Visions of an Empath

Chapter 3

After his session with Snape, Harry went in search of the library. He knew there was bound to be one in the house despite the fact that it was used as a hideout. They were Malfoy’s after all. Merlin forbid should they have to do without their creature comforts.

It didn’t take long for Harry to find the library. He stepped into the room and gaped in shock. There were enough books in this room to rival the library at Hogwarts. And best of all, he didn’t have to worry about getting permission to go into the restricted section.

Harry perused the shelf until he found a section on time magic. Grabbing several of the books, Harry found a secluded corner and settled down to read. He opened the first book, The Past, Present, and Future, and quickly became engrossed in the book. The book was a history about famous Seers, Precognitives, Postcognitives, Psychometrics, and Clairvoyants. Seers, of course, prophesied about the future. Precognitives usually had visions of a more immediate future, and Postcognitives had visions of recent past events. Psychometrics could see the past when they touched an object with strong emotion tied to it, and Clairvoyants could see the present of someone if they touched something belonging to said person.

Out of the five listed abilities, Precognitives were actually most common. However, that was because it was such a broad classification. The term referred to anything from having actual visions to what he would refer to as a ‘bad feeling.’ Psychometrics were the most rare. The last case was recorded over three hundred years ago. Even then, though, the psychometric wizard wasn’t ‘gifted’ with the empathy, as well. Lucky bastard.

Reading further, Harry learned that Artavious Knowlen learned to control his power in much the same way Harry did. He discovered that strong mental barriers stopped all but the strongest visions, a fact for which Harry was duly grateful. Unfortunately, though, the gift had only gotten stronger over the years, making it more and more difficult to keep the visions at bay. The only way to counter that was to bond with a ‘null wizard.’ A null wizard was a witch or wizard that was naturally immune to time magic. They would in turn mute the effects of the visions for the affected partner.

Harry sat up straighter at that. Was Lucius actually a null wizard? Was it just Lucius’ Frost Drake blood that allowed him to touch Harry without triggering a vision? Getting back to his reading, Harry quickly found his answer. Apparently, there were a rare few magical creatures that could act as a null wizard, and Frost Drakes just happened to be one of them. The other two creatures were Slythes and Rhivas, and they had been extinct for five hundred years.

Harry closed the book and pushed it aside. While he had discovered some much needed answers, he still had so many thoughts and questions to work through. He’d never dreamed that a vision from Voldemort would lead to his current situation. Lucius Malfoy had become a Frost Drake and claimed him as his mate. Added to that was the fact that he was also currently residing in the same house as Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape, the two people responsible for Dumbledore’s death and the attack on Hogwarts. Why did his life always have to be so complicated?

Harry still didn’t know how to feel about Lucius. On one hand, the man was a Death Eater and had tried to kill him several times. On the other hand, all Harry could feel from the man was a genuine desire to care for him. But could he really forgive and forget the past enough to be in a relationship with Lucius? Did he even want to?

Pushing thoughts of Lucius aside, Harry thought about Snape and Draco. Snape had killed Dumbledore. Why had the man helped him build his mental shields? If Snape was truly loyal to Voldemort, wouldn’t it have been more prudent to leave him helpless to the visions? But if he was loyal to Dumbledore, why had he killed the old wizard?

Harry pondered those questions, thinking intently about that night. When Snape had shown up, Dumbledore had begged the man for his life, hadn’t he? Or was he pleading for something else? A sudden flash of the cave where he and Dumbledore had retrieved the fake locket flashed through Harry’s mind. He clearly remembered the way Dumbledore had looked after Harry had forced him to drink that potion. Merlin, he was just as responsible for Dumbledore’s death as Snape was. And with sudden clarity, Harry knew that Dumbledore had begged for Snape to kill him rather than begged for his life. He was going to die anyway, so why not use his death to cement Snape’s position with Voldemort?

Harry turned his thoughts to Draco. The prat had done nothing but try to make his life miserable for the last six years. Despite that, though, Harry also realised that Draco only tried to kill Dumbledore because he was desperately trying to protect his family. The question remained, however, if Draco would even accept Harry as part of the family should he choose to allow this burgeoning relationship with Lucius.

And if these troubling thoughts weren’t enough, Harry had yet to deal with the Dursley’s fate. When he’d arrived at the Burrow, everything had just seemed so surreal. It hadn’t even dawned on him that the Dursley’s probably had not survived the attack this morning. He couldn’t really grieve their death. They had made damned sure he knew just how unloved and unwelcome he was. He did regret their death, though. They were just more in a large number of casualties in Voldemort’s war to eradicate Harry.

Harry sighed softly and grabbed another book. Troubling thoughts aside, he still had a Dark Lord to defeat, and he needed all the information he could use.

***

Draco scowled as he stormed to the library. His father was completely insane. There was no way he would ever welcome Potter into the family.

Reaching the library, Draco quickly selected the books he wanted and headed toward his favourite spot. However, when he arrived, he saw the table occupied by none other than the prat himself. “Potter! What are you doing at my table?”

Harry didn’t even look up at the blonde. “Studying, so quieten it down, please.”

Draco could only stare at the brunette in complete disbelief. “This is my table! Go study somewhere else.”

“The table is plenty big enough for both of us to use it,” said Harry calmly, turning the page of his book.

“I don’t want you here,” said Draco venomously.

Harry just shrugged carelessly. “Too bad.”

Draco took a deep breath, trying to calm down enough to keep from killing the prat.

“Hey, Malfoy? What’s fiendfyre?”

Draco blinked in surprise at the question and answered automatically. “Cursed fire. It’s so hot, it’ll burn through anything.”

“Anything? Really?”

“Yeah, but it’s too dangerous to use. It spreads so quickly that it’s almost impossible to contain.” Draco darted a suspicious look at Harry. “Why?”

Harry just smiled innocently at the blonde and held up the book.

Draco gaped incredulously at the title. Harry Potter, Golden Boy of Gryffindor, was reading Vilest Curses Through the Ages. “That’s a book about Dark Arts,” he sputtered.

“Hmm, it’s rather interesting, too. Have you read it?”

“Of course I have. But why are you reading it?”

Harry just raised an eyebrow at Draco. “I do have a Dark Lord to defeat. I rather doubt disarming and stunning spells are what he and his minions will be using.”

“Do you actually think you have even a minuscule of a chance of defeating him? He’s the most powerful wizard in the world right now.”

Harry simply smiled and went back to his book. Draco looked at the brunette for a moment longer and sighed. It was no fun picking at the prat when Potter didn’t respond the way he expected. Setting his books at the table, Draco sat down across from Potter and opened the book he’d selected.

An hour later, Draco looked up to ask Harry a question and saw the brunette sleeping with his head on his arms. He started to call for a house elf, but a soft voice to his right said, “I’ll take him, Draco.” Draco started in surprise when his father stepped up to the table and lifted the brunette into his arms. Draco was further surprised to see a soft smile on the normally impassive face when Potter snuggled into his embrace with a soft sigh.

“Goodnight, Draco.”

“Goodnight, Father,” said Draco softly, staring pensively at his father’s back. Lucius’ feelings were obviously deeper for Potter than Draco thought. Draco sighed softly. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage. With father choosing a halfblood, maybe he could get out of that horrid marriage contract with Pansy. After all, his father couldn’t harp about pureblood status when his own mate was only a halfblood, could he?

***

“How could you let Malfoy take off with Harry?” yelled Ron, glaring at Remus. He, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins had gone to Diagon Alley so that Harry could get some uninterrupted sleep, and they returned to utter chaos.

“Lucius Malfoy is a Frost Drake?” asked Hermione.

Remus silently nodded, aiming a glare at Ron. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried to stop the bastard from taking Harry. He’d like to see Ron go up against a full grown Frost Drake.

“And Harry is his mate? Are you absolutely positive?” Hermione continued.

“Yes, Hermione, we’re positive. We asked Charlie what he knew about them, and he confirmed that a Frost Drake can only take human form when it finds its mate. From what Harry told his, Lucius was forced to drink a potion to activate any dormant magical creature blood, and that’s what he became. Lucius was still in drake form when he appeared at the Burrow. He only became human again when he touched Harry,” said Molly bluntly.

“The good news is that Frost Drakes are more like veela in regards to their mates. It would literally kill Lucius if he turned Harry over to Voldemort. Once a Frost Drake finds their mate, they are fiercely protective of that mate. They’re also fiercely possessive, so don’t be surprised if he tries to maim you for touching his mate,” said Bill cheerfully. He’d arrived right after Harry’s abduction.

“That’s actually a good thing,” said Hermione.

“Hermione!” cried Ron in disbelief. “How could Lucius kidnapping Harry be a good thing? Have you lost your bloody mind?”

Hermione glared at the redhead. “No, Ron, I haven’t lost my mind. But if Lucius is a Frost Drake, that’s a good thing for Harry. Because of his psychometric abilities, Harry needs to bond with a null wizard, and Frost Drakes just happen to fall in that category. Lucius Malfoy will help ground Harry’s powers so the visions don’t completely overwhelm him.”

“Why can’t we just find another null wizard?” asked Ron petulantly. “Anyone’s better than Lucius Malfoy.”

“Have you ever heard of a null wizard?” asked Hermione archly.

Ron blinked at the question. “No, why?”

Hermione scowled him. “There’s a reason for that, Ron. Null wizards are about as rare as pyschometrics are.”

“Yeah, well, in case you’ve forgotten, Hermione, Malfoy wasn’t the only one involved in Harry’s kidnapping. Snape was there, too, and Harry isn’t his bloody mate,” said Ron heatedly. “He could be torturing Harry even as we speak.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ron. Lucius wouldn’t let Snape hurt Harry,” protested Hermione, but a smidgen of doubt had crept into her voice.

“You can’t be sure, though, can you?” asked Ron pointedly. “We need to find Harry as quickly as possible. When I see for myself that Harry’s all right, then I’ll consider giving Malfoy a chance. Until then, forget it.”

“That’s easier said than done,” said Remus abruptly. “We’ve been trying to locate Harry for several hours now. I don’t know if Lucius took him someplace heavily warded, or if Lucius’ new magic is interfering, but nothing’s worked so far. Right now, all we can hope is that Harry’s all right and will contact us when he can.”

Ron snorted derisively and stormed out of the room. If they wouldn’t look for Harry, he would just do it himself. There was no way he was just going to leave his best friend in the hands of the enemy.

***

Harry slowly awoke early the next morning, snuggling closer into the warmth flush against his back. It took him a moment to realise that the warmth along his back was in fact another person. Of course, it didn’t take a genius to figure out the other person was none other than Lucius Malfoy. Harry knew he should have felt more horrified at that fact than he was, but it was hard to feel that way when the emotions coming from Lucius made him feel safe and protected. That was a feeling Harry knew precious little of.

Harry carefully disentangled himself from Lucius’ arms and slipped out of bed. Hopefully the floo in the study was connected. He needed to contact the Weasley’s to let them know he was all right.

Quickly making his way to the study, Harry saw a pot of floo powder on the mantle. Tossing a handful into the fire, he said, “The Burrow.”

Fortunately, Arthur was getting ready to leave for work, and he saw the floo activate. When he saw Harry’s face in the flames, he almost collapsed in relief. “Harry! Dear Merlin, are you okay? Lucius and Severus haven’t hurt you, have they?”

Harry smiled reassuringly. “No, Mr. Weasley. I’m perfectly fine. In fact, Snape even helped build my mental shields to block out most of the visions. I just wanted to let you all know that I’m fine and not to worry.”

Arthur was surprised to hear that Severus had actually helped Harry with his new gift. The man had killed Dumbledore, so why would he bother? Wouldn’t it work out better for him to leave Harry vulnerable to the visions? Arthur hummed thoughtfully. Maybe another trip to the headmaster’s office would be beneficial.

Harry continued speaking, oblivious to Arthur’s internal debate. “So tell Ron and Hermione not to worry, and I’ll see them as soon as I can.”

Before Arthur could respond, the study door on Harry’s side opened, and Lucius stormed into the room. “What the bloody hell are you doing?” He grabbed Harry’s arm, intending on pulling the brunette away from the fireplace, but Harry grabbed his hand and pulled him down in front of the fire.

“Good, Lucius, you’re here. I was just telling Mr. Weasley that I was perfectly fine and for them not to worry,” said Harry calmly, keeping Lucius’ hand in firm grip.

“Well, of course, you’re all right. I’m hardly likely to harm my own bloody mate,” said Lucius indignantly, scowling down at Harry.

Harry just smiled warmly at the blonde before turning back to the fireplace. “We’ll see you soon. Bye, Mr. Weasley.” He ended the call and turned back to Lucius only to find the blonde glaring at him.

“What was that all about?”

Harry sighed. “How would you feel if Mr. Weasley suddenly grabbed Draco and ran, taking him off to only Merlin knows where?”

“That’s different. Draco’s my son,” said Lucius. “I’d destroy everything in my path to find him.”

“Well, the Weasley’s are my family. From the time I was eleven, they’ve cared for me as though I was one of their own. They were just as worried for me as you would be if Draco had been kidnapped,” said Harry softly.

“I didn’t kidnap you!” growled Lucius. “I was trying to protect you from that idiot werewolf and that moron Moody. Moody almost hit you with a cutting curse, for Merlin’s sake.”

Harry smiled softly, feeling the rush of protectiveness coming from Lucius. “I still had to let them that I’m all right. They’re family. It’s not like I was trying to escape.”

“You wouldn’t have made it far,” said Lucius seriously. He climbed gracefully to his feet and held out a hand to help Harry up. “Come on. Breakfast should be ready by now.”

“Great! I’m starving. I was too nervous to eat much last night,” said Harry enthusiastically.

“Why were you so nervous last night?” asked Lucius curiously.

“My last Occlumency lessons didn’t go so well. Of course, that was because Snape didn’t really try to teach me, either. He’d just tell me to clear my mind, and then he’d attack, yelling at me when I didn’t manage to block him. I really wasn’t looking forward to another session like that.”

“He didn’t do that last night, did he?” Severus better pray he hadn’t.

Harry smiled brightly. “No, he was great last night. He told me how to hide my most important thoughts to give me time to push him out, and then he taught me out to block him out completely. Now that I have my mental wall built, I can even touch things without triggering a vision.”

“It should help with your link to the Dark Lord, as well. We need to keep your new gifts secret for as long as possible.”

Harry smiled slightly. Yes, he definitely needed to keep Voldemort from finding out about his new gift. He had to find to horcruxes, and his new ability could aid in that.

When Harry and Lucius reached the dining room, Severus and Draco were already at the table. Harry smiled brightly and said, “Good morning, everyone.”

Draco groaned. “Merlin, he would be a bloody morning person. I hate chipper people in the mornings.”

Severus just sneered at the cheerful brunette and went back to reading the paper. Harry leaned toward Lucius and whispered, “Are they always like this in the morning?”

“Yes,” said Lucius simply.

Harry just shook his head and started eating. He could still hardly believe he was sitting at the table with three Slytherins. It was even more astounding considering the identity of said Slytherins. It was amazing how much had changed over the last few days.

***

Arthur stared blankly at the fireplace once the flames had disappeared. He was still standing there when Molly came into the room. “Arthur, what are you still doing here? You’re late for work. Are we out of floo powder again?”

“I just received a firecall from Harry.”

Molly gasped. “From Harry? Is he all right? Where is he? When’s he coming back?”

“He said he’s fine and for us not to worry,” said Arthur slowly.

“Well, of course he’d say that. Those traitors probably forced him to say that to get us to quit looking for him,” scoffed Molly.

“No, I don’t think they did. Lucius was obviously surprised when he saw Harry talking to me. Besides, Harry also said that Severus had helped him build his mental shields to help stop the visions.”

“You don’t actually believe that, do you? They kidnapped Harry, and we need to find him and bring him back home,” Molly insisted.

“What’s going on?” asked Ron as he stepped into the room with Hermione. “Did you find out something about Harry?”

“He firecalled this morning to assure us that he was fine,” said Arthur quickly.

“He firecalled? Why didn’t he just floo back?” asked Ron, scowling at the fireplace accusingly.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Everyone turned to look at Hermione in surprise. “Honestly, people. Harry was starved, physically and emotionally, the entire time he was at the Dursley’s. Can you possibly imagine how he felt, knowing that his only family hated the very sight of him? And then he’s thrust into this whole new world where he’s hailed as a hero one moment and called the next Dark Lord in the next breath. Plus, he’s forced to encounter Voldemort almost every year he’s at school. The only time he probably ever felt safe was here and with Sirius, and now Sirius is gone, too. As a Frost Drake, Lucius is very protective of Harry, and Harry can feel that. I can’t blame him for not wanting to give it up, despite their pasts together.”

“Bloody hell,” whispered Ron. “We’re gonna have to welcome those damn Malfoy’s into the family, aren’t we?”

“Language, Ronald,” reprimanded Molly automatically, though she was thinking the same. She looked at Arthur and saw the truth reflected in his eyes. “Well, whatever Harry decides, we’ll support him to the fullest.”

“Agreed,” said Ron reluctantly. “But if that damn Malfoy hurts Harry, no one will ever find the bloody bodies.”