Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Erotes	By : Bickymonster Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 70634 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 19
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any concepts or characters associated with it. I am not making any money from this this story

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
AN: Chapter 12; I am not sure when I will update next, as I will not have much time at all for writing anything the next few weeks as I am going into the last few weeks of university and I have a LOT of deadlines (7 seperate pieces of work over the next 3 weeks). Chapter 13 is more or less ready to go, so I will try to update that one for you next week. Please bare with me if you don't hear anything for the next few weeks, I will be back, Promise. :D
Enjoy.
Warnings: Swearing, slash and Adult themes, sexual content. For full warnings see story description.
Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.

(Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 09/07/2015)

Severus Snape was pacing in his bedroom, where he had gone to escape the pleas for affection from Lucius, feeling on the verge of tearing his own hair out. He was determined not to give in while Lucius was under Draco’s enchantment, and yet his resolve was wearing thin; they had put the man in his care, put his life-long wet dream in front of him, the most tempting of offers, and no one was telling him he couldn't just help himself.
On the contrary, everyone seemed to be encouraging the idea; Draco, Narcissa and Dumbledore had practically given their blessings. Even the-boy-who-lived-to-be-the-world's-moral-compass, Harry Potter, had raised no objections; though Potter had stayed thankfully quiet on the matter, in a show of restraint that he had not believed the Gryffindor capable of.
But no, he could not allow anything to happen between Lucius and himself; he knew what would happen next. Lucius was regaining his mind, he was sure of that now. Each day he was less able to placate the beautiful blond man, and his normal snobbish, entitled temperament was returning; the temperament that repulsed many people but which Severus just found maddeningly attractive and was making his ability to resist weaken further .
Severus was certain that he would never be allowed to keep him. Lucius wouldn't want to stay and Severus would never want, let alone be able, to force himself on the other man. He didn't understand why the others thought this was a good idea and he had been avoiding many meals just so he didn't have to look at the annoying smile the headmaster kept giving him as ‘encouragement’.
He sighed to himself and moved back out towards the small kitchen in his living quarters; he was in need of tea to calm his nerves.
"Severus," Lucius whispered, as the potions master moved into his sight, stopping the man in his tracks before he could reach his destination.
"For Salazar's sake..." Severus mumbled under his breath in frustration, as he dropped his head to his chest. Steeling himself, he carried on into the kitchenette, and there he set about boiling water for tea, deliberately ignoring the gaze that was watching him.
"Am I permitted a cup as well?" Lucius asked, the tone expectant and so different to the pitiful one used just moments before that it made Severus look up. The potions master didn't respond but simply added more water to be boiled and removed two mugs from the cupboard.
"Why do you not want me?" Lucius asked sadly.
"Are you kidding me?" Severus snapped at him suddenly, eyes flashing in annoyance; he was finding the constant switches in Lucius' personality confusing to follow. "Of course I want you! I have been in love with you for over twenty YEARS!" the potions master confessed.
"Then why are you denying yourself when I am right here?" Lucius asked with a confused frown, "when I want this as much as you?" He had never thought Severus as the type to deny himself things he wanted.
"Because you aren't you, this isn't really what you want," Severus said sadly, as he close his eyes and pressed his hands against the tabletop in front of him, leaning heavily on them. He sighed with frustration, before pushing himself upright and turning his back on his long-time friend. "Whatever your brat of a son did to you has messed with your head," he explained.
"I can think for myself, Severus," Lucius insisted stubbornly. It was not the first time that the potions master had told him he was being influenced, but he could feel it wearing off. "My head is becoming clearer everyday and I know what I want. I still want you," Lucius told him, the surety in his voice making Severus weak at the knees.
"Fine. FINE!" Severus shouted, turning back around and slamming his hands down on the table in the kitchen. "I give up, I fold, you all win," he declared loudly with a wave of his arms before storming into the living area towards Lucius' room.
Lucius smiled happily. He was standing as close to the bars across the doorway to his room as he could without pressing himself against them, his arm held out between them, reaching for Severus when the potions master's approach was too slow for his liking.
"When you get your mind back and hate me for this, I hope you remember that this was your cursed idea," Severus grumbled, still completely convinced that this was going to come back to bite him in the arse sooner rather than later.
"I won't hate you, Severus," Lucius promised, his voice so earnest and sincere that Severus found himself half believing that for the moment.
"You damned well better be right about that," Severus growled and he reached through the bars to get a firm grip on the front of the blond man's robes. "Last chance." he warned, knowing that once he took this step he would likely find himself unable to hold back.
"Coward," Lucius taunted with a smirk but still gasped as he was pulled forward, his front pushed against the bars and Severus' harsh, demanding lips were pressed against his. Both men were desperate for the contact and it was as though they had suddenly being told that they were allowed to breathe; there was no hesitation as their tongues fought for dominance.
It was not long, however, before Severus allowed Lucius all the control he could want, delighting in the kiss he had waited two decades to receive. Lucius had an almost spicy taste to him and Severus was vaguely aware that it made him tingle all over; their arms were through the bars grasping to hold onto each other, fingers pulling at clothing and hair.
"No... stop..." Severus managed to gasp, pushing himself away from the other man. "You have no idea how much I want this but ..." He looked heartbroken, as though the words he was about to speak were tearing him apart at his very foundation. "You don't really want this, this isn't really you," the potions master insisted, reminding himself of all the reasons he hadn't let this happen sooner.
Severus felt the tears burning in his eyes as they built, threatening to fall; but he would not let Lucius see him break, and so it was with great determination that he managed to walk away towards his own room. He drew his wand and managed to cast a silencing spell before he fell to his knees; tears started to fall down his face, unable to be held back any longer and a pained frustrated scream tore from his throat.
"Why....?" he sobbed to himself. It was so glorious, everything he wanted it to be, powerful, hot and full of forbidden lust; he knew he could never give that up that he would spend his whole life wanting to feel that kiss, and more, all over again. For the first time he was seriously considering asking Draco to use his abilities to allow him to keep Lucius but even as the idea came to him he knew he would never be satisfied with this imprisoned version of the man.
He knew he should have been stronger, that he should had resisted, and he silently berated himself for his failure; though in truth he knew that he never could have held off any longer. Now, however, he was certain that there was no way he would be able to let go of Lucius now; one taste and he knew that he would do everything he could to keep from losing the man.
He let himself fall sideways, not even feeling the pain as his shoulder landed on the hard wood of his bedroom floor. He felt like he had been waiting for this to happen his whole life and yet it was all wrong, and so Severus Snape cried, unable to find the motivation or energy to move from his spot on the floor near the door. He was sure that he would remember this night for as long as he lived as the night his spirit broke and hope died.
-#-
"There you are," Draco said, breathing out in relief as Harry came through the door to their room. "I was getting worried about you when you didn't show up at dinner, and then weren't here either," he said, watching Harry with concern; there was definitely something off about his boyfriend, who was still standing by the door he had just come through.
"I just needed to walk," Harry stated, his monotone voice worrying Draco even more. "I had a meeting with Dumbledore and I had to think things over," he explained, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.
"Harry, what's going on?" Draco asked, getting up from his seat on their sofas and moving over to his boyfriend when Harry showed no signs of approaching him; it was most unlike the Gryffindor to not want to be close.
"I..." Harry bowed his head, holding out a hand to stop Draco when the blond reached out for him. "I have to confess to something," he said, bracing himself; he knew that this could ruin everything they had worked so hard for but that it would be better than letting it come out further down the line. "It was so stupid and I completely regret it but it was sort of an accident and I never want to lie to you or keep secrets..." he rambled, his gaze still lowered to the floor.
"Okay..." Draco agreed patently, though he felt sick to his stomach, and he wrapped his arms around himself as though it might shield him from whatever Harry had to say. Everything from Harry's body language to the rambled words was making Draco decidedly nervous.
"I followed you," Harry blurted out, knowing that his courage was going to fail him if he hesitated, "under my invisibility cloak... I just wanted to surprise you," he tried to explain sadly; it was taking everything he had not to cry. "I am sorry... SO sorry."
"What? When?!" Draco demanded, confusion written all over his face. This was not at all something he had expected from Harry, the Gryffindor was usually overly moral if anything; and he couldn't figure out when Harry could be talking about.
Harry sighed; he could already hear the hurt in Draco's voice and knew it was only going to get worse when he told him the rest. "The day you had lunch in Blaise's dorm," he admitted, his voice mumbled as he forced himself to look up and meet his boyfriend's eye; he needed to see his reaction.
"What?!" Draco snarled, stepping back away from Harry with a look of shocked betrayal on his face. "How... how could you do that?" he asked, quietly. "I trusted you."
"I know, Draco," Harry said, reaching out for the blond, but Draco only moved further away from him, shaking his head. "Please, Draco, I'm so sorry. I regretted it the second I followed you into the room," Harry tried to explain, already knowing that it wasn't going to be enough. "I love you, I hate that I did this."
"Just stay away from me," Draco snapped, tears in his eyes, blurring his vision as he turned his back on Harry and stormed into their bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
"DRACO!" Harry cried out, as he ran to the door that separated them, and knelt in front of it. He pressed his hands and face against the door as he cried. "Draco... I am so sorry, Love. Please forgive me," he begged softly.
-#-
Draco cursed himself for having trusted him; he should have known better but this was Harry Potter, and who could have foreseen such a betrayal coming. Draco cursed himself again when he realised his face was wet with tears; he didn't want to cry over this, he wasn't going to let Harry break him. He was still a Malfoy for Merlin's sake, and had been raised to be an strong, respected wizard.
It must have been the pregnancy hormones that were making him overly emotional, he decided stubbornly. It was probably the reason he had let himself fall so hard and fast for the Gryffindor in the first place, and he felt so foolish for having made himself so vulnerable. Sighing, he sat down with his back to the bedroom door, wrapping his wings around his own shoulders and resting his head in his hands.
"Draco... I am so sorry, Love. Please forgive me," he heard Harry whisper; and Draco wanted to, he really wanted to just say that everything was okay, that he and Harry were fine but he couldn't just let this go.
Draco though that the sudden burst of emotions must have taken a lot out of him, and that he must have fallen asleep where he was sitting; for the next thing he knew, he was slowly coming back to consciousness. He felt drained and tired, and his arse was numb from having sat on the hard surface for so long. At first, as he came awake, he felt somewhat confused about why he was on the floor; it took a few moments for the painful memories of Harry's betrayal and confession came flooding back.
However, in his anger, he had forgotten just how much he relied on the magical transfers; it had become so natural for them to share those intimate physical connections with Harry all the time that he hadn't needed to think about it at all in days. Now, though, he could feel how much he and the baby needed Harry; his body hurt and he felt weak but Draco managed to move to his knees, his head spinning and his mind foggy. Panic flooded through him as the world seemed to shift. He lost his balance, and, unable to support his own weight, fell to the floor, landing on his side with his wings lying over the top of him.
-#-
Harry jerked awake, Draco's panic flooding his mind; it was strange because they had never shared emotions without a physical connection between them, but the panic he was feeling was external and he was certain it was coming from his mate. A high pitched cry of fear, which Harry knew was coming from his submissive, cut through the air, and the Gryffindor's own instincts kicked in.
"Draco," Harry whispered to himself, as his body began to fill with adrenaline; he scrabbled desperately to his knees and quickly pushed open the door. He howled in despair at the sight of the beautiful blond curled up on the floor; Draco was paler than usual and clutching at his stomach.
Harry managed to focus himself, dropping to his knees and pulling Draco into his arms; he clutched to the blond, desperately pressing kisses to his temple and forehead. "Please be okay," he begged. "I love you, Draco; I love our baby. Please be okay." Harry pressed his lips against Draco's and began to cry in relief as the other boy returned the pressure, though weakly.
"Harry..." Draco mumbled, his half-open eyes rolling around unfocused. "I... I..."
"Shush, Love, it's okay," Harry told him tearfully, as he rocked them both; he couldn't bear to think about how close he had just come to losing not only Draco but their child. There was still a chance that he might not have been quick enough, but he couldn't let himself think on that right now. "Just let me hold you until you get your strength back," he said softly.
Draco relaxed in his arms, his eyes falling shut again, and guilt flared in Harry's gut again at the trust the blond was showing him, despite all that had been admitted that evening. "I love you, Harry," the Slytherin whispered, before falling unconscious a second later.
Harry was trying to calm himself as he continued to rock the blond gently. He didn't loosen his grip on his bonded for a moment, a hand gently resting on Draco's flat belly as he prayed he had gotten to them in time; he would never forgive himself if their argument hurt or, Merlin forbid, cost them their baby.
It was about an hour before Draco's gasping breathing had properly evened out and the colour had fully returned to his cheeks. They would visit Madam Pomfrey in the morning to be sure everything was okay with both Draco and the child he was carrying but first they would rest and let the magic flowing between them do its work.
Harry very carefully and slowly got to his feet with Draco in his arms; he moved them to the bed and lay both Draco and himself down, pulling the covers over them and curling around his boyfriend protectively. Draco mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep and shifted as though trying to get closer to Harry, making the Gryffindor smile softly and close his own eyes, and soon he was joining Draco in sleep.
-#-
As Draco's eyes flickered open, he realised he was lying on their bed, curled up against Harry's chest, with the dominant's arms protectively wrapped around him. There was a mild ache in his body, which he assumed was due to his magical energy levels having dropped so low, but more prominent than that was the mental ache in his mind; he was still angry at his boyfriend but he was ready and calm enough to talk about it with him now.
Harry, however, was asleep, if his slow steady breathing was any indication and so Draco remained where he was, feeling the gentle tingles of the magical transfer from their closeness, as he let his mind wander. He was struggling to understand why it was that Harry had decide to confess about spying on him.
It had been a week since that day in the dorms, when he had broken down and cried out his fears to his friends and it would have been so easy for Harry to just say nothing, and Draco was sure that if Harry hadn't said anything, then he likely would have never known what he had done. But he already knew why Harry hadn't kept the secret, Harry had told him why; the Gryffindor hadn't wanted to lie to him, even knowing how much the truth would hurt Draco.
That thought made him smile slightly; he was undeniably glad that Harry felt it was important to be honest with him. He let out a small breath he hadn't been aware of holding as he realised that he would be able to forgive Harry, that he was already starting to. However, he did have questions and would not be happy until they were answered.
He would start with asking about the meeting with Dumbledore that Harry had mentioned; he wanted to know what that had been about, and he suspected it was related to Harry's sudden confession. He thought that it was likely to be what had prompted Harry to own up; though he wasn't sure if, or how, it could be connected to what the Gryffindor had overheard in the Slytherin dormitory the week before.
It was dark in their room and Draco wondered what hour it was; even if it was morning, the late rising sun of winter would not yet have brought light to their room. He ran a hand in a gentle circle over his belly before he froze; memories of the pain, caused by his magical energy levels dropping too low, were coming back to him.
He couldn't really remember what had happened but he figured that Harry must have busted the door down to get to him and Draco was profoundly relived that he hadn't been angry enough to throw up wards to keep the Gryffindor out of their room. Draco ran his hand over his belly and couldn't keep from wondering if their child was still safe and healthy inside him; he felt okay now but it was difficult to tell if Harry had made it to him in time.
Now that the doubt and fears for their unborn child's safety had entered his mind, Draco couldn't stop thinking about it; his heart ached with the idea that they might lose their child, but he had to know, one way or another and he knew that there was no way to tell without help.
"Harry," Draco whispered, as he sat up a little and shook his mate's shoulders to try to wake him. "Harry, wake up," he repeated a little louder, when the Gryffindor didn't respond.
"Time's it?" Harry mumbled half asleep, half opening his eyes to peer up at the blond leaning over him. It was still dark in their room, so he was confused about why he was being woken.
"No idea, early I think," Draco told him dismissively; he really didn't care what time it was, he just wanted them to go and get the answers they needed. "Can we go see Madam Pomfrey?" he requested; he thought he should be panicking, but the fact that he wasn't reassured him that maybe instinctively he knew that everything was alright.
The request to see the school nurse caught Harry's attention and he was suddenly feeling much more awake, though the confusion about what was happening remained. "Are you okay?" he asked in a panic, sitting up quickly and scrabbling for his wand. "Is the baby okay?"
"I'm fine!" Draco snapped slightly, flinching away and throwing a hand over his eyes to protect himself from the sudden light as Harry cast the lumos spell. "And I believe the baby is fine, everything feels fine," he told him, moving his hand down to his flat belly once his eyes had started to adjust. "I would just rather we went and checked given how low my energy levels got last night."
Harry nodded keenly in agreement; now that he was properly awake, his memory about everything that had happened had come back, along with a full dose of guilt. He gave Draco a quick kiss on the temple before sliding out of bed; he hesitated for a moment, slowly turning to face the blond.
"I really am sorry, Draco," Harry said sadly, his eyes looking as forlorn as his words sounded. He wanted to make this right between them but didn't have a clue where to ever start. He was a little surprised, though glad, that Draco had bothered to wake him, and hadn't just gone off to see Madam Pomfrey on his own.
"Harry," Draco said sternly, as he got off the bed and walked around it to stand in front of the other teen. "I know," he told him, taking Harry's hands in his own. He didn't doubt how sorry Harry was but that didn't fix everything. "I forgive you and I am glad you told me the truth. But that said, we are going to have talk about this later. You have a lot of explaining to do."
Harry nodded quickly, his heart already feeling lighter. "I will tell you everything, I promise," he told him earnestly. "But first..." he added, pulling Draco into his arms and holding him close, "... let's make sure you are both okay."
-#-
It turned out to be a little after six in the morning, something that a rather grumpy Madam Pomfrey had been keen to point out to them when the two of them turned up in her medical wing. Once they had told her what had happened, though, her expression softened and the nurse was able to quickly and easily confirm that the child still seemed to be perfectly healthy.
However, once that they knew that all was well, Madam Pomfrey took her time to fully chastise them about not being careful enough and taking unnecessary risks. Draco's magic would prioritise the child, so apparently his levels would have had to drop much lower to have been a serious danger to the foetus but if Harry hadn't got to them so quickly, then things might have been a lot worse.
And so it was that the two teenagers left the medical wing hand in hand, but feeling well and truly ashamed of themselves, about half an hour later. They both knew that they were going to have arguments and get upset or angry with each other at times but this had been something of a wakeup call; they had to start thinking about the baby first and themselves second. They were disappointed in themselves that it had taken Madam Pomfrey to make them realise it.
"Are you ready to tell me about whatever it was that Dumbledore told you yesterday, Harry?" Draco asked an short while later. They had taken seats on the sofa in their room but hadn't cuddled together as they might usually had done; there was a tension between them. "Whatever it was, I am fairly sure that gave you a push to confess about spying on me, Blaise and Pansy. What did he tell you, Harry?" the blond asked again, determined to get his answers.
Harry sighed. Draco was right; the conversation with Dumbledore had made Harry even more certain that he and Draco were going to have to be a team if they were to survive this war, and that meant being honest with each other. "Nothing," Harry told him truthfully, shaking his head.
"But..." Draco said, an annoyed frown forming on his face as he stared at Harry incredulously; he found it hard to believe that Harry was intending to keep things from him again.
"No, no," Harry interrupted quickly, reaching out and taking Draco's hand in his own. "You misunderstand me; I meant that Dumbledore told me nothing. He wouldn't tell me anything; there were excuses and avoidances but no real information, not yet anyway," he explained, and Draco gave a nod of encouragement to tell him to keep going.
"I went to ask him about Voldemort and his plans and..." Harry said, but he paused, knowing he needed to explain as fully as he could. "I need to tell you something," he admitted, turning on the sofa to face Draco more completely, "something that people have guessed at and speculated over, but very few know the truth about."
"Okay," Draco said slowly; as much as he was glad that Harry was being honest with him, he didn't like the nervous expression on his mate's face at all.
"There is a prophecy, about me and Voldemort," Harry told him. Draco was now looking at him with surprised, wide eyes, but Harry went on before the Slytherin had a chance to comment. "It seems to say that one of us will kill the other."
"What does it say... I mean, what exactly?" Draco asked urgently, feeling rather alarmed, but more feeling desperate for more information so that he could do all he could to get Harry through this alive. "Do you know the actual wording of it?" the blond asked; he seemed far more calm that Harry had anticipated.
Harry nodded, and though back over the prophecy, wanting to make sure that he got it exactly right. "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies..." he said, while Draco watched him with a serious expression, evidently listening closely. "And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies," he quoted fluently. Harry knew it well; he had lost count of how many times he had run over the words himself since he had first heard them.
Draco was silent, apparently thinking hard, and Harry allowed him the time to process the words and meaning of the prophecy, just as he himself had done when Dumbledore had let him hear it for the first time. "Dumbledore expects you to kill him?" the blond asked after a few minutes, and Harry nodded. "And yet he still isn't telling you anything?" Draco questioned with disbelief.
Harry nodded again. "Dumbledore has promised to explain what he can in the New Year and he promised he would keep you and the baby safe," he told him.
"But..?" Draco asked. He thought that surely this was good news but Harry's expression and tone of voice indicated otherwise.
"But it isn't enough!" Harry exclaimed passionately. "I need to know more, and while I am grateful that he is going to keep you and the baby safe, I want to survive this too," he said sternly. "I won't gamble with the lives of my family, my own life included."
Draco smiled at him fondly, shuffling over on the sofa a little and leaning into Harry's side. "I am glad to hear that," he said earnestly. "I am determined that we will all get out of this alive, because I will be damned if I am going to do the whole single parent thing."
"Which is exactly why I want you to come with me to my meetings with Dumbledore in the New Year," Harry told him, wrapping his arms around his submissive mate. "Any plans that involve me, now involve you and I want your opinion on everything he has to say; what good is it being mated to someone with a brilliant, Slytherin mind, if I can't make good use of it?" he asked teasingly, and Draco chuckled in amusement. "I want us to work this out together, for us make a plan together," Harry told him earnestly. "And I want that to be very clear to Dumbledore. You'll come with me, right?"
"Of course," Draco told him firmly, sitting up and pressing a kiss to Harry's lips, glad to have been asked. "I have been planning to ask what you knew about the war and your part in it, for a while anyway," the Slytherin said, relaxing into Harry's arms. "I think that might have been why I got quite so upset when talking with Blaise and Pansy."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, looking down at the blond in his arms with confusion.
"I don't like not knowing what is going on," Draco explained. "I felt so powerless when I didn't have any idea what you were planning to do. It was like the world was about to snatch you away from me at any moment."
"I am not going anywhere, I promise," Harry said firmly, his hand on Draco's chin to keep the blond looking at him. "I will not even leave the castle without you while you are pregnant; and, even after that, I am going to do everything in my power to stick around," Harry promised, leaning down and capturing Draco's lips in a passionate kiss, that left the blond a little breathless. "I love you," Harry whispered against his mate's lips. "I can't live without you either you know."
-#-
Snape took large strides as he headed in the direction of the headmaster's office, having received Dumbledore's summons. The headmaster had actually sounded worried and so he was keen to waste no time; in his experience, a worried Dumbledore never lead to good outcomes. What he had not expected was to find, however, was the half-conscious form of the headmaster slouched in the chair behind the large desk in the middle of the room.
"What have you done?!" Snape exclaimed as he hurried over to Dumbledore. As he moved forward, he was already making mental notes of the ring and sword, which were on the desk in front of the headmaster.
He didn't even wait for a response before he started waving his wand, muttering the incantations for several spells; they were all he could think of in order to try and halt or at least slow the strange blackness that was already creeping up past the old man's wrist.
"I was foolish, Severus," Dumbledore told him, his voice sounding tired and resigned, and he just watched as the potions master continued to do what he could. "I dared to hope that I could change the unchangeable; I tried to fix what has long been beyond repair," the headmaster told him sadly.
"Foolish, indeed," Snape muttered under his breath, feeling frustrated at how careless Dumbledore had been to get himself into such a state. The headmaster, however, barely noticed as the potions master continued mumbling incantations, and even used a summoning charm to call for a potion. "It seemed that you have now done something else that cannot be fixed," Snape told him snappishly, not really knowing what the old man was rambling about, but he knew there was no undoing the damage that had been done.
"I suspected as much," Dumbledore replied, his weak and trembling voice calm as he gave a small nod of his head. He was only vaguely aware of Snape gracefully catching the phial of potion that came flying towards them.
"Drink this," Snape instructed firmly, pressing the small glass container against the headmaster's worryingly grey looking lips. It was all he could do for the man now. "I have containing the curse to this hand as best I can," he informed the headmaster gravely, "but it is extraordinarily powerful and..."
"How long do I have?" Dumbledore interrupted, inspecting his blackened, dead looking hand. Already his breathing was easing up and he did not need to hear Severus' reasons for not having been able to help him more; he had known what a fatal mistake he had made from the moment he had slid the ring onto his finger.
"A year... maybe, I cannot be certain," Snape snarled; Dumbledore's calmness was only aggravating him more. He did not know how the man could remain so when such irreparable damage had been done. "You should not have tried this alone, you should have called me sooner," Snape told him sternly, "we might have..."
"Severus," Dumbledore interrupted, holding up his good hand to halt the potion master's rant before he could really get going. "You have done all I can ask of you, and I consider myself lucky to have you around. You have bought me a very valuable year of life."
"Surely you must have known it was cursed," Snape pointed out grumpily, crossing his arms over his chest. He felt genuinely angry with the headmaster for his reckless behaviour; Dumbledore was supposed to be getting them through this war and now it seemed he was going to die, and sooner rather than later.
"Like I said, Severus," Dumbledore said firmly, peering at the man over his half moon spectacles, "I was a fool."
Snape hummed in agreement, turning to frown at the ring and sword on the desk. His scowl deepened as he noted the large crack in the stone that was set in the ring, piecing together what he thought must have happened. "And you thought that destroying the ring would remove the curse?" he asked sceptically, not sure why the headmaster would have thought such a thing.
The old man chuckled wryly; he was rather touched that Severus was clearly so upset about his impending mortality, and that the potions master was so certain that he should have known better. "I was, no doubt, delusional," the headmaster told him kindly.
"Apparently," Snape sneered. "At least tell me this was important," he requested with a sigh. The only thing that would make the loss of his elderly mentor worse would be to know that it had been for nothing.
"It was of great importance, I assure you," the headmaster said with a small smile as he leaned forward, resting against his desk as he watched the potion master closely. "I do not fear death, Severus, and to do so now would do me little good," he pointed out. "I am already an old man and you know that when Voldemort learns of the Malfoys' betrayal, he will turn to you to complete his wishes."
"I will do no such thing," Snape snapped; his frustration with the headmaster’s perpetual calmness was starting to show more and more. He knew what the headmaster was asking despite the vagueness of Dumbledore's words, but wanted no part in it.
"As you yourself said, Severus, I have maybe a year," Dumbledore said with his most patient tone, looking the potions master in the eye. "But in the end, you will need to..." the headmaster tried to explain; however, Snape didn't want to hear it.
"I will not discuss this with you now, you must rest," the potions master told him with finality, moving across the office to leave; it was bad enough that the headmaster was going to die so soon, but Severus would not let that be at his hand, he wasn't even going to discuss it. "Whatever it is you have planned," he added, turning to look at Dumbledore across the office, "you need to share it with others."
Dumbledore simply nodded; that much was true, particularly now his death was so imminent; he had secrets that he could not afford to take to his grave. "I have confirmed enough that I will begin doing so shortly, I assure you," he informed Snape.
Snape frowned again, knowing that he would have to trust Dumbledore in this matter, and so he gave a curt nod before leaving the office. 'That man will be the death or saviour of us all,' Severus thought to himself as he made his way down the stairs and back out into the corridors of the school.
He managed to maintain him calm controlled expression in place as he made his way through the school, and was thankfully bothered by no one. However, once he reached the privacy of his own rooms, he could feel his mask slipping, and so ignored Lucius' pleas for his attention, and made his way into his bedroom.
Severus closed the door behind himself, and leaned his back against it. He had to take a moment to calm himself, feeling overwhelmed by the knowledge that the man he had so much respect for would be gone from this world within the year. It tore at him and the pain of the anticipated grief resonated in his soul.
He felt rather bitter too; despite the headmaster promise to let others in on his plans, Severus felt sure that he would not be included in that number. He was sure that Potter, on the other hand, would be one of the first to be told and, loathe though he was to go out of his way to protect the reckless child, he would do so for Draco's sake. As his equanimity slowly returned, he made a vow to himself. Whatever happened, he would not see that young couple manipulated in the old man's plans.

By popular demand I am going to try and create an email group, where I will send an email notifying when I update any of my stories. If you wish to receive these trial email notifications then please let me know in a review, leaving me your email address. (literally put your email in the review and I will sort the rest)
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Thank you for reading.
Review Responses:
Laceyp, Diana, Anon, Entwinedreader, VincentMeoblinn, SinisterMelody - Thank you
Delia Cerrano - Lucius is definitely trying to put off making a decision, don't worry he won't get away with that forever. Draco was worried that Harry would see him as weak if he confessed his fears, but as you see they have managed to start talking about things now.
ChaosLady - Lucius is starting to make his choices, even if he isn't ready to commit to them yet.
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