Dragon Hunt

Charlie took a deep breath and prepared for the outburst. “It’s classic mating behavior.”

“What?!” Sirius shouted. “You mean to tell me that that beast out there that has been stalking my godson is just waiting for the right time to pounce?!”

“No,” Charlie said, trying to remain calm. “Dragon mating behaviors are very precise. Every dragon has a mate. It is a magical bond created in the ether before even conception. The two dragons are born and the moment of maturity, they will search the world in search of the mate. Some breeds, having such a small habitat have no problem finding their mate, but as breeds become more and more endangered, it has been known to happen that mates are across breed. That’s why I was taking so long to get here. It was imperative that I stay for the hatching as the offspring was a rare cross between a—“

“Damn it!” Sirius shouted. “Focus on Harry!”

“Right,” Charlie said, trying to focus on exactly what information would be useful at the moment. “There is no true gender in dragons. A dragon will seek its mate from the moment it reaches maturity and watch over its mate, but never approach. A dragon will never touch its mate unless invited. Never. A single touch begins the bonding process, something that the younger must initiate. Now, if the younger is close to maturity when the older reaches maturity, the older will attempt to use some sort of means to entice its mate to come to it. We’ve never quite understood what that draw is, though I would guess a sound that we can’t hear from what you’re telling me.

“Anyway,” Charlie continued after another withering glare from Sirius, “If the mating is not completed within a year of the pair’s maturity, the elder will die.”

“Why only the elder dragon?” Snape asked, confused.

Charlie shrugged. “We can not know for sure, but our best guess is that the mating is imprinted on the elder of the two. It’s like the older one is supposed to get to its mate, protect, and bond with the mate and if that does not happen, for whatever reason, the dragon dies because of its perceived failure.” Snape nodded.

“So you’re telling me that Draco believes Harry is his mate?” Sirius asked indignantly.

“When is Harry’s birthday?” Charlie asked.

“It was a couple of weeks ago,” Remus answered.

“And he made no attempt to reach Draco?” Charlie asked, his voice twisting in concern.

“We were battling the dragon at the time. Harry ran into the middle of it and got stunned. We managed to fight Draco off, but the battle was fierce,” Sirius explained. “We got Harry safely back here, but Draco had somehow managed to follow. I don’t know how often he’s been around since, as apparently he can be invisible to everyone but Harry if he chooses to be and Harry won’t talk about it.”

“But Harry did try to reach Draco at the moment of his birthday?” Charlie asked.

“Yes,” Remus answered. “Technically.”

“Then it’s not just that Draco believes Harry to be his mate. Harry is his mate.” Sirius looked about to argue, so Charlie continued quickly. “The moment of a younger dragon’s maturity is the time of the strongest pull between mates. It has been very rare in nature and even in captivity that a dragon has been deprived of its mate. As a defense, the younger will attempt to block out the attraction for the elder. We believe it to be in case the elder is dead. In any case, the elder will wait around, trying to woo the younger until the younger submits or the elder can’t go on,” Charlie finished.

“Problem solved then,” Sirius said, leaning back in his chair. “We can simply wait around and Draco will eventually crawl back under the Malfoy rock and we can move on.”

Remus cleared his throat. “That’s cold,” he said softly.

“How is that cold?” Sirius snapped at his lover.

“I do not think you completely understood me,” Charlie inserted. “When I said that the dragon could no longer go on, I meant that the dragon would die. I have witnessed it. He will get weaker and weaker and eventually die of a broken heart. It is painful to think on.”

Sirius looked a bit taken aback, but then crossed his arms over his chest. “Allow the little Deatheater to die, then,” he spat defiantly.

Snape glared across at Sirius. “Draco is not a Deatheater.”

“He will be. I’m sure Old Voldie will pull him into the mix and brand him the moment he comes back to himself!” Sirius argued hotly.

“Draco became aware of my position two years ago and has kept my secret. He has even helped, giving me information about his father’s doings when he felt they were relevant. Draco did not go back to Malfoy Manor at the end of last term and has a price on his head because of it. He is innocent in all of this and I will not allow you to coldly watch him die a slow and painful death because of your own prejudices,” Snape explained dryly.

Sirius nodded. He felt an odd kinship to Draco if that was true. He’d done much the same when he was Draco’s age. He turned to Charlie with a new line of thought. “Is there a way to break the bond?” he asked.

Charlie shook his head. “Not without killing one or both of the pair. But remember, I’m working straight from dragon knowledge. We will all have to admit that this is a unique situation.”

“I don’t believe we should risk it,” Remus said.

“If it makes any of you feel any better,” Charlie started, “I have seen many pairs of mated dragons. Their bond is so strong and so beautiful. It is of the purest love.”

“But Harry and Draco?” Snape—yes, Snape—laughed. “They’ve hated each other since they met.”

Remus shrugged. “Dumbledore said that Draco had described it as Harry making his blood boil. They may have expressed that feeling as anger and hate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that that is what it truly was.”

“So what’s the plan?” Charlie asked. “How would we like to proceed?”

“We need to get Draco into the house,” Snape said. “He transformed into a human when Harry was approaching him last night, perhaps we can have Harry draw him into the house.”

Sirius shook his head. “I won’t allow Harry to begin the bonding process without explanation. It is unfair to him and his already damaged heart.”

“We still need to get Draco in the house so that we can better gage the situation, as well as for his safety,” Snape said. “His father has been hunting him.”

Remus stood. “I’ll go get Harry.”

“But—“

Remus shook his head. “I’ll simply tell him to invite Draco into the house, but I will make it clear that he is not to touch Draco at any cost.”



“This is stupid,” Harry muttered to himself. His godfather, godfather’s partner, potions professor, and the eldest Weasley sibling were standing on the porch staring at him as he stepped into the park. Draco wasn’t here. He hadn’t heard him since last night. The thought saddened him.

But then he heard it, soft and weak and sad, but still the same sound. Tentatively, he walked towards a row of bushes and he saw the swatch of beautiful white. There, lying behind the bushes was Draco Malfoy. Again he was nude, but now he was curled on his side. His white hair was tangled and filled with dirt and leaves. Tears stained his otherwise flawless face. His pale blue eyes focused on nothing. Harry found himself reaching out for him only to have Remus’s voice in his head.

. . . “Under no circumstances are you to touch him. Do you understand me?” Remus asked sternly.

“Yes,” Harry sighed as he rolled his eyes.

“It is imperative!” Remus shouted. Harry thought it was the only time he may have heard the man yell. “Do not touch him!”

“I won’t,” Harry responded. “I promise.”

“This is not a ‘don’t get close enough for him to attack’ statement. This means avoid physical contact at all costs.”

“I get it!” . . .

“Draco?” he asked tentatively. He crouched down beside the young man. “Draco, are you all right?”

Draco’s icy blue eyes turned and focused on Harry. “Draco?” he asked. “Is that my name?”

Harry found himself smiling at the innocence in that voice. “Yes. You’re Draco and I’m Harry.” Draco reached out towards Harry. Harry wanted to lean towards the touch, but Remus’s voice shouted at him and he flinched backwards. Another wave of pain washed over the pale beauty. “I’m sorry, but I need you to come with me,” Harry said.

Draco excitedly scrambled to his feet, so quickly that Harry fell backwards to avoid being touched. Draco looked down at him, offering a hand to help him up and Harry shook his head. “I’m fine,” he said, pulling himself to his feet. He took a good look at Draco. They were of almost identical height. And their builds were even similar: lean, though Harry knew his muscles were more compact and defined where Draco was just softer. And Harry had a thin layer of dark fur on his chest and a trail of it leading down to his privates. Draco appeared almost hairless. Harry’s skin was darkly tanned on his upper body and a slightly paler bottom half. Draco could have been carved from ivory. He was just breathtaking.

Harry took a deep breath to calm himself. The sound was getting stronger, happier. “Come with me,” he said before turning and leading Draco into the house. The other men stepped away to let the pair pass and then they all stood awkwardly. Draco seemed to take no note of the other men, his eyes fixed solely on Harry and Harry couldn’t help but remain focused on Draco as well.

“Draco,” Snape began as softly as Harry had ever heard him speak. Draco slowly turned to the man who had addressed him. “You’re filthy. Let’s get you in a bath, shall we? Then maybe a good meal?” he suggested. Draco looked back at Harry. Harry nodded encouragingly. Draco turned back to Snape and nodded his assent and Snape led him away.

Harry watched, mesmerized by the pale round butt cheeks walking up the stairs and disappear before snapping his gaze back to the three remaining men. “What the hell is going on? First you tell me he’s hunting me, then you order me to approach him alone and invite him in for a bath and a meal?”

“And let’s hope some clothes,” Charlie, the only straight man in the room, suggested,

Harry glared at them all in turn. “Let’s go into the kitchen and we’ll explain,” Remus said lightly.

Harry’s face remained completely impassive as Charlie explained the finer points of dragon mating behavior. His expression showed nothing when he was told that he and Draco Malfoy was his mate. He didn’t move a muscle when they told him that to deny Draco would be to sign his death warrant. To the three men watching him, he seemed to even stop breathing. He just sat there staring.

“This is the kitchen Draco,” Snape said as he led Draco into the room. “It’s always fully stocked and you’ll be welcome to eat something whenever you like.” Draco smiled when he saw Harry and instead of paying attention to Snape any longer, he slid into the seat opposite Harry and stared dreamily into his eyes, seemingly perfectly content to do so forever.

Harry was lost in those eyes and that beautiful sound that sounded more like a purr when Draco was human. Draco’s white blonde hair was slightly damp. It was tucked behind his ears and curled out slightly away from his smooth neck and throat. Gods, he was beautiful and perfect and exuded some kind of clarity that Harry had never dreamt of before. Snape had also gotten Draco dressed in a pair of muggle jeans and dark gray t-shirt. Harry recognized them as his. He was annoyed, but he couldn’t tell if it was because his clothing had been borrowed without permission or if the clothing covered the pale, perfect skin from view. Harry wanted to reach out and brush his hand over that strong, smooth jaw, but realized that consequences and repercussions needed to be weighed. “You should eat, Draco,” he said gently.

“Yes.” Draco agreed.

Harry found himself laughing lightly and stood from the table, reaching into the cooler for a plate of cheeses. Snape had also lifted a loaf of bread and Remus a bowl of fruit. Soon it was all piled on the table. “We should leave you two alone,” Charlie insisted, ushering the older men from the room.

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