Draco joined themselves together," a number of the younger students chuckled as Kingsley spoke, "they announced to their families their intent to bond and form a family. And they spoke vows to each other. Powerful witnessed vows. Witnessed by their families. Witnessed by Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, and by the parents of Harry's heart, Arthur and Molly Weasley," said the Minister, nodding to the unmistakable sea of red hair in the crowd. "Vows to love, to marry, to form a family."
"I promised to love you," said Harry.
"And I am beloved," replied Draco.
Kingsley beamed at the two. "So it may seem strange to those of you who are not pure blood, who are not part of an ancient line as both these young men are, that those vows are not the end." There were nods from the many assembled students. Kingsley looked at Harry.
Harry took a deep breath and knelt before Draco. "My love. My heart. I have offered to you all that I am and given to you of my body and my soul."
"Yes, my beloved."
Harry glanced at Teddy and nodded, and Teddy ran over to stand with him. "My love. My heart. I have a son who is not of my blood, nor of my flesh. And yet he is bound to me by vows of magic and oaths born of love. He is a most noble son of the House of Black, and I beg of thee to accept him as your own."
"And is that your wish also, Teddy Lupin?" asked Draco.
"Yes Poppy," said Teddy clearly.
"Will you accept us both?" asked Harry.
"Yes, my beloved," said Draco, his hand reaching down to Harry's to gently cup his cheek. Across the room Lucius eyes were stormy and dark. Draco had just sworn someone not of Malfoy blood as his heir.
Harry looked up at Draco, tears in his eyes. "My love. My heart. I have life within my body, our seed and our blood and our magic made flesh. Twin sons that grow in hopes of being mine and yours. Will you accept the children of my body?"
There were astonished murmurs as the significance of the words sunk in to the assembled guests. Narcissa clung to Lucius, tears in her eyes. Molly and Arthur hugged each other, remembering dark days only weeks ago when they feared to lose all three. Kingsley managed, barely, to keep his composure and Harry realized that Minerva must have kept even the Minister in the dark about his condition.
"Yes, my beloved," said Draco, falling to his knees before Harry. He reached his left arm to clasp Harry's, their hands each clasping the other's wrist.
Noah and Ron nodded and spoke the words of the binding ritual, pulling forth strands of magic from the air to bind Draco and Harry's arms together.
"Harry James Potter," said Kingsley. "Last of the House of Potter. By rights of the blood oaths of your godfather, Head of the Noble House of Black. Do you consent before witnesses to bind yourself and your children to the blood of the Malfoy family and to the person of Draco Malfoy?"
"I do," said Harry, the glowing strands binding their arms together flaring.
"Draco Lucius Malfoy. Heir to the House of Malfoy. Do you consent before witnesses to bind yourself to Harry Potter, and to his children?"
"I do." said Draco, the strands of magic flaring once more and fading into their flesh.
Noah produced a ring from his pocket and passed it to Draco who nodded in thanks and turned back to face Harry. He looked into the eyes of emerald fire that he had worshiped since he was a child and spoke. "With this ring, my love, I seal you to me. You are my heart, my completion, and I am lost without you." He placed the ring, a Malfoy family heirloom of gold and emerald, upon Harry's left ring finger.
Harry smiled at him, casting a nervous glance at Noah, and held his hand out to Ron, who pulled a ring from his own pocket and handed it to Harry. The ring was heavy, white gold set with a heavy black diamond. "I love you Draco, and seal you to me with this ring," he said, placing the ring on Draco's ring finger. "You are my life and my love. You complete me."
The Minister smiled at them both. "By the tradition of our people, it is my pleasure to pronounce you beloved husbands. You may kiss."
Cheering erupted as the two kissed, slowly and deeply, letting the noise of the room fall away until there was nothing except the two of them, holding each other, gently sharing their love and their breath. Narcissa and Lucius leaned quietly into each other, their pride in their son obvious on their faces.
The two kept kissing at length until they were interrupted by the Minister clearing his throat.
"Sorry, Minister," said Harry.
"I am not troubled to witness, Harry. I was bound myself in a ceremony not unlike this one, but with rather fewer guests." He smiled at both of them. "There is the matter of the marriage contract, however," he said, pulling a long parchment from his robes.
Draco and Harry looked at each other and smiled, each signing in turn. When they had both signed and sealed the document, their rings grew each of them heavy and hot. Harry trembled as need overtook him. He looked at Draco whose face was flushed. "I... I need you."
"It's perfectly normal," said Kingsley with a smile, softly enough that the rest of the room could not hear. "The contract will tend to draw you close for a time. It was intended for arranged marriages where mutual desire was not assured. I'm sure your friends have a place set up for you to... take care of things properly, before you join the rest of the school for the Halloween Ball."
With that the Minister took the parchment and rolled it up, looking quickly at Minerva who signaled her staff to begin getting everyone up to the Room of Requirement for the reception.
Draco looked hopelessly at Harry and the many buttons of their robes.
"Don't worry," said Ron. "It's not far." Normally they would have arranged with the headmistress to apparate the two wizards to their rooms, but with Harry's condition, they'd prevailed upon Minerva to make alternate arrangements.
"This way," said Noah, seizing Draco's arm and leading him out of the hall through the side door. Ron followed right behind him with Harry in tow.
--
Next Chapter
--
This story is written as part of the Nuke BigBang challenge. Check out the other authors' and artists' great work!