The Contract

The Contract: Chapter Thirteen – Conclusions and Suppositions


by rdwind

Author’s Note: Thank you to all the wonderful reviewers out there. I hope this chapter makes you smile… just a bit.

--RD

Chapter Thirteen – Conclusions and Suppositions

Ron and Hermione were taking a long walk in the evening sun. Holding hands seems natural for some unknown reason. They had talked, first with his parents, and finally alone. Harry and Malfoy were the topic of conversation. When at last they sat on the hill facing the Burrow, Hermione leaned against him.

“I know he can handle anything, but it seems as though he has been through so much.”

Shifting behind her, Ron leaned down a bit, his breath soft against her ear. “I love him too, but can we maybe talk about something else?”

Turning in his arms to face him, she looked into those blue eyes that haunted her dreams. It took a moment to notice that his arms now hung loosely on her shoulders. Smiling an almost shy smile, she asked, “Such as?”

“Such as us, you and me. Look, I’m not good at this.” And her being this close was not helping his words form properly. Closing his blue orbs, he continued, gaining strength and speed as he opened them mid way through the words, “At least Harry had the decisions made for him. I have watched you month after month; day after day agonize over every detail of your life. I sit back and watch you make good choices and say the right thing, over and over… and ‘Mione, I will never be like that.”

She was looking at him almost as though she had never seen him before. “I like you the way you are.” She admitted with sincerity.

“Let me finish, because I have made so many mistakes, and I don’t want to make this one too. I love you Hermione Jane Granger. I’m not ready to get married. I am certainly not ready to have children. But I am ready to try to make a go with you. You seem to be everything I could ever want in my life. You know my weaknesses, and you still put up with me.” He paused, which proved his mistake.

She lunged at him, her hunger overwhelming her. Looking down at the man she had just tackled. Without any more words, she kissed him. Hard and completely taking the initiative, she kissed him. Her whole body supported by his larger frame, he returned her kiss. His long arms, which had hung loosely on her shoulders seconds before, now wrapped around her with his hands wrapped in her bushy hair.

Rolling over, but trying to be careful of his weight, they continued the kiss. Pulling back only long enough to look into her eyes for a moment and giving her a smile. However, it was short lived when he shifted to lie beside her and began to tumble, one over the other, down the slope, gaining speed until… SPLASH… the two of them rolled right into the pond.

When they come up the air, they were both laughing, the sexual tension dissipating with the evening sun. They laughed and dunked one another until they heard Molly yelling for them to come in.

Entering the kitchen, still wet from their impromptu swim, they barely released hands before Molly smiled indulgently at them. “I had no idea that you were going for a swim.”

“It wasn’t on purpose mum. It just kind of happened.” He said with a slight grin.

Hermione’s eyes grew wide for a moment, just before they heard the silky voice of Severus Snape was heard, “Hello. I come with news of Harry.”

Another ‘whoosh’ was heard and Remus Lupin appeared. “Hello Weasleys.”

Instead of acknowledging the former professor, they all looked to Professor Snape. “There is something odd happening with the bond. Mr. Potter was apparently unconscious after the consummation and hid. This morning, they resumed their activities and after a meal in the garden, Draco watched as Mr. Potter fell unconscious again. This time, however, he Fire-called me.”

“And ruined a perfectly wonderful chess game as well.” Remus interrupted with a smile.

“I went to them, assessed the situation, and made a few suggestions as to how Draco might help.” He paused with an almost amused look on his face. “When I returned to check on them an hour or so later, they were latched on to one another…sleeping. Three hours after that, I heard them in the bath speaking about their lives. They are getting to know one another.”

Ron stopped himself from gagging, glad his dad had spelled both he and Hermione dry.

Hermione, however, felt no desire to gag, rather she asked, “So is Harry doing well with this bonding? I mean, other than the obvious of course.”

Taking a cup of tea from Molly, he sat comfortably at the table before answering, the others following his lead. “I do not have an absolute answer Miss Granger. It seems as though he is better, at the least awake. I will return tomorrow to check on them, because I was invited only. I will ask if it would be possible for them to socialize soon. Perhaps a dinner?”

“That would be lovely, Severus. Thank you.” Molly said, and she meant it. She just wanted to know he was fine with this, or at least could live with it.

After a hearty dinner, the teens were dismissed to bed. No one had noticed that Ginny was extremely quiet throughout the diatribe. Her heart broke at the thought of Harry being forced to be with Malfoy. Making her plans, she went quietly to bed.


When the teens were gone and the room encased in a Silencing Spell, the four adults spoke openly. Severus told the details of what he gleaned from Draco’s mind in the few moments he took to enter it. He spoke of the details of the state of Harry, erection and all. He also told them, in no uncertain terms, that Draco was head over heels in love with the man and had no desire to destroy him.

His posturing that he had probably started out to appease his Father was replaced by empathy. Or perhaps sympathy. Draco had acted exactly how his father had expected, but those feelings changed rapidly, when precisely it had happened, he did not know but Draco seemed to have genuine feelings for Harry.

The problem, they all decided, was Lucius’ reaction to the situation. “Can he change the terms of the contract now that the boys have bonded?” Remus asked.

“As far as we’ve been able to find from the book Hermione seems to have fingered from the Ministry Library, no. However, depending on the details of the contract, we could all be mistaken. I believe that when we see Harry, it would be best to attempt to get a look at the Contract itself and find out what the details are.” Arthur suggested.

Looking around the table, Molly took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Severus, did you, listen to the boys when you last checked on them? Did you actually hear what was said?”

“Yes Molly, I did. It was quite eye opening to say the least. Harry was apparently trained at some point?” Remus growled. Everyone looked at him, but when he did not elaborate, Severus continued. “Of course, Draco told Harry a few rather unhappy truths as well, however, I am not sure they are mine to tell. Let us set them aside for now and hope the boys will include us at some point with the finer details.”

Molly bit her lip. She wanted to know exactly what Severus knew, but she was aware that he would tell her no additional details. When she spoke, she was surprised to find that her voice was one of calm concern. “When you see them tomorrow, would you please let Harry dear know that… I love him very much and only want him to be happy. If he has found that happiness, I only want to share in it. Even if that means I accept a Malfoy into our family.”

Remus decided to elaborate on his earlier growl before Severus could agree to deliver the message. “The bond is so new that I simply do not know what shape it will take. I do know that it was supposed to be a term of enslavement. Otherwise, James would not have said that he had Harry’s training set up and that it would be revealed only after the bonding ritual. I do not know who was Harry’s trainer, or how repressed those memories were. If they were hidden too deep, it would take a trauma to break through, rather than just a spoken word.”

”Why would James pledge his son to that awful man?”

“I have been doing much thinking since we spoke the night of Harry’s birthday. I believe that James assumed one of two things. On one hand, he wasn’t sure that Voldemort could be defeated. Perhaps he was ensuring Harry’s continued existence by entering the contract with Voldemort’s right hand man. On the other hand, as he knew the prophecy, he also knew that his son had potential to destroy the Dark Lord, and would probably take the blonde bastard out at the same time. Either way, Harry would be conditioned, but not truly expected to fulfill the terms of the contract.” Remus speculated.

“But why didn’t Lucius just cancel out the debt? He must know that at the end of the year, Harry can demand ANYTHING from him and receive it per our laws.” Molly retorted.

Severus reached across the table and gave her shaking hand a squeeze then released it. “With Lucius, it is like a game of cat and mouse. He is always the biggest cat in the house. I believe that he wants more than just a year of humiliation for Harry. If Draco succeeds in inducing the ancient magic involved with consummation and bonding, and Harry were to bear a child, Lucius is assured a place in that child’s life as the grandfather and father in law. It would also afford him a renewed place of authority in the Wizarding world at large.”

He took a sip of tea before continuing. “You see, a man like Lucius is used to directing other people’s lives. For years, it was the school governors and the Wizengamut, or the Minister of Magic. Now, who can he control? Although some have believed the cock and bull stories told at his trial, most are wary of him and his reputation. If his son were to father a child with Harry Potter, the family would have to be accepted back into Wizarding high society once again.

“Because Harry is a forgiving soul, or perhaps because of his training, he would, at the end of the year, want to continue a relationship with Draco. Perhaps in a different context, but continue to be with the father of the child. He has such a capacity; he would probably be willing to forgive Lucius if it made Draco happy. Of course… those are only suppositions. I know no facts to support most of the theories.”

“You forget old friend,” Remus began, “Harry may have been conditioned, he may have been trained to be the perfect servant, but he is still Harry Potter. And that boy is the best combination of Gryffindor and Slytherin. It would not shock me a bit for Draco to end up the one pregnant, and Harry be ignorant of how it happened.”

“Can someone who has spent so much time being trained, as we believe Harry to be, revert back to what he was before?”

“That would depend on how deep the bond had developed at the time and if it is broken, I believe.” Molly answered her husband’s question.

As the conversation went into the late night, in Wiltshire, two boys lay close together, touching and feeling bare skin; gently kissing and exploring the other’s body with mouth, fingers, and cocks.