Harry Potter - The Tower
Apr. 1st, 2008 02:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
charybdisTitle: The Tower
Pairing: Draco/Harry
Summary: The reluctant duo of Auror!Harry and Cursebreaker!Draco take on a kidnapper and Rapunzel's tower. PG, 830 words
Thirteen hundred feet above the ground, at the top of a tower so cursed that even Dementors don't go near it, is not a good place to be with someone you don't trust. On the other hand, Draco Malfoy has saved his life five times in as many hours, and as the leading edge of another curse impacts Harry's shields, he forgets to wonder if Malfoy will do it again.
At the top of the tower, well warded and fortified behind all of the ancient curses, is the kidnapper that the Aurors have been after for three and a half months. The latest victim is the daughter of some Ministry official; Harry doesn't remember much about her besides her long, golden hair.
None of this seems quite so important when Harry notices the brilliant mist of the curse penetrating his shields, slowing only slightly when he throws more power against it. Distantly, he can hear Malfoy swearing and saying something that sounds important, but he can't quite make it out. The mist creeps closer, and Harry's concentration scrabbles for purchase against the wave.
Sweat breaks out on his forehead as he struggles to free himself. Visions of his parents -- not screaming, not fighting for his life, but happy -- tug at the edges of his mind. His shields are ineffective against this kind of attack; every moment, he can feel reality sliding out of his reach, as his heart grows heavier with each image.
He's at the kitchen table, plotting a fantastic escapade with his father, one that might never be carried out -- particularly if his mother has anything to say about it -- but is worth just the planning.
In a burst of inspiration, he casts a Patronus charm, but though the stag bursts to life on the first try, it does nothing to stall the advance. With a start, Harry realizes that he can't see Malfoy any more. He cannot see anything beyond the bright haze. His only connection to reality is the stone of the landing beneath his feet, and he can feel even that dissolving as his concentration skitters away, borne on a tide of wishful thoughts.
His mother is teaching him how to cast Lumos, while they sit together on the roof, stargazing. He is ten, and her hand is gentle as it guides his in the simple flick, even though his attempts produce sparks and -- oddly -- wool, as often as they produce light.
So much lost possibility. Tears stream down his face -- he's sobbing now, sparing just a ghost of a thought to wonder what the hell Malfoy's doing. He chokes on his longing.
He wakes, warm beside Ginny, to her ever brilliant smile.
Aunt Petunia welcomes him home with a smile instead of a scowl, her eyes free of bitterness.
It's so overwhelming, so beautiful, and it was never real, but Harry wants it to be, so much that he can feel a fierce ache in his heart, and he wonders if it truly is possible to die of a broken heart.
His mother's eyes.
A welcome home.
They come faster and more intense, and Harry only catches glimpses of each but each one tears his heart anew.
Love.
Without thought, he reaches out, yearning; his whole body extends towards the far hope...
Please let this be.
Please
Suddenly, his hand is jerked forward and he's pulled out of the curse, stumbling over himself in surprise.
He nearly goes off the landing and down the stairs, but he's caught by someone before he truly falls. He becomes aware of cool air surrounding him, except where he's pressed against his savior's too-warm body. His face is still wet with tears. A robe clasp digs into his forearm and cold lips press a kiss to his jaw. This is real.
Harry leans into the heat, recovering. It is a measure of how shaken he is that he doesn't realize that it's Malfoy he's leaning against until he hears, "Are you through, Potter?" in a slightly less grating than usual drawl.
Harry pulls away quickly, expecting ridicule, but Malfoy only explains that he's broken this curse as well, and that the top room is now accessible.
The arrest itself is almost ridiculously anticlimactic. Their slow progress up the tower is rewarded by catching the kidnapper asleep, and they find the girl bound, shaken, but still alive and unharmed.
After the arrest, Malfoy leaves Harry at the base of the tower, and returns to the Cursebreakers' Office. Harry lets him go without a word; there are reports for him to fill out, a debriefing to attend, and other administrative things to take care of.
It isn't until he gets back to his little flat above a Muggle sweet shop that Harry lets his fingers brush his jaw where the cold kiss still lingers like a brand. He remembers the press of lips -- a protective charm -- and when he sleeps, he dreams of true possibility.
Pairing: Draco/Harry
Summary: The reluctant duo of Auror!Harry and Cursebreaker!Draco take on a kidnapper and Rapunzel's tower. PG, 830 words
Thirteen hundred feet above the ground, at the top of a tower so cursed that even Dementors don't go near it, is not a good place to be with someone you don't trust. On the other hand, Draco Malfoy has saved his life five times in as many hours, and as the leading edge of another curse impacts Harry's shields, he forgets to wonder if Malfoy will do it again.
At the top of the tower, well warded and fortified behind all of the ancient curses, is the kidnapper that the Aurors have been after for three and a half months. The latest victim is the daughter of some Ministry official; Harry doesn't remember much about her besides her long, golden hair.
None of this seems quite so important when Harry notices the brilliant mist of the curse penetrating his shields, slowing only slightly when he throws more power against it. Distantly, he can hear Malfoy swearing and saying something that sounds important, but he can't quite make it out. The mist creeps closer, and Harry's concentration scrabbles for purchase against the wave.
Sweat breaks out on his forehead as he struggles to free himself. Visions of his parents -- not screaming, not fighting for his life, but happy -- tug at the edges of his mind. His shields are ineffective against this kind of attack; every moment, he can feel reality sliding out of his reach, as his heart grows heavier with each image.
He's at the kitchen table, plotting a fantastic escapade with his father, one that might never be carried out -- particularly if his mother has anything to say about it -- but is worth just the planning.
In a burst of inspiration, he casts a Patronus charm, but though the stag bursts to life on the first try, it does nothing to stall the advance. With a start, Harry realizes that he can't see Malfoy any more. He cannot see anything beyond the bright haze. His only connection to reality is the stone of the landing beneath his feet, and he can feel even that dissolving as his concentration skitters away, borne on a tide of wishful thoughts.
His mother is teaching him how to cast Lumos, while they sit together on the roof, stargazing. He is ten, and her hand is gentle as it guides his in the simple flick, even though his attempts produce sparks and -- oddly -- wool, as often as they produce light.
So much lost possibility. Tears stream down his face -- he's sobbing now, sparing just a ghost of a thought to wonder what the hell Malfoy's doing. He chokes on his longing.
He wakes, warm beside Ginny, to her ever brilliant smile.
Aunt Petunia welcomes him home with a smile instead of a scowl, her eyes free of bitterness.
It's so overwhelming, so beautiful, and it was never real, but Harry wants it to be, so much that he can feel a fierce ache in his heart, and he wonders if it truly is possible to die of a broken heart.
His mother's eyes.
A welcome home.
They come faster and more intense, and Harry only catches glimpses of each but each one tears his heart anew.
Love.
Without thought, he reaches out, yearning; his whole body extends towards the far hope...
Please let this be.
Please
Suddenly, his hand is jerked forward and he's pulled out of the curse, stumbling over himself in surprise.
He nearly goes off the landing and down the stairs, but he's caught by someone before he truly falls. He becomes aware of cool air surrounding him, except where he's pressed against his savior's too-warm body. His face is still wet with tears. A robe clasp digs into his forearm and cold lips press a kiss to his jaw. This is real.
Harry leans into the heat, recovering. It is a measure of how shaken he is that he doesn't realize that it's Malfoy he's leaning against until he hears, "Are you through, Potter?" in a slightly less grating than usual drawl.
Harry pulls away quickly, expecting ridicule, but Malfoy only explains that he's broken this curse as well, and that the top room is now accessible.
The arrest itself is almost ridiculously anticlimactic. Their slow progress up the tower is rewarded by catching the kidnapper asleep, and they find the girl bound, shaken, but still alive and unharmed.
After the arrest, Malfoy leaves Harry at the base of the tower, and returns to the Cursebreakers' Office. Harry lets him go without a word; there are reports for him to fill out, a debriefing to attend, and other administrative things to take care of.
It isn't until he gets back to his little flat above a Muggle sweet shop that Harry lets his fingers brush his jaw where the cold kiss still lingers like a brand. He remembers the press of lips -- a protective charm -- and when he sleeps, he dreams of true possibility.
