The Contract

Chapter Six: The Burrow

The scene at the Burrow had been one of upheaval and panic. Harry had been taken from their midst and the entire family was now out looking for him. Arthur had even called in Kingsley Shacklebolt to bring a team of Aurors to assist.

When the large Eagle Owl entered the kitchen window with a note, it was with a held breath that Molly took the offered letter.

Dear Weasleys and others,

I know it is hard to believe, but I am fine. I am now in the midst of receiving a special gift that my father had set up for me to receive on the eve of my seventeenth birthday. I will be away for awhile, but will contact you if possible to let you know I am okay.

Please don’t worry, I’ll meet you in Diagon Alley to get supplies. Hopefully, I will have a surprise of my own when I see you again. Take care of Hedwig for me until I see you again.

Love
--Harry J Potter

And that was it. No hidden “rescue me as soon as possible,” message inside the letter. No “excited until I get to tell you everything” indication. Just I am fine and will contact you when I can.

Well, if Harry James Potter thought that someone could just take someone out of her home and simply expect no one to search for him, he had been sorely mistaken. Note or no, she would find her only brunette son, and woe betide the person or persons that took her son away from her. Gift from James Potter be damned.

They searched for hours before returning to the Burrow to discuss their findings, which was nil. Grimmauld Place and Hogwart’s was searched as well. The Auror service had been put into service for a country wide search. At some point, the people who took Harry would have to surface and they would all be waiting.

How anyone could expect a mother to wait a month, A MONTH?, to see a child that had been stolen was beyond her. Obviously Harry had been coerced into writing that letter. Someone had been watching him. He was innocent and pure and finally free.

It was with a heavy heart that she lay with her husband that night. Her mind still whirring in a fast forward motion regarding possibilities.

It was near three in the morning when the answer occurred to her: Severus Snape. He knew everyone who was ever involved with the Death Eaters, anyone who might hate or want to hurt Harry.

She sat straight up in bed when the second possibility occurred to her: Remus Lupin. Any gift that James Potter had set up that long ago would be known to those he trusted. Remus was the last of those from his inner circle of friends that would be able to assist.

Without thinking of the time, she wrapped her dressing gown around her to make a few fire calls.


When Arthur entered the living room, it was to the sight of his wife’s arse sticking up in the air, and her head in the emerald green fire. Her shrieking at the poor person at the other end was certainly hard on his ears, he could only pity the poor sod at the other end of her wrath. It took a few moments to rationalize out that it was Remus at the other end. With a slight smack on her hip, Arthur made his presence known. A few seconds later, Molly was upright and brushing ash from her graying red hair.

“Remus is coming through now.” She said as if her husband knew her thoughts without explanation.

“I’ll just put on some tea then?” Arthur asked. And with a confirming nod, he left her to it.

Once Remus had come through the fire, he gave her a weak hug. The full moon had been only the night before last, and it always took him a bit of time to recover. She led him into the kitchen, set an Imperturbable charm on the kitchen door and waited as Arthur served tea.

“Now, what is happening with Harry?” Her voice was stern and did not give Remus any leeway with mollycoddling. “Where is he and what can we do to get him back?”

Relishing the sip of tea, Remus closed his eyes and remembered the conversation with James before Harry was even born.

Remus, you don’t understand, I have to do this. It could have been our son’s life. Don’t you think that one year would be better than that? Imagine what it would be like for him to be reared as nothing more than a house-elf. As it is, this seems to be the only way. “ James pleaded with his friend to understand.

“What does Lily think of this little plan? Save him from the Dark Lord then turn him over to his most trusted servant’s child when he becomes an adult? Have you lost your bloody mind James?” He looked at his friend with incredulity.

I understand, Remus, really I do. But the lessons he will be taught will be hidden deep inside his mind until the…claim…uhm, claiming takes place. Then the lessons will surface. If Lucius’ son does not claim him, then Lucius will have the option. But right now, I doubt any of the Malfoys will live to see the end of the year, let alone seventeen in the future. If Lucius dies, then it ends.”

Remus paced as James explained. Glad that Sirius was not there. This was a dangerous game and he had to think of a way around it. Pausing, he looked to the man he had counted as a friend for so long. He looked hopeful that Remus would understand his reasoning.

“You do understand, James, that this is your son’s life with which you are playing. It is not a joke, nor is it amusing to believe that it will not turn out for the worse. What happens if your son likes his life? What happens if he finds a nice girl to settle down with and feels an irresistible urge to this young Malfoy scion? Have you given any thought to that at all?

With a bowed head, James tried to find his voice. No, if the truth be known, he had not given that any real thought. What would it be like if this were him. Would Lily have waited for that year? Looking into the caring brown eyes, he answered, “A year is better than forfeiting his whole life. And a single year with a child his own age is better than a year with that madman Lucius Malfoy. I don’t know why this has come to pass this way. Only that it has. I don’t have any choices, Remus. Its this way, or I hand my precious son over to that horrid blonde creature for the duration of his life.

“He is the Potter heir. He will survive this. If he has no inclination to the male sex, he can just deal with it for twelve months. I will make sure he is prepared and hopefully he will come to understand, in the fullness of time, what it could have been. At the end of the year, he can be obliviated and escape the life that was set for him.

“You know the prophecy, he has so much to live for that I can only hope he defeats that bastard and takes Lucius with him.”

Resigning himself to the inevitable, he sat next to James. “Who will be guiding him through this journey?”

“I can’t tell you that. I am so sorry, it is the only way. They must remain unknown until the time comes for the memory charm to be broken.”

“The charm will be broken during or after the claiming rites?” James nodded.

“Lucius has assured me that he will instruct his son to be gentle and coax the memories from the deepest part of the mind. I probably shouldn’t believe him, but I am left with little choice. It’s the son or the father. The son is an unknown, but the father is not. I could not bear the thought of my son being taken by that monster.

“His magic will be forfeited if he does not comply.” He finished softly, just before he then hung his head and cried for the baby yet to be born and the future he was destined to have.


There was silence around the table.

A sewing needle could have dropped a kilometer away and still have been heard that night.

Harry’s entire miserable existence as a child was to lead him to his seventeenth birthday.

He had received private tutoring to accept his place for the year.

Harry James Potter was enslaved to Draco Lucian Malfoy for the last year of their education.

Lucius Malfoy would claim the boy if Draco did not wish to pursue him.

Draco Malfoy would have sex with Harry Potter which would act as the trigger to release the memories that had been part of his every day world as a child. The additional memories that had been suppressed would be released after he had sex the first time.

Remus Lupin knew and never warned anyone about this.

The Savior of the Wizarding World, Defeater of The Dark Lord (several times), Tri-Wizard Champion, Boy Who Lived, and The Daily Prophet’s favorite celebrity was a sex slave.

And there was NOTHING that could be done about it unless Lucius Malfoy released his claim on the young man.

Magical contracts be damned, Molly Weasley would see her son again and the Malfoys would be condemned to Hell before she was through.

****TBC****