Chapter Text
Harry Potter was ready to leave.
He lived the same life every single day and he couldn't handle it.
Every day he would try to sleep and fail miserably. Even if he did fall asleep he would wake up in a cold sweat from whichever nightmare decided to show itself that night. He wouldnt eat. No, he couldn't eat. Every bite he tried to take ended up coming right back up unless it was raw meat. His nose couldn't handle the smell, his taste buds couldn't handle the texture, and having anything in his stomach felt like adding a hundred extra pounds to his body weight.
He gave up on trying to talk to Hermoine and Ron. Hermoine tried to send Harry to a Mind Healer but the healer ended up with a messed up face when trying to talk to him about Sirius. Apparently, according to Hermoine, Harry had jumped across the table and started beating his face until they managed to rip him off the poor healer. Only then did Hermoine and Ron learn to just accept that Harry would only respond with one or two words at a time if lucky.
Harry knew he couldn't live like this much longer. Just going outside he would get swarmed with fans and reporters asking for photos and to speak up on the war. He already spoke up for everybody he felt needed a second chance, including Malfoy.
The ministry decided to give the Kiss to any adult who has the Dark Mark or was on the side, which included both of Malfoy's parents. He testified for him to be excused from Azkaban because he was only a child and luckily they were allowed, same with all the other children of Death Eaters. Harry remembers so clearly how Malfoy looked that day. Sickly and pale, just like both his parents. Lucius already looked half dead but still held his head up high as they determined the fate of their family. Lucius was to be Kissed the same day while Narcissa had a week with Draco before her time. Harry had tried to tell them to let his mother live, to serve her time in Azkaban, and to be free with her son but they had denied it.
Harry was offered to go back to Hogwarts for an eighth year for those who were cut short because of the war. Hermoine had accepted the minute she got the letter while Ron had said he was going straight to the Aurors instead. Harry had told them he would have an answer before Hermoine would leave but now it's the day before departure and he has no idea what he will be doing.
“Harry, dear. Is everything ready on your side?” Andromeda said from the flames of his fireplace. He forgot she was there for a second.
“Ya. I can take Teddy as of tonight. I’ll legally be his Guardian. I managed to get all my work done through the goblins at the bank. Luna is the only one who knows where I’m going, if you ask her she will tell you where I’m staying. Nothing will get out to the public.” Harry responded barely above a whisper.
“Thank you, Harry. I honestly wouldn’t know what I would do if they found out about him. About you. I will try to visit as much as possible. You still have the key to the cottage, correct?”
“Yes. I’ll pick him up tomorrow at 6 like promised.”
“Alright. I’ll see you then.” And her face disappears from the fire. Harry drags himself up to his room and slumps on his bed.
He can’t believe all this is happening. He’s never gone this long without telling something to either Hermione or Ron but he can’t tell them. Three months ago Harry got bit by Teddy when he was transforming for the full moon. He and Andy didn’t think anything would happen since Teddy was still barely three years old but apparently, Remus was an “Alpha Wolf” making Teddy's bite more dangerous. The following month, according to Andy, Harry went completely insane and fully transformed into a black wolf and ran off with a little Teddy wolf into the woods.
The wizarding world still isn’t as accepting towards creatures and has been throwing any child who was bitten during the war into orphanages with little to no care. Harry couldn’t allow that to happen to Teddy so he agreed to leave the wizarding world behind and fly to Muggle Canada to live a new life with his godson.
A knock on the door startles him from his thought, “Harry?” it’s Hermoine, “Are you in there? Can I come in?” Harry doesn't answer but he knows she'll let herself in, in about a minute if he doesn't say anything.
A minute later Hermoine comes in, a giant book clenched to her chest, trying to look as normal as possible. “Hi Harry, Are you feeling any better?” She asks.
Harry nods but they both know that's a lie. She puts her book down on the floor beside his bed. He's been staying at Number 12 since the war finished. Staying at The Burrow, he couldn't help but be reminded that Fred was still in the hospital unresponsive, or that Ginny was still mad at him for breaking up, so was Molly.
She sits down close to him and stares directly into his eyes, searching for an answer to anything. She sighs and starts tapping her fingers. Harry knows she wants to say something to him but is afraid of the result, so he puts his hand on her shoulder, letting her know she can say whatever it is she wants to say. She gives a small smile and clears her throat after a bit.
“I think you should come back to Hogwarts with me. McGonagall is going to be there and she's going to be enforcing a new inter-house unity thing so there will be no more hatred towards... uhh, some houses. And I asked for you to have your own room as well. You will be around our friends and I think it's really good for you. To get better. You can't sit here forever, I can't watch my friend slowly drive himself insane like this,” her voice started to crack near the end.
Harry looks up from his palms and looks at her blurry eyes, beginning to fill with tears. He can't believe he's making her cry like this.
“Okay…”
“...Okay? You’ll come with me?”
Harry nods and Hermoine wipes her eyes before giving him a bear-crushing hug. “Oh, thank you, Harry. Thank you so much. I promise you won't regret coming with me.” She sniffles a few more times before releasing herself and exiting the room with her giant book in hand. Harry goes back to staring at the wall.
Harry looks through an old bin he found under his bed labeled ‘For Future’ in Sirius’ handwriting. He pulls out a few photos of the Marauders and other friends and puts them to the side. He finds an old biker jacket in pretty good condition considering who it belonged to and plenty of empty cigarette cases. He is about to move on to another box when a small key catches his eye. It's a simple black one with a letter attached to the ring of the key.
“‘To you whenever you need a quiet place, away from home, just say freedom. Your favorite older brother.’ This must be to his younger brother, Regulus,” he says to himself. The key must unlock whatever place this portkey will take you. Curious, Harry grabs the key, whispers the word, and begins to feel the unfamiliar sensation of transporting to a different location. He lands abruptly on some grass and curses. He looks around to take in his surroundings. He landed in a small clearing with a cottage just up ahead and giant trees surrounding the place. It seems to be a Black House, probably one that can't be reached unless you have the key.
Harry was about to go home when he heard the most gut-wrenching scream come from the house. Quickly, Harry sprints as fast as he can as he listens to the screams coming from inside. He bursts through the front door and can’t see or hear anything but the smell of vanilla and ocean waves hit him like a truck, Malfoy. He clamps his face and hands over his nose to stop taking in most of the smell. He doesn't take the time to look at the nice house as he takes two stairs at a time towards the top following the scent and enters the room with the screams.
Nothing could ever prepare him for what he is looking at.
Draco Malfoy curled in a ball howling at the pain from wings, fucking wings, coming out of his back. Giant mother fucking wings. White and looking extremely soft despite the blood pooling on the floor from his back. His nails look like talons as they claw into the floor. Harry hurries over and kneels in front of Malfoy.
“Malfoy? Can you hear me?” No response. “Malfoy?” The screaming continues and the wings continue to grow. Harry pulls Malfor from his ball and hugs him, Malfoys nails digging into his back instead of the floor. Harry grunts at the shock of pain but squeezes his eyes shut and hopes this will be over soon.
“Veela transformation. Awakening. Whatever you want to call it.”
Malfoy had stopped screaming about half an hour after Harry decided to hug him. Harry had cast a cleaning spell on him and had gotten a cup of water and some crackers that weren’t expired from the kitchen downstairs while Malfoy had sorted himself out.
“My mother had warned me about it before she passed. Gave me countless books on it and told me the wings would be the worst.”
“How…”
“My father's side. The Malfoys have always been exceptionally beautiful. Seems like Veela blood does run in our family. Had skipped my father and grandfather though. My mother told me there was a chance it would pass me.” He shifted a bit so his massive wing could sit comfortably on the bed in the room with him. Now looking at Malfoy, he seemed so different yet similar to when he last saw him at the trial. He still was as pointy as ever, but his skin almost looked translucent and sparkly though that could be because he looks like he was dying. His hair has grown a lot and is resting gently brushing against his back, his bangs just barely pass his eyes, and has had to tuck them behind his ears 7 times since starting the conversation. Not like he was counting or anything. He still is skinny but he's grown a little more making his legs look even longer than before. Not to mention how his eyes seem to shift from crystal silver to a pale blue depending on the light.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“Why are you even here, Potter? This place isn't supposed to be able to be found unless you have a portkey.”
“I have one– I mean Sirius had one in his room. I didn't know this would be a secret house or anything. Or that you would be here. I promise no one else knows about his place.”
“Even the other two of your trio?”
“No. They were not with me when I left…”
“I see… well then that's good.”
“So answer my question now. Why are you telling me all this stuff.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m going to live for much longer,” he sneered, “I have no family and they cut off all access to my vaults until I’m 25. Even if I go back to Hogwarts with the other returning students, no one will hire a Death Eater. I will either die of starvation or will go mad from not sleeping. One or the other.”
Harry sits in silence for a bit, not knowing what to say. Malfoy munches on the crackers making a face before eating another one.
“So run away with me.”
“I beg your pardon”
Fuck where was Harry going with this, “Runaway. With me. Well not just me, Teddy- he’s your cousin. The Potters have a house in Canada. I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“I can't live in the Wizarding World anywhere. Britain or North America, Potter. I don't have a wand.”
“I still have your wand, it’s back at my place. They wanted to place it in a museum but I said no. Anyway, the house is a Muggle home. We can live in the Muggle world. With cars and electricity.”
“… In Canada?”
“Don't worry. It’s perfect. Please Draco.” The use of his first name made him flinch, his wings seemed to tense up a bit as well.
“Very well.”
“Wait, Actually?”
“Yes. You asked. Why are you so shocked?"
“Well, uhh, I assumed you would say no?”
“I am trying to be a different person, Potter.”
“Right. Then just stay here for a bit. I'm gonna come pick you up in the morning when it's time to leave.”
“How are we going to get there?”
“Don't worry about it,” Harry stands up from the bed, “I'm going to get some things sorted out, I'll pick you up at, let's say 6am–”
“6?! Potter, why so early?”
“I need to avoid Hermoine and the Weasleys if I want to run away without being noticed. I probably won't sleep tonight and neither will you most likely… It's okay you can sleep on the plane.”
“Plane?”
“Muggle invention. I'm going to get going okay? Don't leave, or do anything dangerous.”
“Alright Mom,” Malfoy mocks. Harry leaves the room and uses the floo to get back to Number 12 Place. Neither Ron nor Hermoine are there which gives him plenty of time to prepare.
Harry quickly runs up the stairs to his room to finish packing, now that Malfoy is staying with them. He picked up his Endless Backpack (a bag that doesn't have a limit to what it can hold and always stays the same weight) and started throwing a few nights' worth of clothes in there. He picked up the photos he put aside from earlier and the other photo album he had made with Hermoine at the beginning of summer. Harry grabbed Malfoy's wand from the small box he kept on his dresser and put it in the bag as well. He did one final sweep of the house, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything before apparating to Gringotts.
Harry casted a quick glamor as he made his way inside. The place was quite empty, considering he was coming at 2 in the morning but he wasn't taking any chances. He quickly walks to a goblin at the counter and removes his glamor once he's sure no one is looking. He was already here a few days ago to make official IDs for him and Teddy. “Um, hi, can I remove some gallons from the Potter Vaults and convert them to Canadian dollars?”
The goblin looked up from his stack of papers behind the desk and made an awful grunting noise. “Do you have a key?” he asked.
He had received a new set of keys for his multiple vaults from Gringotts this summer for his birthday. He also was named heir to many different houses including the Potters, Blacks, Peverell, Slytherin, and Gryffindor (Don’t know how that ended up there but, oh well). The goblins were quite pleased when Harry told them he would learn some politics from the side to ensure his seats weren’t being used for nothing.
It didn't take long for the goblin to transfer the Gallons to dollars and stuff the stack of bills into his bag. He had asked for plenty, enough to last them at least 100 years.
“Okay, checklist,” Harry said quietly to himself as he stood waiting for a goblin named Wrafeth to return. “Malfoy wand, check. Money, check. Plane ticket, not until later. Passport and ID…”
“Mr.Potter, I have returned with what you have asked for. Official passports for Draco Lucius Malfoy. As well as matching Health Cards and birth certificates.”
“Thank you, Wrafeth.” Apparently, being the savior and all gave Harry a lot of benefits, including inside Gringotts as well. When he had asked them about where he could get ID and passports for Malfoy, they had claimed they could make them official ones at a very hefty price since Malfoy wasn’t present at the time. The price wasn't really an issue to Harry and the goblins don't question why he needed one for Malfoy either, just did it without question.
“They currently have no photo on it, you would have to do that yourself using magic. I have attached a paper with the correct spell inside your passport, Mr.Potter. Is there anything else I can do for you today, Sir?”
Harry smiled at the goblin as best as he could, “Just tell nobody about what happened today. No one.” the goblin gave a quick nod before swiftly going back to what he was doing. Harry took a deep breath and mentally checked that off his list. He used the floo from Gringotts to go back to the Black Cottage to collect Malfoy. He checked his watch and the time had said 5:12 am. It was almost time.