Hybrid Destiny

Chapter 29

School let out for the Christmas holidays, and almost all of the students went home. A grand total of ten students, including Draco, Hermione, Blaise, and Harry, stayed behind. Harry was excited about the holiday, but he was also a little depressed. This would be the first Christmas he would be spending with Draco, but on the other hand, it would also be the first time he would be celebrating Christmas without Ron and the rest of the Weasleys.

Although Ginny was still a student at Hogwarts, she went out of her way to avoid any contact with him whatsoever. The very sight of Harry disgusted her these days. She couldn’t believe he could proclaim to love Draco Malfoy after everything the Malfoys had done to her in the past. She had silently cheered Ron on his initiative in getting Draco out of the picture. In her mind, Draco was a pollutant that was tainting her innocent Harry.

She had the perfect plan to change all that. She would have to obtain a portkey somehow to get him away from Draco; then she would have to bond him to her. She had found the perfect potion to accomplish this. This potion tricked the mind into believing the caster was their chosen soul mate. Once Harry had taken a drink of that, he would forget about Draco and believe himself to bonded to her. Once she was pregnant, she knew he would never leave her anyway.

As Christmas drew closer, she had managed to brew the potion and obtained the portkey, through less than legal means nonetheless. Knowing her mother would still send Harry her customary Weasley present, she slipped the portkey into the package and snuck off to the drop off point. Everything was beautifully prepared for her mate to arrive.

*****

Christmas morning came and Harry was the first person awake. He jumped out of bed and rushed to common room, saw the pile of gifts underneath the tree, and bounced on the bed to wake up Draco. Even Ryoku was awake and slithering around the common room.

“Draco,” he whined. “It’s Christmas and I wanna open presents. Come on.”

“It’s too early for that, elf,” said Draco sleepily, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“It’s already 6:30. Get up so we can open our gifts,” said Harry, bouncing on the bed even more.

“Alright, fine. I’ll get up. Happy now?” he asked irritably, sighing and rolling his eyes when Harry just nodded happily. He really was just too cute when he was excited like that.

Harry ran back in the common room and sat on the couch, waiting impatiently for Draco to join him. As he was waiting, Ryoku slithered up his arm and draped himself across the back Harry’s neck hidden by all the hair. Severus had bonded the habu to him the day after he had been purchased.

Draco finally made his way into the room and sat down in the floor beside the tree. He immediately started handing Harry his gifts first, smiling at the delighted bouncing that action produced.

“You don’t like Christmas, do you?” asked Draco teasingly.

“I didn’t before I came to school here. My first year was the first time I’d ever gotten any gifts. It was amazing,” said Harry excitedly, totally missing the anger that flashed in Draco’s eyes at the mention of his treatment with those horrible muggles.

Once all the gifts had been given out, they decided to open the presents they got each other first. When they saw what lay inside, they couldn’t but laugh at the irony. They each had gotten the other a pendant that elements of both houses combined.

“I guess great minds do think alike,” said Harry, kissing Draco quickly.

“It is kind of funny that we managed to get each other such similar gifts,” said Draco.

“Now on to the other gifts. Come on,” said Harry imperiously, gesturing towards the huge stack of presents.

Draco managed to open all of his presents before Harry did. He had gotten to the last gift and recognized a Weasley package. He was glad that Mrs. Weasley didn’t hate him and eagerly opened the gift. Reaching his hand inside, he touched the portkey and disappeared with a nauseating tug of the navel.

He landed in a little room he didn’t recognize. Turning around and looking desperately for familiar landmarks, Harry noticed a flash of red in the corner of his eye. He followed the flash and so none other that Ginny Weasley.

“Ginny? What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.

“I’m going to stop the pollution. Draco will be eradicated from your mind, and you will be mine again,” said Ginny ominously.

“What are you talking about? I was never yours. You’re like a sister to me,” said Harry, keeping as much distance between them as possible.

“Draco has polluted your mind, otherwise you would remember how important I am to you,” said Ginny, grinning a bit madly. “Now be a good boy and drink this.”

“I’m not drinking anything. I’m going back to Hogwarts,” said Harry, looking for the door.

“I didn’t want to do it this way, but you leave me no choice,” said Ginny, drawing her wand. “Petrificus Totalis”

Harry immediately froze with the spell, falling helplessly to the floor. The fall cause Ryoku to awaken and seeing a strange redhead approach his helpless master, he waited until she got close and struck. Ginny dropped the phial, breaking the glass and ruining the potion. She clutched her hand, watching it swell in horror, and lifted the spell off of Harry.

“What kind of snake just bit me, Harry,” she asked frantically.

“A habu. It’s very venomous so you might want to get me to your house before you die so I can get the anti venom. No one will it to you without my say so because Ryoku doesn’t attack unless my life is in danger,” said Harry, shrugging carelessly. “Oh, and before we go, I want you to tell me exactly what potion you were going to force down my throat.”

“It’s the ‘illusive soul bond’ potion. Can we leave now or are you trying to kill me?” she asked arrogantly.

Harry saw red, grabbed her throat, and lifted her several inches off the ground. “This is not trying to kill you. This is preventing you from hurting other people in pursuit of your selfish gains. You try anything like this again, and I will let you die, writhing in agony and not lift a finger to stop it. Do you understand?” he hissed venomously.

Ginny, clutching desperately at the hand around her throat, just nodded quickly. Harry dropped her to the floor and created a portal to the Weasley’s living room. Grabbing Ginny’s arm, he pulled her into the portal and stepped out into the living room, dropping her carelessly once more.

He walked over to the fireplace, grabbed some floo powder, and called, “Hogwarts Infirmary.”

Poppy’s head appeared in the fire and asked, “Harry? What are you doing there?”

“No time for that. I need a dose of Ryokus’s antivenom before Ginny Weasley dies from a snake bite,” he said impatiently.

Poppy didn’t even question the order. She just rushed to the shelf, pulled a phial down, and passed it through the fire to Harry. By the time Harry had the phial in hand, the living room was crowded with Weasleys.

Mrs. Weasley rushed towards Harry and asked, “What is going on? When did you get here?”

“You would really have to ask your daughter that because she sent a portkey to get me here. Right now, though, she has to take this anti venom unless she wants to die,” said Harry quietly, handing Ginny the phial.

“Ginevre Weasley, what have you done?” asked Mrs. Weasley furiously, glaring at her daughter fiercely.

“He should be with me, mother. Draco Malfoy will destroy his precious innocence,” said Ginny angrily.

“I am so sorry, Harry. I will make sure she doesn’t bother you any more. I just don’t know what happened to them. First Ron, and now Ginny,” said Mrs. Weasley tearfully. “Here, have some floo powder and get back to your Christmas celebration. I’m sure Draco is worried sick.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Weasley,” said Harry, hugging the poor woman. He grabbed a handful of floo powder, tossed it in the flames, and shouted, “Harry Potter’s room, Hogwarts.” He stepped in the fire and was gone with a whoosh.

Harry tumbled out of the fireplace in his common room, falling in a graceless heap. “I hate traveling by floo,” he said to himself. He looked around and didn’t see Draco anywhere, so he walked to the Malfoy suite to see if he had gone to his father with his disappearance. The Malfoy suite was empty so he headed to the dungeons. No luck there, either. Finally as a last resort, he went to Dumbledore’s office. Still no one.

“Where in the world could everyone be? I know they didn’t just leave me to my own fate without a care in the world,” said Harry peevishly. “Maybe Poppy will know.”

He walked to the infirmary and called, “Poppy?”

Poppy rushed into the room, saw Harry and hugged him. “Thank goodness you’re all right. Everyone went to the Weasley’s to rescue you. I think the only people left in the castle are six students and me,” said Poppy, hugging him again.

“How long have they been gone?” asked Harry

“Not long, dear. I had to inform the headmaster when you firecalled and they were all in his office. I imagine they left immediately after I informed Albus of your whereabouts,” said Poppy.

“I hope they hurry back. I am not going to allow her to ruin my Christmas. I am going to enjoy the rest of the day with my family, and yes, that includes you,” said Harry firmly. “Would you like an escort to the Great Hall, my lady?” He chivalrously crooked his elbow for her to put her arm through and smiled.

“Why thank you, kind sir. I would be delighted,” she said, placing her hand on his arm. “Lead the way, brave knight.”

Harry laughed at the banter and escorted her to the Great Hall as promised. The students were already sitting at the table, so he escorted Poppy to her chair and seated her chivalrously. He even bowed before leaving, gaining a few laughs from the students.

Harry was walking to his seat when the doors opened again and Draco came storming in. He saw Harry standing beside the table and shouted, “Harry! Harry’s in here.” He took off running towards his mate, lifted him in his arms, and kissed him in front of every occupant in the Great Hall.

Hearing Draco’s shout, the rest of the group came running into the Great Hall. Remus immediately snatched Harry out of Draco’s arms, much to his displeasure, and hugged him tightly. He had been deathly afraid since hearing about Harry’s disappearance. Lucius snatched him next. He was mainly glad he was back for Draco’s sake. Of course, Severus got the next turn, followed by Albus, and then Minerva.

By the time Harry managed to stand unaided, his ribs hurt slightly from all of the tight hugs. He smiled at the group and said, “Okay guys, what did you do to her?”

“I don’t know what you mean. Do to whom exactly?” asked Lucius innocently.

“You know very well who I mean. What did you do to Ginny Weasley? Did she tell you what she was going to try and force down my throat?” he asked, not at all fooled.

“Ginny Weasley will be spending her days for the foreseeable future in the psychiatric ward of St. Mungo’s. No she didn’t tell us she tried to give you any potion. What did she try to give you?” asked Severus.

“She called it the ‘illusive soul bond’ potion. Do you know what that does?” asked Harry, looking to Severus for the answer.

“Yes, it tricks the mind and body into thinking the caster is their true soul mate,” said Severus.

“I am so thankful to Ryoku,” said Harry, lovingly petting his beloved familiar. “Youu sssaved my life today. Thank youuu, very much.”

“Youuu are welcome, massster,” hissed Ryoku right into his ear, causing Harry to giggle from being tickled by the hissing tongue.

“Well, now that the drama is over, let’s eat,” said Dumbledore, clapping his hands gleefully.