Broken Hearted

Part 7….

"Wake up." a voice deep in Ethan Rayne's mind requested.


Opening his eyes slowly, Rayne moaned when he realized who was calling him. Only his father would dare summon him at this abysmal hour of the morning. Rayne felt Severus stir in his arms and knew the other man was awake even before he opened his eyes.


"What is it? Is Potter alright?" Severus asked drowsily.


"Harry's fine. I just have to answer a call. Go back to sleep." Rayne said distractedly as he got out of bed.


"A what?" Snape sat up in bed clearly perplexed.


"Hmm? Oh my father wishes to speak with me. Don't worry about it." Rayne said as he put the brother to the bracelet Harry wore onto his wrist. Throwing on his clothes as he dashing out the door, Rayne grabbed his robe while he used his CORD located on his pants to opened a portal to the Realm of Chaos.


*His father?* Snape thought as he got out of bed and began to hunt down his clothing. Lifting his trousers off the coat rack where they had landed the night before, Snape pulled them on and followed Ethan out the door.


"Ethan wa..." Snape stopped mid-sentence as he realized his lover had vanished into thin air.
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It was going to be a long day. Albus had known that the moment the Malfoy's family hawk-owl had perched itself upon his desk holding out the letter he now held before him. Albus handed said letter to both Minerva and Severus, to read as he lost himself in thought.


It was grim news on all fronts and the grief, though written in Lucius's usual restrained manner, was loud and clear. Clarice Malfoy, Draco's Grandmother, had been murdered last night. Even though Lucius Malfoy was the last man Albus Dumbledore wanted to see this morning, Albus knew Lucius wished to inform his son of the news personally.


Albus didn't know if it was just an odd sense of timing, but it was strange that Ethan Rayne had vanished from his map the exact moment the Malfoy's message had landed on his desk. It was if he'd known Malfoy Sr. was coming to Hogwarts. Still it could have been a mere coincidence that these two events happened at the exact moment, however, he didn't get as far nor lived for as long as he had without keeping all possibilities on the table.


He still didn't know everything about the new comers and that disturbed him, though he had someone working for the watcher's council looking into the matter for him. He knew Rupert Giles would owl him back as soon as he knew something.


He'd have to visit with these visitors soon, especially since one of them was a vampire. With Lucius coming, Harry's illness, visitors of unknown origins, a school to run, and dark forces regrouping to once again rise. Albus Dumbledore knew without a doubt that this was going to indeed be a very long day.


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Dear Mr. Malfoy,


We are sorry for your loss. Please accept our sincerest condolences during this tragic time for your family. As you have requested the flue network will be opened to the Hogwarts grate at 7 am this morning. Your son will be awaiting your arrival in my office.


If there is anything I can do to be of more service please don't hesitate to contact me immediately.


Sincerely,


Albus Dumbledore,
Head Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
(Order of Merlin First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

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As much as he loathed using the flue system it had its advantages. One of which would be lessening his chances for being a target for the assassin who'd been sent after he and his family. The Death Eaters High council had marked him as a traitor for backing out in the final battle and they wanted their pound of flesh. Lucius knew he could protect himself and he'd already sent his wife into hiding. However, as much as he'd like to take Draco to a safe house for his own protection, the boy was safer at Hogwarts.


Checking the grandfather clock in the hallway, Lucius re-read the time to arrive off the letter he'd received from Draco's school. Wasting no time, as the clock chimed 7 times, he made his way to the fireplace. Grabbing a handful of flue powder he stepped in and clearly called out his destination as he threw the powder onto the grate.


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Draco paced the floors of the Headmasters Office wondering what in the name of Merlin that his father wanted so early on a Saturday morning. He'd been nice and comfortable in Harry's bed, thank you very much, and hadn't enjoyed the interruption of his morning escapades with a certain Gryffindor. However, Lucius wasn't known to care what Draco was doing if there was something he wanted. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Draco continued to tread back and forth like a caged animal. *Where is he?!* His mind demanded.

It was 7 o'clock on the dot when his father emerged from the Headmaster's hearth. Lucius was the type of man who always looked well put together especially when things went bad. Even covered in soot, Draco could say that Lucius never looked better, which meant one thing.... TROUBLE. It was an eerie feeling to know when your about to be pushed off a cliff and into the middle of some mess or another, worse yet when your parent was the cause of it.


Draco sat and listen to his father's narrative of what happened to his grandmother. He'd never been exceptionally close to his grandmother, even so family was family. It would seem Lucius planned on hiding out with his mother and was leaving him in the gentle care of his Head of House and the Headmaster. It went against everything his mother had ever drilled into him to accept that he should just sit back and let others protect him. In this case, however, there was nothing wrong with laying low for a bit. After assuring his father he wouldn't leave the school grounds for any reason, he decided now would be the time to hit his father with the news about seeing Potter.


"Your WHAT?!" Lucius bellowed. "I forbid it! You hear me? That boy is trouble and he'll take you down with him."


"It isn't your decision to make, father." Draco stated calmly. "Forbid it all you like but Harry and I plan to continue our relationship and you can bloody well deal with it."


Things went down hill from there until Professor Snape had to physically step in to separate the two from coming to fist a cuffs.


"SILENCE." Shouted out the Headmaster over the den of voices trying to be heard over each other.


The quite that followed was steeped in resentment and hostility, however, not one person was willing to deal with Albus Dumbledore's wrath if disobeyed. It wasn't long afterwards that the young Slytherin found himself heading down for a spot of breakfast with the hopes that the rest of the day wouldn't be as horrendous as his morning had been.


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Harry had once loved early mornings, as they were the only time he had to himself as a young child. It was in the stillness that he would watch the sun come up, painting the sky with deep multi-colored jewel like hues as the sun made its slow ascension into its rightful place in the horizon. It was in those moments of peace that the world seemed to be a beautiful place to be a part of, almost.


Harry would hear the Dursley's stirring upstairs and he would have to return to the cramped cupboard underneath the stairs and await his Aunt Petunia's first string of orders. As Harry grew older and the Dursley's grew more cruel, Harry stopped getting up early every morning to see the sun rise. It became too painful for him to see such beauty and know he could never be a part of it. It wasn't until he'd first come to Hogwarts that he watched another sunrise and for the first time felt hope of finding a way to become a part of that beautiful world.


Now as he turned away from the sunrise he was watching and made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast did he realize the part he would play. He was to be a martyr. It was as simple as that and he'd known it for a very long while. He'd had just hoped there would have been more time to see the world he'd seen hidden in those sunrises and maybe someone to share them with too. After all wasn't it Kathleen Norris who'd said that Anything, everything, little or big becomes an adventure when the right person shares it?


Harry wondered as he strolled in, if the Draco Malfoy would have been that person? *Guess some things where just not meant to be.* Harry thought as he noticed for the first time that his bracelet was slowly changing from red to black.


Harry turned on his heels and ran right into Draco. Shoving the other boy out of the way Harry broke into a flat out run as he had to get as far away from everyone as possible. He was about to have a surge and he didn't want anyone else to suffer his fate.


He heard Draco call his name but time was running out as he hit the stairs two at a time. Harry froze on the steps when the stair case began to move. Stopped midway on the stair he felt the first stir of energy hit his system. Doubling over he called out Draco's name, then conscious thought fled as his cry turned to screams of unthinkable pain and agony.


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Draco couldn't understand why Harry would shove him like that. It was as if the other man hadn't really seen him and was trying to escape something. It only took half a second for his brain to register what was wrong. *HARRY!* His mind screamed at him that he had to get to his lover before anyone else did. Draco chased after the Gryffindor calling to him but Harry wouldn't stop. Harry looked desperate to escape as he took the stairs for all he was worth two at a time. When the staircase began to move Harry stilled and looked about as if realizing he was trapped. Then the nightmare began.


Harry's eyes locked with Draco's as the brunette cried out his name. Then Harry was screaming on the stairs of the third floor when his body discharged lightening. It was shooting out of his chest and bolts of the magical current surged in waves all over his body. Draco watched horrified as Harry tipped over the railing with the force of the lightening literally lifting him off the ground just shy of the ceiling.


Other screams were heard as students and professors alike saw what was happening but Draco barley registered their voices as he unfroze from his panicked state and spelled the pin Rayne gave him in case of emergencies. The blond only prayed that Rayne would get there in time.


People tried to help Harry but the spells used were reflected back by the energy being dumped from the body above them. Everyone was ducking and dodging the reflected spells and stray energy bolts that seemed to come from every direction.


It seemed to last forever but once purged of the magic from the core, Harry hovered for a moment and then began to plunge downward. Professors were casting every spell they knew but nothing worked. Harry Potter was falling to his death and there wasn't a damned thing anyone could do about it.


~~~~~~~~TBC~~~~~~~~