Behind the Fog

Disclaimer: The canon characters belong to J.K. Rowlings but I own everyone else.

Author's Note: This is going to be a very long story, and I have already written around ninety thousand words so no need to worry that I will suddenly stop updating. The story will be updated every week on Thursday. Now…..

Chapter One-Undeserving

His blood may be pure but his soul is tainted black

That was the headline that met everyone's eye when they glanced at the first page of their copy of the daily prophet. What followed was a sordid account of Draco Malfoy's apparent sexual relationship with the dark lord, and a final paragraph that implored the headmaster of Hogwarts to expel this 'dangerous' character from the school where innocent children attended.

It hurt, and yet Draco had had to keep his head up and pretend that none of it mattered to him. He ignored the not so subtle looks, finished his breakfast like he always had, and left for class with Pansy and Blaise who had not said anything about the article. The day was unbearable, what with the constant insults and snide remarks but his world did not fall apart until later that evening when he happened upon a conversation that tore everything inside of him into pieces. It was between two people, the last two he would have ever expected. Draco had had a headache and he decided to go get some potions from Severus, but he got a lot more than potions when he discovered Potter already in the classroom with his godfather. The air was different from the usual, and his suspicions were confirmed when he heard Potter speak.

'He is tainted Severus.' The boy who lived said.

'….but he is your mate Harry.' The potions' master said to the boy, a regretful tone in his voice. 'The dark lord grows more powerful with each day and you are the only chance we have of defeating him. I know we are asking a lot from you but to defeat him, you must accept that Draco is your mate and form the bond. Only then can you fully come into your elemental magic.'

'He will be my only spouse, there will be no breaking the bond. How can I live with him knowing what he is? Knowing that the dark lord has touched him in that manner, I can't even look at him.'

'I am sorry Harry.'

Draco left the classroom as quietly as he could. His heart breaking into more pieces than it ever had before. Not even when he realised that parents didn't punish their kids with the cruciatus had he felt such misery. Draco had known betrayal in his life, his parents were supposed to love him, his godfather Snape had been supposed to protect him, and Potter was supposed to be noble. The Harry Potter he loved was supposed to look below the surface, but the boy in there with Severus was just as blinded as the rest of them. He felt anger at himself for daring to hope, and he felt pain as all his hope and illusions were destroyed. He went straight to his room instead of lingering in the common room and not unexpectedly, he found Blaise and Pansy there. They were all that anchored him to this reality, they were all that he had.

'I want to take a shower.' He said and proceeded to place his bag on his desk before removing his clothes. Unsurprisingly again, Blaise and Pansy also stripped their clothes and followed him to the ensuite bath, and Draco could not be more grateful that he had been made a prefect this year with his own room and bath. He set the shower to the temperature he liked and stood under it for a few minutes before he finally spoke.

'I am terribly hurt.' He said and the tears streaming down his face mixed with the shower water so that no one could see he was crying.

'We know.' Pansy said and went to stand with him under the water.

'That article…,'he began but his voice broke before he could say one more word.

'You don't have to speak about it now.' Blaise said.

'I have to.' Draco argued. 'You know my father failed the dark lord towards the beginning of summer?' Blaise and Pansy nodded. They had been terribly afraid for Draco over the entire summer holidays; afraid of what Lucius would do to his son. They had been friends since they were born, and even though no one else seemed to notice, they had known that the Malfoy family wasn't the happy family they showed to the world. It took them years but Draco had finally confessed that Lucius put him under the cruciatus since he was a baby. He was cursed before he could even learn to speak and faster than any child should learn, he learnt not to cry, not to show emotion, never to ask for anything, and never to expect anything. His mother was a stranger to him. She loved Lucius so completely that she had no love to spare for her son. Draco had been alone, was always alone in the Malfoy manor but he could relax with his two friends. For some reason, he had known instinctively that he could trust them, that they would be loyal to him even if everyone else turned their backs on him. He let them be there for him, and he let them comfort him when he had no other outlet for his pain except crying in the shower where no one could see the traitorous tears. Getting back to his tale, he continued. 'The dark lord, he has a weird fascination with me and to earn his forgiveness, father offered me to him.'

Blaise gasped in horror and Pansy let out a pained whimper. 'I didn't know anything until it was too late. They put something in my food and bound my magic. I woke up in the dark lord's bed and he was touching me.' Draco shivered even though his voice was hollow, and that more than anything scared his friends. It was like he was retelling the story of someone else, someone who had experienced something horrific, and someone he sympathised with but not someone he acknowledged as himself. 'There was nothing I could do.' He continued. 'He was stronger and bigger, and my magic wouldn't come to me. Probably a house-elf returned me to the manor, I was in horrible pain, and had to stay in bed for a few days. Three weeks later, mother and father found out I had conceived but not even father wanted a monster's child to be a future Malfoy heir so they gave me an abortion portion.'

The more Draco talked, the calmer he became while his friends were overcome with horror and trepidation. They had not been able to contact or speak to Draco all summer, and now they knew the reason why. Pansy's father was a death eater but their family was close-knit and full of love. Blaise's mother was on her ninth husband on account of killing all her others, but she adored Blaise. For the two, it was inconceivable that a parent should do this to their only child and heir. They ached terribly for him, and at the same time realised that there was not much they could do to help his situation except be there for him.

Draco was bound to Lucius by an ancient spell of filial obedience so that no matter what he tried, Lucius had the last word until Draco came of age. As the registered godfather, Severus could have done something but their potions professor was not someone who really took interest in his godson despite the blatant favouritism he showed him in class.

As he talked, Draco separated his thoughts and placed them in different mental boxes. He pushed all the painful memories to a compartment in the deepest recesses of his mind, and marked it so that he would not accidentally open it again.

'I think I might have a way out.' He said slowly catching the attention of his best friends who had been absorbed in their own thoughts.

'How?' Pansy asked cautiously. Draco had never in his life thought of suicide and she wouldn't blame him if he started now, but she could not encourage it.

'I just overheard Potter and Snape speaking,' Blaise raised an eyebrow. 'Apparently, Potter is an elemental wizard and I am his mate.' He said, and his two friends tried to supress the sinking feeling they had.

'He thinks I am tainted and dirty, and even though Snape agrees with him, he has managed to convince Potter that he needs me if he is to gain the power he needs to defeat the dark lord. As you know, bonding with a magical creature or elemental can be done even without parental consent.' Pansy's heart bled in pain, and she could not stop the hot tears that fell down her cheeks as she embraced her friend. She understood what he was not saying. Potter hated him and thought of him as filthy, but being bound to him was better than waiting for his coming of age which was almost a year away. The situation was urgent for him. Although Draco had not said it, Blaise and Pansy knew that the rape had not been a one-time occurrence. True, the dark lord was obsessed with Draco, but he also wanted an heir and their friend would not be safe if things kept going as they were. They did not need to ask if he had had to have more than the one abortion over the summer, what they knew was that Draco was no longer safe even at Hogwarts. As sixth years, they were allowed to go to Hogsmeade every weekend and they knew Lucius had already asked him to go for all of them. The first weekend since school began was almost here, and a fear that had not been present in them was born.

Draco deserved so much more in life. No person of their age or even older, deserved to suffer as much as he had. Pansy and Blaise also recognised that they could not protect him from his father and the dark lord, but they sure as hell could make sure that Potter did not hurt him more than he already had.

'We should research everything about elemental wizards before he asks you.' Pansy said and Blaise nodded in agreement. They could control the situation as much as they could if they had more information.

'Be careful though, I don't want anyone to find out.' Draco said as he turned off the hot water. As he left the bathroom, he collected all his thoughts and feelings for Potter, the part of him that was desperately in love with Potter, and locked them away in another compartment. He had to forget this love he held because it would never be returned, and he didn't think he could survive another heartbreak.

Despite everything, Draco Malfoy wanted to live. He wanted to live so badly even though it meant the pain of being bound to someone he loved, and who abhorred him in return. He just wanted to live, but he could not say why he wanted to soo badly.

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think. Otherwise, the next chapter will be up next Thursday. Until then, keep safe.