The Contract

Chapter Thirty: Discussions in the Headmaster’s Office





As Harry followed Draco out of the Great Hall, Molly went to speak to her son. Ginny came in, wide-eyed, and asked what was going on with Draco and Harry. She had missed dinner and the entire show.



“Oi! Where have you been?” Ron asked.



“I was in the Hospital Wing helping Madame Pomfrey patch up a few students. It’s only got one more student in there, but she had nothing to do with Harry’s tirade. She was bitten during Care of Magical Creatures. So what did I miss?”



Hermione and Ron filled her in on the antics surrounding dinner. Molly filled them all in on her and Albus’ conversations.



“Now, Albus has said that if we want to help Harry, we must accept this as part of him. Albus was most strict on that point. I came tonight to insure that Draco did as was expected. If not, I was going to have to tell Harry he was coming back to the Burrow. Albus is ready to expel him.”



A phoenix swooped in, dropped a letter and flashed out of existence. The letter was from the Headmaster requesting that they all join him in his office for tea. Grimacing, the quartet made their way up the stairs to the gargoyle. Looking at the letter again, Ron said, “JuJuBees.” And the massive stone protector moved out of the way.



As the all entered the office, they saw several people, Minister Scrimgeour and Percy representing the Ministry; Madame Bones, Shacklebolt, and Auror Maples, representing the Magical Law Enforcement; Professors McGonagall and Snape, and a Goblin. There was also a witch and wizard they had never met. Albus sent red sparks to stop the discussion and welcomed the students in. Blaise Zabini followed a few moments later.



Minister Scrimgeour was red and yelling at the Headmaster, “You have got to return him to St. Mungo’s! He destroyed the Potions Lab. One of the students has reported that he was heard saying that it was due to a loss of temper! I ask you, Dumbledore, how can you sit there and just let that boy stay in this castle?”



Molly watched the Headmaster closely. There was just something…off…about his mannerisms. Not impersonated, but…irritated? Maybe he was irritated, Molly couldn’t tell. When she heard the voices of the woman that had been to her house, she knew who she was immediately: Harry’s mind-healer. “Headmaster, Minister, perhaps we could just…see Harry for a few moments, make a decision as to whether he should be allowed out in polite company.”



Auror Maples stood. “Harry Potter is just fine. Why are you trying to make him into a nut case?” Ron had met this guy before, he was one of those calm, cool, and collected Aurors that always waited until necessary to speak his mind. If he were here, after the amount of time he and Harry spent together at the hospital, maybe this meeting would not end badly. Hermione recognized him as well, reaching over; she held Ron’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze.



The door opened to reveal Remus Lupin. “Sorry I was late, could not be helped.” Hermione assumed he had been meeting with Draco and was putting himself back together before the meeting. “Now, how can I help you?”



The room went quiet. The different voices found silence as Remus walked into the room. At first, Ron didn’t understand it, but after a moment, he saw the sheer power that radiated from the werewolf. He would be protecting Harry this evening, Ron was sure of it.



Walking closer to Scrimgeour, Remus held out his hand “Minister? How are you this evening?”



Turning, the Minister looked at him, “Who are you?” He had not taken his offered hand, rather looked from it to the smile of the newcomer.



“Forgive me, I am Remus Lupin, Harry’s, god…” Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly, Remus turned to look for a moment before continuing. Proudly, he said, “I am his trainer.”



Wrenching his neck when he turned to look at the headmaster, his face one of righteous indignation. “You mean to tell me that Harry James Potter has a ‘trainer’? What was he training that boy for?”



“That boy is a man, Minister.” It was Ron who spoke this time, obviously fed up with the antics of the older man. “And unless I misunderstood this evening’s conversation, he belongs to Lord Draco Malfoy.”



“Lord? Oh is he Lord now?”



Madame Bones cut across, “Yes, Minister, he is Lord Malfoy. When his father was executed, the title transferred to him. He has a seat on the governing bodies of our world.”



The minister gawked at her. Kingsley Shacklebolt stood up and walked to the window. His bald pate giving a hint of reflection in the moonlight. He seemed to be deep in thought. Tonks watched him for a moment, “Remus, what do you mean ‘trainer’?”



Remus started to answer; “James Potter made me promise to make Harry the consummate pet to Lucius’ son as set by a life debt.”



“Which we have since found out was not a true debt in the least. Lucius bragged about it in his Will.” Severus said.



Remus nodded, then continued, “For seventeen years, I had Harry in my care for a minimum of twelve hours a week training him to take whatever the Malfoys could dish out to him. He was crafted in every sense of the word into the perfect servant. The training was hidden behind a wall constructed in his mind that would come down during the consummation.”



At this point, Tonks was looking between the adults. “What exactly did you train him for, Professor?”



“Discipline. That was what I was good at. He learned things that would be expected for him to make his master happy. How to sit properly, take punishment without begging, a few other… things.”



“I taught him the finer things, such as table manners and dancing.” Albus admitted. “He is quite talented in music, foreign languages, politics and other things that he might be expected to be a part of in the Malfoy’s social world.”



Kingsley took this pause as his turn to speak. “Minister, forgive me but I do not believe that we have any right to be here. The Headmaster has stated that Harry was part of a bonded agreement. He is with his Master and I do not believe that we can interfere in that bond.”



“Thank you Auror Shacklebolt.” Albus said. “The gentlemen will be given the week for their bond to settle. It was damaged most severely during the aftermath that was Lucius’ actions. I will not allow them to be disturbed. If there is another incident, however, I will consider other options. For now, I believe that Lord Draco Malfoy would be most irritated if that bond were disrupted again.”



“Just how long is this bond?” Madame Bones asked.



“One year. It should end on July Thirty-first of next year. However, I would not be shocked if it lasted much longer.” Albus replied. Turning to the Minister, who was still very angry at his request being denied, he added, “Minister, I realize that you see yourself protecting the students, but I must insist that you not attempt to remove Harry Potter from Draco’s custody. You would be in violation of many ministry laws, part of which I helped to write. If you would like exact statutes and paragraph numbers, I am sure Percy Weasley and Hermione Granger could provide them for you at a moment's notice.”



Standing, Scrimgeour leaned on the desk separating the two men. “This is not over. I will place Aurors around this castle to insure the safety of these children. You and I will speak again and next time, the two men in question will be present.”



When he stood and turned, he ran into Ron Weasley. They were the same height, and while Scrimgeour was the consummate ex-Auror and Ron a teenager, the older man bumped off of him. Turning to see what he had walked into, he found himself looking at the face of the young man, who was not intimidated one bit. Looking eye to eye with the older man, Ron did not blink when he spoke. “Minister, I respect you. I know you want to do what is right, but I will never allow you to hurt Harry Potter. If I see you attempt to hurt that bond between my best friend and his master, I will be very angry. I don’t care if my brother and father work for you. I will do everything in my power to see you removed from office as quickly as Fudge was removed from office. You are the one who should be certain of your rights before you threaten that bond.”



Spluttering as Ron stepped aside and opened the office door; Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour left the office. When Percy walked by, he gave his mother a quick kiss, and his little brother a wink of approval. “See you at the Burrow for the holidays!” Just before he walked out of the door.



Turning, Ron looked at the other adults. “Professor Dumbledore, you have a lot to answer for when Harry remembers his other trainer. I pity you if Draco doesn’t have a handle on him at that point.”



“I was much younger then, and rarely used my normal appearance. But you may be correct.” Albus admitted.



Tonks and Shacklebolt left with Madame Bones a few moments later. They all promised to keep the group informed of any other attempts to remove Harry.



Auror Maples walked to Remus and shook his hand. A meaningful look passed between them. Remus immediately pulled his hand back and stuck something in his pocket. With a quiet nod to the remaining people, he, too, left.



Severus watched the exchange. He had been a spy as long as he had been a teacher. There was very little that he would miss in that short situation. But, trusting Remus, he put the incident aside before speaking again. “Remus, Headmaster, what will we do about the Potions classroom? The ceiling has been repaired but the classroom is a disaster. We have reinforced the ceiling a bit and put barriers to prevent anyone from getting in, but...” He left the words unspoken.



With a grin, Remus told him, “Draco said that Harry will not only be cleaning that area, he will also be repairing the damage and replacing everything ruined. He has no doubts as to Harry’s ability. He also promised to never hold hands with any of his friends in front of Harry again. And sends his apologies for the damage his actions caused.”



Blaise rose to leave. “Thank you all for allowing me to be here. I will have mum rescind the invitation for Draco to come for the holidays. I can hardly wait to see the look on Pansy’s face when she finds out that Draco picked Harry.”



“Doesn’t she already know?” Hermione asked.



“Nah… she is in the hospital wing. Its amazing how bad one can get hurt in Care of Magical Creatures. I think she is hoping that Draco will hear and come running, but I am assuming his hands are rather full at this point.” Nodding once and smirking, he left the rest to their meeting.



“So, its complete then? The bond? Draco will reinitiate the bond and Harry will be his slave again?” Molly asked.



“I believe that because of the training and conditioning that Harry has received that it would be in his best interests. For one year, he needs this situation to continue.” Albus admitted. “After that, I believe that whatever they decide will be mutually beneficial.”



Molly sent Hermione and Ron to their dorms but remained behind to speak to the men. Once they were sure the teens were not lingering outside of the door, she turned to them. “What else is going on here that you have not told me?”



Severus weighed the options and decided to trust her. “When they consummated the bond, it was violent. The second coupling resulted in pregnancy. Draco was the receiver for the second coupling. Therefore…”



Molly gasped. “Draco is pregnant?”



“Yes, Molly; apparently with twins. He has been so sick because he has had no contact with the father of the babies. He wrote letters, but Harry did not acknowledge them.” Severus replied.



Molly's eyes were wide with shock. With a glance she could tell the Dumbledore was being cold and calculating, as the usual twinkle in his eyes had disappeared while staring intently at Severus. Why is he so interested in that information? She thought to herself. And covering her shock quickly, she looked back at Severus.



He continued, “This was the only way to have them back together. We have watched both of them for weeks sinking further and further into depression. Harry yearning for someone to direct him per his training and Draco unable to bring himself to hurt Harry.”



“Hurt?” Molly’s mind was in a fast forward motion.



Clearing his throat, Remus took the lead. “Part of what James assumed would be necessary for Harry to learn was discipline. Hence my involvement. I apparently had Albus Obliviate me on a regular basis because I could not handle the guilt I felt at the end of our sessions. Harry, at least in my care, has been beaten, ignored, taught to sit in the ‘proper position’, and in general, learned how to take any pain in stride. His guardians loved this about him and would leave him in his cupboard for days between my visits because they could. Rarely would he complain or beg them, and they could pretend that he did not exist.



“When it was necessary for them to have him in their lives, it was with resentment and poor treatment. Harry learned that was what people who were supposed to love him expected. But when Draco could not be the harsh taskmaster he expected, he lashed out. He acted like a spoiled child who did not get enough attention. From the moment Draco accepted what was needed, Harry has been calm.”



“Headmaster, will you allow them time to settle into the bond before they return to classes?”



“They will be excused until the next term. And before you ask, it has been discussed that Harry lost Lucius’ child, but I do not believe that he was told at the hospital. Draco will discuss it all tomorrow.”



The meeting ended with Molly Flooing out to the Burrow and Remus returning to his flat in Hogsmeade to wait for Severus, who could not stay at the castle, as he no longer had quarters that were livable.