Gilded Soul
folder
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
42
Views:
8,333
Reviews:
45
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Harry Potter › Slash - Male/Male › Harry/Draco
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
42
Views:
8,333
Reviews:
45
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
The Third Trial
Chapter 30 The Third Trial
Draco fell into an uneasy sleep after Harry left. He was in the middle of reliving the last few moments before the Gryffindor had walked out on him, only this time he had to watch as Harry turned to Anthony, kissing him in the dark corridor outside the room of requirement. His former lovers words continued to echo in his ears, ‘I can’t. I’m sorry. I’m just not ready,’ as he was pulled blindly from his nightmare and into another setting.
He realized only moments later that Harry must have fallen to sleep somewhere, maybe even came back to their own room after Draco had drifted off. The Gryffindor materialized into the maze beside him wearing a tight forced smile. Draco slumped and turned to start their walk through the familiar paths, without a word.
The Gryffindor grabbed his shoulder. “Listen, Draco, about tonight…”
“Don’t. I get it, Harry. I just thought… well it doesn’t really matter what I thought. You don’t want me anymore and we’ll leave it at that,” Draco interrupted, trying to keep his voice from braking and revealing his anguish. “You won’t have to see me again after we finish this, if we live that is. I’ll finish out school at Durmstrang, father always did prefer that school over Hogwarts,” he finished, turning away from Harry again and continued to walk.
He had almost gone around the next corner when he realized that Harry wasn’t following him, but frozen stiff back where he had pulled away from him. “Harry?”
The Gryffindor didn’t answer him though; he only stood, staring through Draco, a prominent frown on his forehead.
Draco slowly turned, following Harry’s troubled gaze and saw a large stone archway where there hadn’t been one just a moment before. “The third trial,” he whispered. “It’s almost over.” The words sent a mixture of feelings coursing through his veins. Relief that this madness was almost past them, fear that it meant their fight with Voldemort was now eminent. It had been easy to push thoughts of facing the Dark Lord behind him while they were still nowhere near this final task.
The last feeling it left with Draco, however, was bitterness. It would soon be over, and Harry would either die leaving him alone in the most permanent way possible, or he would just leave, move on with his life and forget about Draco altogether. Neither option suited him, but he would rather his Gryffindor alive and happy rather than dead and buried.
He could feel the finality of it all so close that it choked him.
He took a deep breath and walked toward the gaping archway, sure that they were only the first steps that would lead to his misery.
--
Harry could feel more than see what was ahead for them. He wanted to take Draco’s hand but he didn’t want to dissuade his obviously painful decision. This would be one of the last times he saw the Slytherin, and that thought left him with a gaping hole where his heart should be. It would all be over soon. If he died, it would be far easier for Draco to move on if Harry didn’t take his hand just now, if he didn’t tell him that his pale dragon was all wrong, and that he did want him, but couldn’t bare the idea of being left again. Maybe, if they made it out of this, he would explain.
But not now.
Now he walked forward, eyes locked on the archway. He expected to be met again at the entrance by one of the specters, but they were the only two there. Then suddenly without warning it was just Harry. Draco had disappeared right before his very eyes. Startled, Harry proceeded cautiously toward the center of the large stone clearing, making his way over to a vine-covered dais.
When he got closer he quickly realized that what he had thought were vines were actually ropes, and they held in place two sleeping figures, at least he hoped they were sleeping. Here in the center of the clearing tied to the dais were Hermione and Draco, their heads lulled to one side, the tops of them almost touching they were so close.
As Harry watched the Dais split in two and moved further apart, each piece settling over a part of the floor which now gave way to a pit of fire. The flames licked at the edges of their platform waking each of them within moments.
Hermione looked disoriented at first and then, once taking in her surroundings, shrieked for help. The ropes wrapped around her body were keeping her limbs from moving and all she could do was squirm in her bonds. “Hermione!” Harry shouted, “it’s okay! I’m going to get you out of here.” He didn’t even have time to wonder how his Gryffindor companion had been pulled into the maze, but he had to rescue her from the impending pain and death broiling beneath her feet.
A look over to Draco showed him staring at the flames, his eyes wide and panicked but before Harry could move, or say anything to him, Dumbledor appeared at his side.
It wasn’t really the headmaster of course, only a ghost-like copy of the elderly man. Harry could tell because his light blue eyes held the sparkle that he hadn’t seen in them for weeks. “You must choose,” the specter told him.
“I don’t understand…” Harry felt his stomach drop as the implication of those words hit home. “I can’t choose between them. I love them both,” Harry replied in barely a whisper, his eyes were still wide and horrified his breathing erratic and his pulse leaping in his throat.
“You must choose the one you love more,” the vision said, as if it were easy.
Harry snapped his head back and forth between them, Hermione still struggling in her bonds, her eyes pleading with Harry to save her. Draco already looked resigned to burn to death, a small smile played on his lips and his gray eyes were dull and lifeless.
How could he choose between these two? Any other two people wouldn’t have posed so much of a dilemma. Though as soon as he thought it, he knew that wasn’t true. He would never be able to condemn anyone he knew to a painful fiery death. He wasn’t strong enough to choose between them.
The flames licked higher at both pedestals, earning another set of screams from Hermione and Draco closed his eyes, squinting against the anticipated pain. He had to choose now, or lose them both. He had to choose.
“Draco,” Harry whispered. “I love Draco more.”
He winced as he looked to his Gryffindor companion. He had never wished to hurt her. “I’m so sorry,” he cried as he collapsed to the ground, his knees too weak to hold him up any longer. Her screams echoed through his mind, but his face fell, unable to watch his best friend burn to death.
When the screams finally died Harry looked up to find Hermione’s dais fully submerged in the flaming pit, and Draco’s dais was empty, the ropes still bound in place, but there was no one inside of them now.
The world went black around Harry as his body, wracking with sobs, lost consciousness.
--
Author's note: I'm bracing myself. Go ahead. Let me have it.
Draco fell into an uneasy sleep after Harry left. He was in the middle of reliving the last few moments before the Gryffindor had walked out on him, only this time he had to watch as Harry turned to Anthony, kissing him in the dark corridor outside the room of requirement. His former lovers words continued to echo in his ears, ‘I can’t. I’m sorry. I’m just not ready,’ as he was pulled blindly from his nightmare and into another setting.
He realized only moments later that Harry must have fallen to sleep somewhere, maybe even came back to their own room after Draco had drifted off. The Gryffindor materialized into the maze beside him wearing a tight forced smile. Draco slumped and turned to start their walk through the familiar paths, without a word.
The Gryffindor grabbed his shoulder. “Listen, Draco, about tonight…”
“Don’t. I get it, Harry. I just thought… well it doesn’t really matter what I thought. You don’t want me anymore and we’ll leave it at that,” Draco interrupted, trying to keep his voice from braking and revealing his anguish. “You won’t have to see me again after we finish this, if we live that is. I’ll finish out school at Durmstrang, father always did prefer that school over Hogwarts,” he finished, turning away from Harry again and continued to walk.
He had almost gone around the next corner when he realized that Harry wasn’t following him, but frozen stiff back where he had pulled away from him. “Harry?”
The Gryffindor didn’t answer him though; he only stood, staring through Draco, a prominent frown on his forehead.
Draco slowly turned, following Harry’s troubled gaze and saw a large stone archway where there hadn’t been one just a moment before. “The third trial,” he whispered. “It’s almost over.” The words sent a mixture of feelings coursing through his veins. Relief that this madness was almost past them, fear that it meant their fight with Voldemort was now eminent. It had been easy to push thoughts of facing the Dark Lord behind him while they were still nowhere near this final task.
The last feeling it left with Draco, however, was bitterness. It would soon be over, and Harry would either die leaving him alone in the most permanent way possible, or he would just leave, move on with his life and forget about Draco altogether. Neither option suited him, but he would rather his Gryffindor alive and happy rather than dead and buried.
He could feel the finality of it all so close that it choked him.
He took a deep breath and walked toward the gaping archway, sure that they were only the first steps that would lead to his misery.
--
Harry could feel more than see what was ahead for them. He wanted to take Draco’s hand but he didn’t want to dissuade his obviously painful decision. This would be one of the last times he saw the Slytherin, and that thought left him with a gaping hole where his heart should be. It would all be over soon. If he died, it would be far easier for Draco to move on if Harry didn’t take his hand just now, if he didn’t tell him that his pale dragon was all wrong, and that he did want him, but couldn’t bare the idea of being left again. Maybe, if they made it out of this, he would explain.
But not now.
Now he walked forward, eyes locked on the archway. He expected to be met again at the entrance by one of the specters, but they were the only two there. Then suddenly without warning it was just Harry. Draco had disappeared right before his very eyes. Startled, Harry proceeded cautiously toward the center of the large stone clearing, making his way over to a vine-covered dais.
When he got closer he quickly realized that what he had thought were vines were actually ropes, and they held in place two sleeping figures, at least he hoped they were sleeping. Here in the center of the clearing tied to the dais were Hermione and Draco, their heads lulled to one side, the tops of them almost touching they were so close.
As Harry watched the Dais split in two and moved further apart, each piece settling over a part of the floor which now gave way to a pit of fire. The flames licked at the edges of their platform waking each of them within moments.
Hermione looked disoriented at first and then, once taking in her surroundings, shrieked for help. The ropes wrapped around her body were keeping her limbs from moving and all she could do was squirm in her bonds. “Hermione!” Harry shouted, “it’s okay! I’m going to get you out of here.” He didn’t even have time to wonder how his Gryffindor companion had been pulled into the maze, but he had to rescue her from the impending pain and death broiling beneath her feet.
A look over to Draco showed him staring at the flames, his eyes wide and panicked but before Harry could move, or say anything to him, Dumbledor appeared at his side.
It wasn’t really the headmaster of course, only a ghost-like copy of the elderly man. Harry could tell because his light blue eyes held the sparkle that he hadn’t seen in them for weeks. “You must choose,” the specter told him.
“I don’t understand…” Harry felt his stomach drop as the implication of those words hit home. “I can’t choose between them. I love them both,” Harry replied in barely a whisper, his eyes were still wide and horrified his breathing erratic and his pulse leaping in his throat.
“You must choose the one you love more,” the vision said, as if it were easy.
Harry snapped his head back and forth between them, Hermione still struggling in her bonds, her eyes pleading with Harry to save her. Draco already looked resigned to burn to death, a small smile played on his lips and his gray eyes were dull and lifeless.
How could he choose between these two? Any other two people wouldn’t have posed so much of a dilemma. Though as soon as he thought it, he knew that wasn’t true. He would never be able to condemn anyone he knew to a painful fiery death. He wasn’t strong enough to choose between them.
The flames licked higher at both pedestals, earning another set of screams from Hermione and Draco closed his eyes, squinting against the anticipated pain. He had to choose now, or lose them both. He had to choose.
“Draco,” Harry whispered. “I love Draco more.”
He winced as he looked to his Gryffindor companion. He had never wished to hurt her. “I’m so sorry,” he cried as he collapsed to the ground, his knees too weak to hold him up any longer. Her screams echoed through his mind, but his face fell, unable to watch his best friend burn to death.
When the screams finally died Harry looked up to find Hermione’s dais fully submerged in the flaming pit, and Draco’s dais was empty, the ropes still bound in place, but there was no one inside of them now.
The world went black around Harry as his body, wracking with sobs, lost consciousness.
--
Author's note: I'm bracing myself. Go ahead. Let me have it.