Dearest Harry - Eileen's Story

Thanks Claudia for doing the biz! *hugs you* ~ Lucie

Chapter Forty-One.

This time Harry was only unconscious for less than ten hours, which was a mere blip on the Harry unconsciousness scale. Unfortunately they were crucial hours for Draco. Draco was to make his third transformation that night. He was inconsolable, and scared at the idea of transforming without Harry alongside him. But nevertheless he remained determined that wanted to be alone this time. He did not want his parents to see him as a werewolf and he did not want to be trapped in with Remus as despite his apparent fondness for the older werewolf he did not seem to trust himself.

However as the hours passed by and Harry did not gain consciousness Draco had grown more and more morose, finally it had gotten late and the boy decided that Harry was not going to wake in time and had headed off to the secure room that had been set aside in the dungeons. Severus promised Draco that when Harry awoke he would bring him down immediately, but Draco did not seem reassured. He left on his own clutching the Wolfsbane potion and what looked suspiciously like one of Harry’s t-shirts.

This time there was plenty of Wolfsbane potion for Draco and for Remus. But Remus did not come to collect his himself, he asked Draco to fetch it for him and Severus had been unaccountably hurt that Lupin had not bothered to come and see him. Severus had tried to catch the other man’s eye earlier in the bathroom, and then later on when they had carried a once more sleeping Harry to the hospital wing he Severus had almost spoken. But Molly had been there and he did not want to say anything in front of her, so instead had been planning to say something when they were alone. He didn’t know what he was going to say but it really bothered him more than he could say that he would not get the chance to speak to Remus.

Severus was torn, he wanted to stay by Harry again but he felt that he could not leave Draco all on his own this time. Draco had told him not to bother, that Remus had said that he would stay with Draco but that he had wanted to be alone. Narcissa had offered to be with him, if only in an adjoining room, but Draco had made both his parents promise that they would stay away and further more made Severus promise to ensure that they did as they were asked. Eileen had come to the rescue in the end, she stayed with Harry sending Severus after Draco. Severus thought that his mother was becoming increasingly fond of the blond boy; he often caught her smiling fondly at Harry and Draco when she thought that they could not see her. Just as she frequently seemed to be frowning at him when she thought his attention was elsewhere, he wondered whether she knew something about his growing feelings towards Remus.

Severus reached the door of the cell that Draco had chosen just in time to hear retching noises coming from inside. Draco was being horrendously sick, he was throwing up the wolfsbane potion that Severus had given him. Severus was horrified, he could not understand what had happened, this had never happened before to him, his potions always worked. He ripped open the cell door, making sure to lock it behind him and rushed to the aid of the stricken boy.

Draco looked awful. His skin was grey and clammy his eyes wild with fright, he was clutching his stomach in obvious pain and groaning. He looked up horrified as Severus came into the room.

“What are you doing here?” he croaked, “Severus, you can’t be here! I’m going to change!” But then he was obviously wracked again by pain in his stomach and he fell to his knees with a small yelp. “The moon, the moon is going to change me Severus, please get out!” But Severus couldn’t, he just could not bring himself to leave Draco to go through this alone, not this time. He didn’t think about what would happen when the boy transformed into a feral adult wolf, he just knew that right now Draco looked helpless and broken and he couldn’t leave him alone.

He knelt down beside the boy. Draco was shivering violently he truly looked ill.

“I’ll just stay for a little while,” Severus said, he cast a cleansing spell to clean Draco up a bit and then wrapped a blanket that lay folded on the bed beside him around Draco’s shoulders.

“Go now, Severus!” Draco whispered. “The moon!”

But Severus couldn’t leave him, he had failed Harry so often before, he had turned his back on Remus, he couldn’t leave Draco again. Only unconsciousness would have kept Harry away from Draco now, unconsciousness or death and Severus thought that Harry would approve of his actions. Severus was not a hero in the sense that Harry was, he had always had to weigh up every situation. His actions had always been those of a true Slytherin working out what would be the best solution, for himself, for his family and then act. But he had gotten things so very wrong in the past, on many, many occasions. So he was not going to think about the morning, or what might happen when Draco transformed, he was just going to stay with the boy right now and give in to the weird gut feeling that he had, that things were going to be alright, that he wouldn’t be hurt by Draco, and that everything would be okay.

“Please Severus,” Draco whispered, “I don’t want to hurt you, please?”

But Severus simply moved a little closer and wrapped his arms around Draco and pulled him close. Draco struggled feebly for a moment, but with nothing like the normal strength that a werewolf could command and then finally, with a small sob of protest, let himself be enfolded in a hug.



Draco did not transform.

Severus sat with him the whole night long, curled up on the narrow bed, whilst the boy rambled in a sick delirium and sobbed and mumbled and held tight to Severus and in the morning, when Harry came careening though the door panicked and wide eyed, Severus looked steadily at his nephew and said, “Harry, what did you do? Draco is no-longer a werewolf, you have changed things, what did you do?”

Harry still looked confused, he didn’t seem to know what he was doing, so Severus took out his wand and cast a locking charm on the door and followed it with a confundment charm just to keep everyone away for a while. Severus thought that Draco would sleep a lot longer and Harry must be fine, because unless he was completely recovered Eileen would not have let him come down here however much he might beg and plead and cajole.

Harry rushed over to them, and threw himself down beside Draco, tentatively reaching out and stroking the blond boy’s hair.

They sat together for a long time, listening to the quiet in the dungeons. The only sound seemed to be Draco’s steady breathing, the occasional wickering noise that he made in his sleep. His fever had broken some time ago and he was curled with his head resting in Severus’ lap slumbering quietly, still covered with the blanket that Severus had draped over him.

In a direct reversal of recent events Harry and Severus watched over Draco for a change, whilst he slept.

“I don’t know Severus,” Harry had answered, eventually after what seemed like hours of thought. “I don’t know. What made you think it was me that made the difference? I haven’t given him a potion or anything like that, I haven’t even licked him for a very long time.

“Why did you stay here? That was a huge risk wasn’t it? How did you know that he wasn’t a werewolf anymore? How did you know Severus?”

“I didn’t know for certain, I just guessed.” Severus replied, “But I think that it was an informed guess, all my years as a potions master. He was not reacting as he should have done. Only those with no lycanthropy in their veins at all would normally be as sick as that. It was a hunch. He was being violently sick, horribly sick, so I just knew that something was wrong.” Severus looked up as Harry made a strangled noise in his throat, a noise of sympathy for Draco.

Harry had reached over and was stroking Draco’s hair tenderly again. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for him,” he whispered, “I’m sorry Draco.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for Harry,” Severus said, “it was the backlash from your spell that knocked you out, you were lucky that there was no more damage. When I think of what happened to Albus when he destroyed a Horcrux, you could have been so badly damaged, so hurt. Luckily you seem to be more able to cope with Voldemort’s magic than anyone else does; your magic must be like his, it is compatible perhaps because of what happened to you when you were a baby.”

“Why am I different Severus?” Harry said softly, “why is my magic so different Severus, why am I so strange?”

“Your magic is different Harry, but you are not strange. You are a remarkable young man, who has had to deal with things that would have destroyed someone less strong than you are. I don’t know why you are so different, but I can make a supposition. Would you like me to?

Harry nodded and the scooted across the bed, to sit beside Severus. He leaned up against him, helping to take some of the strain from his uncle’s back. Severus had been sitting in the same position for hours, supporting Draco and having something, some one to lean against was sheer bliss as far as Severus was concerned.

He thought for a moment trying to gather himself, and then began to speak.

“When the Dark Lord tried to kill you, I think that he somehow formed a bond between you both, he did more than turn you into a Horcrux, he gave you some of his power. But you were already very powerful Harry. I think that even without the extra magic that he gave you, you were already an extraordinarily powerful wizard. Even without the extra boost I think you would have been the most powerful wizard of your generation. You are exceptional Harry.

“But you had to hide those powers didn’t you?”

He felt Harry nod again

“If you had been brought up in a normal wizarding home, or even in a loving Muggleborn one, what you could do, what you are capable of, would have been welcomed, celebrated. But instead your powers, your very powerful magic was forced to hide itself. You managed to use it in secret, without even knowing you were using it I think, so your magic evolved. It developed in ways that magic does not normally work. It healed you, time and time again did it not?”

This time Harry’s nod was almost imperceptible

“I think it is as if you learned to use magic without consciously thinking about it, because if you did that, if you thought about it then you wouldn’t do it at all, because you were taught that it was wrong. But you couldn’t deny your magic Harry, it is simply too strong.

“You learned to trust your instincts and let them take over sometimes. But then at other times, when you listen to others you think that they must be right and not you, you deny your instincts. But you must trust your magic Harry, you must not deny it, let your magic fly free, it has been suppressed for far too long.

“Somehow I think, because you have used your magic mostly for healing, that is where it is at its strongest. It kept you healthy, it stopped you from starving, from being ill. I think that it now seeks to heal, like it did with Eileen, and over the years with all the practice that you must have had it has become very strong indeed.

“Poppy once told me that she thought you were the most remarkable healer that she has ever seen, I think she is right, you are Harry. What you have done, your healing powers are absolutely unparalleled. When this is all over I think that healing might well be an area that you should explore.

“I’d like that,” Harry whispered, “I’d like that more than being an Auror I think.”

“Good, then that is what we will arrange for you. Now close your eyes and think about what it feels like when you give free reign to your magic, when you don’t even think about it and then tell me when you have felt that recently when you were with Draco. Because somehow Harry you have cured his lycanthropy and we need to discover how, if you cured him, then perhaps we can cure others too.”

Harry grew silent for a long while and then, eventually he began to speak.

“It is as if my magic knows what to do, and I am along for the ride. It tingles, through my veins and out through my fingers and toes. It teases me, calls to me, it’s like I have no option but to follow it, like when I am seeking the snitch, I am drawn to repair what is broken, seek out decay. I sort of get carried away for a while. But lately it is as if I can direct it a bit better. I can tell it what I want it to do. If I’m wrong, it….”

He paused for a moment, Severus could almost see his frown.

“If I’m wrong the tingle is a bit sore, like an electric shock.” Severus did not comment on this, he, unlike Arthur, knew what electricity was, he knew what Harry meant.

“And Draco,” he prompted gently.

Harry didn’t speak. Severus looked down at him and saw that the tips of his nephew’s ears had turned pink. He was obviously very embarrassed about something.

“Harry,” Severus said, “If you tell me, I will keep the details private, I will not tell anyone, but Draco was dreadfully sick. Wolfsbane is poison to him now. Even more so than it would be for most wizards, somehow something has changed Harry, something in Draco’s chemistry and I need to know what it is.”

Harry sighed deeply. He waited for a moment more and then he began to speak.

“Draco and I, we erm, well we have sex a lot.” Severus could almost feel the heat of embarrassment radiating from his nephew as he said this, so he kept completely quiet and let Harry continue. “Normally, we er, sort of play about a bit, and er, give each other blow jobs and stuff. But sometimes we do a bit more than that.”

Harry became silent for another short while, but Severus did not push him, he just waited patiently for Harry to continue. “We um, we er, have full sex.” Harry said, the words came out in a rush, tumbling over one another and if anything his ears got even redder.

“Normally he does me, but um, er last week I sort of did him.”

Severus had to struggle not to laugh. Harry was so endearingly shy, he wanted to embrace his nephew and tell him that he very much doubted that anything that Harry could say would be new to Severus. He had already given the boy the safe sex talk a few weeks previously so of course he knew that Harry and Draco were ‘doing it’ as Harry put it.

“It was my first time, and he had just had a row with his father and he was really angry. When he came to see me he sort of threw himself on the bed and he said, ‘Harry I think it’s about time you fucked me.’

“He and Lucius had been rowing about all sorts of stuff,” Harry continued. “ Did you know about that?” He asked Severus, looking at him with curiosity.

“I guessed that things were a little strained,” Severus replied, “Lucius has been somewhat cantankerous.

Harry smiled, presumably at Severus’ choice of words.

“I think that Draco’s dad was most upset about the fact that he was a werewolf and that he wouldn’t get work, and nobody would want him. That’s what Draco said anyway. Draco told Lucius that it was his fuc….fault that Draco was a werewolf, but he was really upset Severus. He told his dad that I wanted him, they had a horrible row and the Draco came to see me and said that he wanted me to er, make love to him to prove that I did love him. He said that he didn’t care what his dad had to say any longer.”

Severus felt very sad for Draco just then. The poor boy had been trying so hard and yet he had had several fights with Lucius about the way things were now. Lucius had taken Draco’s lycanthropy very hard indeed. He had long despised werewolves and growing up with Fenrir Greyback as the main example of what werewolves were like it was no wonder that Lucius hated them and had passed that hatred on to his son.

He would have been disgusted by the fact that Draco had become a werewolf, which was of course why Voldemort had had the boy infected. Lucius knew that was probably the case, but his guilt made him hard to live with. And poor Draco suffered most of all Severus suspected.

Lucius was no doubt hating the fact that he had lost everything, had no power or influence any longer and owed everything he did still have, including his life to a boy that he had once despised . Severus knew that it was more than Harry’s supposed Muggle mother that had made Lucius dislike him so much. Lucius was a tremendous snob and even the way Harry spoke sometimes, with his estuary vowels would have had him wincing. The very thought of what Lucius would say if he heard Harry call him Draco’s ‘dad’ almost Severus smile. ‘Lucius your prejudices are showing again,’ he thought to himself, vowing to have a word with the man sometime soon. Harry had not had the advantages that Draco had had, he had no one to teach him the way that things should be done in the magical world, the correct way to speak, the right way to hold a fork at a dinner party.

But Harry was a wonderful human being, he was brave and loyal and full of integrity and he reminded Severus so much of the little girl that he had known and loved that sometimes it actually hurt. Harry was Lily’s child, in every way. He was a wonderful match for Draco, and lycanthropy was not the end of the world, Draco would have survived, indeed he would have been absolutely fine with Harry’s support. Not that lycanthropy seemed to be a problem for Draco anymore as far as Severus was able to tell.

Harry had been quiet for a while now, so Severus nudged him gently.

“Harry,” he said.

Harry sighed, deep and long and then he continued.

“When we had sex he was crying, and wishing that he wasn’t a werewolf, he said that his father was so ashamed of him, he was so upset Severus! So I kissed him, and hugged him and told him I loved him and then I was inside him, and it was amazing! I just loved him so much and I wished that I could take it all away. The lycanthropy I mean. I wished I could make it better and it was as if my magic was flying free, then well, I, you know, I couldn’t hold back any longer andIsortofhadanorgasm.”

Severus smiled again. “I see,” he said dryly. “Well Harry, it sounds to me like you have just performed sex magic. Draco is no longer a lycanthrope, not from what I can tell without a much more through investigation. It seems like you may have discovered the cure.”

“Oh no Severus,” Harry said, he sounded absolutely horrified, “I can’t have done, I mean I couldn’t, I couldn’t do that to anyone else! I couldn’t do that to Remus!”

Severus chuckled low in his throat. “It’s alright Harry, you won’t have to, but what you have told me, it might just help.”

“Oh, well that’s okay then, er, I think.” Harry said.

They sat there for a little longer whilst Draco slowly began to stir, and Severus couldn’t help but luxuriate in the pleasure he felt from the weight and the warmth of his nephew, his own flesh and blood pressed against his side. Not many people even touched Severus, let alone hugged him and to have Harry close to him like this was a wonderful experience. To have someone who seemed to be fond of him, trust him, it woke something in Severus, it stirred deep in his chest and he realised that he loved Harry, he wasn’t just fond of him or proud of him, although of course he was all those things too. Severus loved Harry, like the son he had never had.