Fic: Promised - Chapter 10
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!
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Previous Chapter
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Chapter 10
Harry Potter strode through St. Mungos like a storm, his eyes fixed ahead, ignoring the cries as he was recognized. He made his way through the hospital like a man possessed, and indeed he was... possessed by anger and fear. Neville was his closest friend after Hermione and Ron. He'd come to Harry for help and comfort. And Harry felt rather guilty not to have recognized just how upset his friend was.
He opened the door to the Longbottoms' room to find Casey and Hermione, still dressed in her Unspeakables robes, talking in the corner. Neville lay in the bed, his eyes open wide and staring at the ceiling. Luciano Grimaldi sat at his side, holding the young man's hand, tears running down his cheeks.
Harry had come to the room intending to hex the Grimaldi heir. But seeing him sitting there, so loving and caring and hurt at the sight of Neville in pain took Harry by surprise. This was not a man looking to hurt anyone. This was a young man desperately in love. Promised to someone else. By the equivalent of an Unbreakable Vow. Poor Neville.
Luciano did not notice Harry enter, but Casey did, with a brief nod, and Hermione, who stepped away from Casey to run up to Harry and hug him tightly.
"How is he?"
Hermione shook her head.
"He's going to be all right," said Harry. "Right?"
Hermione closed her eyes and shook her head again. Harry's eyes widened and his hand went for his wand.
"It's not his fault," said Casey, running up to put a steadying arm on Harry. "It's not."
"Casey... I would think you..."
"I was angry, Harry. But it's really. It's not his fault. Look at him," he gestured to the hunched over Grimaldi. "He tried to stop Neville. He did. I was there."
"So what happened?" asked Harry.
Hermione hesitated. "He... Harry, he obliviated himself."
"He WHAT?"
"He obliviated his memories of me," said Luciano quietly, the first acknowledgment he'd made of anyone since Noah had departed hours ago. "He wanted to forget me."
"But that's... that's practically..."
Hermione nodded.
"There's nothing you can do?" he asked Hermione desperately.
"Memory manipulation is dark arts, Harry. Only aurors really study it at all, and only from the practical application," said Hermione. She looked suddenly very sad. "It's all about erasing, not restoring. You remember... my parents."
Harry took a deep breath. He did remember. Hermione's parents had never quite been right after she'd erased herself from their memories. She'd done her best to fix it once the war was over, but they still... it was all off.
"Nothing at all?" he asked again.
"As I said, it's dark arts, Harry. Noah... he's calling in a favor from a former associate."
"And we can trust this how?"
"You don't have to trust him, Harry. Trust me," said Hermione.
Harry scowled as he walked over to Neville and sat opposite Luciano, grabbing hold of Neville's other hand. He looked across at the blonde. "He loves you, you know."
Luciano nodded. "I know."
"You hurt him."
"It wasn't my choice," said Luciano bitterly. "You should know better than anyone what it means to have your choices made for you. To not have a sense of control."
Harry grunted an affirmation. He did know. But he still resented the handsome Grimaldi heir for hurting Neville.
"I didn't want him hurt, Mister Potter. I love him."
A loud crack sounded in the room as Noah reappeared with Narcissa Malfoy. He glanced at Harry, his eyebrows raised slightly, "Harry."
"Mayer," said Harry evenly.
Luciano's eyes got suddenly very big as he looked up at the man in Unspeakable's robes, finally putting the pieces together. "Noah Mayer..." he whispered.
"Cissa," said Noah seriously, "Longbottom obliviated himself. We believe he tried to purge himself of all memory of this man, Luciano Grimaldi, with whom he's been in a romantic relationship for some time."
Narcissa nodded as she moved to Neville's side. "That explains his current state. It would be a lot of memories to lose all at once." She looked at Luciano. "Grimaldi. I knew your father."
Luciano fought the urge to back away. This woman was a Death Eater, or had been. "Why are you helping me?" he asked nervously.
"That is between me and Noah," said Narcissa flatly. She glanced at Potter who promptly gave up his seat to her. She looked up at Luciano. "Noah tells me you love this boy."
Luciano nodded. "I do."
Narcissa hesitated before she spoke again. "I do this, after a fashion, for my son. It is a motivation that can be trusted. The expression on Potter's face just now should confirm that," she said, not bothering to look behind her at Harry. "You will have to trust me, Grimaldi. I must look into your mind for the memories he is missing and find the pieces to reassemble his memories of the same events. It will be personal, more than you would ever wish to be with me, I'm sure, because I will have to see the memories. But it is the only way. If it is done now, tonight, Longbottom will recover."
"You can really help him?"
"She can," said Noah quietly. "She will need the room. Luciano. I'm sorry, I fear this will not be pleasant for you, she will need to read your memories and feelings and there will be pain for her to do it with the speed she needs to be sure of Longbottom's recovery. Hermione... if you could stay and observe. Potter will trust your judgement, and I trust you not to interfere."
Luciano looked up at Noah. "Mayer... I..."
Noah hesitated. "We will speak later, Luciano, when Neville is whole again."
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This story is written as part of the Nuke BigBang challenge. Check out the other authors' and artists' great work!