52Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Bindings
Harry's POV
"Why not?" Harry asked looking at Malfoy, annoyed that the blonde spoke because he wanted these spells gone. He hated the fact that someone had used magic against him. In fact, he was starting to hate how someone was always trying to hurt or manipulate him. Why couldn't people just leave him the hell alone?
"Because Potter," Malfoy said walking closer and dragging his hand along one of the threads. Unlike before this time, the blonde touched them, and every touched sent a shock through Harry.
"This is connected to your inheritance." Then he moved to another, causing Harry to shudder. He couldn't tell if the sensation was good or bad, it just felt weird. Like someone was touching him but not at the same time.
"This one is as well." Then to a third and fourth. "These two are connected to you core, your power." Harry shivered, not entirely from the touch, but from the information, was the binding damaging his magic? Was it why he sometimes still had problems with accidental magic, while the others his age had outgrown them.
Malfoy reached for a fifth. "This one, I'm almost positive influences your mind."
The weird sensation of having the webs touched as cause Harry to get frustrated and he was tempted to shout a Malfoy to stop but he also wanted to hear more, so he could understand just what had been done to him.
The blonde stopped and studied the last two threads. "These as well."
The blonde looked offended that someone could have done this. It was that look, the look of disgust on Malfoy's face that caused the impact of it all to hit him because right in front of him was a Slytherin, a student whose father followed Voldemort, someone who was cruel and a bully, and that someone was disgusted with what was done to him. How horrible would something have to be to offend a Malfoy?
Harry swayed on his feet as the world spun. He felt someone catch him as his legs gave out.
His mind raced as he tried to figure out why Dumbledore would do this, because there was no doubt that his headmaster had done it. He was the only with access to him and the power to do it. But why? Harry was already on his side, with Voldemort killing his parents. He had already resigned himself that this war would come down to him and Voldemort, so what game was the headmaster playing.
"Why can't we break them?" he whispered, trying to fight against the spinning room and urge to be sick.
"Because Potter," and he jumped because he hadn't realized that Malfoy was that close, in fact the blonde was holding him. Through blurry eyes he realized him and Malfoy were sitting on the floor, the blonde behind him, arms wrapped around him and he's back against the other's chest.
It wasn't what he was expecting he blushed, and tried to push away, but his legs had at some point turned to jelly and he fell right back into Malfoy's arms.
The blonde huffed from the impacted but for once the Slytherin didn't mock him, just tightened his hold and continued talking, like nothing happened.
"First, they are weakening, and I think they have been since we came back. That would explain your moods and why your tired all the time. Your magic is all over the place trying to compensate for the changes. Second, you're not used to your full power, if we break them now, you will have to relearn just about everything, and that could be dangerous with us about to go to Hogwarts.
"Third, your inheritance, if we break that now, you will be hit with a lot of changes at once, and I'm not sure how you will handle them. I think for now we should break only the ones on your mind, let the rest slowly break themselves so you have time to adjust, time to relearn everything slowly as they come instead of all at once. I believe it would be better for you."
"What kind of changes?" Harry asked, because he understood what the blonde was saying but this whole inheritance thing was freaking him out a little, he had never heard of it before and had no idea what to expect from it.
"Depends on what you are," the blonde replied.
Harry sighed, because of course it couldn't be something simple that could just be answered when he wanted.
"Fine," he said pushing himself away from the blonde again. This time his legs held.
He looked at the three Goblins, who had been silent throughout all of Malfoy's talking.
"Can you break just those three?" he asked.
The goblins looked at each other and then back at him, they nodded together.
He should have felt relieved but his stomach was twisting and he was trying hard not to freak out. What difference should he expect, not just from the whole inheritance thing but the headmaster had spells around his mind, would he be different?
He didn't notice he was panicking until a hand wrapped around his arm and he was pulled towards another body, "Breath." Malfoy's voice was soft and he almost laughed through his panic because it was something so strange to him. Malfoy soft, gentle like, helping him.
Then he did laugh because here he was stuck in a different time, with a supposed enemy, and yet that person was helping him, and the weirdest part, Harry was listening to him and believing him. He never once doubted any of the information the blonde shared and he was trusting his judgement on not breaking some of the spells.
He should be worried about Malfoy using this against him but instead he was clinging to the blonde like a lifeline, using the other's steady heart beat to ground himself, to stop the building panic he felt spreading inside, and he wasn't sure if he regretted it, because for the first time in months he felt he found someone to trust again.