What a Witch Needs

Hey, everyone, I know this plot is a bit dark right now so just bare with me. As I said before, I’m trying to touch on many different emotions in this fiction. I like to think of it as a rollercoaster ride, where sometimes things are fluffy, funny or sexy, and other times it may plunge into scary. But never fear, what goes up must come down again and the ride is far from over.

Thanks again for all your responses. They really keep me returning to the keyboard to write more and more. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I can claim no ownership of the characters or places used in this fiction.

WARNING: Dark Harry violence, torture


The Sea of Fear

“Crucio,” Lucius said, again, watching his son cry out in agony. Why was Draco being so stubborn? Lucius had thought by now, he would have admitted that Potter was lying. Lucius refused to have a Malfoy become a blood traitor. He looked at Draco’s writhing form in disgust, hating that his son felt so loyal to Potter. Potter! The very name made his insides burn. That boy should have died long ago.

Lucius pointed his wand at the ground by his feet and Draco whimpered, crying at the lingering pain in his body. Draco felt he had no more energy left, even to stand if he tried. He wasn’t sure how much more of this torture he could take.

“Now, Draco,” Lucius said, “I’m going to ask you again. Is Harry Potter the Dark Lord?”

Draco could barely lift his head off the snow, his face a red mess of tears and blood from his cut. His head wobbled as he strained to look at his father and his vision was blurry.

“Well,” snapped Lucius, impatiently, “is he the Dark Lord?”

“Yes… he is,” Draco managed to say, dropping his head down again and waiting for the next attack.

Lucius shut his eyes a moment, angry that Draco was still willing to be punished for such a foolish belief. “That was the wrong answer, Draco,” Lucius said, tersely. “Crucio.” Again, Draco cried out as a fresh wave of pain struck every nerve in his body.

Lucius stood, his face an impassive mask of conviction, pointing his wand at Draco, until a sharp pain met his grasping wand fingers and he instinctively let go. He examined his fingers in shock and then searched for the wand lying on the snow. The wand was on fire and burning so quickly that it had turned to ash in a matter of seconds.

When he looked up, he saw Harry Potter standing next to Draco, looking down at him. Lucius, filled with fury, strode angrily toward him snapping, “How dare you interfere!” Lucius raised his cane to strike Harry, but was propelled backwards off his feet when Harry lifted a hand towards him. Lucius landed five meters away and pushed up quickly, looking at Harry in shock. He had seen no wand in Harry’s hand. He glanced around the woods to see if someone was perhaps aiding the strange boy.

Meanwhile, Harry had kneeled down next to Draco’s body and stroked his hair back from his face. Draco was trembling and moaning in pain. His clothing was soaked through from lying on the snow and his face was red and swollen. Harry’s anger grew as he looked at what Lucius had done. He sat Draco up and pulled him back to sit against a tree, wanting to get his cold face and hands off the snow. Draco’s head wobbled and his eyes remained shut.

Lucius carefully stood again, trying to calculate his next move. He watched as Harry stood up and slowly turned to face him. Lucius gasped, his eyes opening wide, when he saw the dark eyes and red glow of Potter’s skin.

“Give me your coat!” Harry ordered, angrily, his voice ringing with power.

Lucius had worn a long, black wool coat over his robes. “I will give you nothing, Potter!” he snarled, even though Harry’s unnatural appearance had unnerved him.

Harry grinned, evilly. “Oh, but you will.”

He glanced off to the side where Hagrid’s hut was visible, and saw a coiled length of rope hanging on a peg on the side of a fence. Lucius followed Harry’s line of vision and watched, surprised, as the rope unraveled. It began to move like a snake, its long length sliding through the trees towards them.

“I’m going to enjoy this immensely,” Harry said, tonelessly.

Lucius felt panic rising in his chest and he turned to run. Another force propelled him forward onto his face. Before he could stand again, he felt the rope coiling its end tightly around his ankles and then drag him backwards to where he had stood before.

Snow had gotten under his robe as he was dragged backwards and his face burned with the cold rubbing it had received. He turned his face back toward Harry, who had not moved from his spot by Draco. Before the shocked Lucius could speak, Harry had lifted his hand once more and the other end of the rope coiled around a branch high above them, pulling Lucius upside down by his ankles and dangling him three meters above the ground. His robe and coat had fallen over his face and he soon felt them being tugged off his body as his arms hung down. His shirt was also pulling free of him and he soon found himself bare-chested, dangling and helpless.

As his body turned, he had an upside down view of Harry putting his long coat over Draco to keep him warm. “Damn you, Potter,” Lucius snapped. “Let me down at once. You have no idea how badly you’ll be punished for this! I’ll make sure you suffer greatly.”

Harry turned around and grinned maliciously. “You’re in no position to be making threats, Lucius.” Harry’s face became a deadly mask. “You will never harm Draco again.”

Lucius snarled at Harry as he tried to bend himself upwards to grab onto the rope at his ankles. Harry raised his hand and pointed at Lucius, slashing his finger through the air.
Lucius yelled in pain as a large slash formed diagonally across his chest. Harry moved his finger in the other direction and another slash formed across Lucius’ chest, marking him with a large, bleeding X, from shoulders to waist.

“What!” yelled Lucius, incredulously, and he tried to stop the flow of his blood with his hands while hissing in pain. The blooded seeped through his fingers and ran down his neck to his chin, then down the sides of his head and over his ears, into his long dangling hair it ran, until some blood began dripping onto the white snow.

Harry stood, watching the trails of Lucius’ blood, dispassionately.

“What do you want? What do you want?” yelled Lucius, frantically. “Money? I can give you gold, Potter!”

“I don’t need money, Lucius,” Harry replied, calmly. “I’ve got plenty from my parents - and Sirius.”

“What then? Tell me! Tell me!” Lucius was afraid he’d soon bleed to death if he didn’t get down and cover the wounds. Already he was feeling the dizzying effects.

“I’d like you to stay away from Draco,” Harry replied. “But, I’m afraid there is only one way to guarantee that you’ll never touch him again.”

Harry turned his gaze towards Hagrid’s hut and looked at the animal pen he had behind his house. This was where Hagrid kept the creatures he used to teach his Care of Magical Creatures classes. Harry opened the door of the pen with his mind and three creatures ran out towards them. Lucius swung his face towards the howling and snarling faces of the two-headed wolves approaching and his eyes opened in fright.

“NO!” yelled Lucius.

“Those are Roman Wolves, Lucius,” Harry explained, calmly. “They look hungry. The smell of your blood is attracting them. I hope you have strong stomach muscles.”

Lucius yelled as the wolves came bounding beneath him, jumping and snapping at him with razor sharp teeth. He bent up as much as he could, trying to keep out of range of the wolves.

OOOOOO

Hagrid had been sitting in his hut, sanding the wood of his favorite cross-bow, when he heard the wolves howling and making a commotion. He raised his large figure from his table and went to the window overlooking the pen. “What! How’d the buggers get out?” he exclaimed. He saw them racing off toward the woods, and he grabbed his umbrella, which contained a part of his old wand in it. He normally wasn’t allowed to do magic, but he knew this was one of those times where a student could be harmed if he didn’t. Those wolves had to be stopped quickly.

Hagrid left the hut in a hurry, striding across the clearing towards the woods. He could hear the snarls of the wolves growing louder as he approached the tree line, and he thought that they had probably caught a rabbit they were fighting over.

When he entered the woods, he spotted the wolves and the sight that met his eyes made him pause, shocked. The wolves were snapping at a half-naked man, dangling from a tree, who was covered in blood and trying to bend himself away. He quickly recovered his senses and strode deeper toward the scene, taking his umbrella out and pointing it at the wolves.

“Sleep, you beasts!” Hagrid yelled, shaking his umbrella at them and sending them promptly to sleep on the forest floor.

It was then his eyes saw Harry standing there, watching him. “Harry? What in blazes is going on here?” Hagrid took another look at the dangling man who was breathing with exhausted fear. He squinted at the familiar man and finally recognized who it was. “Malfoy?” Hagrid said, surprised.

“You shouldn’t have interfered, Hagrid,” Harry said, plainly.

Hagrid swung his attention back toward Harry. “What do you …” Hagrid stopped speaking, finally noticing Harry’s altered appearance. His mouth fell open in realization. “It’s happening again, ain’t it, Harry?” Hagrid held up his hands in supplication to Harry. “Now, you just calm down, Harry. No need for all this violence.”

“Go back to your house, Hagrid,” Harry said. “I’ll return the wolves to you once they’re fed. This will remain a secret among friends.”

“Hel… help me,” rasped Lucius in a near faint. Hagrid glanced at Lucius and then back to Harry.

“He was trying to kill Draco,” Harry explained. “He deserves to die.”

“No…” Lucius groaned. “Not… kill. Not… kill. Teach…”

Harry’s head turned toward Draco when a soft voice whispered, “Harry? Harry…” Draco had regained consciousness and was squinting, painfully, out of half-closed eyes. “Harry…” he whispered again.

Harry turned and knelt down at Draco’s side. “I’m here,” Harry replied.

“Harry… hold me,” came the faint whisper. Draco remembered how Hermione’s embrace of Harry, the last time he was in this state, seemed to sooth him back to normal.

Harry bent forward and hugged Draco to his chest, careful not to press on his sore cheek.

“Harry… I love you,” Draco said, so faintly that only Harry could hear. “Don’t do this, Harry.”

“But he was trying to kill you,” Harry hissed, darkly. “Look what he did to you.” Draco felt a shudder go through Harry’s body emotions passed through him.

“He’s my father…” Draco whispered. “I don’t want him dead. Just breath with me Harry, breath…”

Harry closed his eyes and held onto Draco, gulping deep breathes of fresh air. He felt the crisp air cooling his boiling anger as well as the heartbeat of his lover calming washing over him in reassurance. They remained in this embrace until Harry’s color faded to normal.

“That’s good…” Draco managed to say, before he closed his eyes again, satisfied that Harry was returning to himself again.

Harry kissed his forehead and set him gently back against the tree again. Then he stood and turned to face Hagrid, taking a deep breath. “It’s all right, Hagrid,” Harry said. “I’m all right now.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Hagrid replied, relieved. “What about him?” Hagrid asked, nodding his head towards the unconscious hanging wizard.

“Here, catch him so he doesn’t land on the wolves and wake them up,” Harry said, waving his fingers, loosening the rope from the branches above. Hagrid caught Lucius easily.

“You go on and take Draco to the infirmary, I’ll see to Mr. Malfoy here,” Hagrid said.

“Aren’t you going to bring him to the infirmary as well?” Harry asked.

“No, no, I don’t think I will, Harry. I think you’ve got enough bad publicity lately without adding this one to the list.” Hagrid explained. “I’ll just clean him up over at my place and send him on his way.”

“What if he tells the ministry?” Harry asked.

“Than he’ll have to explain what he was doing here in the first place now, won’t he?” Hagrid frowned. “Don’t think he’d want everyone knowing what he’d done to his own son. He’s on probation you know.”

Harry nodded. “Thanks, Hagrid. I’m sorry you had to get involved.”

“It’s all right, Harry,” Hagrid said before he left. “Can’t say I’m all that heart broken over seeing Lucius Malfoy in this state. It’s about time he reaped what he sowed.”

OOOOOO

Lucius Malfoy awoke, sputtering and coughing as he fought someone trying to pour something down his throat. He opened his eyes to see the big, hairy half-giant, holding a large mug up to his lips, trying to get him to swallow some nasty brew.

Lucius pushed the mug away, splashing the contents over the giant’s cot. “Get that foul concoction away from me!” he snapped. “Are you trying to poison me?”

“I’m trying to help you!” Hagrid snapped back, angry at Malfoy’s ungracious attitude. “Though, I’m very tempted to leave you bleeding like a stuck swine!”

“Get away from me you big oaf!” Lucius sneered, trying to push up from the bed. His chest burned with pain, and he glanced down at what looked like huge pieces of raw meat covering his wounds. “What have you done to me?” he angrily growled, pulling the slabs of meat off and tossing them onto the floor.

“I was saving your bloody life, you git!” Hagrid growled back. “But I see now, that I shouldn’t have bothered!”

Lucius ignored Hagrid as he examined the wounds on his chest, which were already closing. He smelt a foul smelling cream on his skin, which he deduced the giant must have put on him. Memories of what happened began to flood his mind and he closed his eyes in thought for a moment.

When his eyes snapped open again, he glared at the insulted giant. “Do you at least have some floo powder? I would like to return home - where I can get some PROPER care!”

Hagrid stood up and lumbered over to a wooden box on his mantle. “That’s the best idea I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth. Get the hell out of my house!” He held out the box to Lucius. Lucius stood, and was about to grab a handful of the powder, when Hagrid pulled the box away from him. “One more thing,” Hagrid added, “don’t you ever come back to Hogwarts to hurt anyone again, or next time I’ll let Harry finish you off. In fact, I’ll help him!”

Lucius gave Hagrid an evil smirk and took a handful of powder. “We shall see about that.” He stepped into Hagrid’s hearth and left for Malfoy Manor.

OOOOOO

In the middle of the night, Draco opened his eyes and looked around the infirmary, softly lit by a few candles. He tried to move a little, but found that both of his hands were covered by sleeping heads on each side. Lifting his head slightly, he saw that Hermione and Harry had both fallen asleep in chairs placed next to his bed. They each had one of his hands in theirs. On top of the held hands, their heads rested in slumber.

Draco’s heart filled with the sweetness of the picture they made and a lump formed in his throat. For the first time, since he was a small child, he felt truly cared about.

A tear rolled down from the corner of his eye to his ear and he pulled one of his hands free to wipe it. This movement woke Hermione, and she lifted her head, gazing at him. “You’re awake,” she smiled softly. “How do you feel?”

“I’m not sure, yet,” he responded. “I suppose I’ll find out when I try to stand.”

“Madam Pomfrey has been giving you a restorative every hour. She said you should be better by morning,” Hermione said, rising up and sitting on the edge of his bed. She bent to kiss him sweetly.

“I think more of those kisses will be all the restorative I’ll need,” he grinned, pulling her head down for more. Then he glanced down at Harry’s sleeping head. “What happened? Did my father…?”

“Your father’s fine,” she told him. “Hagrid helped him, and he left.”

She studied his face in the candlelight for a moment. “I’m sorry it happened, Draco. When I returned from Hogsmeade, and heard what happened, I came here as fast as I could. I was worried sick for you.” She stroked his face with her fingers and he turned his head sideways to kiss her fingertips.

“I don’t think he was trying to kill me,” Draco explained. “He wanted me to say that Harry was lying. I wouldn’t say it.”

“Don’t make excuses for him!” Hermione said, angrily. “Parents should never do that. It’s inhuman!”

He stroked her hand, soothingly. “I’m fine, now, love,” Draco sighed. “I suppose one good thing came out of it all.”

“What would that be?” she asked.

“He saw that I was telling the truth. He saw Harry’s power,” Draco replied. “That will give him something to think about.”

“Perhaps,” she said. They both turned and looked at Harry as he lifted his head up and gazed at them, sleepily.

“Hey,” he said softly to Draco. “You all right?”

“How can I not be with you two coddling me,” he smiled. “But please don’t stop - I love every moment of it.”

Harry stood up and bent down to kiss him. Then he flopped back into his chair and ran a hand through his messy hair. “I’m sorry, Draco. I’m so sorry I lost control again. What I almost did… to your father… Merlin!”

“Don’t be sorry, Harry. If the roles were reversed, I would have done the same thing,” Draco assured. Harry glanced up at him, quickly, and then looked down at his shoes. He looked depressed and sad. Hermione and Draco looked at one another and back to Harry. “I mean it, Harry,” Draco tried. “I’m not upset with you in the least. You saved me - and I’m grateful. My father needed to be taught a lesson.”

Harry put his elbows on the edge of the bed and gripped his own hair with two hands. “It’s not that,” he said in frustration. “It’s something else, something bad…”

“What is it, Harry?” Hermione asked. She walked around to Harry’s side of the bed and sat next to his elbows. “Tell us.”

He looked up into her face with a pained expression and said, “I don’t deserve you.” Then he looked at Draco and added, “Either of you. I’m evil, rotten to the core.”

Draco let out a small laugh, “Come on, Harry! That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said.”

Harry looked at him angrily for laughing at his pain. “It’s not funny! Something happened today, something that set my anger off.”

“We know that, Harry,” Hermione said, running a soothing hand through his hair.

He shook off her hand. “It wasn’t Draco’s dad! I was already pushed over my limit before I knew Lucius was here.”

“What happened?” Draco asked, more seriously now. He could see that something was really eating away at Harry.

Harry let out a huge breath, sinking back in the armchair. “I was followed into one of the restrooms and …”

“Who followed you into the restroom, Harry?” Hermione asked.

“Warrington,” Harry said with a glance at Draco.

Draco’s face became a mask of anger as he remembered the words Warrington had said to him that morning, something about the fluids of a Dark Lord making one stronger.

“What did he do to you?” Draco growled. “I’ll fucking kill him!”

“He did something to you, Harry?” Hermione asked, alarmed. “I thought he was one of your supporters!”

“I guess he is, in his own twisted, fucking way,” Harry said, scathingly. “He… he grabbed me around the legs, and … well… tried to suck me off.”

“What!” Hermione gasped. “I thought they would treat you with respect!”

“He has some crazy idea, that drinking your fluids will make him more powerful,” Draco snapped, angry at the image of Warrington putting his mouth on Harry. “I’ll give him some fluids to drink - when I knock his teeth down his throat!”

Hermione ignored Draco’s angry tirade and asked Harry, “What did you do?”

“I tried to push him off of me, but he wouldn’t let go,” Harry said. “Then he said some stupid fucking thing about me using Draco for sex - or something like that, and it just made me so… fucking furious! He was offering himself to be used!”

“That’s it! He’s dead!” Draco steamed.

He looked like he was trying to get up and out of bed, but Hermione put a hand on his chest and said, “Don’t you dare leave this bed, Draco Malfoy. You’re not well enough yet. Just calm down. I’m sure Harry took care of it. It made him angry, didn’t it?” She looked at Harry’s frowning face. “Tell us what happened next.”


Harry looked at her and said, “I fucking snapped! I felt trapped and angry and insulted and I went over the edge. That’s when I … when I … fucked up.” Harry rubbed a hand over his tired eyes.

“Go on,” Hermione urged, softly.

“He got scared when he saw my face… you know… the way it becomes,” Harry said, watching Hermione as she nodded.

“Then he tried to get away from me, but I was too angry to let him escape. I needed to hurt him at that point. I grabbed his hair and I… I…” Harry felt his stomach roll over. He felt like vomiting. He glanced up into their waiting faces. “I forced him to suck me off! I was angry, so fucking angry. I shoved myself hard down his throat. I wanted to fucking choke him! But it didn’t choke him, he took it all. And, then I felt guilty, thinking that I really messed up with you two, even though I didn’t feel like I had sex. I still felt like he got something that belonged to only the both of you, and I felt like fucking shit. I threw him hard on the floor and he ran off. It took everything I had not to kill him. I wanted to.”

“I was on my way outside, trying to cool down, when Crabbe told me that Lucius was here. And that’s what happened. I fucking messed up, badly! Fuck!” Harry hit the arm of his chair and then rubbed his eyes again, waiting for their reactions.

There was silence as Hermione and Draco absorbed Harry’s words. Their eyes bored into him, seeing the distress and utter regret in the very way he sat. It was hard to be angry, when all one felt was pity – pity for the one who sat with such extreme self-loathing.

Then Draco said, “It’s not your fault, Harry. Warrington pushed you over the edge, didn’t he? It’s his fucking fault, and believe me, he’s going to pay.”

“Draco’s right, Harry,” Hermione agreed. “When you were in your normal state of mind, you tried to push him off you, and you couldn’t. You’re body shifted into your other self, the self that could defend you.”

“Defend myself?” Harry said, incredulously. “Look what I did, Hermione! That’s not exactly defending.”

“You were taking back control.” Hermione clarified. “That’s a type of defense. You turned the table on him, and made him the helpless one. You’ve said before, that once you cross a certain line, you can’t seem to stop your anger.”

“Yeah,” Harry said, disbelieving they could be so reasonable at a time like this.

“Harry, look at the other things you have done while in that state of mind - with Pansy and Lucius, and … John Wells. When you calm down again, it’s like you shift into a whole other person, into someone who cares,” Hermione reasoned. “How can Draco and I fault you for something you did when you were in your other ‘self’? It’s not like you were enjoying it…”

“NO! I didn’t enjoy it! It wasn’t like being with the two of you. I was trying to hurt him, choke him.” Harry said, vehemently. “So, you two … don’t … hate me?”

Hermione moved and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms about his neck. “Hate you? Harry, I love you.” Harry kissed her, relieved but still feeling undeserving. Then he looked at Draco in question.

“What?” Draco said. “Of course I feel the same way. It’s not your fault, Harry, and yes, I still love you, too.”

“I love you both, too. You have no idea how bad I’m feeling about it. I hope no more of those guys try to ‘drink my fluids’.” He looked at Draco. “Could you tell them that it’s bollocks? They won’t get more power that way?”

Draco nodded. “Don’t worry, Harry. They are going to get the message. I’ll take care of it.”

OOOOO

Well, I hope that chapter was satisfying enough!

Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!