Soul Bond

“What you did was wrong, Lestrange. Kidnapping my daughter was your biggest mistake. Because of your selfish and irrational behavior, you have caused the death of very loyal and a very brave woman. You should be sent to Azkaban for that alone, but unfortunately you did not actually kill her,” Draco informed him.

“I never meant for anyone to get hurt,” the man cried. He was still hurting with the knowledge that he would never again see his lover.

“Regardless of what your intentions were, someone died. You should thank the god’s that nothing happened to my daughter. If you had harmed one little hair on her precious head, you would not be sitting here having this conversation with us,” Harry said in disgust.

“We have decided to give you a choice, Lestrange. You can agree to have your memories modified, removing all that you know about my daughter, or you will be sent to Azkaban for the kidnapping of Lilly Malfoy-Potter.”

“What?” he asked in shock. “You’re going to let me go?”

“Will you agree to the memory modification?” Harry demanded.

Rabastan thought for a moment. He didn’t care that the kid was a Medium. Erasing his memories on that subject was just fine with him. He still had his original problem of not having any access to the Lestrange vaults. He needed the money to live on, he was destitute. “What of the Lestrange vault?” he asked Draco.

Draco pulled the vault key out of his pocket. “If you would have asked, I would have returned it to you. When it was given to me, it was believed that you were dead. It was yours all along. You were the first heir, not me.”

“What?” he asked in shock. “But Dolohov said it was all left to you! We petitioned the Ministry and they turned us down!” he cried in disbelief.

“He lied to you. There was never any petition. If there had been, you would have received the key then. Your brother’s will clearly states that in the event of his death, Bella would receive his assets, but in the event of her death, you would receive the Lestrange Manor and assets. If you were already dead, she could dispose of the assets as she saw fit.” Draco handed him the parchment that was his brothers will.

“It was all for nothing then?” he asked, appalled with what he had believed. He picked the old parchment up and read it. He put it down and looked from one stony face to the other. “Why are you letting me go?”

“Lilly asked us to. She said that forgiveness was better than revenge. We have agreed. Now what say you, Lestrange, do you agree to our terms?”

He immediately nodded his head. “I agree. I would ask that you remove any memories of Dolohov as well,” he said. “I don’t want to remember what a fool I have been,” he said in disgust.

Harry stood and walked toward the door. He opened it and a man walked in. “This is Anglethorft. He is the Ministries specialist in memory modification.”

Draco stood and moved towards the door as well. “Good luck to you, Lestrange.”

“Wait!” he said standing. “For what its worth, I am sorry,” he said.

Both men nodded. They knew that deep down, Rabastan wasn’t that bad. He had got caught up in events that were beyond his control.

Stepping out into the sunshine they saw Lilly and Siri sitting politely on a bench in front of the Ministry. “Well?” Lilly demanded.

“We let him go.”

Lilly grinned. “Arabella always said that forgiveness is the key to happiness,” she said.

Harry grinned back. He loved to see his daughter happy, and he Draco and Siri tended to let her have her way. She spent to many months away from them that they all went out of their way to make it up to her. “Arabella was a very smart witch,” he said.

“Are you ready?” Draco asked to her, holding out his hand.

She smiled bravely and accepted the offered hand. She was not afraid of death, but she was afraid of saying goodbye. They were going to lay Arabella to rest in Godric’s Hallow. Since Arabella had no family Harry decided that he would adopt her into the Potter family and bury her close to the final resting place of his parents. “Dad, I’m going to miss her,” she said sadly.

“I know love. I still my Mum sometimes as well,” he said smiling. “At least through you I am still able to speak with her sometimes,” he said.

“Dad, Grandmother says that you are a mama’s boy and that you will spend the rest of your life missing her,” Lilly said with a grin.

Draco snorted. “And what does your grandfather have to say about that?” His father had drastically mellowed and Draco thought that it was sad that he couldn’t have done it in life. Things may have turned out much different for them.

“He isn’t here. Grandmother said that he said that she ruined you though,” she said. “What does that mean?”

Draco grinned. “It means that I am not the tough guy that your grandfather wanted me to be. I’ve turned into a big softy like your dad here,” he said smacking Harry on the arm.

Harry laughed. “Look whose talking, cream puff! Who gives in all the time?”

Siri grinned. “You do give in more than dad does,” he said siding with Harry.

“Hey, traitor!” Draco said whacking Siri playfully on the butt, “Whose side are you on?” he leaned down and whispered so that Harry could just barely hear, “I thought you wanted that new Quidditch gear?”

Siri smirked. “Actually, you know dad, you might give in more,” he said seriously.

“Draco Malfoy, did you just bribe our son?”

Draco smirked. “Of course I did. It’s the Malfoy way. Haven’t you learned anything?”

Harry shook his head. “Come here, Lilly, I’m sure you’re still uncorrupt able.”

Lilly wrapped her arms around Harry’s neck and said, “I don’t know what corruptible is, but you can get me a pony,” she giggled. “I won’t call you a cream puff if you do.”

Draco and Harry both roared with laughter. “She is a Malfoy, you know,” Draco grinned, pleased with his daughter.

“She’s a Potter as well, and that means that she fall for the Malfoy side every time,” he said looking at his husband with love shinning in his green eyes. “Shall we meet at the graveyard?”

Draco immediately sobered. “Everything is already. We just need to be there. It will only be the four of us. I thought that Lilly needed to say a private goodbye.”

Harry nodded. He wanted to put flowers on his parent’s graves as well. A second later they apparated to Godric’s Hollow.

They stood staring down at the stone that Draco had arranged to mark her final resting place. It was simple,
Arabella Figg
Beloved Friend and Mentor
Never to be Forgotten
And always to be Loved

“I think that she would like that, Daddy,” Lilly said with a smile after her father read it to her. They had engraved several frolicking kittens on the headstone as well to remember her beloved pets.

“I am sure she would, love,” Harry said. She would always hold a soft place in his heart for what she had done for him as a child. She would always be remembered for giving her life to save that of Lilly.

“Shall I plant some forever blooming roses?” Draco asked. Neville had given him some for that very thing.

“Oh no!” Lilly cried.

“What’s wrong, dear?” Harry asked in worry.
“Grandma Lilly is saying goodbye. She said it is time for her to cross over, that we don’t need her anymore.”

“What?” Harry asked. He had so many things that he wanted to ask her, so many things that he wanted to say.

“She said that you don’t need her anymore, that you have Daddy and me and Siri and the babies. You have a family now, and Grandpa James needs her.”

Harry set Lilly down and walked the few feet to his parent’s graves. He quietly stood there for a moment and then smiled. “Good-bye, Mum,” he whispered to the wind.

“She said that she loves you and not to be sad.”

“Is she still here?” he asked.

“She left. She said that you will always find her in your heart.”

Harry nodded and smiled sadly. He looked at his beloved husband and two children and thought his mother was right. He had a family now and it was time to lay the past behind him.

“So what shall we do this afternoon?” Draco asked pulling his family into his arms.

“I think that we should get the babies and go on a picnic!” Lilly said. She was enthralled with her younger siblings and couldn’t get enough of them.

Siri scowled. He was not ready to share her and wanted all of her attention for himself. Lilly knew this and leaned into him and whispered in his ear, “You will always be my favorite, Siri.’

Siri grinned and hugged her and then said, “A picnic would be fun.” He could be gracious when he knew that he was her favorite. Together, the Malfoy-Potter family apparated home.

“I can’t believe that they’re going to be sorted today! I’m so nervous!” Draco moaned. “I just know that they’re going to be Slytherin’s,” he said.

Harry grinned. He knew that Siri and Lilly were not Slytherin’s. He had hoped that they would be sent to Gryffindor, but Siri had told him long ago of his belief that they would go to Hufflepuff. He had never told Draco, because he knew that Draco would have thought that to be the worst possible place for his children.

“Severus said that he would floo us as soon as they were sorted,” Harry said. He knew that Draco was nervous and impatient.

“We could go and just stand in the back where they couldn’t see us,” he said.

Harry grinned. “You know that they would throw a fit if they caught us!”

Draco smiled at his husband. “It would be worth it! Come on, Harry, let’s do it!” he said.

“I guess we could floo into Severus’ office and sneak up…wait! You’re turning me into a sneaky Slytherin!” he said laughing.

“Whatever! You were a sneaky Slytherin long before we ever met!” he laughed.

“Sit down, love, we will find out soon enough, just like every other parent.”

Draco huffed and flopped down on the couch. He folded his hands against his chest and pouted.

Jazzy walked into the room and grinned at her father. “Daddy, didn’t you get your way?” she asked climbing up into his lap. She patted his cheek and grinned her mischievous grin that made her look so much like Harry and he melted.

“Your father is being mean to me,” he said with a grin.

Jazzy knew t her dad always gave in to her daddy. She leaned in and whispered, “Just give him a kiss, Daddy. That’s what I do.”

Draco’s eyes met Harry’s across the room. Harry had clearly heard his daughter and was amused. “Will it work, love?”

“Not even,” he said grinning. “But I’ll kiss you better later tonight when you find out that your children are Gryffindor’s,” he said.

“Harry James Potter!” he growled. “I do not have any Gryffindor children!”

Just then the floo roared and Severus stepped through. “Uncle Sev!” Jazzy cried racing to the potions professor that she loved so much.

“Jazzy!” he said with a smile. “Are you behaving yourself today?” he asked.

She nodded. “I’m always good, Uncle Sev,” she said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial. “Here you are then, love,” he said and then smiled when she squealed.

“Are they pink?” she demanded.

“Of course,” he drawled.

She pulled the lid off the vial and poured out a few drops. A moment later pink bubbles filled the room. “I love bubbles!” she cried in delight.

Draco, who was already in frenzy demanded, “Well?”

Severus looked at Harry and smirked. “They are not Gryffindor’s.” Draco shouted in joy. “I told you so, Harry!” he crowed.

Severus turned to Draco. “Neither are they Slytherin’s,” he said with a frown. He had hoped, but he too was aware of Siri’s prediction.

Draco dropped back down into his chair. “Please don’t tell me that they are Hufflepuffs?” he begged.

“Very well then, I must get back, have a good evening,” Severus said walking back towards the fireplace.

“Wait! Are they really Hufflepuffs?” he asked.

Severus nodded. “And both are very pleased with the prospect,” he said, stepping into the fire.

“Harry!” Draco cried. “This is all your fault!” he said in disgust.

Harry’s eyes twinkled. “Of course it is, dear, but I shall make it up to you this evening,” he said.

Draco pouted for a second longer and then said, “Jazzy, perhaps you can tell your nanny that we are retiring early tonight,” he said.

Jazzy grinned and winked at her dad. It was a good life.


A/N: The epilogue is next, and I have to tell you, its sappy! I love happily ever after! Please review and let me know what you think!