分卷阅读16（2 / 2）

“And Harry, you are ready to accept them?”

Harry’s eyes darted from Draco to the dungeon floor, before finally answering, “Yes.”

“Then we shall begin,” McGonagall said. She placed the tip of her wand to their joined hands.

Draco cleared his throat.

“Will you, Harry Potter, protect me from any and all harm?” Draco asked.

“I will,” Harry whispered.

They both watched in wonder as the first ring of the Vow wove its away around their hands, glowing and permanent.

“And will you ensure my basic needs are fulfilled, that being food, clothes, shelter, once Minerva McGonagall has resigned from her current position?”

“I will.”

“And will you do everything in your power to ensure my continued existence remain a secret, discussing it only with the predesignated parties we have deemed acceptable?”

“I will,” Harry confirmed, again, prompting a third ring formation.

“And will you do these things for as long as we both shall live?”

Harry’s eyes darkened as they locked with Draco’s.

“I will,” Harry said, the finality in his voice hitting Draco in the stomach like a well- landed punch.

The final ring wove around their hands.

McGonagall drew her wand away, the rings of magic fading as the moments dragged forward. Both men seemed hesitant to let the other’s hand drop, only doing so upon the headmaster’s prompting of “You can let go now, you know, you aren’t literally tied together.”

“Professor,” Harry said suddenly as he stood up. “It wouldn’t be unheard of for a wizard to have a dog as a familiar, would it?”

“Not extremely common, but not unprecedented. Why?” McGonagall asked, narrowing her eyes at Harry.

“I was just thinking, it would give D-um, Malfoy a lot more freedom around the castle, and ease Hagrid’s mind if we pretended that I had tamed the wolf on the grounds and kept him as a familiar of sorts, wouldn’t you think?” Harry said, looking at Draco with an apologetic smile.