Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Cape of Storms ❯ Chapter 7: Will I ever reach it? ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Title: Cape of Storms
Author: DeityOfDeath
Archive: Yes please...
Pairings: Lucius/Harry Severus/Harry
Category: Drama, romance, slash
rating: NC-17/R
Spoilers: Most likely.
Warnings: Yaoi, Lemon, Drama SPOILERS!
Disclaimers: I never have nor will I ever own Harry Potter or its chars. They are property of JK Rowling and major companies.

Note from Author: Thank You for reading and supporting fan fiction! Enjoy and please review!

SPOILERS AHEAD! You have been warned!

Cape of Storms

Chapter 7: Will I ever reach it?

I had found myself awake and in an empty bed. I sighed and lay back in the soft down pillows and fought the urge to squeal like a girl. I was happy. Sure, I was dying with little or no hope of living to see my nineteenth birthday but I had finally said the one thing that had been weighing me down. I had told said that I loved him.

Instead of squealing I stretched in my large bed and proceeded to smile like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.

"I see someone's in a good mood today," I heard the amused and slightly nasally voice of my best friend say.

I sat up and smiled brightly, "Hermione!"

She ran over and tackled me in a big hug. We sat there hugging each other laughing loudly until someone cleared their throat. Hermione let go and sat back on her haunches while turning to look in the direction of the doorway where my other best friend stood holding a small infant.

"I've never gotten a hug like that," he said with a smile.

"You have too! Come over here so Harry can see Lawrence," said Hermione rolling her eyes at her husband.

"See what I mean Harry, a bossy little thing. Merlin help us if we ever have a daughter and she turns out like her mother."

"Well just think about it Ron, your children have both of your genetics so if you have a daughter she'll have a little of Hermione in her and a little of your mother."

"Are you trying to give me nightmares? Gin is bad enough. She's a little drama queen, that one. She's already figured out how to use those big blue eyes and Merlin forbid she doesn't get her way because then she starts howling like a banshee just like Mom."

"Ronald! Is that anyway to talk about your niece," reprimanded Hermione.

"I don't see you volunteering to watch her, Aunt Hermione," said Ron with an all knowing grin.

Hermione cleared her throat and took Lawrence from Ron's proffered arms and held him out to me, "Uncle Harry, meet your God son Lawrence."

I looked down at a pair of bright brown eyes framed in a chubby smiling face surrounded by wavy carrot colored hair. I took him in my arms and awkwardly held him for the first few minutes until he smiled at me causing my nervousness to dissipate. After a few minutes I realized that Lawrence was a baby and nothing to be scared of. I held him and talked to him and found myself genuinely interested in this small being.

"Wow Harry, you're a natural. Took me days to get used to holding him," said Ron with a grin.

"I've always wanted a family. I think holding Lawrence just cemented Sev's fate."

Hermione laughed, "So what Minerva said is true. I've got no objection as long as you're happy."

Hermione turned to look at Ron and I did the same out of instinct.

"What? I agree with Mione. I've got no problem with the man as long as you're happy. The moment he does something to hurt you he goes on my "git" list."

I laughed, "Don't you mean "shit" list?"

"Harry! Not in front of Lawrence. Mom said she doesn't want one of his first words to be a foul one so I have to watch my language. She threatened to use the rolling pin!"

I laughed and was about to comment when a knock on the bedroom door caught our attentions.

"Come in!"

I watched as Poppy entered holding a tray of potions with Sev not far behind her.

"Well if that isn't a sight to behold," said Poppy smiling brightly.

Severus still looked tired but there was a new look in those deep dark eyes. Was it surprise or perhaps even some emotion close to lust? No, that was a look of awe and a tad bit of want.

"Looks like the proud parent himself I'd say, eh Severus," Poppy questioned while setting the tray down on the night stand beside me.

Sev simply nodded his hand and walked over to Poppy's side to help administer the potions.

"Here Mione', you should take Lawrence. I wouldn't want to throw up on my Godchild," I said as I handed him back to Hermione.

"Are these the potions you take everyday," she asked eyeing the array of colorful concoctions.

"It was only two or three a few days ago but it seems I've graduated to six if not more," I said with a joking sigh.

"Why does he have to take so many," asked Ron.

"There's one for the seizures, a blood replenishing and strengthening potion, a nutrition potion, a potion to help with organ failure and the last two are glasses of Orange juice and apple juice for in-between and when he's done."

I actually let out a breath I had been un-intentionally holding.

"Don't sound so relieved Harry. Today will be the first of many where you'll start your day off with potions and examinations."

"Yippee...," I said with no enthusiasm.

"Now young Weasley's if you wouldn't mind," Poppy chorused as she took her wand from her apron pocket.

"We'll see you later Harry. Professor Snape I'll see you after I'm done talking with Headmistress McGonagall," said Hermione as she squeezed my hand and stood up cradling Lawrence in her arms.

I watched them both leave and resigned myself to Poppy's examination. She would examine one thing or another and then stop to talk to the quill that floated above a note pad beside her. My examination was thorough and took longer than an hour. When she had finished I began the tedious work of swallowing my potions and juice.

I had finished and fought back a yawn while watching Poppy collect the vials and once again talk to her quill.

"So, what's your diagnosis? How long will I live," I asked as I struggled to keep my eyes open.

Poppy placed her finger on my nose and tapped it a few times, "You will live as long as I'm alive and that's as good of an answer as you'll get from me. Take your nap and let your body heal."

I watched as she turned away from me and patted Severus on the shoulder, "I'll see you in Minerva's office tonight."

He nodded and I watched as she left the room, tray once again in hand. I struggled to keep my eyes open but it fault as though there were weights forcing them down.

"Don't fight it, you need the rest," I heard him say softly.

"Stay with me, until I fall asleep," I asked looking at him through half slitted eyes.

"I suppose," he said as he sat down on the bed beside me.

I felt his hand atop my forehead and I turned towards it like a cat seeking a hand to be petted. His thumb gently caressed my cheek. If I had been a cat I would have purred but I settled for a contented sigh and a smile.

"Sev?"

"Hmmm...?"

"Can wizards get married?"

"Wizards can be bonded. There are no prejudices in the wizarding world for those who love the same sex but the ceremonies differ for their unions," answered Sev in his teacher voice which was a tad bit gentler than I had ever heard it.

"How does one get bonded," I asked in my dazed state.

"Someone of high stature or nobility performs the ceremony which is similar to a Hand fasting. Why the questions," he asked.

"Would you bond with me," I asked in a soft whisper.

"Are you proposing to me, Harry," he asked playfully.

"Only if you'll accept."

He was quiet and his thumb stilled in its gentle stroking, "Then I have no choice but to accept. Just for future reference, usually the top in the relationship proposes," he said as his thumb resumed its stroking.

"I'd be ten feet under if I waited for you to ask," I said grinning.

I watched through nearly closed eyes as he leaned over and placed a kiss on my forehead, nose, both cheeks and finally my lips.

"Brat," he replied atop my lips.

We both smiled with our lips connected before we deepened the kiss. We allowed our lips to roam over each others mouths, sucking and licking until our lips felt large and swollen. We broke apart and grabbed his hand pulling it under my chin, hugging it.

"Can you do me a favor, Sev?"

"I shall try."

"Can you find me a small gold chain necklace," I asked.

"Is that all," he asked.

I nodded and kissed his palm.

"Then I shall. Is there anything the Gryffindor prince needs," he asked as his other hand played with my bangs.

"A family," I whispered as my eyes drifted shut.

"We shall see..." he said brushing my bangs aside and ran his finger along my lightening bolt scar

I felt a presence hovering over me and upon opening my eyes I saw Sev standing wearing a nervous frown.

"Mornin' Sev."

"So it is, or actually closer to afternoon."

I blinked and reached for my glasses on the nightstand. I found them and quickly slid them on and turned to look at the small grandfather clock hanging on my bedroom wall. Eleven thirty! I had fallen asleep at around twelve yesterday and I was just waking up! I had managed to sleep for twenty three hours!

"TWENTY THREE HOURS! I SLEPT FOR TWENTY THREE HOURS!"

"Yes, we noticed. When I commented on it last night Poppy said that it was your body healing what it could after you had taken those potions."

I sat up and stretched sore muscles, surprised that I wasn't sorer than I already was.

"Your potions are on the night stand. Would you like me to hand them to you," he asked looking rather nervous.

"Yes, if you don't mind," I said sitting up a bit more.

I hadn't bothered looking at the tray of potions I just took the bottles proffered. I downed the first which tasted like sour milk and was handed a glass of juice. I quickly drained the juice, only faintly tasting apple as it washed away the acrid taste of sour milk. I handed Sev the glass and held out my hand for the next potion. What entered my hand was a long box.

I blinked and looked down at the box and then up into Sev's nervous eyes. I looked back down at the box and opened it and smiled at the thick knotted gold chain that lay inside. I took out the chain and un-hooked it. I smiled up at Sev and then looked down at my left ring finger. I placed the long box on the bed beside me and laid my right hand atop ring finger. I took my thumb and pointer finger and began to rotate my wedding ring until it slid off my finger easily and into the palm of my right hand. I heard an intake of breath and looked up to see not only Sev standing there looking down at me but Hermione and Minerva as well.

I felt something wet tickling my left cheek and upon brushing my balled up right hand against my cheek I realized that the water had come from my eye. A single tear had fallen from eye and that had lead the way to a tear revolution as another fell and then another and before I knew it I had wet trails on each cheek even though I continued to smile. I laughed and wiped my eyes and cheeks with my pajama sleeves before taking my ring and looping the gold chain through it. I took the chain and brought it around my neck where I clasped it causing the chain and the ring on it to lay heavily around my neck and chest.

I smiled widely up at Severus and held out my hand, "Next potion please."

I watched as surprise raced across his face momentarily and then vanished only to be replaced by a grin of approval as he handed me another potion. I downed it with a confidence I hadn't felt in a while and watched the two women standing behind Sev smiling widely as if they knew some secret I didn't. I shrugged it off and happily realized I wasn't tired and amazingly enough I was hungry.

"So, what's on the agenda today and if you say sleep I'm apparating out of here."

"Poppy says you should be well enough to walk around but little or no magic and should you feel the tiniest bit off you are to immediately go to the Clinic. So with that said, go shower, get dressed and meet us downstairs in the Great Hall for lunch."

I smiled and kicked off my blankets, struggling to stand.

"For heavens sake, Harry! Don't kill yourself trying to get out of your bed! I can imagine the headlines now 'Boy who lived died in freak blanket accident'."

"Yes Mom," I said laughing as I stood up and headed towards the bathroom.

It felt nice to be clean and for once feeling like just a little weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I had dressed in my usual type of attire for teaching. I ran a hand through my hair, slid on my shoes and made my way out of my bedroom where I found Sev seated on my living room couch, his nose in a book.

"Finally finished," he asked as he closed the book and stood up.

I watched as he walked over to my bookcase and returned the book to its spot. He turned to look at me and I could sense the nervousness oozing off of him and see it as well. Every movement seemed exaggerated and every breath a bit deeper and tad bit louder than it should have been.

I watched as he walked over to the door and opened it, holding it for me as I walked past him, reaching into my umbrella holder where my Lion cane sat. I took my cane from its place and set it on the floor as I turned and watched as my door was closed and he stepped away from it a bit awkwardly. He extended his hand in the direction of the stairs and I began walking while the steady tap of his feet told me that he was following close behind. The sound clack of my cane as it touched the floor in my walking, the tap of mine and Sev's shoes, the rustle of clothing and billowy robes and the sound of my breathing filled my ears while my mind worked frantically to figure out why Sev wasn't speaking like he usually did on our walks and why he walked behind me instead of behind me.

We made our way down the moving stairs and towards the hallway before the Great Hall where it was empty of students and/or staff before I abruptly stopped and turned to Sev giving him my most worried look, making sure that I pouted just a bit.

"Sev, did I do something wrong?"

He stopped in his tracks and looked at me in what could have been a look of horror and surprise.

"No, of course not!"

"Then why haven't you said anything the whole time we were walking, why do you look so nervous and why do I have this feeling that something is about to jump out of the shadows and attack me," I asked as I wrung my hands nervously.

"I have had a lot on my mind and you are not to blame, things happen for a reason or so Minerva keeps telling me. Nothing will attack you or harm you as long as I draw breathe dear Harry."

I saw a different story in his eyes. They wouldn't look into mine for longer than a moment and the feeling that my world was about to be flipped upside down still nagged at me.

"Come Harry, let's go eat lunch. You need to eat. I'm surprised you haven't fainted yet."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I couldn't help but still feel pensive but I stood there and watched as he walked in front of me leading the way to the open doors of the Great Hall. He had walked with his head down and eyes downcast the rest of the way and upon entering the Great Hall lifted his eyes to stare up at the staff table. I followed his gaze and saw none other than Lucius and Draco Malfoy sitting in the spot beside two empty chairs, mine and Severus'. I turned to look at Severus who avoided my gaze and walked up to the staff table. I would have followed but various shouts of Professor Potter were heard and I soon found myself surrounded by multiple students who chatted excitedly giving me well wishes and comments on how happy they were to see me well.

I lost myself in that crowd of students as I chatted about what they had been doing on their break and discussed their accomplishments with the spells they had been practicing since the beginning of winter break. I congratulated and thanked them before finally excusing myself and walking up to the staff table where I took my usual seat except this time I found myself in-between Severus and Lucius Malfoy instead of Severus and Minerva.

"You seem to be very popular with your students Harry," said Lucius as he gave a small smile that had actually reached his eyes.

I felt an uncomfortable heat rise in my cheeks as mumbled a reply.

"I was rather surprised to see so many Slytherin's around you. Seems you have become quite popular since our school days," Lucius said a bit closer to my ear.

I had grabbed a plate and had began to pile it high with sandwiches and a small bowl of beef stew, "I don't discriminate or give or take away points merely for being or not being in my house. You earn your house points based on your behavior, accomplishments and honor."

"Still the same Potter," commented Draco as he held out a glass of pumpkin juice.

I blinked in surprise but took the proffered juice offering my thanks.

I took a sip and ate concentrating on eating my sandwiches and not the underlying tension or butterflies in my chest and stomach.

"Harry, I hear that you proposed to Severus," said Draco in a curious yet daring manner.

I began coughing on the piece of ham and cheese sandwich I had accidentally inhaled in my surprise and was all too grateful to have someone patting me on the back. Sev handed me my pumpkin drink which I gulped down with voracity.

"No, need to get all choked up, Harry. You'd think I'd announced you were pregnant."

I spit juice across the table and grabbed a nearby napkin to wipe my mouth and wipe up some of the juice that had been spit across the table.

"May I ask who you've decided to come to Hogwarts this fine day and cause me unwanted stress during my first meal in about two days?"

"We were invited and the fact that they didn't tell you why makes me wish I had a camera."

I glared at Draco and then turned to glare at Sev, Lucius and Minerva.

"We will tell you in detail Harry as soon as Hermione and Ron arrive. We will take any further discussion into my office."

I huffed and grabbed a spoon as I proceeded to devour my soup. I ignored those around me as my mind wrapped around it as I attempted to solve the riddle before me.

I watched as lunch ended and students filed out of the hall on their way to their rooms and various other places. I resigned myself to being a kept the dark long ago but that didn't make following Severus and the others to Minerva's office any easier or less intimidating.

I was once again forced to sit in-between Severus and the Malfoy men facing Minerva and Poppy. We were the only ones in her office until a bell sounded allowing Ron and Hermione holding a very grumpy looking Lawrence entered the room.

"Well I can tell from the tension in the room that what I have to say might be taken with a lot of protest but I shall save time and jump right into what needs to be said," Hermione sat Lawrence on his Daddy's lap and took two books from a bag around her shoulder.

"While you were sleeping and recovering Poppy, Severus and I began analyzing your test results as well as the readings from your examinations and we made a few discoveries. The first discovery being the fact that your magical signature is lower than normal and when comparing it to past scans from the many stays you've had in the infirmary we saw that it had dramatically plummeted. Second, your body is reacting to that and therefore slowly shutting itself down causing your organs to slowly stop functioning. Your magic is trying to regulate it but that too is putting strain on your body's organs, your magic itself and unfortunately your brain. This has caused the many seizures as well as the incident that took place in front of your class."

"But why," I asked as I let what she had said sink in.

"I'm getting to that. Upon further testing and looking at past results and incidents Poppy pointed out two things. One, your magic signature in the past was very similar to that of Tom Marvello Riddle's. Looking at old examination scans and written documentation done on Tom confirms it. Your current magic signature is in now completely different from Tom's and that leads us to point two. Two, your new signature is not completely missing Tom's because Tom aka Voldemort was killed and with his death we note your new magical signature and the beginning of your slow decline in health. Your body is killing itself and it's because your magic and Voldemort's fused when he attacked you as an infant."

She took a deep breath and glanced over at Lawrence before turning to look me in the eye once again.

"An infant's magical signature is very unstable when young and upon attacking you in your crib your magic somehow intertwined with his. Your mothers magic protected you but so did your own body and magic. By combining with his magic it allowed you to tie yourself to him so that if you died so did he but you killed him and took away the magical signature that your body had grown up with."

"So in other words your saying that in killing him I killed myself," I asked taking off my glasses and rubbing my face and eyes.

"Yes. But upon further study we have come up with a possible solution."

"How does this solution involve us," asked Draco while Lucius merely raised an inquisitive eye.

"Harry is dying because he is missing another magical signature so if we figure out a way to add another magical signature to his then his body should stabilize itself, correct," queried Minerva.

"That's our theory. The only problem we've come across is the fact that Voldemort had a high magic signature and there is no one else out there with a signature as high as his except Harry's so what could we do to solve it. I happened to overhear a bit of Severus' and Harry's conversation a day ago and it came to me. The only way to add another magical signature to Harry without causing further harm is by bonding and since Harry and Snape were a couple I figured that it was only a matter of time but then the fact that we needed a stronger magical signature popped up."

"So you looked up wizard bonding and learned of triumvirates," stated a surprised Lucius.

Hermione nodded with thoughtful look on her face, "Yes and while Harry was sleeping I explained as much as I could to Severus with Poppy's help and we decided that Harry needed a third person to bond with. I asked Severus who he trusted that was as strong as him."

"And so we joined the tangled web," replied Lucius in a calm and cool tone.

"Why not someone from Gryffindor," asked Ron.

"Because they would have a different magical signature. Voldemort was Slytherin and to add another Gryffindor to the mix just might cause a negative reaction," said Poppy as she folded her hands.

I sighed and looked up and saw a look of calculating serenity upon Lucius' face, his stormy gray eyes looking into my emerald ones.

It was quiet in the room and I realized that I was supposed to say something but nothing would come out.

"I do swing that way but I hate to say that I've been seeing Blaise for a while now. I doubt he'd appreciate me getting bonded to another so that leaves father."

"I am agreeable to it if you are Harry."

I looked over at Sev and then back at Lucius. I had gone from the frying pan and into the fire.

"I'll need some time to think," and with that I stood and left the room.

To Be Continued...

I believe I have answered the many questions you were asking about Lucius. Satisfied? LoL Can you believe I had this whole thing thought out from the very beginning? Nope, I didn't. I thought this last revelation and explanation up today. I just type what pops into my head at any given moment.

I'm tired so I'm going to bed now.

Oyasumi!