Neville - Tumblr Posts

do you guys remember that one text post about pyjamas the terror being an anagram for harry james potter? 

so initially I was going to draw only harry wearing a pyjamas the terror t-shirt, but then I googled online anagram generator and had so much fun with it that ended up drawing the entire gang

(on twitter)

Bonded

Harry/Draco, Pansy/Hermione

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35392933/chapters/88219483

Summary:  Harry gets assigned the most boring Auror case in the world with the most horrible partner. Featuring a certain blonde nemesis, ancient magic bonds, a dragon, and a little too much Pansy/Hermione love (in Harry’s opinion).

Chapter 1 

“Kingsley Shacklebolt hates me” Harry announces dramatically stepping out of the flames into his sitting room. He tosses his cloak on an armchair and sits down glaring woefully at the floor and attempting his best tragic hero face. He waits several seconds for someone to respond before looking up and realizing the sitting room is empty. Just his luck that no one would be home in his time of need.

Signing, he picks up his case files and reads them keeping his face carefully arranged in a look of sadness so that when someone does show up they’ll immediately see how devastated he is and try to cheer him up.

About 10 minutes later Harry hears Hermione’s feet pad across the floor towards him. He focuses on the dejected feeling rising in the bottom of his stomach and continues to stare deeply at his case notes even though he hasn’t read a word since he sat down. He can’t help it if he’s distracted. He's just had the worst day of his life.

“What’s wrong Harry? Are you okay?”

“No” Harry splays his arms out across his armchair dropping his papers in a scatter across the floor. “I’m not okay. Kingsly Shakleboldt hates me and I’ve just had the worst day of my life”

“I would think the great battle when all of our friends died would be the worst day of your life” Hermione says calmly as she reorganizes the books on the coffee table.

Harry considers this “You’re right” He sighs “But this is definitely a close second.”

“What happened this time? Did he tell you you have to start coming in on time again?” Hermione reaches for her tea and settles into the chair next to him.

“Of course not,” Harry sniffs. “He trusts my judgement about when I’m needed at work.”

“Hmm” Hermione opens a book and appears to be very focused on it’s contents.

“God, everything has been horrible since Ron left,” Harry says pointedly glaring across at her.

“Well you have been in a bit of a tailspin Harry but if we’re honest that would have happened at some point even if Ron had stayed” Hermione states very matter of factly as she turns the page of her book.

“How can you not even be upset about it?” Harry questions, flicking a pen across at her.

Hermione twitches her wand and activates a protective shield. Harry watches dejected as his pen drops onto the rug.

“You're right.” Hermione sighs. “I didn’t care he left and that's the main reason he did. Just take some deep breaths Harry, Ron didn’t leave because of you and in a year he’ll be back from his work abroad and you can be partners again.”

“Well due to Kingsley there’s no way I’ll even still be an Auror by next year” Harry uses his wand to levitate his pen back to him and starts dramatically marking up one of the cases that he scattered fairly close to him. He hopes Hermione thinks he looks very professional and committed to his job and can’t see that he’s drawing aggressive butterflies on the margins of a murder case.

“Alright Harry.” Hermione puts her book down looking defeated. “What happened at work today that was so bad?”

“Kingsley assigned me the most boring case in the world and the worst partner ever” Harry jabs his pen through the paper in front of him several times to illustrate his anger before catching himself and realizing he probably shouldn’t deface official case notes that he’ll have to turn in to the ministry quite soon

“Oh, is that all?” Hermione says mildly and Harry notices she’s started to reach for her book again.

“No Hermione! The new partner? It’s Malfoy.”

“Oh is that so.” Hermione says conversationally. “I worked with him recently on one of his cases. He's really grown up, Harry. It shouldn’t be too bad.”

“Not too bad?!” Harry is practically yelling now “Hermione he’s my literal nemesis”

“I thought Voldemort was your nemesis”

“Not anymore Hermione! Voldemort can’t be my nemesis, he's dead! Draco Malfoy has officially been promoted to nemesis status. I can't believe you’re not aware ” Harry crosses his arms and turns away from Heroine in illustration of his angst.

“And! Kingsley put us together because he said Malfoy works on his cases during all hours of the night and puts himself in dangerous situations and he doesn’t trust him to refrain from putting his life in danger!” Harry throws his pen at the mantel and it makes a satisfying smack against the wood.

“Kingsley said almost the exact same thing about you in our last weekly meeting” Hermione tells him serenely reaching for one of the case’s he's scattered about the living room.

“Well it’s different when I do it.” Harry explains, “I’m noble and committed to the citizens I serve. It’s not like I go on suicide missions.”

“Hmm” Hermione starts to scribble notes at the bottom of the case she’s holding. Knowing Hermione she’s already solved it.

“Anyways, since when do you talk about me in your weekly meetings?” He turns back towards her so he can glare at her more effectively.

“Well mostly since you started this tailspin of yours”

“Kingsley knows about my tailspin?!”

“Well it’s been pretty obvious you’ve been going on more of your suicide missions”

“They are NOT suicide missions” Harry crosses he arms across his chest defiantly.

“Oh whatever” Hermione sighs. “I'm the investigative director for the Auror team. I talk to Kingsley about all of you.”

This periodically distracts Harry from his argument. “So you talk about Malfoy? Do you know any of his secrets?”

“It’s confidential,” Hermione says smoothly.

“It’s essential that I know the secrets of my nemesis.”

“Not when it breaks the code of confidentiality I signed upon accepting the job,” Hermione tells him, turning back to her papers.

“If it was Voldemort you’d tell me his secrets” Harry states continuing to level her with what he hopes is an intimidating glare.

“Surprisingly Malfoy isn’t an evil genius with plans to kill off all my friends and family.”

Darn, apparently Harry needs to put in some hours practicing his intimidating glare.

“Look Harry I know you’re upset about this thing with Malfoy and I’m so sorry things have played out like this but there's nothing I can do. Do you want to come and have some of my tea?” Hermione asks in a much kinder voice. Maybe Harry’s glare is a little bit intimidating after all.

“Thanks Hermione” Harry walks across the room and sits on the floor by Hermione's chair leaning back against her legs. He sips the tea and is delighted to find it’s chai flavored. His favorite.

She passes him the case file she’s been writing on and Harry sees paragraphs of notes followed by a name circled in ink.

“That’s the perpetrator” Hermione says gesturing to the name before picking up her book again.

He’s just settled back against her legs and started to read the notes when the door bangs open and the sound of lively chatter fills the room.

There’s a clatter on the stairs and then Ginny, Theo and Neville burst red faced into the sitting room. Neville is covered from head to toe in mud stains and has questionable twigs stuck in his hair. Ginny and Theo are both still in quidditch leathers and covered in a sheen of sweat, their hair clearly windblown.

Grimmauld Place had really become sort of an orphanage Harry muses watching as leaves fall from Neville’s hair onto the decorative carpet.

It started with Hermione and Ron. Then Ginny had needed a place to stay and though it might’ve been weird living with his ex girlfriend they’d ended on good terms and Ron had explained that Ginny was about to lose her mind living with Molly so she’d moved in. Then Neville told Hermione he needed a place closer to London to study for his Herbology mastery and Hermione had said he could move in without even asking Harry. Not that it mattered to Harry; they had so many extra bedrooms and more people made the house feel less depressing.

A couple months after Neville moved in Ginny brought Theo home after quidditch practice and explained that he’d been disowned and needed to move in that very night. Harry wasn’t so sure about living with a Slytherin who had probably been a Death Eater and maybe plotted his death but Theo looked extremely bedraggled, and Ginny looked extremely sad, and Harry would have been extremely heartless to say no.

“Showers at the stadium were broken so we ended up leaving early” Ginny explains breathlessly breaking through his thoughts as she starts to pull off her leathers in the middle of the room.

“It’s horrible traveling home covered in sweat” Theo chimes in. “Hope they fix them by tomorrow”

“Oh you want to talk about horrible? You know nothing about horrible” Harry mutters under his breath.

“What happened to Harry?” Ginny chirps “He looks horrible.”

“Oh you know the usual” Hermione says demurely “He got partnered with Malfoy on the most boring Auror case ever.”

Harry perks up, scrutinizing his friends' faces as the horror washes over them. He knows he can count on Ginny and Neville to take his side and he feels delighted as he watches their faces drop into looks of pity.

Theo’s still friends with Malfoy so Theo plays a stupid game pretending to be neutral and not pick sides between them. Harry knows better than that though, he’s the one that saved Theo when he got disowned. Clearly he’s the favorite. Sure enough, Theo’s face twists a bit in horror before his expression clears into a blank neutral sort of stare. Ha! Harry knew it. He’s always right. Especially when it comes to matters of his nemesis.

~~~~~~~

The next morning Harry arrives at the office exactly an hour after opening time. He never arrives on time. He works late hours catching criminals and Kingsley’s only mentioned his tardiness about three times. He guesses this was only to uphold ministry policy because there is no way Kingsley actually cares about him being late to work in the mornings.

He assumes Malfoy will be impatiently waiting for him but when he swings the door to his office open it is silent and empty. He spends the next ten minutes looking for Malfoy before giving up. He has half a mind to report him to Kingsley for his tardiness but he realizes this might alert Kingsley to his own lateness and as much as he assumes they have a deal about the whole thing he doesn’t necessarily want to bring attention to the whole thing.

When he arrives back in his office he resigns himself to flipping though their new case file until Malfoy arrives but he quickly becomes so bored he wants to pound his head into a wall. He compromises on reading the casefile and decides he can draw pictures in the margins as he works on it.

20 minutes later when Malfoy’s blonde head pokes in through the door Harry still hasn’t read a single word. God this is going to be the worst assignment ever.

“This is going to be the best assignment ever!” Draco pushes the door open and greets Harry with a very uncharacteristic grin before plopping a white box full of donuts down onto Harry's desk.

Harry blinks up at him completely blindsided.

“The Department of Magical Engineering gets donuts freshly delivered every morning. Did you know that?” Draco continues cheerfully.

“Er no? Why would I know that?” a dazed feeling washes over Harry. How can Draco be so cheerful this early in the morning?

“I figured you were down there this morning when I wouldn’t find you” Draco answers him looking confused.

“Why would I have been down there?” Harry feels increasingly like he is missing a crucial detail.

“Um, because our case is about a Ministry wide pickpocket, who is simultaneously targeting every department at once? And the Engineering department is where the floor plans are kept?” Now it’s Draco’s time to look confused.

“Oh. huh. Honestly I haven’t read the case yet.” Harry says his face blushing red as he awkwardly scratches at the back of his neck.

“Come on then, I’ll explain the case as we walk over to unearth the floor plans.” Draco responds jovially. Harry wonders if Draco really is this changed since their time in school or if he’s still an evil bloodthirsty traitor just one who is completely enraptured with the idea of donuts.

Harry decides on the latter when they reach the Department of Magical Engineering and he catches Draco sneaking two more boxes of donuts into the pocket of his coat using a shrinking charm that looks suspiciously similar to the one Hermione created in seventh year.

“Who taught you that charm?” Harry says in his best interrogation voice.

Draco jumps and looks around suspiciously before looking back at him.

“Wouldn’t you like to know Potter” He says haughtily, sticking his nose in the air and smirking at him.

“It was Theodore wasn’t it?” Harry says accusingly falling into step with Draco as they make their way towards the blueprint archives.

“You’ll never find out, my informants are very discreet,” Draco retorts in a prissy tone before winking at Harry and turning forward to push open a heavy wooden door.

“Coming Potter? We haven't got all day.” He taunts before dropping the door in Harry's face as he struggles to keep up with his fast paced stride into the room in front of them.

~~~~~~

When they finally reach the records section Draco instructs that they must pull the blueprints for every room in the ministry. Harry, still unaware of the details of the case, withholds his complaints and starts to hunt.

The process is very tedious and involves balancing on precarious ledges many feet from the ground. Two hours into the process Harry can feel sweat start to bead at the back of his neck and his eyes grow blurry with exhaustion. He takes his glasses off to wipe them on his shirt and places one of his feet directly on a loose paper which slips. He tries unsuccessfully to grip the side of the bookcase but loses traction.

Then Harry is falling, wind whistling in his ears all he can see beneath him is the dark marble floor. He steals himself for impact and squeezes his eyes closed hoping if he can’t see the floor coming it won’t hurt as bad.

When he lands almost softly in a pair of waiting arms his eyes shoot open in shock.There curled over him with his blonde hair dangling into Harry’s eyes is Draco. His body is warm and comforting against Harry’s side and a flush of relief rushes through his body as he realizes he hasn’t been crushed to death. Draco’s chest feels strong against him and he relaxes his muscles curling closer to Draco before remembering that Draco is his nemesis and hurriedly pushes him away stumbling onto the floor.

“Don’t see why you got in the way like that Malfoy” his voice is gruff as he straightens his Auror robes and runs a hand through his windblown hair.

“Don’t you want to thank me? I just saved your life. In fact I might even deserve a metal. You are the Savior of the Wizarding World after all.” Draco says cheerfully, looking rather unruffled about the whole thing.

“I didn’t need you to save me, I had a plan.” Harry insists very stubbornly knowing that in fact he did not have a plan.

“Oh, a plan like falling 40 feet to the ground and getting crushed to death?” Draco retorts “Very cunning. I can see why Kingsley’s worried about your suicide missions”

“Oh knock it off Malfoy, it was your missions Kingsley was worried about. I’m the Savior of the Wizarding World I’m very dependable and professional.”

“He clearly said he was worried both of our proclivities for danger” Draco sniffs putting on a distinguished air.

“I don’t remember him saying that”

“That’s because you never listen to anything he says,” Draco scoffs. “Very dependable and professional of you”

“Sorry if I have more important things to be doing”

“Things like slipping off of shelves and falling 40 feet into the arms of your nemesis?”

“Wait, you think you're my nemesis too?” Harry exclaims.

“Well of course. Voldemort is dead. Naturally he can’t be your nemesis anymore and that makes it my position to fill” Draco proclaims looking rather proud of himself.

“That’s exactly what I told Hermione and she didn’t get it at all” Harry rushes happily glancing across at Draco.

They lean back against their retrospective bookshelves and suddenly the two men are grinning at each other. Surrounding them scattered across the dark marble lay the blueprints for the Ministry itself.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Harry arrives on time to his office for the first time since Ron left. He tells himself this is because he’s looking forward to the free donuts.

He sits down at his desk and spends exactly 4 disastrous minutes attempting once again to read the case before throwing it down recklessly and pulling out his sketchpad from one of his desk drawers. He finds himself twitchily looking through his doorway every couple of minutes for a flash of blonde hair or tailored robe. Eventually he becomes so annoyed with himself that he pushes himself up off the floor and goes looking for Malfoy’s office. He’s sure he has one somewhere. Doesn’t everyone?

It takes him 20 minutes of looking to find the small door at the end of the back hallway marked D. Malfoy: Auror. He could have found it much quicker if he had just asked for help but something about actively seeking Malfoy out makes him feel skittish and embarrassed and he finds it easier to avoid admitting to the whole thing altogether.

He’s a bit breathless as he shoves through the dark wood door of the office and it takes him a second to realize that Malfoy is not at his desk. As he glances wildly around the room he locates Malfoy perched on the rug directly in front of him hidden by what looks like a cardboard replica of the entirety of the Ministry building.

“Oh hello Potter,” Draco drawls in a bored tone. “I see you’ve found me. Do take a seat.”

Harry looks for a chair before realizing that there are none to be found and plopping down criss-cross in front of a pile of cardboard scraps.

“Er, What is this?” He questions feeling strangely uncomfortable in Draco’s space.

“A replica of the entirety of the Ministry building” Draco chirps, sounding proud and also a bit unhinged. When he pokes his head out from behind his cardboard monstrosity Harry notices that his skin looks a little sallow and he has dark bruises under his eyes. Draco grins manically, giving him a thumbs up between disappearing again.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” Harry wonders out loud feeling more concerned about Malfoy than he should, given that he was his nemesis.

“Oh I haven’t slept” Draco winks at him through one of the larger ministry windows. “Sleep makes the mind weak and all, surely you’ve heard.”

Harry dismisses this as the ravings of a lunatic.

~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the morning goes quite well. Draco remains in strangely high spirits and insists on narrating the entire case file to Harry in case he hasn’t had a chance to read it. Harry is quite grateful since he can’t seem to get through the first paragraph of the case and though he zones out a few times he manages to piece together most of it. Draco tells him that important magical relics have been disappearing from the ministry for the last 2 months. The articles are all small. Things like rings and necklaces and watches. Kingsley suspects someone is stealing the relics to use or resell. He wants the thievery to be stopped and the perpetrator captured. He wants them on the case because he trusts them but Harry suspects it’s because working within the Ministry is the safest case they could have gotten and realistically Kingsly doesn’t trust them one bit.

“Wait, why would a thief focus on small articles when they could be stealing artifacts from the department of mysteries or something?” Harry asks as Draco winds down his speech. Trying to get a better grasp on the situation.

“Because pure metals and gemstones are the most magically conductive materials” Draco scoffs “I forgot you wouldn’t know about this stuff growing up poor and with muggles” he says leaving Harry reeling as he shifts from manically happy to callus and cruel.

“Well I’d rather grow up poor than with Death Eaters” Harry shoots back on instinct.

“At least I was loved as a child” Draco responds childishly, extracting himself from the cardboard. “You wouldn’t know about that would you, Potter?” He stalks towards Harry pinning him in place with his icy grey eyes.

“Were you really Draco?” Harry's voice is taunting and amused. “I would think someone who loved you wouldn’t want you living with Voldemort.”

Draco’s face goes stark white and he moves closer to Harry towering over him “Not another word Potter” He spits. “I won’t have you disrespecting me in my office.”

Hot rage pumps through Harry’s veins “Oh so the truth is disrespectful now?” He clenches his left fist glancing down at the scar tissue across it. I must not tell ties. Suddenly all he can think about is Umbridge and the inquisitorial squad and Draco is looming over him and Harry can’t get a deep breath so he pulls his arm back and punches Draco directly in his stupid smug face.

Draco grasps him by the front of his robes and their bodies push flush against each other as they grapple swinging at each other wildly. The fight reminds Harry of fourth year before things got so complicated. He feels furious and desperate and when he catches a glimpse of his face in the mirror on the back of Draco’s door he finds he is grinning maniacally. His face is quickly whisked out of frame as they trip across the forgotten cardboard ministry and tumble to the floor. Suddenly everything goes black.

Bonded

Harry/Draco, Pansy/Hermione

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35392933/chapters/88219483

Summary: Harry gets assigned the most boring Auror case in the world with the most horrible partner. Featuring a certain blonde nemesis, ancient magic bonds, a dragon, and a little too much Pansy/Hermione love (in Harry’s opinion).

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 

He wakes up to Draco standing over him wide eyed in terror.

“You have to be okay Potter, I can't lose my job over you,” Draco rushes.

Harry blinks blurry-eyed and realizes that his head is pounding with a sharp piercing pain. When he puts a hand to his forehead it comes away sticky with blood.

“Uh what happened?” He manages dazedly staring at Draco’s blonde hair. When he wears it down like this it looks like a halo. In fact as the sun falls through the window and onto Draco’s face he looks like an angel.

“Has anyone ever told you your hair looks like a halo in the sunlight?” He asks blearily, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

“Um no.” Draco looks distracted, touching his hair briefly before the panic returns to his eyes. “We fell onto my desk, your head hit the corner of the desk, it split your scar open, and then you blacked out. I’m sorry.” He rushes like he’s forcing it out “I get carried away when I haven’t slept enough.”

“Lack of sleep isn’t an excuse to shove people into desks.” Harry responds grouchily, secretly pleased at the apology.

“Well I didn’t start it, you punched me first.” Draco’s voice is haughty and Harry is certain if it didn’t hurt to keep his eyes open he would see Draco sticking his nose into the air and making a very aristocratic face.

“I only punched you because you were being an asshole.” Harry growls the pain in his head making it hard to think.

“I was simply stating the truth.” Draco says diplomatically, offering a hand to help Harry up. “But we can agree to disagree”

“Ugh you are insufferable.”

“Well you’re stuck with me so you’ll just have to suffer” Draco’s voice is markedly more cheerful. “Now how should we fix up your head?”

“You’re not doing anything to my head. I’m going home and having Hermione fix it because I trust her.” Harry says pointedly, glaring at Draco.

He steps out of the office and walks swiftly down the hall focusing firmly on the exit to the floos ignoring the entirety of the Auror Department as they stare quizzically at the blood dripping across his tanned skin.

~~~~~~~~~

Harry arrives home to find Hermione sitting at the dining table surrounded by notes and chatting animatedly to Pansy Parkinson.

“I’m sorry. I seem to have walked into some sort of horrific nightmare.” He says making a horrible face at Pansy mind reeling. “What are you doing in my house?”

“Oh dear,” Hermione says flatly without looking at him. “I must have forgot to tell you we’re working on a project together for work.”

“Yep we’re busy Potter, run along.” Pansy remarks coldly as she turns in her chair to look at him.

“Oh my god, what’s happened to your face!” At Pansy’s exclamation Hermione finally looks up and her gaze slides from calm and collected to frantic in a single instant.

“I thought Kingsley had given you a safe assignment for once!” She rushes towards him with her wand out. Repairing his injury with no warning she blindsides him with the stinging pain of his skin stitching together.

“Merlin's beard, Hermione. Give me a warning next time” He exclaims, clutching at his forehead.

“I would have thought Potter could handle a little bit of pain.” Pansy says smirking at him with cold eyes before suddenly freezing “Where’d you get that cut anyways, weren’t you with Draco? Is he okay?” Harry thinks he can see a bit of panic in her expression before she arranges it blank again. Interesting, maybe the Slytherins care a little more than they let off.

“He’s fine, don't worry. I just tripped”

“So you’re just as clumsy as you were in school then? Not surprised you didn’t grow up” Pansy remarks looking considerably more upbeat. She shoots Hermione a small smile and Harry is perplexed to see her smile back. He can’t believe this.

“Looks like a pretty bad fall.” Hermione says looking concerned again and Harry can see a telltale glimmer of suspicion behind her eyes.

“No really I slipped on a piece of paper and went down hard onto the marble floors” He winces to fully sell his story refusing to let slip that he’s fought with Malfoy. He doesn’t want to let Pansy gloat.

“I’ve been saying they should replace those floors for years.” Pansy whines. “They’d be disastrous in a high speed chase.”

“Oh? And how many high speed chases are taking place within the Ministry?” Harry scoffs, unable to restrain himself.

“You never know it could happen.” Hermione muses and Harry looks at her aghast. “I think it’s a good idea.” Harry can’t believe she’s siding with Pansy against him. Doesn’t she know they’re on opposite sides?

“Hermione, I think this could be helpful?” Pansy interjects as she offers Hermione a heavy leather tome pointing at the text inside.

Both of them turn back to their books and Harry stomps loudly out of the room to sulk until the room is free of Slytherins.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Three hours later Harry’s stomach is rumbling and he feels weak with hunger. He figures Pansy’s left by now but when he walks down the stairs he finds her curled up on the couch next to Hermione laughing as Theo describes a quidditch malfunction in colorful detail. The room goes silent when he sees Harry.

“Why are you still here?” Harry says glaringly at Pansy.

“Because I, unlike you, seem to have grown up and realized that some of the people I used to hate are actually really cool and smart and surprisingly witty.” Pansy says looking across at Hermione as Hermione's cheeks pinken into a light blush. “Now I’m sorry I tried to give you over to the Dark Lord one time 6 years ago but I was scared and ignorant and I really think you should have gotten over it by now.”

“Well I can’t get over it!” Harry erupts, stalking towards the kitchen.

“Fine! Have a miserable night while we hang out and enjoy ourselves if that's really what you want.” Pansy calls after him prissily.

Harry sulks in the kitchen for a while making a cold and disappointing sandwich. He sits stewing for a bit on the kitchen floor before stealing himself to walk back into the sitting room. When he arrives Neville and Ginny are perched on the other sofa so he settles himself on the ground leaning back against Ginny’s legs.

“I see you’ve returned Potter.” Says Pansy, reminding him of Draco as she sticks her nose up in the air. “That sandwich really does look horrible”

“I know” Defeated Harry picks at his sandwich hoping it’ll magically become delicious. “We don’t really have groceries this week I think someone” he looks pointedly at Theo “Forgot to put in the order.”

Theo holds his hands up “I said I was sorry, I have a horrible memory and no one reminded me.”

“Maybe write yourself a note or something. Theodore it’s not that hard.” Ginny smirks, hitting him lightly over the head with one of the auror case’s Harry’s left sitting around. He really shouldn’t do that, confidential information and all.

“Ugh I am starving” Theo speaks looking wistful.

“Bet you wish you'd remembered the groceries now.” Hermione responds demurely.

“What if we get takeout?” Pansy offers and its the most helpful thing Harry’s ever witnessed come out of her mouth. The room slowly becomes a circle of grins.

“Fantastic idea! What are we getting?” Theo’s face is awash with relief.

“Indian!” Harry and Pansy say at the exact same time before glaring at each other.

“My aunt owns a restaurant pretty close to here” Pansy offers. “I promise it’s very good.”

They end up ordering a vast amount of food from the restaurant. As they eat, Harry warms up to Pansy a bit. Sure, she has a cold cruel exterior much like Draco but once he realizes that most of the time her cutting remarks are meant to be funny he starts to enjoy chatting with her. They compare favorite dishes and Pansy tells him about visiting family in India during the summers of her youth. Harry knows little about India except that his dad’s family is from there and he starts to enjoy Pansy’s stories full of colorful characters and interesting experiences. It makes him want to travel more.

The meal wraps up quicker than he expected. The room becomes quiet as people get up and place their dishes in the kitchen wandering off to their respective activities. Pansy returns both her and Hermione’s plates to the kitchen before graciously thanking Hermione for having her and vanishing into the fireplace. Harry finds himself wondering when he’ll see her again.

“So what kind of project are you two working on?” Harry asks turns towards Hermione.

“It’s confidential obviously” Hermione responds, twirling her hair around a finger and staring off into the distance. “Pansy’s really changed hasn’t she?”

“I guess.” Harry says grudgingly watching as Hermione starts to smile.

“You’ll warm up to her in time. You already seemed to enjoy talking with her.”

“Ugh does that mean I’ll be seeing more of her?”

“You might be, '' Hermione smirks mysteriously, still watching the fireplace that Pansy had disappeared into.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Harry arrives at Draco’s office to see him frantically tearing the roof off of his cardboard model. He looks like he’s slept but his hair is disheveled like he’s been tearing at it.

“Um, are you alright?” Harry says cautiously, stepping into the room.

“Not in the slightest,” Draco says, looking harried and carrying on with his demolition.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Harry, do you know what it feels like to have to start from ground zero?” Draco asks conversationally, eyes darting back and forth across the room.

“I would think so, we did both go through a war and start over.” Harry says gently crouching at Draco’s side and looking worried.

“Well that’s nothing compared to this” Draco scoffs. “You want to know why Harry?The blueprints were wrong.” Draco is making an extremely devastated face.

Harry attempts to make his face calm and soothing “Um why is this such a big deal?” His voice comes out a bit high pitched as Draco fixes him with an icy glare.

“You don’t understand anything Potter.” Draco says dramatically, throwing ripped cardboard at the wall behind Harry's head. Harry flinches and moves himself out of danger.

“I must restart my masterpiece.” He gestures at the demolished building before him. “The Ministry has tunnels. Tunnels Potter.” He sounds a bit hysterical. Harry wonders how much caffeine he’s had this morning.

“Um alright, should we maybe check the tunnels for the pickpocket today?” Harry speaks in an attempt to cheer Draco up.

“Great idea.” Draco says, looking surprisingly cheerful. “Observing the tunnels will give me a better opportunity to recreate them properly in my model.” He sounds quite a bit more interested in finishing his model than catching the criminal and Harry can’t blame him. After all this is the most boring case ever.

“So where do the tunnels start?”

“Behind the statue in the lobby obviously.” Draco scoffs, picking a book and waving it in Harry’s direction. “It’s all laid out very clearly.”

Draco proceeds to show Harry the book which is not in fact laid out very clearly at all. There is a half page dedicated to a very small map of the tunnel system which has faded away in some places since the book is very old.

“This is not laid out very clearly,” Harry says glaring across at Draco. Draco’s eyes seem way more grey than they used to be in school he muses before realizing he’s been glaring a bit too long and looks quickly away.

“I was trying to make you more comfortable.” There is a toothy grin stretching across Draco’s face.

“Why would I need to be comfortable? And why are you smiling at me like that?” Harry says suddenly suspicious.

The grin drops off of Draco’s face and he looks sullenly down at the book. “I thought you might have reservations about exploring with a Death Eater.” He mumbles.

“Come off it Malfoy, you’ve had two entire days to kill me I would have thought you’d gotten it over with already”

“You’re right” Draco looks cheerfully into his eyes. “I’m really very impatient aren’t I? Let's get going then! As much as you’d like to, we can't sit around all day Potter '' He calls over his shoulder striding quickly out of the room.

Harry notices that his normally taunting tone has softened a bit to sound almost teasing. He grabs his cloak off the desks and runs out of the office to catch up with Draco in the hall.

When they reach the lobby it becomes increasingly clear that it will be difficult to slip behind the statute unnoticed. They stand around for a while looking for a break in the hustle and bustle around them. People start to look at them suspiciously and walk around them with a wide berth.

“Unfortunately it looks like we might have to stage an emergency to get everyone out of here.” Draco says grinning at Harry evilly.

“Shouldn’t there be a bunch of other entrances to the tunnels?”

“Well yes but the map wasn’t very clear about where they were” Draco looks shifty eyed.

“Hmm alright. I have an idea” Harry strides off back in the direction they came from and Draco scrambles to follow.

~~~~~~~~

They arrive back in the lobby wearing the invisibility cloak draped over them. Draco still hasn’t gotten over the unfairness of Harry having the cloak in the first place and is tiring himself out with a long rant about privileged people and power trips and how Dumbledore really wasn’t fit to run a school if he was going to favor students with dangerous artifacts.

Harry isn’t really listening. He’s distracted, pressed up so close to Draco’s body heat that he can feel it through his jumper. Draco smells fresh like lemongrass and fresh rain. Harry takes a deep breath and feels strangely comforted by the scent. He moves closer to Draco without realizing it until his hand brushes against Draco’s thigh and he stops mid sentence jerking his head up and staring into Harry’s eyes.

“Were you not listening to a single thing I said to Harry?” Draco asks but he stumbles over his words not quite managing the cold tone he usually aims for.

“Sorry not really, I was lost in thought.” Harry forces himself to move back a couple inches.

“Well you should really be paying attention on a mission. Really Potter this behavior is quite inappropriate.” This time Draco’s voice comes out normally, cold and cutting. Harry knows he should feel relieved but he feels his heart drop a bit in his chest.

“Here we are,” Draco gestures to a small button on the back of the marble statue. “After you Potter.”

Harry pushes the button and a panel slides back allowing them to squeeze through a narrow door shaped opening. Inside the tunnels are dark and cold. Harry can hear water dripping somewhere. He casts a luminos and waits for Draco to step through the opening behind him.

Draco joins him in the tunnel folding the cloak into a small square and crowding into Harry’s bodyspace to tuck it into the pocket of his auror robes. The warmth of his hand once again shocks Harry and he goes rigid for a second until Draco backs away.

“Well I’m not carrying your fancy magical object for you” Draco mumbles, refusing to meet Harry's eyes.

Harry stares at him baffled for a second and then starts walking down the hall.

They haven’t walked more than 20 feet from the entrance when a metal wall comes clanging out of the ceiling on either side of them, sealing them into the tunnel. Then their wands flicker, tips going dim.

“This is so bad.” Harry growls pushing at the walls trying to find a weak spot.

“So bad.” Draco echos looking guiltily at metal in front of them.

They try a couple of spells but they come out weaker than normal and the walls refuse to budge.

“The book did say there were some places where the tunnels were resistant to magic.” Draco admits avoiding eye contact.

“And you didn’t think to mention that BEFORE we entered the tunnels?” Harry asks, glaring directly into his eyes. Draco looks away.

“It didn’t seem like something that would interest you”

“WHY WOULD IT NOT INTEREST ME?” Harry explodes stepping up into Draco’s space.

“I mean you didn’t ask about it?” Draco says meekly, stepping back. Harry steps forward pining him between his body and the wall.

“HOW COULD I ASK ABOUT IT IF I DIDN’T KNOW IT EXISTED?” His rage gets the better of him and he reaches out twisting Draco’s cloak in his hand and pulling him in. “GODDAMMIT LOOK AT ME DRACO.”

When Draco finally meets his eyes Harry is unprepared. His gray eyes are dark and stormy and sear into Harry’s green gaze like burning embers. Harry breathes in Draco’s comforting scent and he can't stop his gaze from flicking across his lips. Suddenly he can’t decide if he wants to punch or kiss him. He freezes and steps back letting go of Draco’s robes.

“Sorry” He breathes shakily. “I might have overreacted a bit.”

“It’s alright” Draco steps forwards towards him and meets his eyes. Harry can’t stop his body from reacting with a flush of warmth. “I should have told you all the details. I was worried if it sounded dangerous you wouldn’t come.” he adds sheepishly dropping his gaze to the floor again.

“Malfoy, do you even know who you’re talking to?” Harry shoves at his shoulder lightly ignoring the rush of warmth that jolts up his arm.

“You’re right. Should have known a little danger wouldn’t scare you off.” Draco’s smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Now what’s your plan for getting us out of here?”

Harry pokes around at the doors a bit before slumping defeated against a wall. “I can’t find a weak spot. Someone’s going to have to come get us.”

“Ugh.” Draco groans. “So humiliating. The most capable student of our class defeated by a stupid tunnel.”

“Oh I’ve gotten stuck in lots of different places before.” Harry says cheerfully sitting down and leaning back against the wall.

“I meant myself.” Draco says haughtily, folding himself against the wall next to him.

“Oh”

“Can you cast a patronus and get us out of here?”

“I can try.”

Harry tries. A silvery cloud appears at the end of his wand before dispersing into the darkness. He tries again. This time the cloud is smaller.

He slumps back defeated and his shoulder falls against Draco’s. He can’t help himself, he leans in a little. Draco lets him.

“I can’t do it.” he says dejected.

“Okay let me think.”

They sit there for a long time staring into the dark in front of them. Harry, comforted by the warmth of Draco against him, starts to doze off.

He wakes about an hour later to Draco shaking his shoulder enthusiastically.

“Harry. Harry!” Harry realizes he’s slumped against Draco’s shoulder, his body curved around the blonde boy. He pulls himself back into a sitting position abruptly wiping his eyes and looking over at Draco’s face.

“Sorry I fell asleep.” He rushes, voice husky.

“Doesn’t matter,” Draco says distractedly. “I think I have a solution.”

“What is it?” Harry perks up, straightening his spine against the wall.

“You aren’t going to like it.”

“Why not?”

Draco signs. “I think if we combine our magic it’ll be enough to get through to someone in the ministry.”

“You can combine magic?”

“Yes I’ve read about it. I think we can do it. You’ll channel my magic and it’ll be enough for you to cast a patronus.”

“I’m in” Harry says without hesitation.

“Okay.” Draco sounds hesitant. He reaches for his boot, pulls out one of the carefully concealed blades and makes a long slice along his palm.

“Merlin's beard!” Harry exclaims eyes wide as he watches Draco’s blood drip onto the bricks below them. “What are you doing, are you crazy!?”

Draco looks at him with a serious gaze “Harry this is how we combine magic. When our blood mingles we can draw on each other's magic. I have to slice your palm too.”

Harry shakes his head, his eyes wide but when Draco reaches out he lifts his hand and places it in Dracos. “Go for it.” He steals himself for pain.

Draco narrows his eyes and draws the blade against Harry’s palm. The pain sears hot and radiates down his arm. Harry watches his blood drip through his fingers dazed before glancing up into the comfort of Draco’s eyes. Draco grabs his bleeding hand and presses it against his own. Their finders link together and the pain stops. Harry watches Draco’s eyes widen. Their hands start to heat and suddenly raw energy rams itself through Harry’s bloodstream and up his arm. Without even thinking Harry attempts a patronus and watches as a small silver dragon blooms from the tip of his wand.

“Do you usually cast a dragon?” Draco is looking at him, eyes wide and bewildered.

“No,”Harry responds, looking just as confused. “It must have something to do with our shared magic.”

“I guess,” Draco furrows his brow thinking about it for a while. “Well I guess all we do now is wait and hope he’s able to find Granger.” He gestures at the small dragon as it disappears through the metal wall.

Harry nods. Drained from his use of magic, he glances at Draco’s shoulder again wondering if he can get away with another nap.

“Oh go ahead Potter. Just like you get burnt out after only a bit of magic” Draco scoffs gesturing at his shoulder with his free hand, before rubbing his eyes and attempting to look highly alert.

His body sways in exhaustion slightly giving him away but Harry is too tired to taunt him and relaxes his head gratefully onto the warm shoulder next to him. As everything fades to dark. Harry feels Draco's head drop onto his. He hums slightly and curls into him.

The two men succumb to sleep. Bloody hands clasped between them they breathe in unison as the darkness of the tunnel closes in around them.

Bonded

Harry/Draco, Pansy/Hermione

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35392933/chapters/88219483

Summary: Harry gets assigned the most boring Auror case in the world with the most horrible partner. Featuring a certain blonde nemesis, ancient magic bonds, a dragon, and a little too much Pansy/Hermione love (in Harry’s opinion).

Chapter 1

Chapter 2 

Chapter 3 

Harry awakes to the sound of metal doors clanging open and Pansy Parkinson's shrill voice yelling “What the hell!”

He blinks his eyes open and looks up dazedly to find Hermione and Pansy glaring at him with their arms crossed looking scarily similar.

Pansy strides up to them and grabs Draco by his collar, waking him up. Before he can even open his eyes she’s berating him, “How could you do something this dangerous Draco! I told you the tunnels were dangerous when you asked me about them?! And you wonder why Shakleboldt says you go on suicide missions?!”

“Ha! I told you Malfoy goes on suicide missions.” Harrys says to Hermione before meeting the steal in her eyes and thinking that perhaps now is not a time for jokes.

“Yes Harry but you’re on one too right now.” Hermione says looking pointed furious and glaring around the room.”

Suddenly the room grows quiet as both Pansy and Hermione’s gazes fall on their clasped hands at once. They exchange startled glances before Pansy glares at Harry.

“So what's this then Draco?” She speaks icily, gesturing to the bloody hands between them.

“Um, we’re in a weak magic zone so we combined magic for Harry to cast.” Draco looks chagrined.

“I did wonder about the dragon.” Pansy says haughtily looking a little relieved.

“Can you pull apart your hands now?” Hermione asks carefully, “I think we should get a look at your injuries.”

Harry meets Draco’s eyes startled that neither of them had thought to check their hands earlier and finds Draco looking equally confused. “Yeah sure”

They slowly pull their hands apart.

Hermione gasps.

Pansy says, “What the hell.” This time softer and a little awestruck.

Harry looks across at Draco’s face and watches the flickering blue light dance across it. He looks otherworldly and Harry just barely holds himself back from caressing his cheek. Instead he looks down focusing on the glowing blue lines etched across their palms and does his best to look concerned.

“What is this?” He asks softly, voice wavering as he watches Pansy and Hermione watch them.

“Draco, how did you bond your magic exactly?” Hermione says tentatively, never taking her gaze away from Harry’s face.

Draco explains the process and Harry tries to listen but he’s distracted by blue light reflecting in the depths of his grey eyes.

“Harry?” Hermione startles him and he breaks his gaze turning back to her. “Sorry what?”

“I’ve read about this sort of thing. It was common for wizards to share power in the medieval ages in order to fight bigger magical beasts. If I’m correct the glowing only happens in the dark and should fade over time. Your scar holds a bit of Draco’s magic and vice versa. I think if you hold hands you should be able to continue to share magic. It might tire you out though.” She cautions looking carefully between them. “I wouldn’t use it again unless you’re in a life or death situation.”

Harry looks across at Draco and finds his uncertainty mirrored.

Then Draco starts to look a bit cheerful. “You’re saying I’ve bonded magic with the Savior of the Wizarding world?”

Hermione nods at him confused.

“Aha!” He cackles. “This is great now, Shaklebodt can never fire me.”

“Our magic is bonded maybe forever and all you can think about is getting to keep your job?” Harry glances at Hermione who is glancing across at Pansy and finds them to be just as perplexed as he is.

“You’ve got to learn to look on the bright side of these things.” Draco says looking affronted. “I mean think of all the things we can do. “We have enough power to fight dragons.”

“You can’t actually use it for those things.” Hermione cautions. “If people find out about this type of bonding everyone will be doing it. It’ll cause power imbalances. In fact,” She sniffs. “It’s very dangerous. We’ll have to hope it fades.”

“Way to spoil the fun Granger.” Draco makes a face at her childishly.

“It’s important you know the details.” Pansy admonishes him, sharing a glance with Hermione.

The four of them tramp through the tunnel and back into the lobby. Hermione and Pansy insist that they report their magical development to Shacklebolt which makes Harry and Draco moan and groan and drag their feet across the marble floor.

Hermione and Pansy walk them all the way to his office door like untrustworthy little jailers and invite themselves into the meeting. Harry and Draco make childish faces at them every time they turn their backs until Shacklebolt catches them and asks if their bond has caused facial twitching. Harry and Draco pretend not to know what he means.

~~~~~~~~~

“I can’t believe he kicked us off the safest, most boring Auror case ever.” Harry says when they’ve been ejected back into the hallway and the heavy oak door has slammed behind them.

“It’s important that they observe your magic for a couple weeks to make sure it’s still stable” Hermione sniffs at him sounding haughty. Harry starts to think Pansy is rubbing off on her.

“So we just have to sit around in our offices doing nothing for two weeks?” Harry asks grumpily.

“No. Shakleboldt said you’re going straight to St. Mungos for a couple hours of observation and then they’re making you do magical testing every weekday to make sure your magic is still fine.” Pansy states flatly looking at him with mild concern. “Do you have hearing problems? He just told us this during the meeting.”

“Ha!” Draco says, sounding hysterically amused. “I told you. You never listen to anything Shakeboldt says Harry.”

“I have more important things to think about.” Harry says dramatically quickening his pace down the corridor.

They break off from Pansy and Hermione towards the floos and Hermione calls after them “Don’t forget to meet us at Dragon's Lair when Mungos releases you! Its pub night after all.”

Huh, it is Friday Harry ponders as he steps into the floo beside Draco.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The healers at Mungos take them into a small room eager to poke and prod them with spells. They cast diagnostic after diagnostic, picking at the golden and blue strands of their magic until Harry and Draco are looking at them blurry eyed with boredom only pausing to roll their eyes at each other periodically. Finally after an hour of tests the healers proclaim their magic “stable for now” and click the door behind them leaving Harry and Draco alone in the blinding white room to wait out the last three hours of their observation.

“And I thought our case couldn’t get more boring.” Harry mutters staring at the medical posters splayed across the walls.

“I wish I had my ministry model to work on.” Draco says echoing his sentiment as he kicks his legs back and forth off of the examining table.

“This is such a waste of time” Harry grumbles getting up to look at the medical tools on the counter.

“Should we try our new powers?” Draco says, cocking an eyebrow at him.

“Why not?” Harry steps closer until he’s facing Draco who’s still perched on the examining table. Stealing himself he moves in until he’s bracketed by Draco’s legs and extends his hand towards him.

Draco hesitantly reaches his own hand forward. Gently placing it down across Harry’s palm.

Their scars touch and the air around them starts to crackle like fireworks. The heat of their palms draws them in. Unknowingly they shift closer. Harry’s other palm comes to Draco’s waist and they lean into the dense sparkling warmth of each other's bodies.

Harry find himself hypnotized as the gentle gray of Draco’s eyes swirl before him. He leans in and watches as Draco’s eyelids flutter.

Suddenly Draco is shifting against him and Harry leans in further before he realizes that Draco is trying to shove him away. He stumbles, feet tripping over each other until his back hits the wall behind him. As he becomes aware of his surroundings he realizes that his clothes are smoldering.

“I… Um. Sorry” he spits out taking in the shaken expression that’s fallen across Draco’s pale face.

“Its uh, It’s alright.” Draco stumbles over his words, flustered “Should we maybe try touching again without our scars touching? To make sure it’s them causing this?” Draco suggests hesitantly. “Er okay,” Harry steps nervously forward and extends his other hand. He hopes Draco doesn’t notice he’s shaking slightly.

When Draco slips his long slender finger through Harry’s shorter brown ones the rushing heat fills Harry's head once again. He looks up and is captured by Draco’s gaze. His tongue flits over his lips and he’s about to give in, letting himself fall over the precipice that is Draco’s warmth when he realizes that Draco’s face is coached perfectly blank and his eyes are cold.

His heart drops to his stomach. He realizes maybe Draco doesn’t feel what he feels so he shoves his feeling into the back of his head and steals himself to pretend. He glances back into those beautiful grey eyes with a challenging expression and wills himself not to feel. It works, he thinks because Draco drops his hand as if he’s been stung.

“Well good.” Draco says flatly. “Looks like it only happens when our scars touch.We’ll just have to avoid that whenever possible.”

Harry spends the rest of their time at St Mungo's feeling shell shocked and empty. He studiously ignores the way Draco’s hair falls in soft waves against his neck and the way his heart expands when Draco gets excited explaining the next phase of his cardboard model.

Harry wonders when he started noticing these things about the blonde man in front of him and can’t quite place it. He wonders if it happened when he first tumbled off of the library shelves and Draco was on the ground waiting for him, arms extended. He wonders if it was during the fight that had cracked his scar open onto Draco’s desk, when he’d first realized Draco looked like an angel.

He wonders how he hadn’t realized it. How Draco had snuck up on him and made him feel like this. Sudden anger hits him like a sucker punch. His world is on fire and he’s burning with it. Draco shouldn’t be allowed to make him feel like this. Draco, his nemesis. Draco, bonded to him through ancient magic. Draco, who goes from sullen to cheerful with the flick of a switch.

Suddenly Harry can’t trust himself in a room with Draco. He clenches his fists, tries to breathe but within seconds he’s standing and snatching his wand from the counter beside them. Without a word he turns to the door and storms out.

Harry wanders the cold winter streets until his hands go numb and his cheeks are red against his tanned skin. He watches as his boots leave crisp prints in the snow and wishes that somehow things could be easy.

Eventually the sun dips low on the horizon and the sky darkens. When the street lamps around him click on he decides it’s time to head home.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry steps into the sitting room to find Hermione waiting for him. She’s dressed in going out clothes. A skin tight green dress and high heels, her dark velvety robes draped over her shoulders like the night sky. “Well you took forever.” She snorts, turning towards him, arms crossed firmly over her chest. “You remember its pub night tonight?”

“I needed some time to think.”

She continues as if he hasn’t even opened his mouth.“You know I really thought working with Malfoy would be good for you. Wake you up a bit, give you a new perspective. But instead I find myself increasingly unsurprised to find you acting like it’s sixth year again. I mean come on Harry. Walking out of a medical supervision period? Risking your life instead of sitting peacefully in a room with Malfoy is completely insane.”

Harry rocks back on his heels and keeps his mouth shut. It’s completely unhelpful to do anything other than agree with Hermione when she’s in a ranting mood.

“And Kingsley’s already owled to say he’s forgiven you. How does that man expect you to grow up when he keeps supporting this immaturity?!” She throws her hands up in the arm exasperated.

“Sorry ‘Mione I know I shouldn’t have” Harry mumbles throwing himself down into one of the armchairs. “Being bonded to my nemesis was a lot to handle and I needed some air.”

Hermione looks at him suspiciously and he can tell she doesn’t buy his explanation. She sighs and sits next to him. “I know it’s a lot to handle Harry and I’m sorry for berating you. I just wish you and Draco could figure things out as easily as me and Pansy have. I mean I can’t believe we weren’t friends earlier.”

“Being friends with Draco is never going to be that easy.”

“It might, you never know.”

Harry tries to picture being friends with Draco Malfoy but all he can think about is the hot heat in the examining room and his tanned palms against long pale fingers.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry arrives at pub night and marches through the crowd straight towards Hermione’s tousled curls.

“Look I’m here, just as I promised.” He says as cheerfully as he can muster before looking down and doing a double take.

“Um.” He pauses searching for words. “Are you two holding hands?”

“Yes.” Pansy responds serenely, lifting their clasped hands and pushing them into his face.

“Would you like a drink Harry?” Hermione asks swiftly, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

Before Harry can even respond she’s shoving a large blue cocktail into his hand. “We have some extras, a man kept sending drinks to Pansy.”

“What can I say? I'm irresistible.” Pansy grins unapologetically across at Hermione.

“Yes, and now we have all these drinks to show for it.” Harry notices that Hermione is slurring her words slightly as she gestures to the array of brightly colored drinks on the table. “Ginny and Theo have claimed those purple ones but all the others are up for grabs.

Harry glances out onto the dance floor and notices Theo and Ginny laughing heads thrown back as they twirl each other through the colored lights of the dance floor.

“I know you’re plying me with drinks to distract me from the hand holding Hermione” He says suddenly feeling a whole lot happier. “And to be frank, I’m so exhausted from the day I’ve had, it’s working. So cheers.” He holds up the bright blue cocktail and clicks it against her glass before lifting it to his lips and downing the whole thing in one go.

He’s wiping his lips and gasping for breath in recovery when he spots a head of white blond hair pushing through the crown towards them. His stomach immediately drops and sends him into a massive coughing fit.

“For god's sake get it together Potter. We’re in public and people are looking” Pansy hisses stepping on his foot.

He takes a deep breath and is finally calming the tickle in his throat when Draco reaches them.

“Pansy!” He calls warmly wrapping her and Hermione into a hug.

“Hullo Potter.” He says flatly as he pulls away. “Fancy seeing you here after you walked out on me. You know that examination was incredibly boring for the last two hours.” His gray eyes are dark and steely as he glares at Harry. Harry finds himself having a hard time glancing away just the same.

“Sorry I um had to do something.”

“Oh very convincing Potter.” Draco sneers sitting down at their booth.

They fall silent for a while listening to Hermione and Pansy chat about ministry affairs. Harry settles about drinking the array of drinks in rainbow order.

He’s started on his yellow drink when Hermione excuses herself to the bathroom.

“So Pansy, what did you do to convince that man to keep sending you drinks?” Draco draws, ignoring Harry completely.

“Oh. I bribed him obviously” Pansy responds dismissively, reaching for a new drink.

“What? Why would you bribe him?” Harry breaks through their conversation and from both of their startled looks he can tell they’d forgotten he was there.

“Well don’t tell ‘Mione obviously but I was trying to make her jealous.” Pansy confesses sticking her nose in the air. “Obviously it worked. I'm incredibly genius.”

“That you are.” Draco’s eyes are soft with fondness as he claps Pansy on her shoulder. Harry finds himself distracted, wishing Draco would look at him like that.

“What do you mean why would you try and make her jealous?” Harry stumbles shocked as things start to make sense.

“Oh I think you know Potter.” Draco winks across at him and Harry realizes that Draco must have known about Pansy and Hermione before tonight.

“You knew about this?!” He spits staring Draco down in what he hopes is a menacing manner.

“Obviously” Draco drawls. “How could you not know? It was right in front of your face.”

Harry stomps on Draco’s foot under the table and is about to respond when Theo and Ginny come crashing down onto the bench next to him.

“Hey everyone!” Theo calls to the table, swinging his arm around Harry’s shoulder and leaning in.

“I saw that handholding.” Ginny taunts Pansy as she reaches for her purple drink draining it quickly.

“Did everyone know about this but me?” Harry asks, glaring at his friends (and his arch nemesis) ((and Pansy who he guesses is his friend but it seems a little complicated. Especially if she’s keeping secrets)).

“You know we might not be able to be friends if you’re keeping secrets from me.” He admonishes Pansy.

“The only person I told is Draco,” Pansy huffs prissily. “The rest of them must have figured it out by themselves.”

“It was pretty obvious when we walked in on them cuddling on the coach last week.” Theo adds grinning at Pansy.

“I had a freak out at first but they actually make a lot of sense together.” Ginny interjects quickly. “But don’t tell Ron I said that he’d have a cow.”

Harry wishes Ron was here at least then someone would be as oblivious as he was. Then he thinks about the way Ron had thrown two of his favorite chairs across the room the first time Hermione had gone on a date after their breakup and realizes that this is the first time he’s actually been glad Ron’s gone.

“Well we all know I’m a thousand times better than Ron.” Pansy proclaims looking quite proud.

Harry is startled to find himself agreeing with her. He’d always been confused about how Ron and Hermione worked together. They were both so focused on different things and Ron never paid attention when Hermione talked about work which she passionately cared about. He thinks back to the couple of times he’s seen Pansy and Hermione together the last few weeks and realizes that Hermione's seemed a lot happier. Good for her for finding someone who makes her happy, he decides.

“I think you do make Hermione quite happy.” He states glancing across to Pansy, extending his olive branch. He’s startled to watch a bright grin spread across her face.

“Well look at that!” She giggles in a startlingly un-Pansylike way “the Savior has declared his acceptance. I really must be a thousand times better than Ron.”

Harry winces, in that moment he’s never been more glad that Ron is out of the country.

“You’re making it sound like Potter's approval is worth more than mine.” Draco whines, setting his green drink down onto the table.

“Yes.” Pansy responds primly. “That’s because he’s famous and world renowned and Hermione's best friend.”

“I’m famous and world renowned.” Draco shoots back at her lazily stirring his drink.

“Famous for working with an evil sociopath.” Pansy retorts haughtily.

“Well we can’t all be born the chosen one.” Draco shoots a glare across the table at Harry but this time it’s softer, almost playful and Harry can’t bring himself to glare back. Instead he shoots a lopsided smile back at his nemesis. Draco blanches and breaks eye contact quickly looking down at the sticky table in front of him.

At that moment Hermione’s heels click up to the table and she slides back into her seat next to Pansy. The table falls silent and Hermione looks around suspiciously. “Okay so what did I miss?”

“Potter was just saying he thinks I make you quite happy.” Pansy says her unnatural grin pouring across her face a second time.

“Oh, was he?” Hermione looks flustered and quickly picks up a red cocktail sipping it as her cheeks start to blush.

“I was.” Harry says looking at the two women across from him with warmth in his eyes. Hermione deserves happiness after all she’s gone through and if she’s found it with prickly aristocratic Pansy he’s going to support it. Yeah Pansy can be overdramatic but she’s also quite funny and recently he’s found himself warming up to the cold cutting charm of the Slytherins.

“Well good.” Hermione looks pleased and she scootches closer to Pansy pressing a peck to her cheek.

Theo, Ginny and Draco immediately wolf whistle at them startling Harry but he joins in when they start to applaud.

Pansy pulls away looking sour. “Now look at what you’ve done! everyone’s looking.” She turns toward Hermione looking for support in her reprimanding but Hermione has lost it giggling over her drink, her head falling to Pansy’s shoulder. Pansy softens and brings her hand up to card through Hermione’s curls.

Watching them, Harry's stomach curls. It takes him a second to recognize the feeling as jealousy. He wants what they have so badly it aches. He tries to distract himself glancing around the table to his other friends but his eyes catch on a flicker of gray and suddenly he’s staring into Draco’s eyes; it only makes the pain in his stomach worse.

Without thinking he drains his drink and stands up. “Alright, does anyone want to dance?” He tries to sound as cheerful and unsuspicious as possible.

Hermione immediately glares at him suspiciously.

“Yes!” Ginny and Theo cheer immediately. They’re always up for a rambunctious romp around the dance floor.

“Looks like Harry’s quite drunk already.” Theo says teasingly as he pushes himself up from the table wiggling his eyebrows at him. “Takes quite a bit of drink to get this one moving.”

Harry stands up from the table and finds his legs already feel wobbly and loose underneath him. Huh he must be quite drunk.

He imagines finding out his best friend is dating the best friend of his nemesis and almost accidentally kissing said nemesis all in one day warrant a few more drinks than usual.

The reminder of the almost kiss causes panic to rise in his stomach again and he grabs another drink off the table gulping it down before following Theo and Ginny onto the dance floor.

Theo and Ginny pull him in almost immediately and before he knows it they’re spinning back and forth under the rainbow lights. His legs feel wonderful and light and everything goes a bit blurry. He exchanges grins with Theo as Ginny spins between them her long red hair hitting them both in the face. He allows himself to forget his disastrous afternoon and sinks into the beat of the music.

After a while Pansy and Hermione join them and they form a circle spinning together in an empty corner of the room. Harry finds himself dazedly wondering where Draco has gone and scans the room spotting him across the room dancing close with a dark haired man he doesn’t recognize. A bitter taste rises in the back of his throat and the hot curl of jealousy returns to his stomach. He curses himself for allowing his stupid blonde nemesis to make him feel this way and focuses determinedly on his friends around him. However he can’t quite keep himself from glancing over at Draco every couple of minutes.

This means that when Draco finally leaves his dance partner and starts the trek across the room towards them Harry notices. He does his best to feign ignorance and concentrate on the sway of Ginny and Theo on either side of him leaning into their bodies and laughing with them.

He does such a good job at concentrating on his friends that he actually is startled when Draco cuts in between them.

“Potter.” He says and Harry’s eyes flick up to find the blonde man directly in front of him. Draco’s milky skin is covered with a fine sheen of sweat and he can tell Draco’s had a good amount to drink by the flush on his cheeks.

“Um. Yes?” Harry says, still moving to the music.

“Dance with me?” And suddenly Harry is certain this must all be a trick of his mind. He’s so drunk he’s completely lost it. Or maybe Pansy bribed Draco this time, trying to pull an ultimate prank on him.

“Did Pansy bribe you to ask me that?” He shouts back over the music, his mind still reeling.

“Um. No?” Now Draco looks confused and hesitant.

The lights wash over him painting across his skin and abruptly Harry doesn’t care if Draco’s been bribed or if he’s hallucinating. He gulps, clearing his throat nervously “Er sure. I guess. I guess I’ll dance.”

He steps closer to Draco and Draco pulls him by the sleeve deeper into the crowd. All at once Harry is immensely grateful for how drunk he is. He places his hands on Draco’s shoulders and loses himself in the push and pull of their bodies against each other.

Immediately heat pools at his navel and it feels like there are sparks of magic in the air around him. He gasps as Draco’s slender finger closes around his hips pulling their bodies even closer. He glances up into charcoal eyes expecting them to be cold and blank like in the examining room. His mind draws a blank when he realizes that Draco’s eyes are dilated and his gaze seems to be dragging across Harry’s mouth.

Harry’s too drunk to care about the ancient magic bonding them or the way Draco acted in the examining room earlier that day. All he cares about is the heat in his stomach, and the look in Draco’s eyes, and the sticky sweat feeling of their sweaty bodies against each other. He clasps the back of Draco’s neck in one of his hands pushing his fingers up through the back of his hair. He remembers when he first had the realization that Draco looked like an angel in the sunlight. He never would have imagined he’d find himself here in a darkened club pushing his body into Draco as he looks down at him with so much want in his eyes.

He watches as Draco’s gaze drags across his lips a second time. This time he can’t stop his own eyes from flitting across Draco’s lips and suddenly the two men are leaning in. The cool brush of Draco’s lips against his set a forest fire blazing in his stomach. He leans in craving more and lets himself drown in the dark bliss. Draco licks up between his lips and he opens his mouth to him. Their tongues curl around each other, all hot heat and hurried gasps. The kiss feels like making up for lost time. Harry pushes even closer, sliding a hand up and under Draco’s white shirt.

He barely gets a chance to caress the scorching skin beneath before Draco’s hands are up on his chest. He can’t quite comprehend what’s happening but suddenly he’s stumbling back into the dancers behind him. The burning heat of Draco’s body disappears leaving him cool and aching. He reaches back towards Draco to pull them together where they belong but Draco shoves his hand away.

When Harry meets his eyes they are wild and blazing. “How could you let this happen?!” Draco spits in an accusatory tone. “This isn’t us. It’s the bond. This could never be us. I don’t want you.” His voice is cold and cutting and suddenly Harry feels stone cold sober. He watches frozen as Draco disappears into the crowd.

It’s only after Draco’s disappeared that he looks down at his scarred hand and remembers the gauze he’d wrapped tightly around his scar before leaving that night.

He tries to make sense of what’s just happened and suddenly the panic and confusion of it all solidifies in Harry’s stomach and he’s immediately certain he’s going to vomit that very second.

He pushes his way through the crowds and stumbles through the side door of the pub, vomiting onto the bricks of the alleyway. It’s only a couple seconds before he feels Hemiones cool hands on his back she pulls his hair back for him as he continues to retch onto the cobbles.

“What happened? I saw Draco walk out?” She asks in her most soothing voice.

“I can’t talk about it okay. I just can’t.” Harry is embarrassed to note his eyes are watering; he hopes Hermione doesn’t mistake that for tears. He most certainly is not crying. “The bond is too much and he’s so confusing and I just don’t know what’s going on anymore.”

“Okay okay. We’ll figure it out. It’s going to be okay.” Hermione wraps him in a hug pulling him in close. “I’m going to apparate us home and we’ll have some tea. Tomorrow we can problem solve.”

“What about Pansy?” Harry finds himself asking. Pansy is the last person he wants to see right now; he can't believe he asked that.

“Oh she went after Draco.” Hermione explains quickly, waving her hand towards the front of the pub where Draco had disappeared. “It’s important for her to be there for her friends.” With that said she turns swiftly on her heel apperating them back to Grimmauld Place directly into the sitting room.

Harry drinks the tea Hermione prepares for him and goes about ignoring every single question she asks him. When she presses him he answers her in incoherent mumbles and she quickly gives up hugging him and sending him to bed.

Harry immediately falls into a fitful sleep. He dreams of pale hair tangled between his tanned fingers and milky skin in the sunlight.

Bonded

Bonded

Harry/Draco, Pansy/Hermione

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35392933/chapters/88219483

Summary: Harry gets assigned the most boring Auror case in the world with the most horrible partner. Featuring a certain blonde nemesis, ancient magic bonds, a dragon, and a little too much Pansy/Hermione love (in Harry’s opinion).

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4 

Saturday morning Harry refuses to attend his magical testing at St Mungo’s. He sleeps in as late as possible. When the sunlight through his curtain finally forces him out of bed he jams on running clothes and runs for over an hour. Every time he catches a glimpse of blonde hair he’s convinced it’s Draco and the panic of it all makes him run faster and harder than ever.

When he returns he showers before sinking boneless back into bed. He reads a novel and fixes himself a sandwich for dinner bringing it back to his room to eat away from the prying eyes of his friends. As he scampers up the stairs he hears Neville in the sitting room ask Hermione in a hushed voice “What’s wrong with Harry?”

“Oh you know the usual.” He hears Hermione respond “He had an altercation with Malfoy at the pub. Now they’re both stewing over it.”

Harry rushes up the stairs before he can hear Neville's answer. He can’t believe Hermione’s got it so wrong obviously he’s not upset about Malfoy. He’s upset about the ancient magic bonding them.

He eats his sandwich in the silence of his room, stewing in rage that Hermione thinks Draco is strong enough to have this type of effect on him.

That night he dreams about Draco again.

~~~~~~~

Sunday follows the exact same pattern as the day before.

On Monday and Tuesday he calls out sick from work and goes on long hikes that last most of the day. He tells himself that he’s getting in touch with the natural world but deep down he knows that he’s doing it to avoid Hermione's wrath.

On Wednesday he wakes early to Hermione prodding him with her wand. She is dressed for work and her face is stern.

“Get up Harry. You can’t keep calling out of work. This is ridiculous. I know Draco hurt you but this is insane.” Harry grumbles and turns his face back into his pillows. Hermione casts an aguamenti charm spraying his face with ice cold water.

“Hey!” Harry yells in protest sitting up ramrod straight in bed.

“I’m just trying to help you get your life together.” Hermione huffs sitting down on the edge of his bed. “You need to get up and shower. We have a meeting at St Mungos in half an hour. I’ve done some research on your bond with Draco and I have some theories.”

“Ugh. Any theories that’ll erase Malfoy from my life forever?” Harry mumbles his heart icy at the thought of seeing Draco again.

“Nope.” Hermione responds primly pulling the covers off him. “But you’ll want to shower I assume, since Malfoy will be at the meeting.”

“If he’s there I’m not going.” Harry spits stubbornly refusing to roll out of bed.

“If you don’t stop acting like a child I’m sending Pansy up here and you know she’ll be a lot less nice about getting you out of bed.” Hermione threatens.

Harry would really rather not talk to Pansy. Especially since he’s only wearing a pair of boxers covered in flaming snitches that Theo had gotten him as a birthday gift.

“Fine, I’ll go shower.” He concedes pushing his body up out of bed and strolling to the bathroom door.

“Thank god.” Hermione signs. “I’ll see you downstairs in 15 minutes.”

Harry arrives downstairs in 20 minutes because he’s really quite a petty person and if Draco can walk out on him in a bar Draco can wait a couple extra minutes in the St Mungos waiting room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they arrive in the conference room at St Mungo's Pansy and Draco are already there. Draco is staring at the floor desolately and refuses to look up when Hermione greets him. He does mumble a small greeting back. Harry assumes it is only his pureblood manners talking.

Harry ignores Draco and sits down in the chair furthest away from him. He focuses on Hermione and the St Mungo's healer at the front of the room and forbids himself from even so much as glancing in Draco's direction.

About three minutes later he catches himself breaking his promise as he watches Draco shove limp blonde hair behind his ears. He notices the bruised skin under Draco's eyes and wonders if he hasn’t been sleeping well. Hermione clears her throat at the front of the room and he scrambles to look back at her, pretending he wasn’t watching Draco at all.

Hermione explains she’s done some research and found a similar case of ancient bond magic in an auror pair 20 years ago. She says that the paper she read detailed diagnostic charms to make sure that the bond magic is directed solely through the scar tissue like him and Draco had hypothesized

She directs them to stand next to each other and touch scars. Heat boils in Harry's stomach and he feels like there’s a magnet in his chest pulling him towards Draco but all the people in the room are distracting and Draco is still refusing to meet his eyes so this time he finds it easier to ignore the bond magic. He focuses intently on the floor in front of him and uses all his strength to keep from reaching for Draco with his other hand.

He’s focusing so hard that he loses track of how long they’ve been there. Hermione’s directing the St Mungo's healer through a series of diagnostic charms. Their wands work in tandem to pluck at multi-colored strings of magic and examine them before placing them back into the air.

At one point Harry notices Pansy hovering at the door and glaring at him and Draco as if daring them to try and leave.

Finally when Harry’s bones are aching and he’s started to realistically consider giving into the magnetism of Draco’s body Hermione announces that the diagnostics are done and they can drop hands.

Harry finds himself feeling a little disappointed. He ignores it.

Draco drops Harry's hand like he's been burned and quickly sits back down. Harry notices that he's breathing hard and his fingertips are trembling. Ha! He thinks, just like Draco, to be too weak to properly fight a bond.

Then Harry looks down at his own fingertips and realizes he’s trembling as well. He feels suddenly a hell of a lot less cocky and slouches in his chair praying Hermione will let them leave.

“Just as I thought!” Hermione announces happily. “The bond doesn’t affect either of you or your magic unless your scars are directly touching. So you should be able to go back to working normally.”

Harry watches as Draco’s face turns paper white. He turns to Harry and their eye contact is frantic, charged. Draco pushes himself up out of his chair and practically runs for the exit. Pansy follows.

Harry remains frozen in his chair.

“ I um. I thought that was going to be good news?” Hermione hesitantly says, walking over to Harry. “Why did Draco act like it was the end of the world?”

Harry gives in and explains the night at the bar. He tells her about the way the air feels charged when he and Draco touch, The way he can’t stop dreaming about Draco. He tells her he doesn’t know what to do. Tells her that if the bond doesn’t make them want each other than something else must and maybe to Draco that is the end of the world. Because a Death Eater and the Savior would never work out would it?

Hermione listens and nods and comforts him. She rubs his back as he tells her the hard parts and afterwards Harry finds himself feeling drained and empty but somehow relieved. Hermione convinces him to apparate home and they drink tea again. This time there’s a lot more talking and a lot less avoidant mumbling. Harry wishes he had confided in Hermione earlier but it’s such an embarrassing concept falling for one’s nemesis. He can’t believe that’s what he’s done.

Hermione tells him she’ll always be there for him and thanks him for opening up. Then she disappears upstairs. Harry is suspicious that she’s firecalling Pansy. But what can he do about it? He can’t quite tell her that she's not allowed to talk to her girlfriend.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Harry goes to work. Mostly because Hermione explains that he’ll have to face Draco at some point. Also because she explains that if he doesn’t she’ll tell Kingsley about how many of his St Mungos appointments he’s missed this week.

He arrives at the office to find Draco’s called out sick. Kingsley assigns him to paperwork all day since Aurors can’t do field duty without a partner.

When he questions Kingsley about Draco’s illness. Kingsley says “He must have caught whatever you had earlier this week” and stares at him pointedly until Harry mumbles his agreement and flees the office.

He spends his day reading case files and accidentally drawing pictures of men with blonde hair in the margins. He spends half an hour digging through his desk to find whiteout to cover said drawings. He paces the floor, sticking his head into offices of his fellow Aurors and catching up. It’s a fine day but he finds himself searching for a flash of blonde hair around every corner.

The next day is much the same. Draco calls out sick again. Harry spends the whole day with his heart in his throat watching the hallway for him.

~~~~~~~~~~

Harry only goes to pub night that night because Hermione pinky promises him Draco won’t be in attendance.

Attempting to use multicolored cocktails to numb his internal turmoil he drinks himself into quite a state early in the night. Pansy and Hermione are so happy together it makes him sick and he’s too drunk to listen to the way Neville is lecturing Ginny and Theo on South African plants so he throws himself onto the dance floor and makes it a goal to dance with as many attractive people as possible. If Draco doesn’t want him that’s fine. He’s sure there are many others who do.

Harry’s correct. He dances with an assortment of pretty people. None of them make his skin sing like Draco does but he ignores it. The ebb and flow of bodies feels nice against him and he loses himself in the music. A tall blonde man appears in front of him and wraps his arms around Harry’s waist pulling him in. He smells like brown sugar and Harry’s body doesn’t feel like a live wire against his. It’s kind of a relief. He feels in control, unaffected. Harry leans in, pushes up against him, reveling in the slide of skin against his.

Suddenly the man releases him and vanishes into the crowd. Harry looks up confused and his eyes clash against steely grey ones.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” he growls, shoving Draco’s chest hard.

“I know.” Draco says looking just as frustrated as he pushes Harry’s arms away from him.

“This is all your fault Potter,'' he spits.

Then all at once he's leaning in and Harry can’t tell if he’s about to be shoved or kissed and he freezes. Their lips meet in a bruising kiss. Draco is biting Harry’s lip so hard it might bleed and he’s leaning into it. Their arms grapple pushing at each other until hands slide under shirts to meet warm sticky skin.

Harry spins on his heel and apparates them straight into his bedroom. Draco doesn’t even pause to look around; he's focused on mouthing at Harry’’s neck as he pushes his shirt up over his head.

They fall onto the bed in a tangle of limbs and heat. Draco touches him, harsh and angry. Harry responds, pushing back against him, craving more. They move in tandem. All hot breath and whispered words.

As their clothes come off and skin meets skin Harry watches as magic ricochets in bright flashes across the room. He watches in awe for a second before turning back to the lean pale body in front of him. He pulls him close and loses himself in an ocean of gray eyes and tender skin. He thinks he can never get enough of this.

~~~~~~~~

The next morning he wakes to an empty bed. The sheets are cold beside him and every trace of Draco has vanished from the room. It’s like he was never there.

A heavy ache rises in the pit of Harry’s stomach. He forces himself to ignore it.

He goes on a long run and naps until dinner. He forces himself downstairs to eat because he knows if he mopes too long everyone will get suspicious about the Malfoy situation all over again and he really doesn’t want them figuring out what's transpired in the last 24 hours.

He traipses down the stairs and slides into his seat at the table reveling for a second in the cheerful chatter of his friends and the clatter of silverware.

“Curry?” Ginny offers. “Pansy made it.”

“Sure,” Harry reaches for the large platter.

As he grasps it in his hands and starts to pull it closer to him Theo interrupts conversationally “So, Harry. Anything to say about Draco Malfoy sleeping over last night?”

The table immediately goes dead silent. Harry’s hands tighten on the porcelain platter a second too late and it falls to the floor. It shatters on impact and the loud noise makes everyone jump and reach for their wands. Curry spread out across the dining room floor and a bright yellow stain. It still looks delicious spread out across the floor and Harry’s so hungry he could cry. “No comment” He responds tightly casting spells to mend the palter and vanish the curry from the floor.

“There’s more curry in the kitchen, I'll just go grab it.” Pansy soothes rushing from the room.

“You can’t go all no comment on us.” Ginny whines. “When me and Luna hooked up last month you made me give you all the details.”

“That's totally different.” Harry scoffs, “You’d been obsessed with Luna for an entire year. There was a whole build up to it you couldn’t just stop giving us details.”

“Oh like you haven’t been obsessed with Draco for literally your entire time as a wizard.”

“That’s different. He’s my nemesis.”

“No. Voldemort was your nemesis and you still cared about Draco Malfoy ten times more than him.”

“I don’t CARE about Malfoy.” Harry explodes pushing back from the table.

“You must a little. You did sleep with him.” Hermione interrupts serenely from across the table.

Something sinks in Harry’s chest. He tries to channel the anger and hatred he’d felt towards Malfoy at school and he can’t quite reach it. Fine maybe he does care about the blonde git. But only a little. And there’s no way he’s admitting that to his friends.

“Yes.” Theo adds mildly. “You’d have to be insane to sleep with someone you actually adamantly hated.”

“Alright, alright.” Harry holds his hands over his head in defeat and watches as Pansy levitates a fresh curry out of the kitchen. “Maybe I don’t hate Malfoy as much as I used to. But that doesn’t change anything.”

“Ahh.” Pansy exclaims mysteriously. “I think it might.”

Harry ignores her and focuses on spooning his curry carefully onto his plate.

“So, how was the sex?” Ginny asks, always the brash one.

“I’m not talking about it.” Harry clenches his jaw and glares furiously down at his plate.

“Come on just a few details? Malfoy’s quite fit.” Neville chimes in grinning.

“No! It’s not important. It didn’t mean anything.” Harry thinks about how he’ll never touch Malfoy again and suddenly feels nauseous. “I’m feeling a little sick, I’m going up to lay down.” He shoves his chair into the table with a tad more force than necessary shaking the plates and cups and turns storming up the stairs to his room. As he disappears he hears Hermione say, “You really should be more gentle on him. I think he’s quite shocked about the outcome of things.”

Pansy responds, “Quite shocked? I have a hard time believing anyone is quite shocked. The tension has been building between them since the first year.”

Harry slams his bedroom door shut, shaking the walls. Pansy is so completely wrong. How could anyone have seen this coming. He doesn’t even like looking at Draco.

He thinks again about the delicate features of Draco's face. The hypnotic swirls of his ever changing eyes and okay maybe he’s wrong. Maybe he does like to look at Draco but that doesn’t MEAN anything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry wakes up early the next morning. Mostly because Hermione is standing at the food of his bed yelling “Harry! Wake up you git. Kingsleys calling you in today.”

“Um. What?” Harry mumbles sleepily attempting to disappear under his pillows.

“You have to get up.” Hermione states, flat and impatient. “There’s a dragon loose in Scotland. It’s set a town on fire already. Kingsley's calling you and Malfoy in. You need to leave as soon as possible.”

“Ugh. That's so unfair. Why can’t someone else deal with it.”

“It’s actually completely fair because neither you or Draco did a single piece of work all last week.” Hermione says primly, throwing his Auror robes at him.

“I did some paperwork.” Harry tells her haughtily, rolling out of bed and pulling on his robes.

“Oh did you?” Hermione questions looking cheerful. “Or did you just doodle on the margins of case notes like you always do?”

“Fine.” Harry mumbles chagrined, “I didn’t do much last week but I was going through serious emotional strife.”

“I wouldn’t call wanting to fuck someone serious emotional strife.” Hermione says snidely ushering him out of his room.

“Pansy really is rubbing off on you.” Harry retorts.

Hermione directs him to the portkey sitting in the hallway and he places his hand on it. Immediately the walls start spinning around him.

When his stomach stops feeling like it’s being turned inside out he opens his eyes and finds himself standing at the top of a green grassy hill. Below him a village is burning. He turns to his right to find Draco watching him, a guarded look in his eyes.

“So, we have to stop the dragon.” Harry says by way of greeting.

“Yes.” Draco’s tone is clipped and he’s still watching Harry with suspicious eyes.

“Okay so if we use the bond we should be able to encapsulate it in a holding charm of some sort until Charlie gets here to collect it.” Harry says flatly, trying to act as normal as possible.

“I’m not using the stupid bond.” Draco spits at him childishly.

“Why not? This is what bond magic was originally used for.” Harry scratches the back of his neck feeling awkward.

“Because we don’t need the bond.” Draco’s face is twisting into a familiar grimace. “In fact I don’t even need you. Don’t know why Kingsley sent you out here, you're good for nothing.” He turns and starts to stride down the hill away from Harry.

If this had happened even a month ago Harry might have fallen for it but by now he’s studied Draco, seen him with less of a guard up. He recognizes that grimace from when they were children. Back then he thought Draco only looked like that when he was angry, when he wanted to hurt someone, but now Harry knows better.

He knows better and in a split second he’s caught up to Draco and grabbed his wrist twisting him back towards him.

“Is that really why you don’t want me here Draco?” He spits, voice hoarse and cracking. “Because to me it seems like you’re just scared.”

Draco’s eyes meet his wild and defiant. “Of course not Potter, how could I ever be afraid of you. You’re nothing to me.”

“Really?” Harry takes a step closer to Draco and thinks he can see his fingertips trembling. “Because it doesn’t feel like nothing.” He reaches up and caresses Draco’s cheek leaning in.

Then abruptly he’s airborne.

At first he thinks Draco’s hexed him but when he looks back and sees horror spilling across his face he realizes this couldn’t have been something Draco did. In fact Draco looks worried for him.

His body relaxes and he starts to feel relief. His brief sense of calm is quickly washed away when he looks down at his chest and realizes that he’s slowly being crushed in a large set of talons. He looks up to find he’s staring at the underbelly of a dragon.

Harry quickly casts a quick incareous binding the dragon talons around him. After all he doesn’t want to risk getting dropped onto the burning town below.

He watches as below Draco casts a patronus. He never knew Draco could cast a patronus but he guesses Draco wouldn’t have been allowed through Auror training without learning one. He watches as the silver cloud blooms out of the end of his wand and forms into a fawn. Harry thinks it looks weak and helpless standing there on it’s long spindly legs. He watches as Draco speaks to it, sending it for backup he assumes. He watches as it disappears into the mountains behind him.

It’s only after the patronus disappears that the importance of the fawn shocks him. He freezes silent in the hold of the dragon as he watches the sunlight glint off of blonde hair beneath him. Suddenly he’s certain of just how much Draco’s been lying about.

He feels a sharp jab of pain run through his chest and looks down to see the rough red talons closing even tighter on his body. The jagged edge of a claw catches on his shirt and presses down.

Harry watches as crimson red blossoms like a wine stair against his white shirt. The blood spreads quickly and he suddenly starts to feel dizzy with a combination of blood loss and the sight of scenery rushing past below him.

He twists looking below him for a glimpse of Draco. He catches a glimpse of red and black Auror robes to his left and watches Draco swiftly catch up to them on a broom. Draco yells something to him but it disappears into the wind. Harry tries to respond but his vision gets blurrier and blurrier and suddenly everything goes black.

~~~~~~~~~~

Harry wakes up in a hospital bed. He blinks his eyes slowly opening them. A gasp of relief to his left straddles him and as he swings his head to the side his gaze catches on a swatch of bright blonde hair.

“Draco?” He breathes quietly having a hard time believing his own eyes.

“Yes, It’s me.” Harry feels someone squeeze his hand. He looks down and watches as pale cool fingers wrap delicately around his tanned palm.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Oh no Harry didn’t mean to say that out loud. “The pain potions might be going to my head.” he adds quickly hoping to avoid scaring Draco away.

“No worries. I’m glad I could be here, you scared me.” Harry carefully watches Draco’s face and his expression seems genuine.

“I’m sorry Harry. I know I’ve been a right git about it but I do like you.” Draco looks sheepish and small. Harry can’t stop looking at him.

“That’s alright.” Harry responds nonchalantly. “I get it. It’s hard falling for your nemesis.”

“Who said I was falling for you?” Draco retorts, crossing his arms and making a face like he’s pretending not to care.

“I did.” Harry pulls Draco’s hand closer to him caressing it.

Draco falls silent letting Harry pull him closer. The room starts to get hazy again and Harry feels his meds pull him back to sleep.

When he wakes up the second time Draco is asleep next to him. The top half of his body is leaning off of his chair and onto the hospital bed. His golden locks spread halo-like against the pale green sheets. Harry cards his tan fingers through his glimmering hair and waits for Draco to wake up. Somehow he can just tell that Draco will never run from him again. Or at least if he does he'll always return.

Bonded

(Complete fic, words: 16.6k)

Harry/Draco, Pansy/Hermione

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35392933/chapters/88219483

Summary: Harry gets assigned the most boring Auror case in the world with the most horrible partner. Featuring a certain blonde nemesis, ancient magic bonds, a dragon, and a little too much Pansy/Hermione love (in Harry’s opinion).

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4 

3 day manifestation

In lesson 3, neville is confident that it takes no longer than 3 days to manifest your desires into your 3D.

“Three days; the duration is three days for response in this world. If I would now assume I AM what I want to be, and if I AM faithful to it and walk as though I were, the very longest stretch given for it’s realization is three days.” - Neville Goddard

once you decide you are who you want to be, or have what you want, staying faithful and loyal to that will guarantee that the manifestation comes into fruition within 3 days.

“If I could completely saturate my mind with one sensation and walk as though it were already a fact, I am promised that I do not need more than a three day diet if I remain faithful to it. But I must be honest about it. If I Change my diet in the course of the day, I extend the time interval.” -Neville Goddard

so in this quote, neville is talking about the process of the 3 days. basically, if you soak your mind with the corresponding thoughts (affirmations) and persist, 3 days is all you need to see it in the 3D. however, during those 3 days, if you waiver, repeat the old story, dwell in doubts or intrusive thoughts, the days will be extended. that’s what neville means by “If I change my diet in the course of the day.” and by diet he means mental diet.

1. decide what it is that you want. this can be one thing or a list of things.

2. choose affirmations that correlate with your manifestation

2. choose affirmations that correlate with your manifestation

3. repeat these affirmations all day

3. repeat these affirmations all day

repeating, will saturate your mind with this new idea. and it will start to become a natural thought.

4. do not waiver, repeat the old story, doubt. anytime you feel the urge to, repeat those affirmations until it’s stuck.

5. and by day 3 (or within 3 days), you will have your manifestation, if and only if you did not dwell in the old story.

*i also want to say real quick that if you do get doubts, intrusive thoughts, or repeat the old story, as long as you do not dwell in that, and immediately change that thought you’ll be good. so don’t worry so much about having those thoughts, worry about correcting them*

this post is no different than any other telling you to persist. cause that’s all this is.. persisting. and i’ve seen all the “i am persisting” “i’ve been persisting for weeks” however, the reason many of y’all don’t see your results is bc while you were so called persisting you let all types of contradicting thoughts pass by and you dwell’d in them. stop doing that!

soooo.. saturate your mind with affirmations, correct any opposing thoughts, and persist/live in the end.

for 3 days. if you really want your desire, you’ll STAND TF UP, and persist for just 3 days!

I would love to be a plant, photosynthesising seems pretty cool.

— Neville Longbottom

To those ppl who think Voldy shouldve chucked Harry out of the window when avada kedrava failed

Remember Neville's story though? He found out he was a wizard when his grandpa (? haven't read the stories in a while) accidently dropped him headfirst from the 2nd floor and he lived. Maybe Voldy knew Harry would live since he's a wizard. But yeah he should've experimented like seeing if baby wizards would die if you yeet them out of windows.

Why

The king of the cruiserweight all is too devastated by his loss.