𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭

It was before curfew yesterday in the hallway that he encountered professor McGonagall , who told him that his presence was especially requested by headmaster Dumbledore at midnight.

Even if Harry wasn't too keen on working with him, he had valuable information about the war and many other things. Advantages can be gained only after derailing another person hogging them. And that was what he intended to do. Dumbledore was a good person, Harry knew that but he was blind to many things. Harry was grateful to him to an extent, an extent to which he trusted a well-meaning and knowledgeable but slightly foolish family elder. He went along with him because he needed more information about Voldemort. He learnt it early on, Know your allies but know your enemies better.

Walking through the deserted stone hallways of the castle , Harry made his way into the headmasters office . Entering he saw Dumbledore sitting behind his desk , kindly and keenly waiting for Harry .

Entering , Harry called," Hello Headmaster"

Smiling, Dumbledore replied," Hello to you as well, my child. How are you ? Fine, I suppose "

" I have been good, sir. As good as the days let me "; Harry answered mildly . Him being with Dumbledore relaxed his guard by a bit . The fact that this man is akin to family to him is easily proven as such.

Seating himself in one of the chairs , he waited for the main topic to reveal itself. Which came soon as Dumbledore continued," Harry, Do you remember what I asked of you? Have you gotten anything from professor Slughorn ?"

Harry's eyes took on an annoyed gleam but his face remained impressively impassive .

" No, sir. He is far more tight-lipped than we anticipated. "

" I figured so much. I know that this is a puzzling task I have asked of you. But do understand, Harry, you are the only one with a leverage big enough to get it done. " ; Dumbledore humbly explained.

" Yes sir. I understand. May I take my leave now ?" ; Harry asked in a neutral tone while standing up. It was evident that he did not wish to discuss this any further.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Dumbledore asked with a mischievous shine in his eyes ," Oh yes ! Another thing, Harry. I have heard that you have been spending some time with Miss Granger as of present. Are you perhaps-"

Before he could finish, Harry interrupted him in a very monotone and as-of-fact voice," No sir. She is a good friend. But she is more of a sister than a romantic interest"

Dumbledore did not give up and further probed," I have also heard that Miss Weasley is a known company to you . Perhaps-? "

This time Harry cracked a tired smile and replied to the teasing," No sir . As of now I have no one as such. And I doubt that will happen till unpredictable time in the future"

" Well, do tell me if such happens. I will be very honoured to prepare a dowry for the coming family"

This confused Harry as he screwed his brows together and asked," Dowry?"

" Courting is with the intention to marry, isn't it? I myself have never done so but I do know the proper customs. If you tell me at the start of your courting then I will be having sufficient time to collect a wealthy dowry till the wedding" ; Dumbledore rambled on with a happy expression.

At this Harry's eyes widened minutely.
' Did Dumbledore believe that you are supposed to marry anyone you date? Is this because he is old and never married? Or maybe because he thinks everything is the same as a 100 years ago when he was in his prime ?'

Harry suppressed the laugh bubbling out of him as he struggled to keep a cold face. He was successful in doing so but Dumbledore still saw the humour in his eyes even though his face was unexpressive. Stopping, Dumbledore sighed with a fond look in his gaze as he looked at Harry ," My boy, you have grown so much. You were the height of my waist when you first came to Hogward's. It's been such a long time already. You are almost as tall as me now. And soon the chick will leave the nest and fly away high. So high that I won't be able to even look at you"

Harry smiled, this time genuinely as he said ," How can that be? You still have to prepare the dowry for the wedding, won't you? Also, I am sure the next generation of Potters would like to see their great-grandfather."

Dumbledore's face shone with happiness even as a glassy look overtook his eyes.

" Oh, do bring them ! I might even let them hang off my beard !"

Harry stilled and stared at Dumbledore as he stared back before they started both laughing so loud that Harry had tears in his eyes.

Such moments were the ones that kept him up all these years. It wasn't food that nourished him or medicine that healed him, it was all this. These moments he had with people around him. Let it be the frequent scolding from professor McGonagall or the cheer from his quidditch team. All of this was what kept him alive, kept him as Harry and not the saviour.

Days have been going fairly good for Draco but a stale smell still lingered in the air . It was the feel of incoming doom that hovered over Hogwarts . Everyone was walking on eggshells these days , their instincts warning them about the wrong winds .

As Draco was getting ready for the upcoming day , an owl flew in and gently dropped a letter on his desk . Walking over, Draco realised that it was from his mother. Setting down his wand , he took the letter in his hands to read -

Dear Draco ,

How are your days? I have been fine. The manor seems lonely without you. I hope you are healthy and eating well.

Son , as you know that these days are difficult for everyone , including us . The dark clouds are drawing near and the rain is about to fall . We cannot stop the rain but I hope that you at least have a safe shelter over your head . You don't have to worry about me , I will be fine . But please make sure that you are fine as well . You are my son. If you aren't there, I won't be as well.

With Love ,
Your mother .

A serious look overtook Draco , as he said," Papa , we have to perform the ritual today . "

Sighing , Luar resigned. He understood the urgent implications in the letter and thus said," Okay "

Draco was well aware of the impending near future. He didn't have much time to make further elaborate and foolproof plan. This was his only chance. He had to get the dark mark out.

Walking towards the great hall, Draco thought over and over about what he must do and what his future held . If he stayed with the dark lord , death is the cloud floating above him at every moment . He is like an animal trapped in a cage like a pet, having comfort but not having control over his own life and death . If he chose to side with the light , then sacrifice is the price paid. Both of these will take everything he has . So he has to take the only option left.

A wild beast is much better than a pet of either a great god or a vile demon .

Sitting at the Slytherin table, Draco saw Harry eating his meal just across from him . With a start, He remembered the new medicine he made . It was a healing pill inspired from a very potent potion recipe he read a while ago . Draco made certain improvements in it so that it impacts all kinds of wounds and makes the healing process quicker. But he did not test it till now so it's efficiency was unknown. And who would be a better guinea pig than the great Potter .

A slight smirk overtook his face and he hurriedly shortened down the stretch of his lips into a straight, small, pink line . With a quick unnoticed flick of his wand , he muttered a spell to shrink the pill into the size of a dust grain and sneakily levitated it into Harry's pumpkin juice before it came back to its original size .

He watched as the pill colourlessly dissolved before anyone could see it . Draco sighted with glee as Harry ignorantly picked up the glass to sip and soon emptied it . Now Draco only has to wait a day before knowing the result .

The next morning Harry woke up with newfound determination to break Slughorn's defences. Getting up and getting ready, he made his way to the great hall.

Seating himself, Harry served himself while making small greetings and conversations with his fellow mates. Even if he wasn't looking at Malfoy, he had his instinctive eyes on him. He noticed Malfoy's every movement, his every breath. So when he felt the omnious aura around Malfoy immediately after the quirk of his lips, he was sure that something was going down today. Which proved right when Malfoy sneaked a pill in his cup. It dissolved perfectly and quickly, leaving no traces other than the unnoticeable herbal scent. He wouldn't have known if he didn't pay attention from the beginning.

"Hey, Oldman, can you tell what he put in here?" Harry asked Eloise.

The oldman had recovered some days ago and was now actively making his life difficult but he wasn't without advantages. At least now unexpectedly meeting Snape wasn't a sanity-threatening disaster that could wreck him. Well, he was still a sanity-threatening disaster , Harry just got an early reminder from Eloise and ran the other way as soon as he knew.

"Hmmm, it has herbs and by the smell they are of the top quality. I don't know what kind of potion it is but it isn't a life threatening one. It smells like a vitality potion to some extent but not entirely. Something is a bit different. You should drink it. It's probably a highly effective healing potion. It has all the healing agents but minimum impurities. That boy is surely a genius to make this. He seems to be meaning well for you. And so humble as to do it unknowingly ! Perhaps he's scared of your reaction. You have been at each other's neck for so long. He surely is insecure, thus chose to care for you secretly. "

The oldman was rambling far and fast. Eloise had a favourable impression of Draco from the start. The reason for this is still unknown to him but something in him stirs at the sight of that boy's pale skin and blond hair. They seem so dear to him but still so strange.

Harry's lids halfway dropped as he lazily swirled the liquid in his cup and leisurely sipped it. He wanted to remember this taste, he might never have it again. The green in his eyes swirled like the orange liquid swirling in his cup, just like a tornado pulling everything in it.

Taking the last sip, Harry could feel the satisfaction and contentment in the air around Draco.

' Why are you so happy ? Did you want me to have it that much ? Did you want to apologize by doing this ? Or maybe you want to suck up to me after you witnessed my skills ? But then why do it secretly ? Or……Do you really care about me ? What is it , Malfoy ? Tell me. Tell me, won't you ?' Harry wondered .

He wanted to know the answer from Malfoy himself. But he knew that he will never let these words out of his mouth. They will always be buried deep into his heart . Like a secret message bottle floating in the vast ocean never to be found, never to be read, never to be answered.

Harry was absent from this universe for the majority of the day, swimming in his own head. Ron and Hermione were quite worried as they looked at him. And Ginny was even more astonished at the sudden decrease of attention given to her and continued to linger around Harry for the rest of the day, vying for his attention but getting none. At the end of the day there was an ugly sneer on her face, totally different from the usual sweet smile.

It was almost evening when Ron and Hermione sat beside Harry in the Gryffindor common room. Sharing an uneasy look with each other, Hermoine gently called," Harry ? W-we were worried about you. Are you alright ?"

Hermione's voice trembled for a moment when asking that. She and Ron both were rather wary of Harry now-a-days. They weren't scared of him. But the change in Harry was not subtle. It was just the way he moved and spoke as well as the look in his eyes that uncovered him. There was a subtle pressure around him.

Harry felt different. He felt like someone powerful, someone to be respected, someone to be obeyed, someone to be revered and feared at the same time.

Harry felt like a Leader. A natural one at that.

Harry turned towards Hermoine, searching her face for something as she stayed absolutely still. Turning back to face forwards, he hummed deeply.

Harry was not entirely inattentive to others around him. He was aware of the changes in himself . These were primarily due to Eloise and his teaching. He cannot say that Eloise gave him these , more like they were already in him , Eloise only bought them out earlier.

The lessons were very valuable and precious. He was not only taught defence but also offence in both magical and physical sense. His views took a large turn after meeting Eloise and seeing some things he experienced and the illusion tests Eloise had him take broadened his views further.

" It's nothing. Just that Slughorn is still as tight-lipped as ever. I need to get this done quickly", Harry replied.

He waited for them to suggest something as they usually did but none of them spoke for the next couple of minutes as Harry realised that they were hesitant .

Trying to get his mind straight to them , Harry said," Do you have any useful solution?"

This garnered their attention . Hermoine replied first saying ," What exactly happened ?"

" He just runs away everytime he sees me"

" Did you somehow offend him? ", Ron asked.

" No"

"......"

" Harry! Liquid Luck !", Hermoine exclaimed suddenly . A bright smile adoring her face .

Harry raised a sword-like eyebrow as he looked at her. Silently questioning her.

" Felix Felicis ! You have it, yes ? Use it ! This is the right time " ; Hermoine
explained .

A slow smile and praising look shone on Harry's face as he said," Brilliant , Hermoine !"

Taking the vial out of his breast pocket, he opened the cork under the eyes of his trusted ones . Drinking it in one go , he lowered the vial. His body didn't feel any different. What felt different was his mind. He felt lighter , easier and more in control than ever.

"How is it ?" ; Ron silently whispered, afraid to startle him.

" Fine" ; Harry replied in a relaxed yet steady tone. Getting up, he gave both of them approving looks and made his way out .

Ron and Hermoine were thoroughly stumped. This Harry was so different than the one they knew several months ago. But the change wasn't unwanted but instead they were glad for their brother .

A million sudden but kind changes were always better than a gradual but vile change.

After Harry left , Ron turned to Hermione and asked ," He had two vials of Liquid luck ?"

"No , just one "

"Then - I - he -" Ron stuttered with a confused look , frantically pointing towards himself then at the direction Harry left.

"......"

Hermione looked at him with a ridiculing gaze before standing up to leave as well.

Draco had spent the day gathering and sorting out the items he needed and his plan after doing this.

As the sun lowered and the sky took a saffron hue, Draco set out towards the forbidden forest, hiding and sneaking , making sure no one saw him.

As he reached deeper in the forest to find a secluded but safe place , he noticed the dead trail of plants. Realising it was the same trail he and Harry followed months ago, he didn't stop but continued. It must have become like this because of the effect of the purple poison.

Reaching the cave, Draco lowered himself down at the center of the cave. Taking out the vials he readied for possible accidents due to the ritual, he set them aside in a corner. He first made a huge array around himself followed by another protection array on the outside. Seating himself at the center of both those arrays, he called out Luar to help him through the process.

"Should we start ?" ; Draco questioned Luar. His face had a serious but eager shine.

Receiving a sharp nod from the pellucid form, Draco took out a sharp needle to prick his index finger. A small drop of blood fell on the array craven below, transforming into fine crimson threads and covering his being before completely spreading in the air around him in the form of slight red mist. It effectively isolated him from the outside world. No one could sense what happens in this array, in scientific and magical sense. The magic inside is trapped inside and the one outside is trapped out.

It was then that Luar slowly approached him and placed his hand on Draco's chest.
He could feel Luar's magic in his body. The gentle magic swirled in his body searching for the dark magic embedded in him by the dark lord. He soon found a small wisp of dark amake swirling in Draco's blood. The wisp soon noticed him as he came near and flexibly escaped as the blue threads of Luar's magic chased it.

As soon as Draco realised that Luar had found the dark magic, he forcefully suppressed his own body and magic, suppressing the dark magic with it as well. This did not affect Luar as he was not dependent on Draco.

The black wisp ran here and there in Draco's body, forcing his veins to internally suffer . Luar was chasing it with every ounce of his ability but the thing was very quick and fast to escape.

It was moving towards the dark mark on his arm, Draco realised. The wisp entered the dark mark surrounding it entirely and Draco convulsed in pain. He felt as if his whole body was shredding to pieces. He could hear Luar telling him to keep steady, that it was almost done but Draco knew that there was no going back now. If they did not remove the dark mark, he would die. That was what the wisp was doing . Because they wanted to remove it , it chose to end Draco rather than let him go.

The veins in Draco's neck were clearly visible now. His breath was ragged and struggling but he still kept upright, still suppressing his own magic.

Draco doubled his effort as he blocked the wisp with his magic. The wisp was captured in a siege but one step forward and it will escape. Every way was blocked and he was losing his focus as the wisp ate more and more of his soul.

The drops of sweat fell from Draco's bowed forehead travelling to his tightly closed eyes. The pain was unbearable, it was worse than before.

He was losing all his hope as his vision was slowly fading. Draco was going to die , he knew it. Well, at least he tried.

Walking out, Harry made his way into the forbidden forest . He had a very anxious feeling telling him that he was needed there. Passing Hagrid's hut , he entered the thick canopy . He started walking deeper into the forest , following his memory to lead him to the cave that he found with Malfoy earlier .

Coming to stop in front of the cave mouth , Harry could hear slight grunts and shuddering breaths from the inside. Something told him that he needed to go in, even if his brain was screaming no.

Making up his mind, Harry walked in and almost fell back with shock.

' Malfoy'

The shock wore off when he saw the condition Draco was in. He was shuddering and silent tears were falling down his eyes with sweat mixing in. Without thinking twice, Harry rushed towards him. A slight distortion glowed when he crossed the array drawn below.

He took the pale boy in his arms, holding him. Panic was clear in those green eyes.

" What is happening to him?!", He asked in a fearful tone.

He was so panicked that he did not even realise the soul on the other side of Draco with his hands still on Draco's chest.

" Hurry! Kill it! Enter his body, you idiot! ", Eloise screamed in the background.

Harry blindly followed and haphazardly injected his magic into Draco immediately finding the black wisp. He knew that this was the actual problem from the waves of malice it was emitting.

Harry's magic surrounded the black wisp and the dark mark and pulled. Pulling at the vicious poison as smoke emerged from Draco's chest intertwined with a silver thread attached to his body.

The sooty skull was thrashing, screaming. Harry did not give up and kept pulling. It was not working. He was growing frantic when - SLASH !

Eloise's silvery swords cut the connection between the silver threads and black skull.
It gave a shrill scream and moved to enter Draco again when Luar confined it within an enchanted vial.

".................."

Everything was silent. The only sound was Harry's heaving breaths and Draco's silent wheezing. No one was speaking anything. The sound of cicadas outside was clearly sonorous. All their eyes trained on Draco as he gave a violent shudder and collapsed entirely, his eyes rolling back as he fell. Harry caught him, still frightened but more calm.

Harry could not move his eyes off Draco, scared that one second will be enough for him to disappear . He did not want to see Malfoy disappear. He didn't want to one day look beside him and realise that Malfoy wasn't there sneering at him . That he couldn't hear those sweet insults anymore.

Harry realised that Draco's insults - no , Draco himself was like a flower of poppy to Harry. He was irresistibly drawn to him , still longed for him even if he knew that having any more of him will trap Harry in those deadly eyes.

He was addicted to Draco as if he was a blooming red flower of poppy , bitter yet addicting , able to induce torture with a single glance as well as euphoria with a single taste.

And Harry was already addicted even if he himself was unaware , his magic , body and instincts were well knowledged.

Laying him down, Harry sat beside him, cradling him. It was then that he sensed that another presence was beside Draco. Looking up, he saw an elderly blond soul sporting a worried frown. The man took one of the potions kept aside and poured it into Draco's mouth and lifted his chin up to force it down his throat.

Harry let him as he knew the man was the one helping Draco before him. He only sat back and paid attention to his every move.

The soul ripped apart Draco's sleeve to reveal his dark mark. He squeezed the darkly stained skin as coal-black and dense liquid dripped from Draco's pores. Slowly, the thick black blood flowing down turned to the normal crimson colour.

The dark mark was gone. Finally Harry understood what Draco was doing. He wanted to remove the dark mark.

' Why are you so brilliant yet so unpredictable, Malfoy?' ;He gave a relieved sigh.

" Thank you for helping us. I will be forever grateful to you for this, young fellow. " The soul said as he tended to Draco.

Harry noticed that the soul seemed a bit lost. He was wary. But the wariness was not directed towards him but towards Eloise.

Draco was still unconscious in his arms. His body lax and pliant, depending on him for support. His breath steadied and deepened as he fell into a bottomless sleep.

" Who are you? ", Harry asked the soul.

" This oldman in called Luar, third son of the 5th generation of Malfoy Family" ;Luar replied.

" 5th generation ? How old are you?"

" Old , young man. Hundreds of centuries old. " , Luar said with a nostalgic look while peeking a look towards Eloise.

" OHH, Malfoy ,is it ?"; Eloise beamed, excited at finding a fellow ancient soul .

The same excitement wasn't returned by Luar, instead his eyes lowered with melancholy.

" Why are you here with Malfoy?" Harry asked .

" Draco is a descendant of my family, accompanying him is my responsibility, moral as well as delight ", Luar sounded offended at being asked this even after informing them that he was from the Malfoy line.

The environment again fell silent. Harry stood up with Malfoy in a princess carry to walk out after saying," We should get him somewhere to rest. Both of you should hide"

Behind him, Luar silently disappeared into the brooch on Draco's necktie and Eloise slowly faded.

Heading out, Harry lifted his head to see the purple tint painting the sky . It was already nightfall. They needed to get out of here. The forest wasn't safe after dark. He was quickly making his way towards Hagrid's hut when he came across the sight of Professor Slughorn collecting the sap of a Bluethorn tree. Bluethorn sap was a precious potions ingredient and very expensive. The knowledge that Hogwarts had a Bluethorn tree was known to few.

Creeping behind him, Harry said in ear," Good afternoon sir"

Slughorn jumped with a startled shout before looking behind to spot Harry with an unconscious Draco .

Stunned ,he said ," Harry ! What are you doing here so late ? And what happened to Mr. Malfoy ?"

" Found him unconscious in the forest, sir . He was attacked by something and lost consciousness. Wanted to take him to Hagrid's to rest "

Professor Slughorn opened his eyes wide scanning Harry and moved to look at Draco. Finally replied ," Harry , I cannot let you out of the school grounds at such an hour !"

" Then why don't you come along, sir. This is urgent you see." ; Harry said, slightly lifting Draco higher and closer into his embrace .

Professor Slughorn seemed hesitant. Opening his mouth, he uttered no words but looked at Draco again and eventually said ," I still advice you to take Mr. Malfoy to the infirmary, Harry"

Hearing this, Harry turned to walk forward , clearly dismissing the suggestion. Seeing him walking away, Slughorn was indecisive but still followed after him while continuously calling his name.

Reaching the hut , Harry tapped on the door. The door opened to show a very happy Hagrid whose face changed after noticing the person in Harry's arms.

" Harry ! What happened?" He asked.

" I needed to bring him somewhere to rest and this was the only place nearby "

" Come in "; Hagrid said , opening the door wide to invite the pair of students and a professor.

Laying Draco on the messily constructed bed, Harry checked his pulse and breath to find them weak but steady. He did it less to check Draco's health and more to assure himself of Draco's presence.

" I found him unconscious in the forest . He wasn't injured. Probably collapsed due to shock after encountering a beast. I wouldn't want to take him back like this. Heard from moaning myrtle that he cries near her due to matters with his family, it seems. " Harry explained.

" Poor boy, let him rest here as long as needed " Hagrid said with a sympathetic hum as Professor Slughorn gave Draco a pitiful glance .

" Would you like a firewhisky Slughorn ?" Hagrid asked in the meantime.

" Oh ! I would be delighted !~"

Soon a pair of very drunk men were singing heartbreak songs . Harry was lazily resting in the background enjoying the skit.

They were talking about Hagrid's pet acromantula when He fell asleep sitting upright. And Professor Slughorn looked at Harry with reminiscent eyes .

Giving him a small smile , he said ," Do you know that once I had a fish ? It was a wee little creature . I got it from a student of mine, you know…..One day on my desk, I found a small glass pot with only inches of clear water and floating on top was a petal. I watched as it sank down and just before it touched the bottom , it transformed into a fish . It was beautiful magic, you know . Beautiful…... The petal was from a lily . Your mother. Then one day , the fish just vanished . Gone , disappeared. It was the day your mother-"

Slughorn released a tired breath before continuing.

" I know you need this . But - but I can't do this ", he said bowing his head , his voice a mere whisper.

" Professor, Do you know how she died? She died protecting me. She refused to step away . She was brave " Harry said solemnly.

"I-i" but before he could say anything , Harry interrupted.

" If you don't do this right now, Professor , you will dishonor her memory in the worst way. Then she died for nothing, isn't it ? Please, professor . You made a mistake, didn't you ? This is your chance to correct it . Be brave, Professor. Be brave like her "

Slughorn sat silent looking at Harry searching his face for something negative. Lowering his head again , he said ,"Please don't hate me ."

With shaking hands , Slughorn pointed his wand at his own temple bringing out a bright thread of his memory to put it into the vial he retrieved from his coat pocket . Harry grabbed the shaking wrist to properly deposit the memory into the vial.

Finally, the key to Voldemort's death was in his hands . The key to his victory was in his hands .