Actions & Consequences

Standard Disclaimer: I make no money off this story. I am merely borrowing the characters that other lovely people have created to use in my story.
Title: Action & Consequences
Author: Shini
Rating: pg-13
Pairings: mentioned DM/HG, hinted PP/HP (Pansy Parkinson)
Notes: The Warriors Oath is mine!!!


Harry was the first one to come around to the idea of the new partnership, Ron never really did. He still slighted Malfoy at every turn, still taunted him and demeaned him when he could get away with it.

Ron was smart enough not to do such things around Hermione, who was now married to Draco Malfoy and pregnant with his child, but he still did those things around y. Hy. Harry was more forgiving than Hermione and more understanding about such things but it was beginning to irritate the Boy Who Lived more and more. Harry just could not condone Ron’s actions any longer, the redhead had had more than enough time to get over the past and move on but he could not seem to let go.

Harry saw Draco every day. He worked with him on battle training and fighting and on Potions. He spent plenty of time with Hermione going over Charms and Transfigurations. He brushed up on subjects he had been fair in but not adept. And above all else he spent less time with Ron.

It was sad to think that he had outgrown his best friend. But he had and during war was not the time to reminisce or go through all the what-ifs and what-could-have-been. Harry had a task to complete, killing the Dark Lord.

True Ron was a decent Auror but Harry was not. Harry was simply the Boy Who Lived and in the long run that meant a lot more.

\"Draco,\" Harry nodded to the blond.\"Har\"Harry,\" The blond Slytherin sized him up quickly. \"How\'re the Charms coming along?\"

\"Better,\" Harry smiled. \"How have you been Draco? I haven\'t had the chance to talk to you for a long time.\"

\"Well enough,\" Draco looked over the vast expanse of land in Northern England. \"I\'ll face my father soon enough.\"

\"Hey Malfoy,\" Ron\'s voice rang out, shattering the slightly friendly air between the blond and black haired young men. \"What the hell do you think you\'re doing around Harry? Careful there mate, he might slip a knife in your back if you\'re not careful. You know how those Slytherins are, backstabbers the lot of them.\"

\"Ron,\" Harry stared at the read-head. \"Not now.\"

Thankfully Ron Weasely knew better than to argue with Harry when he used that tone of voice. He shot daggers at Malfoy with his glare though. Harry gave the Malfoy heir an apologetic shrug of his shoulders before determinedly steering Ron away from what was sure to be another victory to Draco. He had no desire to once again listen to Ron groan about how unfair Draco was when they fought, the Slytherin was anything but unfair.

The next day the final battle raged. He managed to kill Voldemort, just barely. A few smaller, but no less important fights, raged on around him. Harry turned away from Ron and Pettigrew and found himself mesmerized by traceraceful battle between Draco and Lucius, son and father, heir and master. And finally Draco yelled, \"Ungarn Tötem\" an ancient German curse that both of them had discovered just last week. He watched, rooted to the ground, as Lucius Malfoy fell and hit the muddied earth.

Harry knew that he was not dead. Ungarn Tötem was not meant to kill right away, it took several long agonigonizing minutes depending on how much power your adversary possessed at the time you cursed them. It was a curse that could be removed, a curse that one could survive from if the caster removed it.

Harry knew that Draco would not remove it. No matter what words Lucius spoke, or what Draco felt, the curse would not be removed. He knew Draco, as well as anyone other than his wife was allowed to know. He knew his weaknesses and strengths like his own. One knows their enemies and one knows their war partner as well as themselves or death is certain on the battlefield.

Harry and Draco were willing to give up whatever pride they had to live. Harry watched as the Slytherin knelt beside his fallen father. He knew that they were having a silent conversation and he would not begrudge Draco Malfoy of that or of watching his father die.

Carefully he made his way through the aftermath of the final battle. Through the blood soaked ground, the lifeless corpses strewn about. He made his way to the small gathering of forces from the light.

His keen green eyes searched carefully for Ron and found him getting checked over by a Mediwitch that Poppy knew. He stood waiting by Minerva McGonagall for the others to make their way over. He stood waiting for his partner, Draco.

\"Hey Harry,\" Ron called out.

\"Not now Ron,\" Harry waved a hand in his direction, eyes still riveted on the poetic scene before him.

He could almost hear what Draco and his father were saying to each other. He could almost see Lucius\' confused look at some of Draco\'s statements. He knew Draco would forgive his father if he asked it, he also knew that he would still hate him no matter what was said.

Hate born of love or love born of hate was stronger and more complicated than any could fathom. Draco and Hermione were a case of the latter. Harry himself understood this for had it not been for Lucius Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson might still live. Were it not for Lucius Malfoy many others might still have lived. Even though Pansy\'s death weighed heavily upon them he could not begrudge Draco his revenge on the father who had betrayed everything to him. Harry may have loved a Slytherin but Draco would be able to extract that revenge more perfectly then Harry, and he knew it acquacquiesced to it.

It was what Ron did not understand. It was why Ron was often left on the edge of things over the past year. Ron loved his family, he loved Lavynder Brown, he loved Hogwarts. He loved those that were familiar to him. His love was safe, his choices were safe and predictable and easy to understand. Harry, Draco and Hermione did not love those who were always familiar, their choices were risks and unpredictaand and not so easily understood. Risks that had to be taken, perhaps ones they would suffer the consequences of in years to come. But at the moment they were necessary.

He felt the sun beat mercilessly down upon him, felt the stench of blood and death assail his nose. He could almost taste the scorched flesh of the fallen in his mouth the smell was so thick.

Finally Draco stood and came over to where Harry was waiting. Thankfully Hermione was unable to fight outright due to her pregnancy.

\"So Ferret,\" Ron said from right behind Harry\'s left shoulder. \"Have you come to declare yourself the new Dark Lord?\"

\"Ron,\" Harry said clenching his fists together.

Draco said nothing.

\"You only married Hermione so you could infect her with your spawn,\" Ron continued ignoring Harry\'s warning. \"You\'re a Death Eater, Ferret. You’re a killer just like your dear old dad.\"

Calmly Harry turned and punched him in the jaw just to shut him up. It was not a hard punch but still Ron dropped to the ground, startled more than hurt.

\"Draco,\" Harry turned to the blond. \"Please accept my apologies for his words. Let\'s go now.\"

\"You\'re taking sides with the Dark now Harry?\" Ron cried.

\"You\'re too biased to even see all that Draco\'s done for the Light, for me and Hermione,\" Harry was seething now. \"I won\'t put up with it anymore Ron. I can\'t. He\'s my friend as much as Hermione is.\"

\"And you\'re my friend as much as Hermione,\" Draco said to the Man Who Destroyed Voldemort. \"As e ase as a twin.\"

The two clasped hands.

\"Vows are broken
Forged anew.
Lifes ambition
Won true.
Reactions and
Consequences.
Vows made in secret,
In the open,
In silence or aloud.
Protect my kith and kin.
The one who holds my hand
Is the one I trust the most
Let not this vow be unbroken
Or unmade or reforged.
We swear readily
A Warriors Sacred Oath.\"

The chant was spoken by both Harry and Draco in perfect timing with each other. A Warriors Oath once sworn was more binding than almost any other, even a soul oath. If one party was not true to the oath as it was sworn the pain the Oathbreaker felt was excruciating before death finally came. Both knew this and had accepted it.

Harry had a brother in arms, more of a brother now than Ron.

He turned to look at Ron who lay still on the ground in the mud. The red-head turned away from Harry’s gaze and Harry only shook his head. He knew better than Ron ever would, every action had its consequences.