Author's Note: I apologize for the long wait everyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter, its a little longer than the others...my way of saying I'm very sorry for life interrupting my fiction. :]

Chapter Four

An Unbreakable Vow

-x-x-x-x-x-

Harry stood in complete darkness, body still but senses alert. He was fully ensconced within his magic, an invisible shield of pure energy covering every inch of his body. It would not stop death, or torture, but mild curses and jinxes would be repealed. He had been practicing this particular body shield for nearly seven months, hoping to achieve the sort of second-hand application which would be necessary in battle. As it stood, Harry still felt it took far too much concentration to maintain, and while it was useful, avoiding minor hexes and jinxes wasn't worth the trouble if he couldn't maintain it without a thought.

With a sigh, Harry slowly began drawing his magic in. Gently, as if he were handling a rare and volatile potion, he pulled and tugged. In his mind, he could see his magic, a wild swirling mist of green and gold that wanted to be free, free, free!

With a grunt, Harry gave one final, insistent tug and reined it all in. Opening his eyes, he found Severus standing before him in the basement of Grimmauld Place with a sneer.

"Don't say it, sir." Harry said tiredly, slumping as he relaxed into a chair Snape kindly conjured. It had a high back, so slouching was a bit more uncomfortable than Harry would have liked but his legs were shaking and his arms were beginning to join them.

"You mustn't fight for Mastery, Harry. You must earn it."

Harry grunted it, dropping his head in his hands. "I hear you, sir. But…"

Severus sighed and conjured himself a chair. They had turned the basement into a training ground, leaving the kitchen as it was but using all other space as they saw fit. The result was a large clear space filled with magical dummies that were preset with specific curses and defensive spells. The walls were also bobby trapped and set with spells that Severus had invented himself. Harry was having a hell of a time defeating the ceiling and it was quite bruising to his ego.

"But you have no true understanding of the concept." Severus finished. "You lack…finesse, Mr. Black. Too much of Sirius in you, I should say. The power is there, in abundance I might add, but you do not want to Master it, you want to control it and it is not something to be controlled."

"It isn't that!" Harry snapped. Sighing he ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair, glaring up at the ceiling. Severus watched him, ignoring the outburst, patiently waiting for more. "I…can't explain it." Harry said hoarsely. "It's like…my magic is…fighting me. It's…calling for freedom and it…I have to take control. I have to…wrestle with it to make it do my bidding. It's frightening sometimes but…it only happens when I'm trying to cast without my wand…"

Severus frowned, perplexed despite himself. He himself had never encountered such trouble when he began to Master his own magic. As far as he knew, the most trouble wizards and witches had when beginning the long and arduous road of wandless magic, was actually accessing their magical core and pulling their magic out. From there, it was really quite easy to direct your magic to do your bidding. Of course it took years and years to be able to maintain the connection to your core and use your magic to do more than just make pretty sparkles without draining yourself completely…but Severus had never heard of anyone having to fight for Mastery.

"We'll continue this later, Harry. For now, get cleaned up. Our guests arrive tonight."

Sighing tiredly, Harry agreed and slowly made his way up the three flights of stairs to his room in Grimmauld Place. It had taken days of good, hard cleaning to make the place livable again, and it had taken its toll on Sirius. He was out, more often than not, and Harry was worried about him. It was hard, Harry knew, being in the same house he'd grown up to hate and it didn't help that his mother's portrait was such a hag. Not to mention Kreacher, the evil little house elf with an unnatural obsession with the Black Family. It was one thing to be loyal, but this house elf took it to another level entirely. Harry was positive the little creature had gone mad all alone in such a grim place. Harry imagined he would have too, with only that mad portrait for company. Still, Sirius was Master of the house and the disrespect Kreacher showed him was blatant and downright eerie. Of course, Sirius wasn't the nicest master, if Harry were to be completely honest. But it was hard to be nice to such a wretched creature.

He often wondered what would happen when, not if, Sirius ran into Remus again and guilt wrenched his heart. Their parting had been full of so much anger and harsh words had been spoken. Remus hadn't agreed with the Potter's decision but he hadn't spoken out against it either. And since he wasn't willing to leave William without at least one adult who didn't cater to his every whim, he had let Sirius and Harry go.

Harry often wondered over the years if the pair would ever work their problems out but…Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was a mess, he was a mess. Hours of training this morning, the work it took to maintain the connection to his core…he was tired. In more ways than one. And the day was not over yet.

The Malfoy's would be arriving tonight, or rather early in the morning. Harry was giddy with excitement and apprehension. He had not seen Draco in years and he would be lying if he said he wasn't excited to see one of his very first friends again. He had never made quite the same connection with the other boys at Durmstrang, like he had with Blaise and Draco. There was something special about the two that made Harry feel as if he had found true friends. It was something the naturally suspicious and reticent young man cherished. Having kept in touch with both boys over the years only served to strengthen that feeling of connection and…there was something about Draco. The way he wrote, the ideas and theories that he espoused…he was one of the few people who could keep up with Harry, indeed he even lost Harry sometimes and it was exhilarating.

Harry couldn't wait to meet him again. He wanted to train with Draco, test his abilities and see if he was as good at the practical aspects of magic as was with the theoretical. Mostly, though, he just wanted someone else to talk to.

Grabbing a simple pair of black jeans and white tee shirt, Harry made his way to the bathroom and began undressing. Naked, he admired his figure for a moment, taking in the various scars he'd acquire from Quidditch and training over the years. There was a long thin scar that reached from the top of his left collarbone diagonally across to this right nipple that he'd received in training. Another scar, perfectly snitch shaped, he received when his first game against Viktor Krum, slamming to the ground after a dangerous dive and capturing the snitch between his body and his hand (which broke, of course). It was right under his left ribs, and was matched by another scar on the right side, this one from training. It was the size of a galleon and looked like a burn mark. Harry had been careless that day and had refused to have the mark healed, wanting the reminder for himself. Most of his scars were like that, there for their history and to be a lesson. A scar was unsightly but it was a testament to the fact that he was not all powerful and mistakes were costly.

Eyeing himself, Harry idly wondered if Draco would find him attractive. Harry blushed lightly and turned away from the mirror.

"Get a grip, Harry. They're coming here for your help, not so you can follow through with any fantasies." He muttered as he turned on the faucet. Immediately, hot water poured out and the bathroom began to steam up. Harry gratefully stepped under the hot spray; muscles relaxing as the hot water worked its magic. He rolled his shoulders, taking a moment to simply stand under the water and enjoy the brief respite.

He'd wondered for years now what it would be like to be with another boy. Reading Draco's rather erotic blow by blow of his own accounts…Harry couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to feel another man beneath him, to feel another muscled body, hard as his own and less fragile, yet still easy to maneuver and pliable. He imagined, far too often, a grown up Draco all platinum and silver and lithe and toned, wiggling beneath him and crying out in throaty ecstasy as Harry claimed him over and over and over again.

Harry shuddered and gasped, opening his eyes wide and turning the water to cold. It was one thing to fantasize while he was locked away in the cold mountains of Durmstrang, quite another thing entirely to do so hours away from meeting the object of his fantasies. Harry didn't question why Draco was the only boy he'd ever fantasized about. He knew why. Draco fascinated him. Their letters were like an escape for Harry, the one thing that served to distract him from constant thoughts of war and training and school, and no one female or male alike had ever been able to do that. And Harry hadn't even seen the other boy in years. It was maddening.

But that changes tonight.

Quickly washing, Harry finished his shower and dressed. Casting a quick tempus, he was startled to realize it was nearly 11 pm.

They were to meet in the drawing room, away from Walburga and in one of the most heavily warded rooms in the house. It had once been quite beautiful and Harry and Severus and Sirius had worked hard to make it presentable. They'd restored the wallpaper and carpet and gotten rid of the cobwebs and clutter. Cleaned the large bay windows and dusted off the bookshelves. They'd restored the chairs and sofa and cleaned out the fireplace. They'd even cleaned the two ornate glass cabinets that sat on either side of the fireplace, though they were still filled with stuff Sirius simply called 'junk'. It would be a while yet before they had the time to go through any of that.

Harry grabbed a book at random and settled into his favorite armchair. Idly lighting the fire, he settled in for a long read. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Well, he certainly is handsome."

A snort. "Handsome and unruly. He is a headache, Narcissa."

"Really? I've never heard such fondness in your voice before Severus, not even about dear Draco." This was said with a teasing lilt. A throat was cleared and more grumbling issued forth.

Harry's eyes snapped open and he let loose a grunt of surprise as he found himself the focus of four pairs of eyes.

"Nice of you to join us, pup." Sirius said with a wide grin. He appeared to be sober, for the most part. He was wearing his favorite leather jacket and a pair of blue jeans, oddly enough he was not wearing a shirt. Standing before him was Severus in his customary high-necked robes, and who could only be Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. Harry swallowed. Hard. They were beautiful.

Narcissa could have been Athena reincarnate, so perfect was she. And Draco…Harry averted his eyes and willed himself not to blush. I don't think men should be that beautiful. There has to be a law against it. Draco was more than anything Harry could have imagined. Tall, though not as tall as Harry, he was all sharp features and beautiful angles. The kind of face that sculptors dreamed about and feared, for how could you possible capture such beauty? Harry swallowed again and removed his glasses under the pretense of cleaning. He didn't think he wanted to be able to see clearly at the moment.

"Now that Harry has decided to join us," Severus said, "we may begin."

Harry took his time cleaning his glasses while every settled into various seats. Somehow, Draco ended up beside him.

"Hello, Harry." He said. His voice was melodic, deep but not the same booming baritone of Harry's. It was cultured honey, the type of voice that swayed public opinion. Charming. Still, there was an undercurrent of shock there that alerted Harry to one interesting fact: Draco hadn't been aware that Harry would be here. Harry swallowed again. Steeling himself, he put his glasses on and turned to Draco with his most charming smile. It felt slightly crazed.

"Hello, Draco. Pleasure to meet you…again." He laughed a little, and stuck out his head. Act natural. You've been around a pretty face before. Harry thought. Draco smiled, eyes a little wide, and Harry had to remind himself to breath. They shook hands, and Harry found himself unwilling to let go. Was Draco blushing? Harry grinned again, lopsided and natural. There…that was definitely a blush.

"Thank you for meeting with us Severus, I can only imagine the strain we're putting you under by being here." Narcissa began, sounding sincerely concerned. Severus waved her words away with a small glass of scotch. She accepted it with a grimace.

"Would you prefer something else?" He asked.

She smiled and Harry was surprised to find a blush settling on Severus cheeks. So he wasn't the only one affected by the Malfoy smile then? Harry grinned again, settling a little more comfortably into his chair.

"I've brought cakes, if you still have that bottle of Pinot Grigio from the wedding," her tone indicated that she knew he would, "I wouldn't mind a glass…if you wouldn't mind, of course." Her voice had lowered a slight octave, and Harry wouldn't have been wrong to say there was a bit of a purr towards the end. She smiled at Severus again and he huffed.

"Of course," he murmured. Narcissa laughed and Severus huffed again, irritated that she was toying with him. He began to exit the room, pausing as Narcissa spoke once more.

"You are much too tense, Severus. We have been through war before, I would imagine you were used to cloak and dagger nights…" Narcissa, relaxed, was apparently a playful and willful creature. Her blue eyes sparkled as she teased Severus, her gestures were languorous, almost sensual, and Harry idly wondered just how much Draco took after his mother.

He snuck a glance towards the young man, finding the sparkle in his silver eyes and the small smirk that had settled on his porcelain face extremely distracting. Okay, I'll say he probably takes after his mother quite a bit.

"Narcissa, old girl, how've you been?"

Narcissa turned to Sirius with a wide, charming grin and tipped her head in his direction. "Wonderful, dear Sirius. A prisoner in my own home, but I have survived worse. Is Kreacher treating you well?" She asked, though her toned already indicated that she knew he was not.

"He's batshit crazy." Was Sirius succinct reply.

Narcissa sighed, her grin dimming as she surveyed the Drawing Room. "I can only imagine…you've done well with the cleaning." She remarked.

"That mongrel has had nothing to do with the cleaning," came Severus' growl as he re-entered the room, a dusty bottle of Pinot Grigio in hand.

Sirius glared at Severus, throwing back a rather impressive amount of scotch in one gulp. He didn't even grimace, a fact which caused Harry no little amount of concern. His godfather's moods were becoming more erratic and the alcohol wasn't helping, Harry was loath to speak to the man, he was like a father to him after all, and he didn't feel right lecturing him…but…he could see a growing darkness in his adoptive father's eyes and it worried Harry. And Severus too, though he would never admit it.

The two sent each other dark looks as Severus passed Narcissa and Draco, who accept with another charming smile, two wine glasses. Their glaring match only interrupted when Harry cleared his throat.

He decided to stick with the scotch. Despite the levity so far, Harry knew this night would be arduous.

He didn't know the reason for their visit, but Harry understood the power of having Malfoy's on their side. He didn't know Narcissa or Lucius, but Harry knew Draco and Harry trusted Draco, if Draco needed help, Harry was more than willing to provide it.

"I had the elves whip these up, I imagined we would need them." Narcissa said. She had pulled a little platter from the folds of her cloak with a whispered word, enlarged it to reveal a large platter of sandwiches, cakes and pastries.

"Spot on, Narcissa…spot on." Sirius whispered almost reverently as he quickly grabbed a roast beef sandwich.

Harry and Draco went for the platter at the same time, their hands lightly brushing against one another as Harry went for what looked like a ham sandwich. He jumped slightly, not expecting the brief contact to cause such electric currents to race through his body. He stilled, sandwich in hand as he acknowledged that his body was reacting for too strongly for such a brief moment of contact.

"You alright, Harry?" Sirius asked around a mouthful of sandwich. Harry jumped again, startled and embarrassed by his reaction. Shaking his head, he resolutely refused to look in Draco's direction, instead sending Sirius a reassuring smile and nodding.

"Fine, fine. Too many options, I couldn't decide…" He muttered.

"Roast beef is good." Sirius assured, mouth still full. Narcissa grimaced and tossed a napkin in his direction.

"If you cannot resist the urge to speak with a full mouth, Sirius, at least have the decency to cover it."

Sirius chuckled, grinning roguishly at the pristine form of the Lady Malfoy.

"Duly noted, milady." He replied with mock seriousness.

"Moving on," Severus cut in. The mood instantly dampened as Severus brought the meeting round. Harry cautiously glanced at Draco and frowned. The other boy was pale, eyes tight with fear as he stared at his glass of wine. He hastily put down his sandwich and took a sip. If Harry hadn't been watching him so closely, he might not have noticed the slight shaking of his hands, but he did and his frown increased.

Whatever they needed help with, it had to do with Draco and Harry instantly found himself on high alert.

"The Chatterbox does not allow for long discourses but from your message I was able to determine that you feel that Draco's life is in imminent danger?" Opened Severus.

"Indeed," agreed Narcissa, quietly. "The day after Draco's birthday, the Dark Lord called him to his chambers. To keep this as short as possible…the Dark Lord has ordered Draco to find a means for his Death Eaters to enter Hogwarts by the end of his 6th year and…to kill Albus Dumbledore."

Harry froze in the act of biting his sandwich, his eyes automatically flicking to Draco. Draco met his gaze, his silver eyes wide and determined despite the fear that tightened his eyes and lips.

Kill Dumbledore and get Death Eaters into Hogwarts? Harry reviewed the order incredulously. Voldemort hadn't managed that in all the years of his terror and he expected Draco to? Harry shook his head, his face darkening. What was the meaning of this?

"Revenge, then?" Severus asked quietly. As usual, he was quicker to come to the heart of things than Harry so Harry just sat back and listened, thoughts and mood darkening further as Narcissa nodded and explained.

"Lucius failed…" she began quietly. "He was supposed to retrieve something for the Dark Lord and…he failed. We had thought that his…imprisonment…was punishment enough. The Malfoy name is tarnished in the eyes of most of Wizarding Britain and…we had thought that was enough."

Harry watched Narcissa carefully, feeling a strange sense of responsibility rise in him as the previous strong and flippant woman began to show the cracks in her armor. Her eyes fell on Draco and began to well with tears. She blinked, the tears fell and she closed her eyes.

"If I don't accomplish my mission…I and my family will be murdered." Draco said, speaking for the first time. His tone was flat but Harry detected the undercurrent of fear and he had to squash the desire that sprang within him to comfort the other boy with a hug. He wasn't a girl, no matter how androgynous his features were, and Harry doubted he would appreciate the gesture.

"Have you been Marked?" Severus asked quietly, severely.

Harry waited, hardly daring to breath. He was not expecting the harsh, barking laughter that escaped from Draco, nor did it seem, was Severus who stood and seemed ready to bundle the young man off.

"If only…" Draco muttered darkly as he finally finished laughing. Without further explanation, Draco began unbuttoning his black button down. Harry blushed, sinking further into his chair and taking a swift, and long, sip from his glass of scotch. He was sure Draco wasn't trying to make his movements sensual, was in fact more positive of that fact than he was his own name, but he couldn't help his own reaction as he watched the other man's long, nimble fingers slowly unbutton one button at a time. He was very glad every eye was glued to Draco, and no one noticed the sudden flush to his skin or the tightening of his jeans. Despite his sudden arousal, Harry felt anger more than anything else. Anger and embarrassment that he was acting like a hormonal first year.

"Oh, Merlin…Draco…"

Harry snapped out his musings as Severus' concern floated to him. His eyes automatically went to Draco and what he saw had him shooting out of his seat and kneeling before the other boy with one hand moving towards his chest before he even realized he'd left his seat.

"What the…" Harry murmured, no longer self-conscious as he kneeled before the other boy. Draco was staring at him intently, seemingly unconcerned with this state of undress or the hand slowly making its way towards his heart. Harry glanced up at him once, asking permission, and Draco inclined his head. With bated breath, Harry touched the strange black hooded Cobra that was watching him from Draco's chest. It's eyes were red and the inside of its flared hood was sliver. Harry had never seen anything like it and, as his fingers finally made contact with Draco's taut chest, he realized he had never felt anything like it either. It was cold and felt just as a real snake should only…it wasn't real. It moved slightly, coils that Harry hadn't previously seen suddenly drooping down, as if from a branch, and pooling right above Draco's navel. Harry watched, fascinated by more than just the snake as he realized just how close he was to Draco's unclothed chest. He was just as sculpted here as he was in the face and not a single scar marred his skin, save for the cobra.

Harry jumped again, face turning an unruly red as the snake hissed menacingly at him and flared its hood once more. Harry snarled, backing away quickly as his scar began to burn. He gasped, dropping to his hands and knees and pressed his forehead to the carpet, hoping to alleviate the pain.

"Harry…?" It was Draco's voice, worried and small. He sounded as if he were standing at the end of a long tunnel and not a mere two feet away. Harry squeezed his eyes shut as the light in the room suddenly grow exponentially brighter. He groaned again, his head pounding in time with his heartbeat.

"Harry!"

Harry tried to respond, he honestly did, but the pain was increasing and it felt as if his head were going to explode. He screamed, pushing his head further into the carpet as his body convulsed.

"Harry!"

With a final grunt, Harry collapsed gratefully into darkness.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"…I cannot lose him, Severus…please!"

Harry slowly allowed consciousness to return, grateful when he felt nothing more than the fading remnants of a headache in place of the head-splitting pain he'd passed out from. His mouth was chalky, and there was a foul taste present that let him know Severus had forced some potion or another down his throat, for which Harry was infinitely grateful for once. He felt more or less normal, and if he hadn't been the victim of the pain, he would never believe it had happened to him.

He ignored the fading pain and instead focused on the two desperate voices the floated above him.

"You do not know what you ask of me, Narcissa." Came Severus' pained tones. Harry frowned.

"I know very well what I ask of you, Severus!" The Lady Malfoy snapped, "I am asking you to save your godson's life! I am asking you to help him, Severus. To look after him as you normally would. I am asking you to choose your Godson over your Masters. He is not a killer, Severus. He cannot…he will fail."

Harry's eyes narrowed, and slowly he began to sit up. With his eyes opened he realized that he was still in the drawing room, albeit wrapped in a thick fur blanket and surrounded by pillows, and Narcissa and Severus were softly arguing by the armchairs. On second review, Harry realized that part of his fur blanket was actually Padfoot, who looked up at him with what Harry could only interpret as concern as he began to move.

Patting him on the head in reassurance, Harry slowly began to stand.

"I want nothing more than to save Draco's life," Severus growled, both he and Narcissa unaware of Harry's awakening. "But you ask me to make an Unbreakable that…that…." Severus growled inarticulately and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

Harry stepped into the light, mind working overtime as he watched the two start guiltily and eye him with concern.

"Harry you should-"

Harry forestalled their worry with a raised hand and stepped into the firelight. He frowned between the two and finally settled on Narcissa who looked more than a little frazzled. She held his gaze, eyes wild and protective as she fought for her son. Harry glanced at Severus and, without any warning, took Narcissa into a hug. She gasped, frozen and unresponsive as he held her.

"I'll do it…" He said softly. She gasped again and, if she hadn't already been frozen, would have froze further.

"Wha-"

"I'll do it." Harry repeatedly slowly. "You want Severus' to make an Unbreakable Vow that he will protect Draco. Help him if he can. I will do it, Severus cannot. He is too important to me to have him bound under such an oath. I will do it." Harry said, voice strong and deep as he held the strung out woman.

She sagged into his embrace, for once at a loss for words. Harry held her strong. For all her majestic presence, Narcissa was a tiny woman. Shorter than Harry by at least four or five inches with a tiny waist and dainty frame. She weighed practically nothing as she sagged against him and Harry did not comment when he felt her body shudder with soft sobs.

"I don't understand." She murmured.

Severus came to stand behind her, catching Harry's gaze and holding it. He was asking permission and Harry granted it. If Severus trusted Narcissa than Harry would as well and since she was Draco's mother…Harry simply nodded his approval and allowed Severus to gently maneuver Narcissa into an armchair.

There was a steaming pot of tea that called to Harry and he gratefully poured himself a cup. Turning, he almost dropped it in shock as he found Draco fast asleep in the same armchair he'd been sitting in. The blanket he'd used for cover was slipping but the sleeping Adonis did not seem to mind. Harry watched him for a moment, following the lines of his face with care. He didn't want to analyze the intense reactions he was having to Draco, but he would enjoy them for as long as he could. Harry felt…energized oddly enough, as he stared down on the other boy and it was with some surprise that he noted he was smiling softly to himself.

With a sigh, he settled into the other armchair, watching Narcissa carefully as Severus clued her in to their reason for being here. He knew he'd begun to tell her about their suspicions that Harry was in fact the Boy-Who-Lived when she threw him a narrowed, speculative glance. Harry remained calmly sipping his tea, meeting her glance with a direct stare of his own.

He was sure, more than ever, that he was in fact the Boy-Who-Lived after touching Voldemort's Mark on Draco. Sure more than ever that being here in Britain was where he needed to be.

"Harry…" Narcissa began. Harry stood and walked to her chair. She stood as well and took his hand, he did not remark on her shaking limbs, instead only held her hand a little tighter. From the corner of his eye he could see Sirius moving into the firelight, a frown on his face.

"I cannot…in good conscience ask this of you. Draco is not a murderer, and I will not turn you into one for his sake…" She struggled with the words even as she said them, her eyes morose as she let free her only hope of her son's survival.

"Don't worry ma'am," Harry murmured quietly. "I won't let it come to that. For either of us." His voice was steady and sure and his gaze confident as Narcissa scrutinized him. He wasn't sure what she was looking for, but Harry held nothing of himself back as she stared. He showed her his determination and his strength. He was not, contrary to his earlier behavior, an adolescent teenager, unaware and unprepared. Harry knew exactly what he was risking and he knew exactly what he was saving.

Finally, Narcissa gave an almost imperceptible nod and her shoulders relaxed.

"Sir, will you act as our Bonder?"

Severus nodded looking equal parts relieved and worried. Sirius had no qualms voicing his worry.

"Pup are you sure?" He asked seriously, staring at Harry with the same fatherly concern that Harry imagined James probably washed William with. Harry was infinitely happier that it was Sirius from whom these looks were given.

"Positive," Harry responded confidently. He glanced at Draco once more, his eyes roving over the sleeping figure curiously. He felt his heart speed up as Narcissa clasped his hands, and only then did he tear his eyes away.

Impulsiveness was something Severus had tried and failed to train out of him, but this time, Harry thought Severus was grateful for it.

Sirius was still more than a little unsure but he acknowledged the desire and strength in Harry's gaze and, for once, said no more. Harry had no time to wonder what emotions his face was showing to allow such consent all around, as Severus had taken out his wand and began the incantation.

"Harry Black, do you swear to see Draco safely through to the end of his required tasks and to carry out the deed the Dark Lord has asked him to perform(HBP2) if he should appear to fail?"

Harry did not hesitate, "I swear it."

Harry barely saw the thin red flames lick out from Severus' wand and entwine both his and Narcissa's hands, but he could not ignore the feeling of a promise settling on his soul. He did not bow under the newfound burden, instead he straightened his shoulders and met the wide-eyed stare of Draco Malfoy with perfect confidence and poise.

"Harry…" Draco muttered softly, unsure and somewhat awed.

Then, without warning, Harry fainted.

Author's Note: So sorry for the long wait, life interrupted me and I had problems with this chapter. I wanted things to move ahead more swiftly but then this idea sort of took me by storm and I had to pause and let it play out. Harry and Draco's reaction to each is strong and you will see why later, but they have been in contact for years and are quite fascinated by each other so I hope no one finds their attraction too sudden? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know what you think!

Also, I know people might feel like a lot of information is being left out, but I've done that purposefully. Harry, you will find, is a very secretive young man and I want everyone sort of in the dark with the rest of the characters until Harry is ready.

As it stands, please let me know if there is any confusion or anything? Thanks again for reading!