Bonds by the Book

Bonds by the Book

Disclaimer: I don\'t own these characters, just the situations they’re in now.
Pairing: Lucius/Harry/Draco, Lucius/Harry, Draco/Harry
Rating: N17
Summary: A magical book puts Harry into a coma and bonds him to the two Malfoy males.

Chapter 1

\"Ron, where are we going? We were supposed to meet Hermione an hour ago?\" asked Harry as he trudged behind Ron wearily. \"We have been walking none stop for three hours now, and I\'m tired. What are you looking for?\"

\"I\'ll tell you when I find it. Fred said he had found this cool book on ancient spells. I know it’s around here somewhere,\" said Ron, searching the cave for the sixth time.

\"Where exactly did he say the book was, Ron?\" said Harry. He had already found a boulder to sit on and wasn\'t planning on moving until he absolutely had to.

\"He said he left the book around the caves in behind Hogsmeade. These are the caves so where is the book?\" asked Ron in frustration.

\"Ron, there are six caves around here. Why do you keep searching this one? You haven\'t even looked in the other five,\" said Harry in exasperation. \"I\'m going to another cave. Call me if you find the bloody book.\" He walked to the neighbouring cave and started searching. After thirty minutes with no results, he moved on to the next cave. He repeated the process until he reached the last cave.

The last cave was different from all the rest. There was a weird sense of magic exuding from the cave and Harry warily approached. As he passed the entrance of the cave, he felt a tingle of magic go down his spine and he almost turned tail and ran. Nothing good ever comes from those spine-tingling sensations he thought. He walked slowly to the back of the cavern and saw a dim green light pulsing in the shadows. Drawing closer, he saw an old, thick, black book floating in the air. \'I know better than to do this, but if I don\'t then Ron will. He is bound and determined to get his hands on this book, come what may,\' he thought to himself.

Harry grabbed the book and immediately felt a rush of magic travel through his hands and into the rest of his body. Suddenly, the magic exploded outwards and he was thrown backwards. He hit the cavern wall, still with the book in his hands, and passed out from the magical overload.

Ron heard the explosion and went running towards the source of the noise. \'Oh god, I hope nothing\'s wrong with Harry. He can\'t die, not after he finally killed off old snake-face,\' he thought as he ran towards his friend. He reached the cave and ran just inside the entrance. Seeing Harry lying on the ground with the book in his hand, Ron immediately rushed towards him to make sure he was all right. Harry was thankfully still breathing so Ron cast a levitation charm on him and rushed him straight to the infirmary.

\"What happened to Mr. Potter?\" said Madame Pomfrey as soon as she saw them.

\"We were searching for this book and Harry went into the last cave by himself. I heard an explosion and ran to see if he was all right. This is how I found him,\" said Ron frantically.

\"Well get out of the way. I have some tests to run,\" said Pomfrey, pushing Ron away from the bed. She took out her wand and ran it down the length of Harry\'s body. \"He doesn\'t seem to be hurt but he\'s in a coma for some reason. His magic is also a little weird. It\'s like he has absorbed someone else\'s magic. Stay with him for a moment; I need to talk to the Headmaster.\"

Ron sat down beside the bed as Pomfrey left the room. Noticing the book still in Harry\'s hands, Ron decided he would read the book while they waited. He reached for the book only to be knocked away. He tried again with the same results. Madame Pomfrey and Dumbledore showed up before he could try once more.

\"Was there anything wrong with him, Poppy?\" asked Dumbledore in concern.

\"No. I really have no idea what is causing this poor boy to be in a coma,\" she replied.

\"What is this?\" said Dumbledore, reaching for the book. He, too, was knocked back before he could come into contact with the book. He leaned forward to get a better view of the title. The title read Bonds by Founders. \"Where did he get this book?\"

\"We were searching the caves behind Hogsmeade for a book that Fred had told me about. Harry found this in the last cave, furthest from the village,\" said Ron.

\"If this is the book I think it is, Harry will remain in a coma until we find the person to whom he is destined to bond,\" said Dumbledore.

\"What kind of bond? Do you mean a heart bond, life bond, magic bond, or Merlin forbid a soul bond?\" asked Ron worriedly.

\"It could actually be any of the bonds you named, but with him in a coma, I am more inclined to think it is a soul or heart bond. It could even be both,\" said Dumbledore. \"Poppy, can we move him to a more private room? I don’t want people coming in just to gawk at the poor boy.\"

\"Hermione’s gonna kill me. First I left her waiting in Hogsmeade while me and Harry searched for the book and then I just left her there altogether because Harry got hurt over this stupid book. She’s gonna absolutely flip when she finds out Harry’s in the infirmary again and this time it’s my fault,\" Ron moaned. All he could think of were all the ways his girlfriend could punish him for today’s events.

It wasn’t long before Hermione came storming into the infirmary. \"Ronald Weasley. What have you done to poor Harry this time?\" she demanded with her hands on her hips.

\"I didn’t do it. We were looking for a book and something happened. I wasn’t even there when it happened, but now he’s in a coma,\" said Ron. He gave Hermione the most pitiful look he could muster in an attempt to gain some sympathy and less ire.

\"What’s causing the coma? And what book were you searching for?\" she asked. Hermione walked over to the bed and almost cried. This was the second coma Harry had been in. After defeating Voldemort, Harry had been in a coma for three weeks while his magic had replenished itself. The war was over and Harry was supposed to be safe. Instead he was laid low by a bloody book.

\"Dumbledore said the book caused the coma and that he will stay that way until we find the person he’s supposed to bond with. All Fred told me was that the book I was looking for had some cool spells in it. I don’t think he meant this one. Me and Dumbledore can’t even touch the book,\" said Ron.

\"Why can’t you touch the book?\" she asked, reaching down towards the book. She, like Ron and Dumbledore, was immediately knocked backwards.

\"That’s why we can’t touch the book. I don’t know if it’s Harry’s magic or the book’s magic, but something is stopping anyone from touching it,\" said Ron. \"Maybe only the person who Harry’s supposed to bond with can actually touch the book. Then he’ll wake up, right?\"

\"I hope so. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if we don’t find his bonded. I can’t lose my best friend that way,\" said Hermione sniffling. Harry just had to be all right. He would wake up soon; she just knew it.

****

\"Harry, wake up,\" said a voice by his ear. He eyed his eyes and saw a pair of emerald eyes just like his.

\"Mum? Why are you here? The last time I saw you, I was in a coma after defeating Voldemort. How did I wind up back in a coma?\" he asked frantically. The last thing he remembered was reaching for the book in the cavern. \"Oh god, it’s not a coma, is it? I’ve finally died.\"

\"Harry, calm down. You’re not dead. When you touched the book, the magic sensed that you had a soul mate, well soul mates, and put you in a coma until they arrive,\" said Lily soothingly.

\"What do you mean soul mates? How can I have more than one soul mate?\" asked Harry. He always thought that soul mates each shared half a soul, and now his mother was telling him he had two soul mates.

\"Your two soul mates complement you in every way: physically, emotionally, and magically. They’re almost identical,\" she explained.

\"So what, they’re twins?\" asked Harry, still confused.

\"Uh, no. I can’t really tell you who they are, but I can tell you that you have already met them,\" she said. That was as close as she could get to their identities without actually telling him the truth.

\"I’ve already met them? You know, with the way you’re hedging, I’m beginning to think that I’m not going to like knowing the names of my soul mates,\" he said with a glare in his mother’s direction.

\"It doesn’t really matter if you like them or not, at this point. You’re already bonded to them. All they need to do now is touch the book at the same time to wake you up,\" she said. \"But don’t worry. I’ll keep you company until they arrive. We have a lot of catching up to do. I didn’t find out nearly enough last time.\"

\"Not that I don’t enjoy your company, but why doesn’t dad ever appear here?\" he asked curiously.

\"Because only one of us is allowed and I won,\" she said, making Harry snicker in amusement.

****

One week later, Harry was still in a coma. Dumbledore didn’t quite know what to do about the situation. He was fast coming to the conclusion that he would have to make every student and teacher in the castle take turns trying to touch the book. His musings were interrupted a moment later by the arrival of Lucius Malfoy.

\"Hello, Lucius. How may I help you?\" he asked.

\"My son sent a letter to me regarding a certain Gryffindor. It seems he is in a magical coma?\" said Lucius with a raised eyebrow.

\"You are correct. He seems to have found a very rare book called Bonds by Founders in a cavern behind Hogsmeade,\" he started.

\"Isn’t that the book the four founders charmed to reveal certain bonds and those who were bonded?\" asked Lucius.

\"Yes. Apparently Harry has a soul mate out there and will not awaken until he/she arrives,\" said Dumbledore tiredly. \"He’s already been in the coma for a week. I’m about to the point where I’ll let everyone in the school try to touch the book. Maybe that will help.\"

\"You mean, no one can even touch the book?\" he asked skeptically. \"I’ve got to see this for myself.\"

\"I hope you have no plans to hurt the boy, because if you do…\" said Albus, letting the threat hang in the air.

\"Please, Albus. Do you honestly think I would have helped the little brat kill the Dark Lord if I were planning hurt him in any way? I just want to see the situation first hand,\" said Lucius mockingly.

****

“Mum, how can a book decide whether or not you have a bond? And how can it tell what kind of bond you have as well as the person to whom you’re bonded? Is it a sentient creation like the sorting hat?” asked Harry, staring at his mother with curiosity shining in his emerald eyes.

“The book is only charmed to react when a bond has already been started,” said Lily, looking at her son meaningfully.

“You mean that a soul bond had already been started in my case. That brings up another question. Can’t you usually tell when a bond like that has been formed? You would think that having a connection with another person’s soul would be glaringly obvious,” Harry pointed out.

“Have you not felt a difference since the battle with Voldemort? That was when the connection truly began,” said Lily.

“Of course I felt different after the battle with Voldemort. A big part of my life was over because I didn’t have to worry about the insane maniac trying to kill me anymore,” said Harry in exasperation.

“Tell me again what happened when you defeated Voldemort,” said Lily.

“I was facing Voldemort when Lucius and Draco Malfoy arrived. I thought they were going to kill me, but they fended off Death Eaters while I dueled with Voldemort. Then they both sent a killing curse towards old snake-face at the same time I did. Voldemort died, the Malfoys left, and I ended up in a coma,” said Harry, glossing over the events of the battle.

“Well I would go more in-depth but you need to wake up now. I’ll see you again someday,” said Lily, smiling at her son sadly. “Good bye, my son.”

****

Dumbledore and Lucius walked into the room where Harry was currently residing. Lucius walked to the bed and glanced at the book. He reached out to touch the book, fully expecting to be knocked back like all the others had, and instead was engulfed in a golden glow. He touched the book, but Harry didn’t awaken.

“What does that mean, Dumbledore? I touched the book so why didn’t he awaken?” asked Lucius.

“It can only mean one thing, Lucius. The golden aura that surrounded you indicates that you are his soul mate. Apparently, Harry here has two soul mates instead of the customary one. We just need to find the other one,” said Dumbledore, staring at Harry.

“Father, what are you doing here?” asked a voice from behind them.

“I came to investigate the situation you mentioned in your letter,” said Lucius.

“Did you find out anything? All we’ve been told is that he’s in a coma,” said Draco, drawing closer to the bed. He saw the book and curiously reached out to touch it. Before Lucius or Dumbledore could warn him against it, Draco had touched the book and he too was engulfed in a golden aura. “What the hell just happened?”

Harry stirred in the bed and slowly opened his eyes. The first things he saw were two pairs of grey eyes. “Oh no. Mum, I hate you right now,” said Harry, thinking back on the conversations he’d had with his mum. Things were suddenly crystal clear.

“Harry? How are you feeling?” said Dumbledore, gazing worriedly towards Harry. He knew the young Gryffindor would not react positively to this turn of events.

“Besides wanting to kill my mother all over for not just telling me the truth, just peachy,” he replied sarcastically.

“What does your mother have to do with anything,” asked Draco, staring at Harry like he’d lost his mind.

“She warned me but she was purposefully vague. Almost identical is right,” said Harry still ranting.

“He’s lost his mind, hasn’t he?” asked Draco, whispering to his father.

“No I haven’t lost my mind, you prat. I’m talking about the fact that my mother warned me that I had two soul mates, but all she would say about them is that they were my perfect complements in every way and that they were almost identical. Three guesses to whom she was referring,” said Harry, staring at Draco and Lucius.

“That’s why I was surrounded by that golden light. I’m Potter’s soul mate?” asked Draco, voice rising with each note.

“Not just you, pretty boy,” said Harry sarcastically. “I get stuck with both Malfoys. Two for the price of one, so to speak.”

“No way. We hate each other. How can we be soul mates?” asked Draco, looking over at his father frantically.

“I don’t hate you; I just hate your hoity toity attitude. Besides, mother said the only reason the book picked up on the bond is because it started with the battle with Voldemort. Apparently when you and your father helped me in that last battle, you turned the tide,” said Harry.

“Why don’t we all just get a good night’s sleep and talk about this in the morning?” asked Dumbledore, trying to curtail anymore arguments.

“That’s fine. We will talk about this tomorrow Mr. Potter,” said Lucius, ushering Draco to the door before he could argue with anyone.

“Good night, Professor. Mr. Malfoy, Draco, good night,” said Harry, settling back in the bed. Now that he was out of the coma, a restful sleep was definitely needed.