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The Guile and Devotion of a Black Heir	By : StarLightMassacre Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 104291 -:- Recommendations : 9 -:- Currently Reading : 26
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter; all rights go to J. K. Rowling. I make no money for this piece of fictional writing and never will.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Last Time
Harry hoped that Rowle listened to Lucius, because if he didn’t then he would be very happy to curse him…if Rodolphus didn’t cave in his face again. Now that could turn out to be very amusing, maybe the Malfoy New Year’s Ball wouldn’t be quite as bad as he’d been imagining after all. Maybe it could even be fun, after all, he and Rabastan weren’t fighting this time around, so he’d have Rabastan right there next to him all night. He smiled and his hand gripped at Rabastan’s under the table, as they still weren’t allowed to touch while sitting next to one another. He was actually looking forward to this now, though he definitely wasn’t looking forward to Draco poking and pulling on him for half of the afternoon to get him ready. He wasn’t fond of feeling like a human doll.

Chapter Ten – The Malfoy Ball
Harry nervously tugged at his robes, this time they were a bright, Egyptian blue with gold embroidery along the hem, cuffs and on either side of the gold fastenings that held his robe closed over his smart shirt underneath.
He was once again wearing black underneath his robes, as apparently, according to Draco, black worked really well as his base colour. But his black shirt had gold cuff links, which no one could actually see as his robe covered his hands but according to Draco that wasn’t the point, and his black sapphire and gold Lestrange crested pendant was on show around his neck. His shoes were highly polished and Harry was really nervous. He didn’t like parties, he’d never been invited to any before the Parkinsons winter gala the week before and that had been disastrous. The Quidditch parties didn’t count as they weren’t really formal parties and he didn’t need to be dressed impeccably for them, most of the time he’d still been in his muddy, sweaty Quidditch robes. The Yule Ball didn’t count either, he’d been forced into that because the fake Moody, Bartemius Crouch Jr, had put his name into that damn goblet and as a ‘champion’ he’d had to perform the first dance. He had danced once and then sat down for the rest of the evening. He would never have chosen to go to the ball by himself if he hadn’t been forced into it by being a Hogwarts champion. He hadn’t even bought his own dress robes for that either, he really did have a terrible dress sense.
“You look fine.” Draco insisted. “Stop pulling on your outfit or you’ll ruin it.”
“I can’t help it, you know I don’t like this sort of situation.”
“You need to get used to it, these sorts of social gatherings happen often throughout the year.”
“Please tell me that there isn’t one for Easter.” Harry sighed.
“No, the next one is at the beginning of the summer, though you will attend more than I will, seeing as you’re a member of the Wizengamot and they hold a party in April and then the Ministry hold a gathering in August and you will certainly be invited to that too as a technical worker for the Ministry as a member of the Wizengamot. The Ministry pay you, even if they didn’t technically employ you, you’re automatically on their payroll and the employment list because of your Lordships.” Draco happily informed him.
Harry groaned and rubbed at his eyes. “I don’t have enough sets of dress robes to cover all of these parties.”
“Of course you do, your third set now will be used for the Wizengamot party and before August we will have gone shopping for our new school things. Mother and Father will have parties for their birthdays, but we’ll be in school for those and then there are our own birthdays, of course, but those won’t strictly be a dress up affair as it’ll just be a few friends and family, so dress robes won’t be required. Father has worked it all out, stop fretting.”
Harry scowled at himself in the mirror. He was in Draco’s bed suite and they were waiting for the ‘children’ to arrive, as they had at the Parkinsons party, only this time they were the hosts.
“I can’t wait for this to be over.” He complained as he watched Draco fluff up his baby fine, blond hair.
“Midnight.” Draco reminded him yet again. “Some of Father’s friends may stay for a while afterwards, but we won’t be required to stay with them, now hand me that brush, I don’t like the parting of my hair.”
Harry rolled his eyes but he dutifully got Draco’s brush and handed it to him, watching curiously as Draco once again brushed all of his hair back, parted his hair yet again and styled it meticulously.
“How does the back look? And Merlin help me don’t just grunt ‘fine’ again.”
“You look stunning.” Harry told him with another roll of his eyes. “There are no creases in your robes and there isn’t a hair out of place.” Harry answered dutifully.
Draco nodded in satisfaction. “Perfect then.”
There was a knock on the door and Draco got rid of his brush.
“That had better be Blaise.” He muttered to Harry as he went to pull open the door.
Narcissa was down in the receiving room and she was greeting everyone as the hostess of the party and she was directing them where to go, the children up to Draco’s bedroom and any early arriving adults into the ballroom where Lucius was with Xerxes, Rodolphus and Rabastan. Xerxes had banned Rhadamanthus from coming as ‘punishment’ for his lack of control on Christmas Day. Harry was incredibly grateful for that. He hadn’t seen Rhadamanthus at all since Christmas Day and things had been infinitely more peaceful and relaxed without him lurking and skulking around.
“Thank Merlin it’s you.” Draco said as he opened the door and pulled Blaise into the room.
Blaise gave a short whistle and an appreciative look to Harry when he spotted him. “Are you still free?” He asked with a lecherous grin. “Please tell me that you’re free.”
Harry scowled and looked down at himself. He didn’t think he looked that good, he’d definitely preferred the red robes to the blue, but other than that, he looked normal. He turned back to the mirror and frowned harder, he was exactly the same as always.
“Stop perving on my brother.” Draco snapped. “He’s not free anymore, he worked out his problems with his betrothed like a man. Now come here, I have something to tell you before everyone else arrives.”
Harry chuckled at Draco’s protectiveness and he ignored the both of them as they started gossiping like old women in a tea shop about this and that, Harry certainly wasn’t interested as he sat and daydreamed about Rabastan and how good he’d looked in the charcoal grey dress robes he’d chosen to wear for tonight. Harry was almost sure that Rabastan had ordered them especially for tonight because he’d commented on how good Rabastan would look in dark grey and fuck did he look good in dark grey.
The door knocked again and Draco and Blaise were too busy giggling like girls over whatever Draco had needed to tell Blaise to take any notice, so Harry rolled his eyes and went to open the door.
He smiled genuinely at Theo and invited him in.
“How have you been?” Harry asked him.
“Alright.” Theo answered unconvincingly. “You?”
“Fine, but I get the feeling that you aren’t being entirely truthful, Theo. Are you sure everything’s okay?”
Harry clicked then, as he remembered that Daphne was supposed to be staying with the Nott’s for Christmas and that Daphne should have arrived with Theo.
“Where’s Daphne?”
“Who cares?!” Blaise called out from where he and Draco were sat.
Harry sighed. “Don’t listen to them, what’s happened?”
“I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up the façade that nothing’s wrong.” Theo told him quietly, so that the others couldn’t hear him.
Harry nodded. He opened Draco’s door wider and led Theo out and down the corridor, all the way to his own bedroom and he shut the door and offered Theo a seat and then sat next to him.
“We’ll have privacy here, now tell me, why do you feel the need to keep up the façade in the first place?”
“Because my Father wants me to!” Theo told him, hunching forward and putting his face into his hands.
“Theo, this is your life, not his.” Harry said kindly. “If you don’t love her, then you shouldn’t be with her.”
“I don’t. I don’t love her, I haven’t for a while now.”
Harry was surprised at that, he hadn’t seen past the façade that Theo had put up, if truth be told he hadn’t actually looked all that hard, he’d just accepted it which was even worse as Theo had probably wanted someone to see past the ruse and to reach out to him, but now that carefully constructed façade was cracking, Theo was at his absolute limit.
“Break off your contract.” Harry urged him. “You have other options.”
Theo snorted. “What other options? One of Lord Selwyn’s hideous daughters? Pansy?”
“There are foreign Pureblood witches.” Harry told him. “Think of how much harder it’ll be for them over yourself. They have to leave their home country, their family, perhaps not even knowing any English, to come here to marry you, to live in your home. But think about it Theo, you might actually like someone else, you could actually fall in love, don’t you even want to try for that instead of letting Daphne humiliate you time after time?”
“She does humiliate me, doesn’t she?” Theo sighed, as if he’d been trying not to think of it. “She…she actually fucked one of my Father’s business associates in my bed the other day. He was fifty-four years old and she didn’t care, she made sure that it was in my bed, not the one in the guest room that she had been given, but my own bed at a time when she knew that I’d come to find her. I think that was once too many. It was too unforgivable, but my Father is insisting that I let it go, like all the other times, that I still go ahead with the betrothal and the wedding, but I don’t know if I can anymore, Harry.”
“Then don’t. You should not accept such behaviour from anyone, it’s so disrespectful, Theo and you know it too. You know you don’t deserve it or you wouldn’t be having such thoughts and doubts. You’re right, Theo, what she’s done is unforgivable, it was unforgivable from the very first instance, but this, she’s pushing you with the full belief that she’ll get away with it, that you’ll just take it because you always have before and she’s doing it purposefully. She knows that your Father want’s the money, the prestige and the title of Heir of the Greengrass line that’ll come with her marrying you for his own house, so she believes that she can always get away with it. Everything that she’s done to you is unforgivable and you shouldn’t have to accept it. Do you really want to look at your children in ten years’ time and have to wonder if they’re actually even yours? Fuck what your Father wants, what the hell do you want?”
“Not this.” Theo told him. “Not her.”
“Do you have any idea what people say about you, Theo? How weak they think you are because you put up with Daphne and everything that she does to humiliate and shame you? She thinks that she can do no wrong, that she can do anything and get away with it and still have a respectable marriage at the end of it. People think that you’re a push over because you won’t get rid of her, this isn’t your Father’s betrothal, it’s not his marriage or his life, it’s yours!”
“I’ve tried to broach the subject with him, but…”
“Don’t ‘broach the subject’ with him, bloody tell him!” Harry insisted sternly. “In his quest to get more money and power, he’s going to ruin your entire future, your happiness! How can you just stand passively by and watch him do that to you, Theo?”
Theo looked away unhappily and Harry was saddened to see how broken Theo was over all of this. He shook his head and reached forward to hold Theo’s hands comfortingly.
“You need to do what makes you happy, Theo. You need to break off this poisonous betrothal and put it behind you. Your Father can’t dictate to you who you love. He put you into this betrothal when you were just a child because of greed, because he wants the Greengrass money, you know that yourself. Everyone knows that. He isn’t thinking of the most important thing in all of this, you. Don’t let him ruin your life for money, Theo. Please, I don’t want to see you hurt.”
Theo chuckled mirthlessly and pulled one hand from Harry’s and covered his eyes.
“You’ve only known me properly for a couple of months, how can you care more about me than anyone else? Than my own Father?”
“Because I’m not a greedy, money grabbing prick?” Harry said and he got a laugh for his efforts. “You’re worth more than this, Theo. You deserve more than a dirty slut who’ll sleep with anyone and everyone, even a fifty-four year old married stranger, and a Father who cares more about money than he does about you and your happiness. Fuck them both and do what you want.”
“What if he disowns me?” Theo said quietly, voicing one of his deepest fears Harry realised by the way that he avoided eye contact. “I couldn’t take the shame of being a Pureblood with no house.”
“There is no shame on you for his actions, but there is for your own, you gather more shame the longer you allow yourself to be treated like a doormat by your Father and by your future Wife, that is your shame because it is your choice to put up with it. If that bastard you call a Father actually disowns his only child, bereaving his own line of it’s only Heir, then he’s a complete fucking fool. He won’t risk it, Theo.”
“But what if he does?” Theo argued angrily.
“Then I’ll adopt you as a member of the Black family, or did you forget that I’m the Lord of House Potter and House Black?”
Theo looked totally shocked. “You…you’d do that? You’d adopt me as a Black?”
“If you needed me to, I will. Of course I don’t expect your Father to disown his only Heir, no matter how foolish he is, but if he actually did, yes, I would adopt you. I already have to worry about producing an Heir for the Potter and Lestrange families, without worrying about the Black line too. Three houses is just too many to juggle. I’d need three sons just to cover all of the houses.”
“I…I don’t really know what to say, Harry. Thank you.”
“You may not even need it, your Father can’t afford to lose you as his only Heir, you don’t even have any sisters who could bring the Lordship of the Nott family to her Husband, but if you do need it, the offer is there.” Harry insisted with a smile. “Now you do what you want to do and you don’t need to worry about anything or about being disowned, because I’d adopt you straight away into the Black family and I would strike your Father down to nothing, discredit and ruin him in all social and professional circles and I’d make sure that he thoroughly regretted ever disowning you in the first place. For not seeing the son he actually has and instead thinking only of monetary gain.”
Theo stood up and pulled Harry to his feet and embraced him so tightly that Harry was worried that his very newly healed bruises on his ribs would come back, but he happily hugged Theo back and just held him as Theo cried silently in gratitude and released tension and emotion into his neck, having to slump down in order to do so.
Of course that would have been when Draco came storming in to demand where he’d gotten to.
“What in the name of Merlin are you doing?!” Draco raged. “Are you trying to destroy your own betrothal? With him of all people!”
“Calm down, it’s not what you think it is.” Harry said calmly as he blocked Theo from Draco’s view so that he could subtly wipe his eyes and tidy himself up a little. “I’ve just helped Theo in a massive way, that’s all. I love Rabastan with all that I am, you know that better than most, Draco.”
“Then you shouldn’t be touching him like that!” Draco insisted.
“It’s not what you think.” Harry rolled his eyes.
“What would Father think? What would Rabastan think?!” Draco demanded.
“You really love making drama, Draco.” Theo said as he squeezed Harry’s shoulders in thanks. “You always have. If you must know, Harry has convinced me to break off my betrothal with Daphne.”
Draco frowned then and looked from one to the other as if trying to work out if he was being railroaded or not by a fake story.
“You aren’t getting together with one another, are you?”
“I’m not gay.” Theo said simply.
“Still very much in love with Rabastan and definitely not changing my mind.” Harry said tonelessly. “I want to marry Rabastan and have lots and lots of babies with him.”
“That’s disgusting, I’d rather not have to think of that, thank you!” Draco sneered.
“Then stop seeing things that aren’t there.” Harry demanded. “I’m helping out a friend, nothing more! It’s none of your business!”
“Oh? Is it Rabastan’s business to know you’re cosying up to another man, do you think?”
Harry grit his teeth. “I was not cosying up to another man!” Harry hissed.
“Why don’t we see what Rabastan thinks.”
Harry dived at Draco and yanked him backwards by his robes as he turned to scurry off. They both ended up on the floor, Harry laying on Draco’s back.
“If anyone is going to say anything to him, it’ll be me!” Harry shouted. “It’s none of your fucking business, Draco! Stop trying to make trouble when you know that Rabastan and I are only just getting over our last fight.”
“Then maybe you shouldn’t be secluding yourself away in your bedroom and being intimate with another man!” Draco shouted.
“What?”
Harry’s stomach vanished and his heart missed a beat as he looked up to the open door and to the furious dark brown eyes of Rodolphus Lestrange. For a moment he feared that he was going to be cursed, or even killed, and then Rodolphus stormed off and Harry knew, he just knew, that he was going to Rabastan. That he was going to tell Rabastan what he’d overheard before Harry had a chance to explain and everything was going to blow up in his face again. All because he’d been helping and comforting a friend. Why did it always happen to him?
Harry stood up quickly, stumbling a little in his haste, and he kicked Draco in the ribs. Hard.
“If I lose my betrothal because of your loud mouth I will never, ever, forgive you.” He said seriously. “Pimsey!”
“Yes, young master, what can Pimsey be doing for you?”
“Take me to Rabastan Lestrange, now.” Harry ordered her, holding out his hand.
Pimsey took it and they were just gone and Harry took a deep breath and opened his eyes, to see a startled Rabastan looking at him.
“Thank you, Pimsey.” Harry said as kindly as he could manage in that moment.
“Harry, you’re supposed to be upstairs greeting our young guests.” Lucius told him. He was stood beside Rabastan, in a group of several other men who were all looking at him curiously.
“I know. Rabastan, I need a word, quickly.”
“What has happened?” Rabastan asked, looking him over in obvious concern.
“Time is of the essence.” Harry insisted primly.
“Okay.” Rabastan agreed easily and went to walk out the double doorway that led further into the manor house, the same way that Rodolphus would be coming in and Harry tried not to panic, knowing that he had only minutes to get Rabastan out of the ballroom and away from the path of an irate Rodolphus.
“No, not that way. Let’s go into the garden.”
“Harry.” Lucius warned as the group of men he was stood with all got smirks or knowing grins on their faces.
“You can give me a chaperone if you wish, Father.” He said respectfully. “I just really need to talk to Rabastan, right now.”
“What in the name of Merlin has happened?” Xerxes asked him.
“Nothing!” Harry insisted, his gaze darting to the door without his permission. Rodolphus would be storming through it at any moment. “We need to go, now.”
Xerxes sighed. “I’ll chaperone you, but whatever you’ve done, this is a poor way to try and hide from it.”
“I’m not hiding from it, I’m actually trying to head it off. The ‘it’ being the rage monster that is Rodolphus, now can we please leave this room before he comes in here and breaks my neck, please?”
“Rodolphus is angry?” Rabastan said, digging his heels in then and looking to the doorway, looking like he wanted to go and comfort his brother.
“What did you do?” Lucius sighed.
“I didn’t do anything, Draco and his loud mouth have done all the damage and Rodolphus got the wrong end of the stick and now I am trying to explain to my future husband what is going on before Rodolphus comes storming in here with half-truths and a partially overheard conversation and blows my betrothal to pieces.”
“Well in that case, get moving.” Xerxes insisted, pushing the both of them along. “Start walking, Basti, Rodolphus can cope without you coddling him for five minutes while you talk to Harry.”
They made it out into the garden and Harry blew out a relieved breath, he’d managed to buy himself a little time at least, now he just needed to get Rabastan to understand that nothing had actually happened with him and Theo. He pulled Rabastan quickly into a half hidden walkway of balled rose trees and fragrant herb bushes and made sure that Xerxes wasn’t within earshot, as Rabastan deserved to hear this first, before he stopped and looked firmly at Rabastan.
“What is going on?” His betrothed asked confusedly.
“You know Theodore and I are friends?”
“The Nott boy, yes. What of it?”
“He’s betrothed to that complete tart, Daphne.”
Rabastan snorted. “That’s one way to put it. I don’t think there’s a man in that ballroom whose son, grandson or nephew hasn’t had a taste of her. Some of them have slept with her personally and they’re thrice the age of her.”
“Well, I’ve been saying for a while that Theo should break off his engagement to her, he doesn’t deserve the shit she puts him through. He’s only still with her because his Father is forcing him into it because he wants the Greengrass fortune and the Greengrass title for his own son or grandson.”
“Everyone knows this, what does it have to do with my brother?”
Harry sighed. “I finally convinced Theo to break off his engagement tonight, he was visibly upset when he arrived, so I took him to my bedroom so that Blaise and Draco wouldn’t see and humiliate him more than what Daphne already does. It was just for him to calm down. We sat on my settee, talking, about what he actually wants out of his life, out of a marriage and why he thought that he couldn’t have it and I convinced him to break off his contract. He was mostly worried about his Father disowning him.”
“He’s an only child, the only Heir, not even Nott would be so stupid as to end his own line with a disownment, especially not merely because his Heir won’t marry the whore he set him up with. No one has an obligation to marry from a mere betrothal contract, they can be broken as easily as glass.”
“That’s what I said, but he was still very worried about it, he seemed convinced that he would be disowned if he stood up to his Father and broke off his contract, so I told him that if he was disowned then I’d adopt him into the Black family. He was very grateful and he hugged me, he was actually sobbing on my shoulder, but Draco burst in, got the entirely wrong end of the stick and started shouting and Rodolphus overheard him and he couldn’t wait to come and tell you that I was sequestered away in my bedroom with another man when that wasn’t what happened at all.”
Harry fell silent and stared at Rabastan, who was blank faced and unmoving. One large hand clenched into a fist.
“That boy touched you?”
Harry wrapped both his hands around that fist and kissed it. “No. Well, yes, but not like that, Rabastan, not like how we touch one another. It was just a hug because I’d taken the burden from him, I’d enabled him to do what he wanted to do for once. I’ve given him the means to break off his betrothal and taken the worry away from being disowned.”
“The Black title should go to our children!” Rabastan hissed.
“Our children will still have the Potter and Lestrange titles.” Harry argued. “Technically, neither one of us is even a Black! I only got that title because of my Godfather, Rabastan. Otherwise it wouldn’t even be open for us to use! Isn’t two Houses enough? I’m struggling to juggle my responsibilities for two houses, Rabastan, sorting out those damn portfolios and all the responsibilities, what if we only have one son? Are you really going to lumber him with three titles? Three Lordships? It’s too much!”
“So you’re going to give away all of our titles?!” Rabastan demanded.
Harry took a deep breath when the red hot anger spiked inside him. He tried to calm himself and he squeezed the hand that he still held between both of his own.
“I offered my friend, who is stuck in a betrothal with a witless whore because his Father is a greedy, money hungry bastard, the option of being adopted into the Black family if his Father disowned him when he breaks his betrothal contract because he deserves better. How is that giving away our titles and lordships?” Harry bit out as calmly as he could through gritted teeth.
“You barely know him.”
“You know what? I don’t care! I’d do exactly the same thing again, if you can’t accept that then it’s fucking tough!” Harry said angrily, dropping Rabastan’s hand and moving to walk away. Rabastan grabbed him and Harry found himself face to face with an angry Lestrange, those beautiful blue eyes sparking with his fury.
“Do you want Nott?”
Harry glared back. “Are we going to do this again, Rabastan? Again?”
“Do. You. Want. Him?!” Rabastan ground out.
“No!” Harry shouted out. “I only want you, you thick headed, overly jealous prat!”
“So there’s nothing between you?”
“You know what? I can’t deal with you anymore. Are you trying to tell me that I can’t have any friends?!”
“No! I just don’t want them touching you.”
Harry sighed and rubbed his forehead. “He was hugging me in gratitude, it wasn’t the same!”
Rabastan grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. Harry fought for a moment, before he all but melted into the embrace and snuggled his face into Rabastan’s neck.
“So it wasn’t like this?” Rabastan asked quietly.
“Not even close.” Harry replied as he pushed one hand into Rabastan’s hair and massaged his scalp with his fingertips.
“You still love me?”
Harry laughed. “Rabastan, I’ve only ever loved you. You’re the first and only, just, please, please stop being so jealous over nothing, you’ll set us onto a road to destruction before we’re even married and I can’t have that. It’s not an environment I ever want to bring children into. If I was hugging him like this and confessing everlasting love then I’d understand, but I wasn’t. I’ve just helped him out of a terrible situation and he was grateful. He doesn’t even like me that way, he likes women.”
“I didn’t mean what I said. You can have friends and you can do what you want with your own Lordships, as long as you still become a Lestrange, as long as you marry me, I don’t care about anything else. I just want you and I want you to want me.”
“I do. Of course I do. I don’t like boys, Rabastan, I like men. I love you. How can you still doubt me?”
“I don’t, otherwise I would have been upstairs cursing that Nott boy instead of still down here with you.”
Harry sighed and he pulled Rabastan back into a tight hug.
“So we’re okay and you don’t mind that I said I’d adopt Theo if his fool of a Father disowns him? I’d still be Lord Black, but Theo would be my Heir.”
“No, I don’t mind, but I still don’t think Nott will disown his only son and Heir. As for us, we’re going to be fine.”
Harry smiled and he pulled back slightly to kiss him full on the mouth and Rabastan responded immediately. Rabastan’s arms wrapped around him and Harry went up on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around Rabastan’s neck as their kiss grew in intensity.
The addiction to that mouth, to those lips, to Rabastan’s tongue, came back to him in full force and Harry’s arms clenched tighter as the kiss deepened and one of Rabastan’s hands cupped his cheek and tilted his head and the new angle made everything that much more perfect as Rabastan’s other hand slipped down to grope his bum…and that was when their kiss ended as Harry suddenly found himself yanked down to the ground and he looked up to see Rabastan picking himself out of a rosemary bush.
He laughed, he couldn’t help it as he watched an enraged Rabastan struggling out of the herb plant, picking the needles from his robes and his hair in furious swipes of his large hands.
“I thought that you two were getting a little too cosy.” Xerxes told them unapologetically, twirling his wand in his fingers. “I let it go on for a little while, knowing that you needed to reconnect after your little spat, but when it looked like you’d throw off all of your clothes right here in the garden, then I had to step in. Can I assume that from your passionate lip lock that things are once again fine between you both?”
Harry looked at Rabastan and smiled.
“Everything’s fine.” Rabastan answered, smiling back at Harry and pulling him into a hug. “Harry is a good friend and the Nott boy was a bit, handsy, in his gratitude towards Harry’s kindness. There was nothing to the exchange but friendly interaction. Draco has a loud mouth and Rodolphus overheard a fraction of a conversation and jumped to conclusions.”
“Your little spats really must stop. Communication is the key here.” Xerxes told them seriously.
“We’re just working everything out.” Harry insisted with a grin. “We’re both passionate men, our tempers run high so we have little fights, but we’re also intelligent, rational men too, we’ll work it all out and find where everything fits.”
“Is everything fitting how you wanted it to?” Xerxes asked with narrowed eyes.
“Not exactly, but that’s how relationships work, it’s all about compromising to accept another person with their own thoughts and feelings into your own life. Compromise is an important requirement in any relationship, not just marriage. If Rabastan fit exactly into me and my schedule with no compromise or wriggling around or any need for me to compromise my own life around him, then I’d have been highly suspicious and worried. So though it doesn’t fit exactly, we’re working on it and I actually think Rabastan and I fit together really well because we’re accepting of one another’s personalities and faults.”
Xerxes grinned at him and Rabastan smiled softly, bending down to give him a peck on the lips.
“You really are incredibly mature for your young age.” Xerxes complimented him. “Come on, the both of you, I think we’ve been away from the gathering for far too long already. Lucius will start to question my motives and he’ll prevent me from being a chaperone in future. He’s far too overprotective of you, Harry. He’s like a jealous bear when it comes to his sons.”
Harry laughed and looked at himself, he was perfectly clean and unrumpled, though he brushed his robe down regardless. The pathways had all been cleared of snow so that their guests could walk through the garden unobstructed by snow, so there was nothing for him to get wet or dirty on.
Rabastan on the other hand was distinctly rumpled and still covered in rosemary needles. Harry chuckled and brushed him down and straightened out his shirt and robe for him, smiling up at him once he was done. He got another kiss, this one slightly longer than a peck, for his care.
“I love you.” Rabastan declared strongly.
“I love you more.” Harry insisted with a grin, taking Rabastan’s hand and leading him back into the manor via the ballroom.
He’d almost forgotten about Rodolphus in his joy over his love for Rabastan. Or at least he’d forgotten how very angry the man had been, all it took was one look into his fuming face, those enraged eyes, and he knew that he was still in trouble.
“He’s going to kill me.” He said with a grimace.
“Who?” Rabastan demanded protectively, before he caught sight of his older brother’s face. “Let me deal with him, you go and get a drink.”
“We should do this together.” Harry insisted.
“Dolphus likes to act first and listen later, go and get a drink and then come back, so I’ve had a chance to start talking to him.”
Harry nodded and squeezed Rabastan’s hand before he made his way to the drinks table.
“Did you make up?”
Harry glared at Draco, who had Astoria on his arm, before ignoring him, picking up a glass of pumpkin juice.
“Don’t ignore me.” Draco hissed.
“You’d deserve it.” Harry hissed back. “You could have lost me my betrothal!”
“I didn’t mean to!” Draco whined. “I wasn’t even going to tell Rabastan, I didn’t know Rodolphus was walking down the corridor at that exact moment!”
Harry sighed and tried to see the Lestrange brothers through the backs of the thronging people in the ballroom. They’d moved off into a more secluded corner of the ballroom for privacy.
“Rabastan and I are fine. I explained what happened before Rodolphus reached the ballroom and Rabastan understands that Theo and I are just friends. There was nothing in the hug he gave me, just gratitude and relief. It’s completely different to even holding Rabastan’s hand. I’d go one further and say that there was more intimacy in me just sitting next to Rabastan than in the hug that Theo and I shared. There’s no passion, no attraction there. There is only Rabastan for me.”
“And Flint.” Draco put in helpfully.
Harry smiled. “No.” He shook his head. “I liked Marcus, he was easy to talk to, but again, there was nothing there between us. It was slightly awkward to tell you the truth. There is only Rabastan. I’m drawn to him, there’s just something about him and I can’t resist it. He makes me laugh, he makes me happy and dear Merlin is he a good kisser!”
Astoria giggled and Harry winked at her before turning back to his brother.
“There’s only Rabastan for me, Draco. I don’t want anyone else. Anyway, enough about me, how are you, Astoria? You look very beautiful tonight.”
Astoria was in a flowing dress of the palest pink that Harry could imagine, from a distance it might even be mistaken for white. Her pale blonde hair was tied up in an elegant knot with pale, pearlescent pink clips and she seemed to have made more of an effort for this party than she had with the last. He wondered if it was because her future in-laws were the ones hosting or if it was because Draco had actually paid her some attention during the Parkinsons’ winter gala and she was expecting him to do the same at this party so she’d taken more care. Maybe it was both.
“Thank you, I am very well. You look very handsome tonight. That shade of blue really suits you, slightly darker and paired with the black, it compliments you very well. You should try a darker green too, paired with your eyes, it would look stunning.”
Harry grimaced. “My last set of robes are dark green. Draco told me to save them for the Wizengamot party in April.”
Astoria looked approvingly at her future Husband. “Yes, you always save your best colour and the most expensive cut for the more important parties.”
Draco held out his hand, looking a little shamefaced. “I’m sorry for almost ruining your betrothal.”
Harry sighed, gripped Draco’s hand and pulled him into a hug. “You’re forgiven, just don’t do it again! I’m in control of two Beaters on the Quidditch pitch who will happily take your head off if I tell them too.”
Draco laughed and Astoria giggled.
“I need to get back to Rabastan. He should have calmed Rodolphus down by now.”
“Be careful. Rodolphus is the scarier of the two.”
Harry grinned. “I’m sure he’s like a guard dog, you just need to find out where to rub him to get him flat out on his back.”
Astoria blushed hard and even Draco looked shocked. Harry laughed.
“I don’t recommend trying it!” Draco called out after him as Harry picked up two glasses of water and made his way over to where he’d last seen Rodolphus, from there he worked his way to the nearest corner, where a private, hushed conversation could be held.
He found them only too easily, they were still big, tall men even if they were slightly skeletal to look at still. Rodolphus was looking furious and unconvinced and Rabastan was looking as equally angry and frustrated.
“You!” Rodolphus hissed as soon as he laid eyes on Harry. “You will take Veritaserum and prove without all doubt that you were not being intimate with anyone!”
“Rodolphus, no!” Rabastan growled out. “I don’t care what you think, I believe him! That should be enough!”
“It’s not!” Rodolphus insisted with a harsh scowl that made his face seem more like his wanted posters from Azkaban. “If he doesn’t have anything to hide, then what’s the problem? Or are you afraid of finding out that perhaps your dearly beloved boy has been messing with others while you’ve been singing his praises and raising him up on a pedestal as the perfectly pure consort?” Rodolphus challenged.
“He hasn’t been!” Rabastan insisted firmly and Harry’s heart swelled with love for this man. How could anyone think that he would ever cheat on Rabastan? How could they not see how much he dearly loved him? He had no need for anyone else.
“I’ll do it.” He said simply, cutting through their hushed argument in one of the corners of the ballroom, where they’d gone for a bit of privacy, though naturally everyone close to them were leaning in and straining their ears to try and hear them, even though they’d cast a privacy ward.
“No! I won’t let you! You’re my betrothed, not his! It’s up to me to demand such testing, not him and I won’t do it. I don’t believe any of these falsehoods and lies, Rodolphus. No!”
“Actually, I believe it’s up to me if I want to do it or not and I won’t stand by and watch you two fighting with one another over something that can easily be cleared up with a few drops of potion. I haven’t done anything, I have nothing to hide and therefore nothing to fear. I don’t know why it’s so hard for you to believe that I truly love your brother, Rodolphus, but I do. There has been no one else and I consent to your test.”
“I’ll send Lucius to Severus immediately.” Rodolphus said shortly and stormed off.
“I don’t want you doing this, Harry.” Rabastan said upset. “I believe you, I know there is nothing going on. I trust you when you say that. What does it matter if Rodolphus doesn’t? You’re marrying me, not him! He can accept it or he can leave us alone.”
Harry smiled softly and handed over the second glass of water and he used his free hand to cup Rabastan’s cheek. It was firmer than it had been when he’d first met him, there was more flesh to it so it didn’t feel like the skin was stretched right over the bone. His Rabastan was getting better, he was getting healthier in almost unseen ways. Harry was so proud of him and it was ridiculous, but he couldn’t help it.
“I don’t want you and Rodolphus fighting, least of all over me, Rabastan. You need your brother, you two have been through so much together and I never, ever want to come between you both. I’m going to pass his little test and if it at all helps him to accept that I haven’t been messing you around, I’ll do it. He’s so protective of you and at the moment he fully believes that I’m playing with you and your emotions, he thinks that I’m humiliating you and disrespecting you without your knowledge and he isn’t going to accept that I’m not until he’s got irrefutable proof that I’m not. I’m willing to give him the proof that he needs to stop all this fighting, because I don’t like seeing you upset and fighting with Rodolphus always makes you upset.”
Rabastan swallowed and hugged him tight, pulling him into his chest. He felt firmer to Harry, less bony and he could stay standing for up to forty minutes now before he needed to sit down. Harry hugged him tighter and pressed his face into Rabastan’s robes.
Lucius looked furious when he came over to get him, Harry thought that it was because he was breaking the betrothal terms by being so close and openly affectionate to Rabastan in public, but as Lucius directed him and Rabastan to a private sitting room, where an equally angry Xerxes was waiting with a stubbornly set Rodolphus, Harry had to think if Lucius wasn’t actually offended at being asked to prove his adopted son’s intentions in such a way.
“Let’s get this over with quickly.” Xerxes muttered, sending a filthy look towards Rodolphus. Harry had the insane thought that perhaps Xerxes didn’t quite believe that nothing had happened and it made him even more determined to do this.
“Stick out your tongue, Harry.” Lucius told him shortly.
Harry did as he was asked and the three Lestrange men watched closely as three precise drops were placed on his tongue.
One moment he was fine, the next his head had gone blank and fuzzy and his body relaxed completely, his arms going straight and loose by his sides as his back and shoulders slumped.
“You are Harry James Potter.” Lucius stated.
“Yes.” He replied automatically, he hadn’t even thought about the question, he’d just answered immediately.
“You are Heir to the Potter and Black houses.”
“No. I am the Lord of those houses.” Harry answered again without thinking about anything. It was like his brain was no longer attached to his mouth.
“The sorting hat put you into Gryffindor house.”
“I chose Gryffindor. The hat wanted me in Slytherin.” Harry couldn’t have held that statement back if he’d tried, he couldn’t even think, he couldn’t react, he just answered.
“You are an adoptee of the Malfoy house.”
“Yes.”
“Are you satisfied that the potion is in full effect?” Lucius asked Rodolphus smarmily.
“Get on with it.” Rodolphus growled.
“Harry, were you in any way intimate with one, Theodore Nott, this evening?” Lucius asked him.
“No.” Harry answered simply.
“I told you!” Rabastan insisted furiously.
Rodolphus bared his teeth. “Have you been intimate with anyone other than my brother, Rabastan Lestrange?!”
“That wasn’t one of the predetermined quest…” Rabastan started furiously, but Harry, forced to answer because of the potion controlling him, cut across.
“Yes.”
“With who?” Lucius asked as Rodolphus looked triumphant and Rabastan looked crushed.
“Cho Chang, we kissed in my fifth year. I didn’t like it.”
“Before his betrothal, before I’d even adopted him.” Lucius sneered at Rodolphus.
“Do you love my brother, Rabastan Lestrange?”
“That is enough!” Lucius commanded.
“Yes.” Harry answered simply.
“Are you completely untouched and pure?” Rodolphus asked quickly as Lucius took out the small bottle of antidote, glaring at Rodolphus.
“Yes.” Harry answered just as Lucius cupped his cheek and placed more drops onto his tongue and slowly, ever so slowly, Harry felt the fuzziness slipping away.
His mouth felt strange, like someone had rubbed a fluffy sock over his tongue and he was slightly disorientated, almost confused, but he remembered everything clearly. He worked his mouth, testing that it was back in his control as his thoughts came back and he was able to think again.
He blinked and accepted the glass of water that was offered to him, drinking it down to get rid of the strange, cottony feeling in his mouth. As soon as he was done and he had handed the empty glass back to Lucius, Rabastan was there, holding him close and tight.
“You owe him an apology for forcing him through this, Rodolphus! You accused him falsely of impurity and you demanded answers from questions that we did not agree to ask!” Rabastan growled to his older brother.
“Rabastan is correct. You accused Harry of all sorts and now you must amend your mistake.” Xerxes insisted, looking so much happier, his back was straighter, his shoulders held high. He had thought that Harry had done something, either with Theo or Marcus or even someone else, it didn’t matter. Harry was glad that he’d proven them all wrong. Or right in Lucius and Rabastan’s case.
Rodolphus blew out a heavy breath, before standing straighter, looking him dead in the eyes and holding his gaze. “I’m sorry that I wrongly accused you of being with others. I was merely protecting my brother and I will always do so, but in this case, I was wrong and I’m sorry.”
Harry nodded. “I know you were doing it for Rabastan, that’s why I agreed to it. But I do love him, I really do. No one else has ever turned my head.”
“What about that Cho Chang?” Xerxes asked.
“I only went out with her because I thought that it was what I was supposed to do, that that was what people did, asking girls out on dates to Hogsmeade. It was before I realised that maybe I’d prefer men instead. She kissed me and it just…it was just terrible.” He confessed.
That broke the tension and set everyone off laughing. Rabastan’s arms clenched around him and he nuzzled into his hair. Harry felt a kiss and he smiled.
“I need to go and wash my face a moment, it feels strange and all rubbery, like it’s not mine.” He said with a grimace.
“An after effect of the potion.” Xerxes told him and Harry nodded his understanding.
“Excuse me a moment.”
Harry was smiling happily as he made his way through the manor to the downstairs bathroom. Thankfully it was free because he didn’t really want to wait. He wanted to get back to Rabastan. He ducked his face and cupped his hands into the flow of cold water to splash his face.
He felt a little more normal and he swished his mouth out too, to get rid of the dry feeling he had that seemed stuck to his tongue like an unmovable coating. He’d never tried Veritaserum before, he really didn’t like the effects of it, nor the after effects for that matter.
He hoped that now he had been proven to be ‘pure’ and in love with Rabastan that all the aggression and tension would ease off, he didn’t want to fight with Rodolphus all the damn time. He was his brother-in-law, he wanted to get on with him, for Rabastan’s sake more than anything else, but Rodolphus would be his children’s Uncle one day, everything would be so much easier if he got on with Rabastan’s family and Rabastan with his family.
He sighed and lifted his head and he had no time at all to react as he saw another reflection in the mirror, right before his head was bashed into it. Dazed, confused and now in pain, Harry collapsed to the floor and he couldn’t react in time when a large body dropped onto him, forcing all the air out of his lungs as large hands wrapped around his throat and squeezed painfully tight, cutting off his windpipe so much that he was reduced to fighting for every breath, inhaling in painful, stuttered gasps.
“You little shit, how dare you humiliate me in front of all of those people!” The man snarled at him.
Harry was shocked to find that it was Rowle sitting on top of him, looking no worse for wear after Rodolphus had rearranged his face for him exactly a week ago.
“Get…off!” Harry demanded, trying to draw in enough air to breathe.
“I am Thorfinn Rowle! I am a Pureblood of prestige, I will not let some half-blood scum pretending to be a Pureblood reject me!”
“You…deluded…fool.” Harry choked out, his own hands curled around Rowle’s fingers, trying to pry them off of his neck to no avail.
“Let’s see if that drooling, twitching cripple still wants you when I’ve had you and you’re growing with my child.” Rowle snarled, letting go of his neck suddenly and ripping open the front of his robes, the gold fastenings flying everywhere as the expensive fabric tore. “If he actually does, seeing as the pathetic excuse for a man is desperate, then I’ll just have to dispose of him and take you for myself. It shouldn’t be too difficult with the poor state of heath he’s in and I’d have the biggest claim to you, being the Father of your child. No one else would even look at you, you soiled whore!”
Harry used his hands to push at Rowle, trying to get away from him and cursing the fact that he hadn’t thought to lock the bathroom door, he was only going to wash his face, he hadn’t thought he’d need to lock it behind him.
The icy anger flared when a hand popped the button on his smart trousers and forced its way into his boxers to paw at him. He yelled in fury and tried to dig his thumbs into Rowle’s eyes, only to be head butted for his efforts and then punched in the mouth.
He tasted blood and it infuriated him as Rowle tried to pull his trousers and boxers off of him, yanking and tearing at the fabric like a man possessed. He was completely committed to raping him, here on the bathroom floor of his own home.
Harry plunged his hand into his inner robe pocket, clenched his hand around his wand and he drew it out with a sharp slashing movement. He didn’t even think, his icy anger took over and before he knew what had happened Rowle was gone from between his legs and he was screaming blue murder some four feet away from him, next to the bathtub.
Panting hard and coming down from the adrenaline high, Harry scrambled to his feet and looked around, Rowle was holding an obviously broken arm (he could see the bone jutting out through the sleeve of his robe) and Harry sneered at him, his mind clouded over with utter resentment.
“Reducto!” He shouted without even thinking about it or the consequences of his loss of control and he watched impassively as his spell, aimed right between Rowle’s legs, hit his left leg instead as Rowle had moved, wriggling around like a worm impaled on a hook.
The result was catastrophic and it rained blood in the bathroom as Harry’s spell blew Rowle’s leg clean off, the severed limb all but exploding from the force of the spell and spinning off into a corner, sending blood in every direction. The stump that Rowle was left with was spurting blood at an alarming rate, creating a puddle of it very quickly on the tiled floor that was spreading with every single second.
Rowle’s screams hit a higher, more animalistic pitch, a sound that Harry had never heard before, and Harry took a breath, finally realising exactly what he’d done in his anger as he’d shouted out the first spell that had jumped into his head, he realised then that maybe it would be better if he let Lucius handle this from here.
He walked out of the bathroom quickly and went to look into the private room where he’d taken the Veritaserum test, hoping that Lucius was still there. He wasn’t. The room was empty.
“Pimsey!” He called out.
“Yes, what can Pimsey be do…?”
“Get Lucius here, now. Immediately, with no delay.” He ordered as he licked his lips nervously and Pimsey almost fell over herself to do as he’d asked.
He only had to wait a few minutes before Lucius, escorted by the three Lestranges and a huge, fearsome looking man that Harry had never seen before, stormed into the private room with a cowering, but determined, Pimsey.
“What happened to you?” Rabastan demanded as he immediately came to hold him, but his hands wavered and sort of hovered over his body as he didn’t know if he was hurt or not or if touching him would make everything worse.
“You only went to the bathroom!” Lucius said, completely appalled at his blood covered form.
Harry stared at the unknown man, biting his bleeding, bottom lip.
“This is Fenrir Greyback, he’s a family friend.” Lucius told him shortly, letting him know that anything he had to say, he could say it. This Greyback was obviously another Death Eater.
“Rowle attacked me in the bathroom.” Harry said shortly and to the point.
He had the pleasure of seeing the anger flare in Rabastan’s eyes, which was mirrored in Rodolphus’.
“I suppose I didn’t teach him enough of a lesson last week.” Rodolphus snarled, his large hands curling into fists, the knuckles cracking menacingly at the move.
“Where is he now?” Lucius demanded.
“I…well you see, he took me by surprise and when he knocked me to the floor, well, he tried to rape me.”
“What?!”
Harry closed his eyes at the volume of at least three men shouting.
“He said that Rabastan wouldn’t want me if I was defiled and pregnant with his child, so he tried to rape me.”
“Then he doesn’t know me very well.” Rabastan growled harshly. “I wouldn’t break our contract because he’d done that to you, I’d have killed him instead.”
“He said that if you did still want me afterwards, then he’d dispose of you, leaving himself as my only suitor as the Father of the baby he’d given me.”
“I wouldn’t betroth you to a man who’d murdered your love and had raped you. Pregnant or not.” Lucius insisted firmly, his grey eyes glinting like polished steel.
“I’m not so easily killed.” Rabastan snarled. “Did he hurt you, Harry?”
“He…not really, just a little. I was more scared than hurt, then I got angry. He’s a lot bigger than I am, so I couldn’t stop him physically.”
“He actually started to rape you?” Xerxes demanded fiercely, making a violent hand gesture.
Rabastan gently tugged on his robes, opening them to show that they had no fastenings left, that they were torn and his trousers were ripped open, misshapen and missing a button.
“Did he touch you?” Rabastan asked dangerously.
“Yes, he did manage to fondle me, but that’s not what I need help with.”
“I’m going to kill him.” Rodolphus declared seriously.
“Ah, well…I may have already done so.” He admitted with a grimace.
“What do you mean?” Lucius asked, everyone, even the unknown Fenrir Greyback, looked at him interestedly then.
“He was threatening to kill Rabastan and he was trying to rape me!” Harry told them angrily. “Do you really think I’d just lie there and bloody let him?! I couldn’t fight him off physically, but I am a wizard still.”
“What did you do?” Rodolphus asked curiously.
Harry licked his lips. “Well, I did say the reductor curse was one of my favourites…” He grimaced and closed his eyes. “I…I may have blown off his left leg.”
Whatever he was expecting, it was not raucous laughter. He blinked open his eyes to see Rodolphus completely beside himself with mirth, almost bent double with his uncontrollable laughter.
“Are you hurt?” Lucius asked him calmly. “You were vague when Rabastan asked you.”
“Not really, he head butted me and punched my mouth, he also tried to strangle me, but all this blood is actually his from when I blew his leg off. The blood went everywhere, he was bleeding a lot when I left, there was a puddle under the stump where his leg used to be and it was getting bigger and bigger as I watched. I also broke his arm, I could see the bone poking through the sleeve of his robe.”
Rodolphus started laughing harder and he stepped forward to pet his head, ruffling his hair.
“I will go and clean up the mess in the bathroom, then.” Lucius sighed.
“I’ll come with you.” Xerxes insisted.
“I’ll get rid of the body.” The man, Fenrir, insisted firmly with a gleam in his eyes that Harry didn’t like. It made the hair on his arms and the back of his neck stand up and his skin prickled with goose bumps.
“You will keep your cannibalistic tendencies out of my home.” Lucius told him sternly.
Harry’s stomach knotted and his gorge rose at hearing that.
“He was alive and screaming when I left the room!” He insisted in a squeak.
“He won’t be when I’m done with him.” Greyback grinned, showing off his pointed teeth.
Harry’s eyes widened before he could stop them and he instinctively sought out Rabastan for protection. He sidled closer and pressed against his betrothed, gripping that large hand tightly.
“Go and finish off Rowle before I beat you too it.” Rodolphus told the frightening man.
Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and he knew it was Rodolphus’ because both of Rabastan’ hands were around his chest, holding him tightly.
“Ignore him, he likes frightening people.” Rodolphus told him kindly and Harry wondered if he was trying to make amends for forcing him into that Veritaserum test or if he liked him more because he’d blown off Rowle’s leg and broken his arm. “I’m going to go and see what Rowle looks like.” He said with a demented grin and Harry thought then that it was the latter.
Rabastan waved his wand over Harry and the blood peeled off of him and another spell had the pain in his mouth and head vanishing as his split lip was healed, along with the unnoticed cut he’d had at his hairline from hitting the mirror.
“I can’t do anything for your throat, it needs to come out into a bruise and then have a bruise salve applied and there’s no fixing this robe. Let us go and get you changed.”
“I only have one robe left and it’s supposed to be for the Wizengamot party. Can’t I just go and stay up in my room and not come out?”
“No, we have to alleviate you of blame by giving you a room full of alibis while Fenrir eats what’s left of Rowle. I’ll buy you a new set of dress robes as a gift.”
Harry grimaced as he thought of Fenrir eating Rowle alive. It made him feel queasy and faintly light headed.
“Do you think we need a chaperone?” Harry asked as Rabastan peered out of the doorway and then pulled him out and down the corridor to the stairs.
“No, dealing with Rowle is more important and I don’t want to jump you after what that scum has just done to you.” Rabastan said gently. “I want to clean you up, get you changed so I can’t see what that filth did to you and then I am not going to let you out of my sight.”
Harry smiled and snuggled in tightly to the man who was doing his all to make him feel better after what had happened to him only minutes before.
They reached his bed suite quickly and without incident and Harry went into his bedroom, pulling Rabastan with him.
“I’ve never been in your bedroom before.”
“And so you shouldn’t have!” Harry teased him.
Rabastan laughed and took a seat on his bed as Harry went into his walk-in wardrobe and stripped off his ruined robes, taking out his best green robes.
“If anyone asks I’ll say I had a slight accident with a glass of water.” Harry said as he brought the robes out. “I’m not poor enough to have the need to repair mere dress robes! I can just buy new ones, how dare you suggest otherwise.” He sniffed in an imitation of Draco that sent Rabastan into peals of deep, rumbling laughter.
Harry chuckled and took the robes off of the hanger, but before he could put them on, Rabastan reached out and pulled him between his legs, his large hands holding the dip of Harry’s waist before he kissed him full on the mouth.
It was Harry who took things further and he climbed onto the bed and straddled Rabastan’s lap, their kiss deepening as Harry opened his mouth to allow Rabastan entry.
They had nothing to distract them, nothing to interrupt them and neither of them had the will to stop as their passionate kiss intensified. It was Rabastan who found the will to stop first, when his hand accidentally brushed against the damaged trousers with their missing button.
He broke apart from Harry, panting heavily and lust clouding his mind. Harry tried to kiss him again, before giving up and nibbling his neck instead. Rabastan groaned in pleasure, before he pulled back and separated them firmly.
“If we don’t stop now then it’ll be too late.” He groaned. “I don’t want to hurt you, I love you.”
“I love you too, that’s why I don’t care what Rowle did. I can look after myself, I’m not some weak, little boy who will curl up and wait for rescue. I can and I will defend myself and what he did means nothing, absolutely nothing to me. You are not him, not one little bit and the biggest difference of all is that I love you, not him. So this…” Harry indicated the both of them. “Is everything to me, everything I want and dream about. What he did was vile and wrong and he got what he deserved because of it.”
“Merlin, you’re amazing.” Rabastan grinned. “Now get dressed and let’s go before we’re caught and the both of us get spanked for our behaviour.”
Harry roared with laughter and he nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Okay. Alright, I think we managed to push our luck enough for one day, but tomorrow is a new day and I’ll expect more kisses.”
“I wouldn’t dare deny you.” Rabastan swore, watching lustily as Harry covered his tight black shirt and trousers with the stunning dark green dress robes that perfectly matched the eyes that he adored.
“Do I have blood on me still?” Harry asked worriedly as he went to his mirror to check his face.
“No.” Rabastan answered, standing up and walking over to Harry to wrap his arms around him. “You’re just insanely beautiful and I can’t tear my eyes away from you.”
Harry was mortified to realise that his cheeks had pinked at hearing that and Rabastan smirked at him as he saw the added colour.
“I adore you.” Rabastan insisted as he hugged Harry tightly. “Now come, before I make use of that bed and ravish you completely.”
“I wouldn’t complain.” Harry said with a grin.
“Everyone else would, though.” Rabastan told him as he led them out into Harry’s sitting room and then out into the corridor. “I’d never hear the end of how I’d taken advantage of you after you’d only just been attacked. Your Mother in particular would skin me alive.”
Harry laughed at that and he reached out to lace his fingers with Rabastan’s, holding tightly and just relishing being close to this man whom he loved.
They walked right by the bathroom door and Rabastan pulled him along, right past it without stopping and led him straight back into the ballroom.
“May I have this dance?” Rabastan asked him and Harry laughed.
“I’m a terrible dancer, just so you know. It’ll be entirely likely that you’ll come to regret the decision of asking me to dance. It’s not too late to back out, I will understand completely, I’m a hazard.”
“What are a few bruised toes?” Rabastan said with a wide grin. “I want to dance with you.”
Harry sighed. “Fine, but don’t complain to me later, after I’ve crushed all of your toes numerous times.”
Rabastan gave him a short bow and held out his hand formally and Harry chuckled, placing his hand in Rabastan’s and letting him lead him into a free space on the dance floor. The classical background music was just loud enough for couples to dance to if they so wished, but it wasn’t loud enough to drown out the numerous conversations taking place all around the ballroom. Lucius and Narcissa had argued on and off for three whole days about the perfect, acceptable level that the music should be played at for the evening. Harry had decided then and there that he was never going to be hosting a party of his own. Ever.
Rabastan led the dance, naturally, and Harry followed his lead as best as he could. It turned out to be less of a chore and much more enjoyable than Harry had initially imagined as Rabastan kept him laughing throughout their dances and he chuckled madly every time Harry accidentally trod on one of his feet and he even caught him without fail every time he stumbled with a misstep or tripped over one of Rabastan’s feet.
“I told you I was terrible.” He groaned.
“I don’t mind.” Rabastan said with a smile. “I find you rather endearing actually.”
“Can we please go and get a drink.”
Still laughing, Rabastan agreed and they finished their last dance and then left their little space on the dance floor to make their way to the drinks table. Harry happily grabbed two glasses and filled them with iced water from a jug and he handed one of the glasses to Rabastan before taking a deep drink from his own.
“Why have you changed robes?”
Harry almost spluttered in shock as Draco hissed from right behind him, almost in his ear.
“Not here!” Harry hissed back before saying loudly, for the sake of the several witches and wizards who were close by and listening in. “I had an accident with some water earlier.”
“You’re lying.” Draco insisted in a whisper.
“Shut up! Later, Draco. Later!” Harry ground out quietly through clenched teeth.
“Why do you hide things from me?” Draco demanded.
“I’m not hiding things from you, but it’s not for just anyone to overhear either!”
“Enough.” Rabastan chastised them both. “After the ball has ended, then will be the time to converse about such matters, until then you will be silent and mention nothing of Harry’s wardrobe change.”
“Is it bad?” Draco asked under his breath.
“Very.” Harry answered. “Now if anyone asks, I spilt water over myself and I changed robes because I can afford to discard dress robes so casually.”
“You will tell me what happened tonight, after the party.”
Harry nodded. “I will. Just keep quiet until then. It’s serious.”
“Hush now.” Rabastan coached them both. “You never know who has cast an enhancement charm on their own ears and are listening in to conversations that the participants believe are private.”
Harry nodded and he touched Draco’s elbow and squeezed, before he let go and turned back to Rabastan. A good look around the ballroom showed that Rodolphus, Xerxes, Lucius and the frightening man, Fenrir Greyback, were still missing.
“Harry, dear, where is your Father?”
Harry smiled at Narcissa and he embraced her, placing a kiss to her cheek to disguise his whispers.
“There was a bit of trouble earlier, they’re in the front bathroom.”
“Would this trouble have anything to do with these splendid robes that you weren’t wearing an hour ago?”
Harry nodded grimly. “It would.”
“Are you hurt?”
Harry smiled as his gut clenched pleasantly at the blatant concern shown to him. He was addicted to it already, he would never have enough of it. “I was, but Rabastan healed me up, though I may have bruises around my neck tomorrow.”
“Someone tried to throttle you.” She gasped, her clear blue eyes widening as her small hands rose to his shoulders just to either side of his neck and her long, slim fingers reached up to touch his jaw and chin so she could tilt it to get a better look at his throat without touching it or causing him undue pain.
“It’s not too bad.” Harry exclaimed.
“Nonetheless I will have Pimsey go to Severus to get a bruise salve from him. You will apply it tonight to try and head off the bruising.”
“Yes, Mother.” He took joy in saying. He couldn’t even be put out that she was fussing over something as small as a bruise because he adored this sort of motherly attention far too much.
She kissed his forehead and Harry couldn’t keep the grin from his face.
“I’m going to go and see what’s taking them so long.” Rabastan said, bowing to Narcissa and giving him a short peck to the lips.
Harry watched him go with a smile and he sighed.
“Can I get you a drink, Mother?” He asked Narcissa politely.
“A small white wine, please darling.”
Harry grinned and went to find a white wine and some juice for himself. Now that Rabastan had excused himself, he could sneak a glass of juice.
“Hello again.”
Harry chuckled and he turned to face Marcus Flint, who looked exceedingly good in a dark, almost black, set of blue dress robes.
“Hi, Marcus. How are you?” He asked.
“I’ve been trying to find someone to be my betrothed.” He sighed. “It’s been difficult and has become more of a chore.”
Harry looked at Marcus consideringly.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t have killed a guy and terrified your previous fiancée witless.” He suggested and he got a dark grin back.
“Perhaps she shouldn’t have spread her legs for one of my business associates in my own home while I was at work earning gold for her to spend.” Marcus answered. “Anyway, I have no lack of proposals, I would assume that some are afraid of coming near me, the rest see that I have my own manor and a very, very large salary and it’s I who don’t like them.”
“You’re hopeless.” Harry sighed with a laugh.
“There has been one who I like, she just isn’t very feminine. Her Mother died when she was really young and her Father didn’t know what to do with a daughter and he adored her so much that he never denied her anything, not even when she refused to wear a dress for parties or learn womanly etiquette. She plays Quidditch, doesn’t really like gowns and jewellery and she looked disgusted when I gave her flowers at our first meeting.”
“What the hell does that have to do with anything?” Harry demanded. “If you like her, what the hell does it matter what anyone else thinks? Stop letting others dictate what you do, Marcus. If she doesn’t like flowers or jewellery, don’t bloody buy her any and find out what she does like and buy her those instead.”
Marcus grinned at him and touched his shoulder. “Perhaps I should.”
“You definitely should!”
“You are going to be a wonderful friend.”
“We’re friends now?” Harry asked curiously.
“I’m not letting you go now.” Marcus insisted with a wide grin. “Especially not if I’m going to tutor you in Runes. You do still want tutoring, don’t you?”
“Absolutely!” Harry said excitedly, almost biting Marcus’ hand off with the repeated offer of tutoring.
“We’ll work around your school schedule. I can get special permission to come and see you at weekends at the castle. It’ll be nostalgic to go back, I’ll enjoy it.”
“Won’t that interfere with your work?” Harry asked worriedly.
Marcus chuckled. “No. You don’t seem to understand what I do, Harry. I’m a specialist consultant, I tell my employers when I’m working, not the other way around.”
Harry laughed. “Oh, that would be brilliant.”
“It is, so if you work hard, you can get to the point where you can do the same. So we’ll start when you’re back in Hogwarts and if you can spare an hour or two every Saturday, I’ll have you understanding and even enjoying Runes by Easter.”
Harry grinned and he reacted on impulse when he reached out and hugged Marcus around the waist.
“Thank you! I can’t wait! I’ll send you a letter with Hedwig to finalise everything! I need to go and tell Rabastan.”
“Are you two back on track now after the Christmas Eve party?”
Harry nodded and he had a gooey smile on his lips as he thought of Rabastan. “Yeah, actually it was the kiss you gave me that spurred him into action.”
“As I had planned.” Marcus told him with a smirk. “I heard that Rowle attacked you just after? I wish I’d stayed with you for a minute longer, I’d have broken more than his nose.”
Harry laughed nervously while thinking that he had broken more than Rowle’s nose all by himself.
“I was actually expecting that scum to be here tonight.” Marcus carried on, peering around the ballroom consideringly.
“He was here earlier. I had an…altercation with him, so Father sent him away.”
Marcus snorted. “I knew that bastard couldn’t control himself. What sort of decent Pureblood can’t even control himself?”
It happened suddenly, as a distinct big cat Patronus darted into the ballroom and an unfamiliar voice gave them a two word warning. “Ministry raid.” The voice was shouting, echoing throughout the entire manor house so that there was no possible hope of anyone not hearing it and Harry had no doubts that everyone from the ground floor to the attic had heard the warning. It still took him a few moments to process what he’d heard before the panic set in.
“Rabastan!” He cried out in complete fear and panic, but Marcus caught him around the waist and held him.
“Calm. Calm!” Marcus coached him. “This happens at least once a year. They probably picked this party because of your recent adoption to the Malfoys, we know how to handle these and Rabastan and Rodolphus will already be gone, I promise you. If you look suspicious and panicked, that is what will make it worse, so just calm down.”
Harry breathed and looked around as a few people were popped away by house elves, but everyone else acted as though they hadn’t even been warned as they laughed and joked and sipped on their glasses. It helped him to calm down and he held on tightly to Marcus.
Marcus grabbed at him, groping at his chest and he lifted his Lestrange pendant and Harry’s eyes widened. That would be a dead giveaway if a Ministry worker saw it, but Marcus drew just two runes on the back of it with his wand and the pendant shimmered and vanished. Harry groped for it himself and he could still feel it, but he couldn’t see it.
“I’ll wipe the runes away after these idiots leave, until then, would you like to dance?”
“As I warned Rabastan, I’m a hideous dancer and I will stomp on your feet.”
“That’s okay, I’ll likely do the same to you.” Marcus told him with a deep laugh.
Harry laughed too and accepted the hand onto the dancefloor. He didn’t need to act shocked when, with a racket that could have woken the dead, tens of people in bright red robes flooded into the Malfoy ballroom. There were shrieks from women and shouts from men and Marcus held Harry as if protecting him as three Aurors converged on them and prodded them with wands, looking for enchantments or potions that would disguise their true faces.
“I found the Potter boy!” One shouted out over the din the commotion had created in the ballroom as the noise level dropped dramatically when the music was shut off.
Harry bristled. “Excuse me! I am Lord Potter-Black and you will address me as such!” He exclaimed in his best Wizengamot voice. “How dare you storm in here while we are hosting a New Year’s ball! What right do you have?”
“We have every right to investigate such a large gathering of dark affiliated witches and wizards!”
“On what grounds are you here?” Harry demanded. “I am on the Wizengamot, I know that you can’t just set up this…this invasion without a legitimate, legal reason!”
“We are here on the suspicion that you are harbouring escapees of Azkaban here.”
“Oh yes, I’ve escaped from Azkaban, I fancy an hors d’oeuvre at a public social party.” Harry sneered. “Well have a good look around, don’t forget to look under the serving tables, your escapees might be hiding under the tablecloths.”
Harry glared down the Aurors in front of him, ignoring that the ballroom had gone silent and that nearly all of the occupants were listening to him.
“We’re just doing our jobs!” A red faced man, who could have only been in his early twenties, insisted.
“Not particularly well, apparently.” Harry answered as quick as a snap. “Just because you lazy, imbecilic fools can’t find a trace of several degenerates, you actually come and raid a New Year’s party just to make it seem like you’re actually doing something. This is unacceptable! Just what does the Auror department think it is doing?!” He demanded furiously. “You are supposed to be the top law enforcers of our world, you are supposed to be the elite at tracking and hunting down these dangerous, convicted criminals and yet, here you are, terrorising innocent members of the public by raiding a mere party! What could possibly have crossed your minds to make you believe that this was ever a good idea? You do not look good, you do not look in control of the situation and you do not look like you’re doing something to hunt down these criminals, you look stupid! You all look lost and clueless, like you have no leads and are merely grasping at whatever straws first come to hand!”
Harry ignored the deathly silence of the room and what felt like Marcus suppressing furious laughter at his back.
“Is this who the members of magical society have to protect them?” Harry demanded when everything remained silent. “Idiots who crash a party searching for Azkaban escapees instead of actually tracing their whereabouts and hunting them down? You should be ashamed of yourselves! You who dare to call yourselves Aurors. You’re all pathetic. Who is in charge here? Which one of you actually came up with this ludicrous idea?”
“Harry, calm yourself.” A hand on his shoulder and Harry relaxed, easing down from the edge of his anger as Lucius took over. “I’m sure that the Aurors have legitimate information and intelligence to go on and aren’t just harassing us for the sake of it.” Lucius said silkily in such a way as to imply that that was exactly what they were doing. “It wouldn’t do to hamper their search of our home, I would like it known that were are fully compliant with such Ministry intrusions. You need to remember, Harry, that the Ministry have allowed several very dangerous criminals to escape into our community, criminals who need to be caught and placed back into Azkaban and if the Aurors believe that we are hiding these criminals under the floorboards, then they have every right to search our home to check for them, no matter how preposterous it seems.”
Lucius waited for a few heartbeats and then rose a sculpted blond eyebrow. “Well then, get to it and search, we are in the middle of a party and we would like to get back to it before the night is over.” He said sternly. “We have to make up for this deeply embarrassing faux pas that you’ve inflicted upon myself and my family.”
The Aurors looked too embarrassed themselves to do anything, but the one in charge of the raid called out to them all and rallied them and they started searching, using spells and charms to search out any unsavoury objects or people. They searched everywhere and then searched again, but they found nothing and that only compounded their embarrassment and the pointlessness of their raid.
“If that was all.” Lucius drawled scathingly. “Perhaps now that you are absolutely sure that there are none of the Ministry’s wanted criminals hiding behind the tapestries you could leave us in peace and I might be able to salvage the party that you decided to assail purely for the sake of seeming proactive in the search for your elusive criminals.”
“We’re sorry for the intrusion.” The head of the raid was forced to say. He avoided Lucius’ gaze and shuffled out, after his team of Aurors.
“I apologise deeply for this humiliating interruption to the festivities.” Lucius called out loudly, while the Aurors could still hear him, just to rub the salt in of course. “I and my family would be appreciative if you all forgot that this Ministry blunder has happened and you carried on enjoying yourselves as you were before they arrived.”
Chatter broke out and the music, which had been silenced by an Auror upon arrival, was set to play again.
“You did really well.” Lucius told him proudly. “I’m proud of how you held your nerve and didn’t panic.”
“I did panic.” Harry admitted. “Marcus was the one who stopped me from ruining everything. I was so worried about Basti!”
“They’re gone now, you don’t need to censor yourself.” Lucius assured him. “Thank you, Marcus for calming him down.”
Marcus bowed to Lucius. “Not at all, Lord Malfoy.”
Marcus took hold of Harry’s pendant and he waved his wand in an incredibly complicated manner and suddenly Marcus was holding the Lestrange crest again. Marcus dropped it and Harry picked it up to play with it.
“I need to see Rabastan.” He said quietly.
“Not yet. The Aurors will be waiting for anyone to Apparate or floo out of the house and they’ll lock onto them and follow them. You’ll lead them right to Rabastan and Rodolphus.”
Harry swallowed and nodded, fingering his pendant harder. “I just need to know that he’s okay.”
“He’s fine.” Xerxes strode over to inform him, pulling him into a tight hug. “He and Rodolphus were gone as soon as we heard the warning from a Ministry insider we use to warn us of these numerous Ministry raids. They’re safe, they’ll be fine. Now stop fretting.”
“I can’t help it. My heart is only just calming down.”
“You handled those Aurors spectacularly.” Xerxes grinned at him. “You really are coming into your own.”
“You never did get me that wine.”
Harry turned and pulled a face as he realised that he’d forgotten about Narcissa’s wine when he’d bumped into Marcus.
“Sorry.” He replied a little shamefacedly. “I got to talking with Marcus about him tutoring me, I couldn’t pass that up, it’s too good an opportunity.”
“I thank you for offering to tutor Harry.” Lucius again said to Marcus.
“It’s a pleasure. Sharing my love of Runes with anyone is a pleasure, especially if that person can stand to remain in the same room as me while I tutor them.”
“I’m sure I can handle you.” Harry sniffed. “I was handling you on the Quidditch pitch when I was eleven.”
Xerxes snorted and Narcissa laughed lightly. Marcus growled playfully at him.
“I was going to try to be lenient with you at first, now you’d better watch out.”
Harry laughed and nodded. “I understand and I will always try my best. I want to learn.”
“Good boy.” Lucius praised him. “You make sure that you learn all that you can from Marcus.”
“I will! Now can I please go and see Rabastan? I wanted to see in the New Year with him.”
“You’re so sweet.” Narcissa told him with a smile.
“I’ll take you to the boys, if we Apparate around then those dullard Aurors won’t catch us.”
“I don’t want to put either of them at risk, but I do want to see him.”
Xerxes shared a look with Lucius and then laughed. “Come on, say goodbye to your parents and I’ll take you to Lestrange Manor.”
“Bye.” Harry said quickly. “Bye, Marcus, I’ll send you an owl soon.” He promised before he looked expectantly at Xerxes, who shook his head and laughed again.
Harry was pulled into a hug and he felt the awful, squeezing sensation of Apparation. Several more Apparation journeys and he felt queasy, but Xerxes stopped and he took the time to steady him, letting him have a moment to reorientate himself.
“Here we are, welcome to Lestrange manor. Remember that that idiot of a son of mine is here too.”
“He had better not have started in on Rabastan!” Harry growled protectively.
“Rodolphus wouldn’t have let him.” Xerxes told him surely.
Harry looked curiously at everything, this being his first time in Lestrange manor, and apart from the darker woods used it was pretty much a normal house, though he did notice that sometimes the walls didn’t meet up flush with one another and sometimes there were dips or odd crevices which piqued his interest and curiosity immensely.
There were slumbering portraits on the walls and Harry automatically quietened his steps, his head filled with vivid memories of Walburga Black, Sirius’ Mother, screaming the house down if anyone so much as sneezed in that main hallway that housed her horrid portrait.
Harry was led into a family sitting room and there was Rabastan and Rodolphus, perfectly safe and well, sat on a settee talking to one another. Harry all but leapt onto Rabastan.
“I’m so glad that you’re okay!” He said, hugging the life out of his poor betrothed.
He blinked as he found himself twirled around and he looked up to see Rabastan’s face. He’d been pulled around to sit in Rabastan’s lap again. They kissed, long and passionate until Xerxes pointedly cleared his throat and they were forced to break apart, though they were both grinning like loons.
“Raids like that are pathetic.” Rodolphus insisted as he petted Harry’s hair, as his head was very close to Rodolphus.
“You should have heard this brilliant boy tear those Aurors a new one!” Xerxes laughed. “You’ll be sorry you missed it! You really are coming on so well, Harry.”
“After what he did to Rowle, what were you expecting?” Rodolphus demanded. There was a hint of pride in his voice that made Harry feel even more nauseated than the Apparating around had made him.
“I killed him then.”
“He would have died eventually. He was bleeding out rapidly and none of us cared enough to prevent it.” Rodolphus said unconcernedly. “He begged for us to help him. How beneath his status as a Lord.”
“What will happen to his Lordship now?” Harry asked curiously, trying to think of something other than Rowle’s death or the manner in which he’d died.
“That’s the best part. It’s going to go to his least liked Aunt’s son. His Father’s sister’s son whom he has never liked and never acknowledged. She’s married into the Bellini family of Italy. Her children are all Bellinis and now one of them, the younger boy, Giovanni, is going to become the new Lord Rowle. It’s hysterical.”
“I don’t think salt in the wound is a harsh enough description of how Rowle felt, dying knowing his Lordship was going to the branch of the family he hated.” Xerxes said.
“I think the biggest dose of salt came knowing that Greyback started eating him alive and while he was conscious.” Rodolphus grinned.
“What?!” Harry demanded, his face paling dramatically.
“It was nothing less than he deserved for attacking and trying to defile you.” Rabastan said quietly.
“He wanted to kill you off too.” Rodolphus added to his brother with a growl. “If Harry hadn’t done such a good job, I’d have taken great pleasure in hurting him before handing him over to Greyback to finish off. After all, Greyback is only happy when his peculiar cravings are sated.”
“Peculiar cravings?!” Harry demanded weakly. “He ate him alive!”
“He would have bled out before Fenrir got to the good parts.”
Harry heaved and at once Rabastan had him sat up and pressed against him tightly, petting his back and hair.
“Enough, Dolphus. He doesn’t need to hear any of this.” He said sternly.
“If you insist.”
“I do.” Rabastan said forcefully.
Harry kept his face buried in Rabastan’s neck, trying to keep his mind clear so he didn’t picture Rowle with a broken arm and a severed leg trying fruitlessly to get himself away from that fearsome man Greyback, who was intent on eating him alive.
He squeezed his eyes closed and buried in deeper, snuggling in as far as he could, trying to blot out the images in his mind with Rabastan. The smell and the feel of him, those arms around him, the knowledge that he was here with him.
“Are you okay?” Rabastan asked him, petting his back and pulling gently on his hair. He was getting much better at being able to control that too.
Harry nodded. “I don’t want to think about it. Rowle was a bastard, he attacked me, tried to rape me and he threatened to kill you if you still accepted me after he’d finished and kept my baby as your own, but…but the thought of him being eaten alive by that…that, whatever the hell Greyback was!”
“He’s a werewolf.”
Harry snorted. “That doesn’t give him the excuse to act like that! What is wrong with the man?!”
“He plays up his werewolf attributes to terrify others. As a result he works incredibly well as a scare tactic and a deterrent. He’s invaluable to us.” Xerxes explained. “One mention of his name in a conversation would have people rushing to do as you want them to do or stop them from doing something that you don’t want them to do.”
Harry turned and considered that for a moment. He could definitely see how just the mere mention of his name would strike fear into people, especially if they knew what he was like and what he was capable of, but enough to have them do what you want? He filed that little piece of information away for a later date, Lucius had said that he was a family friend and Greyback knew the Lestranges too, his future family.
“Are you sure you’re alright? You still look pale.” Rabastan said concernedly.
Harry nodded. “I’m okay. I just wanted to be with you to see in the New Year.”
Rodolphus groaned and flicked the back of his head, making Rabastan growl at his brother.
“What? That’s so sickening I want to vomit. Why don’t you just get married now and save the rest of us the revolting shows of affection. Once you can fuck one another freely you can keep your disturbing sentiments confined to your bed chambers.”
“That’s never going to happen.” Harry said firmly. “I am always going to want to touch and kiss Rabastan, in our bedroom and out of it. Get used to it, Rodolphus or just don’t fucking look!”
“You watch your language, your Father would have my hide if he heard you.” Xerxes chastised.
Harry huffed and accepted the chastisement and moved on, turning back to Rabastan and shifting off of his lap before his weight could become too much for his legs and he cuddled into his side instead.
The conversation was light and they stayed well away from the topic of Rowle and Greyback, for which Harry was thankful for as he sunk into the settee and waited for midnight. He almost obsessively watched the clock as it started to get closer to the New Year, though he answered questions that were asked of him and he contributed to the conversation without being prompted as well.
At five to midnight he turned to Rabastan and held his hands, waiting. Rabastan chuckled and mirrored him, before bending forward to peck at his lips. Rodolphus scoffed loudly and pointedly looked away when Harry turned to glare at him.
“Something to say?” Harry asked coldly.
“No.” Rodolphus grunted.
“Good, keep it that way. I’m excited to be sharing my first New Year together with Rabastan, the man that I love, what’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing.” Rabastan told him. “Ignore him.”
Harry turned back to Rabastan and when Xerxes announced that it was exactly midnight Harry kissed Rabastan.
“Happy New Year, boys.” Xerxes said happily.
“Happy New Year, Grandfather.” Rodolphus answered.
Rabastan broke away from him to say the same, before turning back to him.
“Happy New Year, love.”
Harry grinned. “Happy New Year.”
“The start of a new year, the start of a new journey.” Xerxes said. “This year we welcome Harry into the Lestrange home and our family. May you boys be happy and have a fulfilling life together.”
“Thank you.” Harry said with a grin. “I can’t wait to graduate now, I have another year to go, but hopefully it goes quickly now, so that I can start my life properly with Rabastan.”
“I can’t wait either.” Rabastan whispered in his ear and Harry chuckled. “For the most part, I can’t wait until I can see you every day, talk to you every day and hold you in my arms every night.”
Harry blushed at that last and buried himself in Rabastan’s chest with a groan. “You had to add that last one.” He moaned.
“I can’t wait.” Rabastan breathed into his ear. “I’d hold you close to me through the night, place my face into the back of your head and sleep with your scent wrapped around me, as thoroughly as my body will be wrapped around yours.”
Harry went a bright red and his breathing picked up slightly with arousal.
“Please.” He whispered. “I want that too.”
Rabastan smirked at him and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly. Harry ignored when the one arm jerked and tensed against him, he was too happy to care as he used both hands to cup Rabastan’s chin and kissed him lingeringly.
“I have asked your Father for his permission to take you out tomorrow evening, well, later today actually and he has agreed. Now it’s up to you, do you want to come and have a meal with me?”
“How can we?” Harry asked. “Won’t you be spotted?”
Rabastan grinned. “I’ve set it all up, you don’t need to worry about such things, I promise.”
Harry bit his lip nervously, before he nodded. “Okay, but only if it doesn’t put you at risk.”
“I like you more and more.” Rodolphus said from behind him. “I wouldn’t let Rabastan risk his freedom for you, don’t fear.”
Harry actually smiled at that. “Thank you. I wouldn’t want him to risk himself for me, so I’m glad he has you to curb him and look after him when he refuses to do so himself.”
Harry felt a hand in his hair, yet again, as Rodolphus petted him with what he was rapidly coming to realise was Rodolphus’ way of showing him affection. His smile widened.
“Lucius expects you back at your home.” Xerxes told him. “He will most definitely not allow you to stay here tonight. He’s too suspicious and too protective of you, especially after you were attacked this evening.”
Harry sighed and he cuddled into Rabastan and kissed him.
“Thank you for coming to see the New Year in with me. I’m sorry the Ministry ruined our first New Year together.”
“They didn’t.” Harry said with a smile.
“Alright, wrap it up before I have to forcibly separate you both.”
Harry sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Definitely. I want to take you out for our New Year’s meal.”
Harry grinned. “Okay, I can wait until tomorrow, but be careful.”
Harry kissed Rabastan one last time and then allowed Xerxes to grab him and Apparate him around a bit, not as often as the journey to the Lestrange manor, before they stopped just inside the Malfoy manor. Xerxes steered him right into the family parlour and there was Lucius, sat up waiting for him like an overprotective Father waiting to see if his child came home safe.
“No problems I hope.” He said, standing up as soon as he saw them and he came to place a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently, and Lucius looked him over. It gave Harry that warm, pleasant feeling that he was addicted to. The one that made him feel loved, cared for, that made him feel like he was actually part of a family.
“None at all. Rhadamanthus never even knew that he was there. We stayed in the front room the entire time, though as you knew, Basti invited Harry to dine with him tomorrow evening and Harry has accepted.”
“I expect the rules to be followed to the letter.” Lucius insisted sternly. “Harry, you will go with Rabastan, dine with him, and then you will come home. You will not be alone with him for any other reason, do you understand me?”
“Yes, Father.” Harry replied promptly. “I understand fully and I will not disobey you.”
“Good boy, now go and get changed for bed. I believe Draco is waiting in your room to ambush you, do not stay up too late or you’ll be overly tired for your dinner tomorrow evening.”
Harry nodded firmly. “I won’t. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Harry.” Xerxes told him, touching his back for a moment as Harry passed him on his way out of the door.
It was already gone midnight and Harry was tired from the events of that day, but he had promised to tell Draco everything that had happened and exactly why he’d changed his dress robes an hour into the party. It was too much to ask for that Draco would have accepted his general answer of spilling water on himself. He sighed, he didn’t much relish the thought of being grilled for details by Draco, but he supposed he could share such a thing with his brother, adopted or not.
He found Draco sat unhappily in his sitting room, waiting impatiently, and grumpily, for him to return.
“There you are!” He said as soon as Harry walked through the door. “Tell me why you changed your robes.”
Harry sighed and he rubbed his head. “Give me a minute to change into something more comfortable.”
“I’ve been waiting all night!”
“It was a very distressing moment for me, Draco, let me get comfortable first.” Harry insisted as he walked right through his sitting room and into his bedroom. He shucked his dress robes and trousers right away before putting his wand and his gold cufflinks on his bedside table before stripping off his shirt. He found his most comfortable and warm, favourite pair of fleece pyjamas and he all but sunk into them.
He took a breath and went back into his sitting room and sat next to Draco.
“Well then?” Draco pressed when he remained silent.
“I really started when Rodolphus demanded that I take a Veritaserum test to prove that I hadn’t been intimate with anyone.” Harry started, easing himself into the memories of earlier that night.
“You passed right?”
Harry snorted harshly. “Of course I did. I haven’t done anything with anyone and I proved that tonight. Rodolphus was forced to apologise, but the potion had left my mouth dry and my face all numb and rubbery, so I went to the bathroom to swill my mouth out and to splash some water onto my face. I didn’t see the need to lock the door, so when I looked up, I was taken by surprise when my head was forced into the mirror.”
“Rodolphus?!” Draco gasped in horror.
“Rowle.” Harry growled. “He attacked me, tried to strangle me, which is where these bruises came from.” He said, showing Draco the marks he was sure were forming around his neck from the tightness he could feel in the skin. “They’re going to be much worse tomorrow and then he….”
“He what?” Draco asked quietly as Harry stopped and remained silent, drawing a blank over the words.
“He tried to rape me, Draco.” He said blankly, trying to cut his memories and emotions off from the words he’d spoken.
“What?!” The blond exploded. “Did he mange to…to…you know?”
Harry shook his head. “No, he ripped my blue robes and tore all of the fastenings off of it and he did…he did manage…he forced his hand into my boxers to fondle me.” He forced out in one breath.
“What happened? How did you get away? Did Rabastan find you? Or Father?”
“No. I always take my wand everywhere, so I ripped it out and blasted him away from me. I broke his arm badly.”
“Good!” Draco replied viciously.
“That’s not all I did. I was so angry, so humiliated that he’d managed to do that to me that I didn’t even think before saying the first spell that came into my head. The Reductor curse. I blew his left leg off, Draco.”
Draco went even paler than he usually was, which left him looking sickly. “It’s only intended for use on inanimate objects, it shouldn’t be powerful enough to sever living limbs. Are you saying that your Reductor curse was powerful enough to blast off a human leg with that much muscle and bulk on it?”
Harry nodded.
“What happened to Rowle?”
Harry sucked on his bottom lip and debated on what to tell Draco. He decided on a partial truth as his brother already looked like he was going to be sick.
“He bled out. I was aiming for his lap, but he moved at the last moment and the sever was very high up his leg, near his hip. I hit the main artery in the thigh. Father cleaned it up, along with Xerxes. Rabastan took me back into the ballroom to give me a room full of alibis, but Rowle had already ruined my robes, so I needed to change them.”
“No wonder you didn’t want anyone to know that you were wearing different robes. I hushed up Astoria too. I told her that you’d had an accident with a trifle.”
Harry laughed. “I do like trifle.”
“You’re okay though, aren’t you?” Draco asked, looking at him hard.
Harry nodded. “I’m fine. I’ve got a bruise salve to put on my throat tonight and I’m not hurt and I can’t be afraid of anything because Rowle is dead. I’m going to be just fine. I can take care of myself, I’ve been doing it for a while now, though I have to admit that it is nice to rely on someone now and then, it feels nice to take the pressure off and give it to someone else for a little while.”
Harry smiled and then the subject changed and he asked how Draco and Astoria had been through the night and they made a bit of small talk about what ese had happened during the party and Draco had a good laugh over the memory of Harry’s handling of the Aurors and then Draco was gone and Harry could fall into his bed and just sleep.
He didn’t want to think, he didn’t really want to do anything at all, he just wanted to sleep and rest so that he could forget what had happened tonight. He did remember to plaster on the bruise salve though, that’s all he really needed when going on his first dinner date with Rabastan, an imprint of Rowle’s fingers wrapped around his neck. So he made sure to cover every inch of his throat and the back of his neck, just in case. Tomorrow he wanted to focus purely on Rabastan and nothing else.
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A/N: I’ve decided to focus on this fic for a little while, just to bulk it up a bit more and this chapter is definitely more impressive than the last, which was such a disappointment to me. We’ll see how long I can stay on this one, and how many chapters I can add to this fic before The Rise of the Drackens calls me back away.
I hope you lovelies have enjoyed reading this chapter! I drained myself dry to bring you this monster chapter, but it’s worth it, I love this chapter, it’s definitely one of my favourites. Until next time, lovelies,
StarLight Massacre. X
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The Guile and Devotion of a Black Heir