Death's Curse Undone

Chapter 5 - Pleading

Chapter 5 - Pleading

Draco wandered the castle in a daze, wondering what would happen to him. His mate hated him.

Oh God! Crushing helplessness and despair overtook the boy and he collapsed in the middle of the corridor uncaring of who saw him or what they did to him. What did it matter anymore? He wasn't the 'Prince of Slytherin' anymore. The Malfoy name was dust. His Master had rejected him. What did a few hexes and curses matter? He already faced a fate worse than death. And he couldn't even blame the curse. No, he, Draco Abraxas Malfoy, had to be the first submissive Veela idiotic enough to make his Mate hate him all on his own! He didn't even need the curse to make his life miserable.

Suddenly, Draco straightened. He remembered Potter's titles - Duke Slytherin, Prince Peverell... and Harry had been a Parselmouth. There had to be some Slytherin in the boy. And... Harry had admitted hate for his father, not him. Not him! Draco's mind raced. Maybe, just maybe he could negotiate with Potter on his own. What did he have that Potter could possible want? A memory came to him - Potter's behaviour in the Forest, his indisputably DARK behaviour. He could offer to be Potter's safeguard in this. Harry couldn't afford to be seen as Dark, he needed someone to guard him - someone on whom he could safely unleash his Dark side. It would be horrific and frightening but it would keep him alive and out of worse pain. Wondering when he got to a point where he would take being the focal point of someone's Dark nature as the more painless option, Draco got up off the floor and drew his cloak about himself as he went to look for Harry.

Harry, meanwhile, had told Ron, Hermoine and Ginny about his interview with the Malfoys. The answers he got were NOT what he expected.

Ron had blushed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Err, well mate it's just that - a Veela mate?! That's something we're brought up to really want and you've got it... yeah, seems like a real waste to throw it away.". Ginny had gasped and put a hand on her chest, "Oh Harry! I love that you would choose me over a Veela but - if you don't mate with Malfoy, he'll be in agony - it's a fate worse than death. Fleur told me. And... I don't know about you all - I'm not part of the Golden trio - I don't have as much war experience as the rest of you - but there's been enough death Harry, I don't want to see any more.".

Hermoine had looked at him and spoken softly, "Harry, this curse comes from the Black family line. It could just as easily have been Sirius in the same position. Think on that.".

Harry now stood alone with a Ginny who was still trying to convince him to give Malfoy a chance. "But Gin, I don't want to lose you!" Ginny took a deep breath and gathered her courage, "And you won't. I'm willing to share. I can't say I'm happy about that because I'm not but so long as Malfoy can refrain from making any public claim on you I can deal with it. To save a life, I can deal with it. But give him a chance, Harry. Give him a chance or -", she shut her eyes briefly before continuing, "or you WILL lose me.". Ginny slipped out of his arms, running away before her resolve faltered. Hary stormed away angrily. But underneath his anger there was a sense that he might have wronged Malfoy.

Malfoy paled and reconsidered his idea. Sure, he'd set out to convince Harry but he needed him to at least be calm! But - Harry had already seen him. Harry saw Malfoy - he refused to call him Draco - and his mood immediaately worsened. Sure, he had to give the ferret a chance - but did he have to turn up right fucking NOW? He sighed. Might as well get it over with. He stomped towards the prat.

"Malfoy, I, err... I think we need to talk.", Harry said gruffly. He felt embarrassed now. He was here to talk to Malfoy about being his Veela mate - and had been sent to do it by his fiancee! Another part of him wondered how what he was thinking would even work - seperate houses? A mate and a wife? He wasn't going to give up or demean Ginny - so that would make Malfoy his... mistress? Or... mister? Oh God!

Malfoy stared. Potter wanted to talk? A part of him was jumping up and down screaming. That was his Veela side - the side that was just glad that his mate was giving him attention. His Slytherin side was also pleasantly surprised. He'd thought he'd have to beg and plead for a private audience - and here Harry was inviting him to one!

Harry turned around. At one time, Malfoy might have hexed him. Now, he just followed.

Malfoy begged. Harry turned to the wall, knocking his head against it a couple of times. Malfoy begging was just wrong. He couldn't handle this Malfoy, he preferred the one he had to fight. 'The one he had to beat into submission.', whispered his Darker side. Draco was beginning to panic. Harry was losing interest - he was banging his head against the wall - not paying attention - frustrated... Merlin! He couldn't take a rejection. Not on this. And Potter was known for being inflexible - just look at their own history! A rejection would, at the very least, cut off this avenue of approach; and he wasn't sure if he could currently think up another.

"Har- Potter,", he whispered softly, swallowing and changing his form of address at Harry's glare, "please; I, no we both, NEED this - what's stopping us? Please, c- can't we have an arrangement?". He put the ball in Potter's court, not knowing what more to say - how to plead his case... He hadn't ever been so terrified in his life. He felt on the verge of laughing hysterically - insanely. His father's idea of disciplining his son, his OWN flesh-and-blood incorporated the Cruciactus Curse; he'd had the bloody Dark Lord for a houseguest the past year; he'd been Marked as a Death Eater, a certified Dark Wizard at sixteen... - and none of it had caused him as much sheer mind-numbing soul-searing terror as the possibility that Potter might reject him. For the first time in his life, Draco Malfoy understood what it was to be helpless and full of impotent rage and hate.

Harry felt the Dark rage rise up in himself again. 'both of them? BOTH of them?' "Tell me, Malfoy,", he sneered, "exactly how would an 'arrangement', as you term it, serve ME?" Malfoy swallowed and forced himself to reply calmly, logically. Emotion and appealing to Harry's better side wouldn't win him this - Harry didn't HAVE a better side when it came to him. He had to fight with logic; and maybe by luring and tempting Harry's Darker tendencies. Steeling himself he replied quietly, "How about what happened earlier in the Forest, Potter? I cannot see Ginny Weasley indulging such, shall we say, aggressive proclivities?". "Are you saying that you would?" The voice was mocking, baiting. "I would have no choice.", Draco replied flatly. He locked eyes with Harry, noting the taken-aback expression on his face, "A willing catamite, Harry. That's what I'm offering you. Someone on whom you can enact your deepest, darkest fantasies - give your Dark side free reign... without any resistance or reprisal.". He gulped, noting how Harry's eyes had begun to light up at the mention of giving his Dark side free reign. A very large part of him wanted to run away, the idea of willingly making himself so vulnerable to someone who clearly WANTED to torture him utterly abhorrent to his Slytherin instinct of self-preservation. 'But,', he reminded himself, 'he WAS acting on that very sense of self-preservation'. Steeling himself with reminders of what he would have to face without Harry he forced himself to continue, forcing out what he knew to be a nearly irresistible lure to anyone with a sadistic side, "Someone who hates you utterly, but must surrender himself to you completely.". The words came out softly, unwillingly, but they came and seared Harry's heart with desire. He wanted, no - make that needed, what Malfoy offered.

Draco Malfoy didn't know whether to laugh or cry when Potter growled out, "I accept you, Draco.".