Devil's Snare

Title: Devil's Snare

Rating: R

Word Count: 521

011: Water

Paring: Harry/Draco

Summary: Harry is told to bring Draco to the light side of the war at any cost. Post-HBP, D/s, dubious consent, Post-Hogwarts, war!fic.

Disclaimer: Unoriginal characters and situations belong to JKRowling. No copyright infringement is intended.

Table of Contents found at http://www.livejournal.com/users/mahoganyhandle/9713.html

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The meeting with Hermione didn't go as well as the meeting with Lupin. That is to say, she came bearing only bad news. Seamus Finnegan had disappeared. He was the last known person to have seen Tonks alive. Finnegan, a friend from Harry's school days at Hogwarts, had joined up with the Order shortly after Dean Thomas had been murdered. Harry could see no feasible reason why he would turn traitor and lead the Death Eaters to Tonks, but Hermione came with some rather convincing evidence for the case. Lupin would be distraught.

They had decided that Harry should not be the one to pass this news on to Lupin, but that Hermione should. She promised to do so as soon as she left work, and they parted ways. Hermione returned to the Department of Mysteries, and Harry headed out to Hogwarts to visit the shrine dedicated to the late headmaster.

There was a fountain out by the tomb. It bore the likeness of a phoenix rising up from fire and ash, always spilling forth healing tears. It was said that if one bathed his wand in that water, Fawkes would come to him bearing a message from Albus Dumbledore himself. Harry wasn't certain of the validity of this statement, but he had always feared to try. He wanted more than anything one last chance to speak with the Headmaster, to say everything that he ought to have before he died, and make his peace with the guilt he still carried.

But today Harry felt drained, weak, useless. He needed to be renewed.

Pulling his wand from his pocket, he gently slipped it into the pool of water in the base of the fountain. It gurgled a little, and the wand distorted. Its color changed, turned red hot, and the water in the fountain grew warm, a fine steam rising up from it. Harry drew back, caught of guard by this turn of event, and gawked up in the sky. Nothing. Fawkes would not be there, of course.

"I once told you that I would be here to aid any who remained loyal to me."

Harry spun around, and came up short. A spectral shade of the headmaster lingered by his alabaster tomb. Gawking, Harry inched closer, reaching out. His hand passed through the apparition. It was a tense, super-coiled ball of magic. Nothing more. He snatched his hand away.

"You are failing. Voldemort has grown stronger, his numbers have doubled, and more of ours are dying."

"I know that!"

"What do you think I would have done in your situation?"

"I am not you. I can never be you."

"Then perhaps you should stop trying to be me…. Cast aside this doubt, Harry. I have shown you the path, but it is you who must take it. Become who you were born to be."

A thrilling white glow rose up from the water. Harry stared at it, his wand thrumming in the center. Tentatively he picked it up. It felt warm, alive, powerful in his hand. When he turned back to the tomb, the specter of the headmaster was gone.