Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Preventative Measures	By : SpeedyTomato Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 151582 -:- Recommendations : 8 -:- Currently Reading : 30
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and make no money off this work in perversion

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Chapter 12

Beta'd by the amazing Tenchi. Thanks, woman, you're the best!

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CONTENT WARNING!

Contains talk of childhood abuse! Not graphic, but it's there and may be a trigger to some!

Smiling at Severus after she stepped into the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor once one of the elves alerted her to the fact that someone had Apparated in, she told him, “Hello, Severus. Lucius is expecting you.” However, seeing the drawn, tense look on his face, her smiled faltered slightly. “What's wrong?” She asked softly.

Shaking his head, knowing not to get into it with her, he said, “Nothing to concern yourself with. I do need to speak to Lucius, however.”

Nodding, now curious and trepidatious about what might be going on, she motioned for him to follow then led the way to her husband's study. Poking her head in the door when they arrived at Lucius' study, she told him, “Severus is here.”

Sitting down his glass of wine, Lucius nodded and motioned for her to bring him in. Reclining in his chair, he waited. He didn't expect this to take long. After all, he was just going to drop off the memories.

Stepping in, Severus waited for Narcissa to shut the door then felt the normal wards activate before asking, “Are you busy tonight?”

“No, I have nothing planned,” Lucius told him, thinking nothing of it. As he and Severus had spent many an hour talking about all manner of things unrelated to the mess going on, he assumed that was the reason for the question.

“Good,” Severus said, nodding, looking determined. “I need you to come with me.”

Brow furrowed, Lucius sat up straighter and looked at the man, confused. “What's going on? You have the memory, do you not?”

“We got it pulled, yes. However, there is now a huge problem we need your help with,” Severus told him cryptically. He knew the wards around the manor were damned good, however it didn't mean they should talk freely about some issues. And this was one he didn't want to do that with!

Not liking the sound of that, Lucius' brow furrowed. “Severus? What is the problem?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, not sure how to word this, Severus then sighed, “Lucius, you need to trust me on this. We desperately need your help with something that came up in that memory. I need you to come with me.”

Looking at his friend, Lucius stiffened up, not liking this at all. Nodding slowly, looking at the man, he told him, “I will. Can I get an inkling of how bad this is going to be or just how long it might take?” Standing, he summoned an elf to bring him a set of robes to cover his lounge wear.

“It's bad,” Severus told him grimly. “And I have no time frame for this to give you. You—you're the only one I know that might have a clue what to do and what questions need to be asked.”

Rubbing a hand over his face, Lucius nodded. “Understood.” Taking the robe from the elf, he slipped it on then grabbed his cane. “Let me tell Narcissa I'm going in case there is an emergency of some kind.”

“I'm sorry, this—we didn't expect this. You'll understand when you see the memory. However, I do have to warn you; the person who gave up the memory is very out of it.” For the first time, he smirked slightly, remembering the state Potter was in.

“Oh? How so?” Lucius asked, curious. Harry wasn't one to be out of it from what he had seen, no matter how tired or his mood. That, in and of itself, was strange to even contemplate.

“He managed something you never have in all your hedonistic pursuits; MagicalSpace,” Severus told him smoothly, snorting.

Eyebrow going up, Lucius looked at him and asked, tone almost awestruck, “Really?”

“Oh yes! He's stoned out of his mind,” Severus snorted, shaking his head. “Just keep that in mind while working with him.”

Shaking his head, Lucius muttered, “He's going to be explaining to me how he managed this one so I can figure out how to do it!” Making certain he had everything, he said, “Let me tell Narcissa I need to go and we can be off.”

Face going grave once more, Severus nodded then swept out of the study, pulling out the invisibility cloak as he did.

Sitting at the table, looking across at the obviously enraged Sirius and still out of it Harry, Remus wasn't sure what to do or say right now. He knew that he had to talk to the young man about what Severus imparted before he left, but didn't know how to even begin to do that. All he could think about was what was shown in that memory and how ill it was making him to speculate on what was said then if what he thought it meant was true.

Rubbing his eyes in a tired way with a trembling hand, he looked at Sirius who was glancing his way then said, softly, “Sirius, I think it's a good idea for you to give me your wand. I'll handle whatever needs to be done until Severus gets back. You just worry about keeping hold of Harry.” Seeing his old friend about to argue, he said, gently, “Let's call it reducing temptation when it comes to you doing something you shouldn't and that will make the whole situation worse than what it already is. Humor me.”

Glaring at Remus, clutching his wand tightly, Sirius was about to go on a tirade, though not one directed at his friend, when Harry shifted around. Looking down at his godson, he tightened his hold on him and shut his eyes, remembering what Snape said. Though he fully planned to get retribution at some point if what was insinuated was correct, Harry came first right now. Nodding slowly, not looking at Remus, he slid his wand across the table and wrapped his other arm around Harry, holding him close.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Remus took the wand and put it out of Sirius' reach. Looking at Harry, who had his eyes open slightly, he figured it was time to talk to the young man. How he was going to do this he didn't know. Nor was he sure how much Harry would get of what he needed to say with the state he was in. He needed to though, that's for sure.

Seeing Harry shifting around, he said the young man's name softly. When Harry looked at him, he gave him a gentle smile then, folding his still trembling hands on the table in front of him, he said, “I need to talk to you about something, Harry.”

Sitting up a little straighter, Harry rubbed his eyes and focused on Remus. “What about?” He asked, hoping it wasn’t too complex as he wasn't sure if he could focus on something like that.

“I want to say, first of all, Severus and I know about the relationship that is there with you, Sirius and Lucius. Nor do we care about it. Whatever we see that is part of the relationship won't make any difference to us. Sirius loves you, he always has. What is happening now is just an extension of that, nothing more. You are consenting to what is being done and it's something you want, so it doesn't matter to me or Severus, remember that. What we see coming from it won't either, like Elliot.” Stopping, he looked at the stuffed dragon that appeared to be blowing smoke in Harry's ear and smiled then said, “I can think of a lot of things in this world that people use for a form of comfort. Drinking, recreational potions, dangerous behavior and the like. On the scale of those kinds of things, having a stuffed dragon you like to hold is minor. Nor do I see anything at all wrong with it. If Elliot is something you want to hold onto that you like, I take no issue with it. Nor will Severus. Understand?”

Looking at Remus, Harry nodded, not sure what to say about it honestly. Right now, well, he didn't care what anyone saw. He also knew that Snape and Remus knew about the relationship so that didn't bother him either. The rest—well, he would deal with it tomorrow.

“Harry, Severus and I aren't going to think any less of you over anything said tonight or what we might see. I promise. We all have problems and strange things we like. Everyone does. It's part of who we are. You're no different. We like you for who you are, especially when it comes to Severus. That's not going to change for him or me, either one. You're one of Severus' favorite students, though I doubt he ever told you that. He has told us though and it's obvious he cares about you. Me? Well, you know how I feel about you. Please, remember that tomorrow and don't get too upset over some of what's said or done tonight. No one is going to judge you over it, I promise.”

“Alright,” Harry nodded, not sure what all that was about, but was going to go with it.

Giving the young man a smile, he then said, “Now that we have that out of the way—can I see Elliot? He is nifty! At least what I've seen of him so far.”

Without thinking about it, Harry pulled the stuffed dragon out of his shirt and sat him on the table. Petting him as Elliot crawled around, looking at the other two seated there, he didn't say anything.

Reaching out and stroking one finger down the stuffed dragon's head, then giving a snort of amusement when the stuffed animal bit him before blowing him a raspberry, he said, “Oh, he is nifty! They didn't have anything like this when I was small. He acts so realistic!”

“And he doesn't seem to like anyone but Harry,” Sirius snorted, shaking his head. “At least I don't feel alone now in the fact that he doesn't like me.”

Seeing Elliot scurry back to Harry then crawl up his chest and cling to the young man after giving Sirius another raspberry, Remus shook his head, smiling softly. However, he was a little disconcerted by the fact that Sirius' tone was one that was joking and light, but the look of pure rage was still on his face. That gave him the shivers, actually, and told him he really needed to keep an eye on his friend until Severus returned.

Looking at Remus' hand on the table, Harry's brow furrowed. Reaching out, he stroked above it, looking at the magic. “Yours is lighter than mine, a lot lighter. It's lighter than most I've seen actually.”

Confused, Remus looked at Harry then to Sirius, who appeared equally as baffled. “My what is lighter, Harry?”

“Your magic. It's a lot lighter,” Harry told him, pulling his hand away.

Eyes wide, he looked down at his hand then to Harry. “You can see someone's magic?”

Nodding, Harry said nothing.

“Have you always been able to see it or just tonight?” Remus asked. Though it wasn't a common gift to have, it wasn't really rare either. He had just never met anyone that could see someone's magic before. That was most interesting!

“I've always been able to see it,” Harry shrugged. “It's just a little more intense tonight is all.” Stopping, he rubbed his eyes then said, “I thought everyone could.”

“No, they can't,” Remus told him shaking his head. Smiling, he said, “I bet everything is a little more intense right now. You can see it clearly? Both mine and Sirius'?”

“Very clear,” Harry told him with a firm nod. “Yours is lighter than most I've ever seen. Sirius' is about one shade lighter than mine and kinda' sorta' wraps around mine like the stripes on a candy cane. Professor Snape's is about a shade darker than mine. I'm not sure what the colors mean though.”

Slightly astounded by that, Remus explained, “The color comes from many things like your power level, what kind of magic you're suited to, what spells you know, all kinds of things. The color doesn't usually mean too much, just giving an indication of what you might be better at.”

“And if ours is that close on the scale, it explains why you were able to reach the state you're in right now,” Sirius told his godson, stroking his back softly. “I'll explain that part to you tomorrow.” Grinning a little, though still feeling the hot waves of rage coursing through him, Sirius said, “You'll actually be able to reach it fairly easily in the future then. Lucius is going to be jealous! He's been trying to do this since he first read about it in school and hasn't managed yet.”

Grinning a little, Harry gave an uneven chuckle and was about to say something when his attention was pulled to a golden colored light that flashed in the doorway. “What's that?” He asked, bewildered.

“It's just a signal that means Severus is back and he's checking to make sure no one else came in,” Remus explained, shooting back the green signal to let the Potions Master know the coast was clear. He was relieved that he had returned quickly as well. Sirius, he was sure, wasn't going to remain this calm for long and he didn't want to even attempt to handle him alone if he blew up!

Standing in the park across the street, Disillusioned with Lucius standing by him under the cloak, Severus was relieved to see the green light flash to let him know it was all clear. Good. Muttering softly to Lucius, he said, “Follow me. Keep the cloak on until we get into the kitchen.” Though Lucius was good at Disillusioning himself as well, this was better. No one could render themselves completely invisible by the spell, just close to it. The cloak could do that. He wanted to make sure that no one saw Lucius if they were around. No one would think anything of him using the spell as he always did that before going in, but he didn't want to take a chance with Lucius.

Following Severus, sticking close, Lucius mumbled, making sure that he had cast a Muffliato around them, “This cloak is magnificent! It's better than any I've ever seen. It was James', wasn't it?”

“It was,” Severus murmured back, nodding. “That's why I borrowed it. It's safer this way. Plus, we can keep it in the kitchen with us in case someone takes it in their head to show up. You can hide under it if that happens.”

“Good plan, Severus,” Lucius told him, impressed.

Leading them both inside, he navigated to the kitchen then stepped in, wary, not sure what he would find. He was relieved to see that all appeared fine and Black was still there, though not looking any less enraged then when he left. Taking the spell off himself, he said, “I brought someone with me to assist.”

Pulling the cloak off himself, Lucius looked around then froze, eyes going wide when he saw the look on Sirius' face. He had seen his lover angry many times in the past, but had never seen a look like that before! Oh, whatever this was would be bad. Glancing at Severus, who looked grim, to the pale and slightly shaking Lupin, he swallowed thickly, wondering what in Merlin's name was so bad that it caused this reaction.

Swallowing thickly, he looked at Harry then smirked a little, though throwing cautious glances at Sirius who seemed to be clinging to the young man the way Harry did to the dragon. Trying to lighten the mood slightly before they delved into whatever Severus wanted him here for, he said, “Oh, Harry! You and I are going to have a very long talk so you can explain to me just how you managed to get into this state! I've been trying for a dragon's age and can't manage to achieve it!”

Chuckling unevenly, holding Elliot, Harry rubbed his eyes with one hand and shrugged then said, “You got me how I did it. I don't understand it. It's bloody brilliant though!”

“I've heard it is,” Lucius replied smoothly.

After tossing a calming draught to Lupin and handing one off to Black, who he glared at until he downed the potion, then taking one himself, Severus sighed then told Lucius. “View the memory in the Pensieve. That will explain why I brought you here. I don't think it's a good idea for us to view it again, so it's best to do it the normal way.”

Nodding, glancing around, uptight about what might be contained in that memory, Lucius stepped over to the table, pulled the bowl to him then, after a couple bracing breaths, plunged his face into it.

Waiting until Lucius was viewing the memory, Severus sat himself on the bench in front of Harry and Sirius. Looking at Black, he said, “He's going to know what to do better than any of us. That's why I went to get him.” Seeing the man nod and rub his eyes, Severus sighed then focused on Potter. Saying the young man's name softly, he waited until Harry looked at him then started. “Harry, you trust me, correct?”

“Of course,” Harry told him with a firm nod, shifting around so he could look at him better though being careful so he didn't slide off the bench.

“Right now, you need to remember that. You also need to remember that I would never do anything to harm, humiliate or make fun of you. I wouldn't and you know that.” Seeing the young man nod again, he pressed on, “I went to retrieve Lucius because we need help. There are some questions that we need to ask and have you answer to help you. Lucius is the best one to do that. Tonight—I know nothing is bothering you and you'll probably say things you won't like tomorrow. I want you to remember that we're doing it to help, nothing more. Tomorrow you're going to probably be upset with us and yourself, both, for some of what you'll say and we'll try to get you to tell us. Remember why we're doing it, please. If you want, you can come yell at me all you want tomorrow about it, throw things, anything you like. Just don't do anything foolish. I promise this is being done for no other reason than to assist you.” Stopping, he waited for the young man's reaction. Tonight—well, Potter wouldn't care and, right now, wouldn't understand what he had just said. He just hoped like hell that he would remember this the following day and wouldn't back away from all of them or close himself off.

Though confused by that, not really understanding why the Professor said it, Harry nodded, “Sure, Professor.”

“You know you can always come to me and blow off steam. This will be no different. I'll ensure I'm here for you to do that with.” Severus assured him, keeping his tone gentle while reaching out to put a hand on the young man's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

Looking at Snape, Harry nodded, confused as hell. Unable to help himself, he focused on the man's magic. Like with the others, it was more intense tonight than normal so it was fascinating. Reaching out, he ran his finger over it. Though it seemed to be of the shade that was overlapping his, Snape's didn't entwine around his magic the way Sirius' did. Interesting!

Watching the young man, brow furrowed, he looked over at Lupin when the man cleared his throat, confused.

“Harry can see your magic,” Remus explained softly. “He's always been able to from what he told us and thought everyone could. It's a little more intense right now is all.”

“Really? Fascinating!” Severus said, looking back at the young man. “Tomorrow we'll talk about that as well, Mr. Potter. I want you to explain it to me and what you see. I've met a couple people that can visualize our magic, but want to hear more about it.”

“I can do that,” Harry said, nodding, leaning back against Sirius again. Looking at his empty butterbeer bottle, he asked, “Can I get a glass of milk or something?”

Nodding, thankful to have something to do besides sit there and wait to see how bad this was going to get, Remus stood. “We have some cupcakes as well. Would you like one of those?”

“Sure,” Harry nodded, petting Elliot.

Getting up, Remus poured some milk into a glass, making sure to conjure a top with a straw in it to keep Harry from spilling it then grabbed one of the cupcakes Molly had brought. Bringing them back to the table, he slid them over to Harry. Smiling, he said, “Enjoy!”

Nodding, taking a sip of the milk, Harry's brow furrowed as he tried to get the cupcake out of the paper, shaking his head.

Keeping one arm looped around Harry's waist, Sirius chuckled softly then said, “Let me help there,” before pulling it off.

“Thanks,” Harry mumbled before taking a bite of the sweet.

Severus was about to say something else when Lucius pulled his face out of the Pensieve. Seeing the mottled color of his complexion and hearing him swear in French, he held out the vial of calming draught to him. Giving Harry another pat on the shoulder, he stood and led Lucius away from the table.

Downing the draught, rubbing his eyes Lucius glanced at Sirius, who was looking at him then shuddered slightly, now understanding where the anger came from. “Merlin's magical maladies, this is bad!” Rubbing a hand over his face, he sighed, trying to think.

“I know,” Severus told him grimly.

“Has Harry said anything else? I mean, did you ask him about what Vernon said?” Lucius asked, glancing at the young man who was focused on eating the cupcake while holding Elliot.

“We didn't,” Severus sighed. “I don't even know where to begin to get the information from him. All I was concerned about was getting you. Black—he's going to blow, I know that. I didn't want to try anything for that reason as well. You're the only one that knows how to work with him to keep him from running off and earning his term in Azkaban. Lupin and I—Lucius, we don't know where to start.”

Nodding, Lucius blew out a breath then shook his head, trying to think. “Let me see what I can manage here. With the state he's in, he'll give it up. The chance this is going to blow every bit of trust he has in all of us is there though. It's worth the risk, however. If what I think Vernon meant is real, he needs to be away from that man more than he needs to trust us.”

“Lupin was going to talk to him while I went to retrieve you. I just did as well. I hope that's enough to stave off the worst case scenario here.” Severus told him, glancing back at the table.

“Let's hope,” Lucius said with a shake of his head, looking down. “Sirius can work with him tomorrow. I'll keep him out of this as much as I can. That should assist. With the state he's in, he won't be any help anyway. It'll just make the whole situation worse.” Glancing at Lupin, seeing that the man had his lover's wand, Lucius was relieved. That was something he didn't have to worry about at least. Thinking, he said, “I need you to stay for the whole thing, no matter how bad it gets. Bottle up the memory I just saw and when I leave I’ll get yours of the conversation we're about to have. I'll take both to Amos tonight. It'll be late, but he doesn't need to get blindsided by this in his office tomorrow. He's going to probably want to see Harry in a couple days. You and Lupin will have to take him. I wouldn't trust anyone else to do it.”

Though bewildered about the wanting of his memory of the upcoming conversation, Severus caught on then nodded. As it wasn't Lucius' memory, it would be considered second hand information, something that couldn't be used in court nor could he be called to testify. That was a smart move, something he never would have thought of. “I'll give it up and we'll handle whatever appointment he needs to go to.”

Sighing, steeling himself, Lucius said, “Let's see what I can do here. You know Harry probably better than any of us. If it looks like he's not taking it well, let me know. I don't think it's going to be an issue, but I want to make sure I don't push him too far.”

“I will,” Severus nodded, tone firm.

“Let's get this over with then,” Lucius said. Turning he walked back over to the table and seated himself in front of Harry. Smiling at the young man, he had him turn so he was straddling the bench so the two of them were facing. Leaning forward, glancing at Sirius, who had wrapped his arms around the young man once more, he said, gently, “Harry, I need to talk to you a little bit about that memory and ask you some questions about something that was said that I'm unclear about. Like always, I'm going to be honest with you about what is going on. Severus came to get me because he's not sure what questions to ask that your solicitor will need to help you. I'm more acquainted with the legal end of what might be needed than he is. So, he thought it best for me to ask the questions and get what I find out to your solicitor. I'm also going to be honest in that what's going to be asked is personal. You don't trust me yet like you do Severus, Remus and Sirius, I know this, but we've worked on that end of the equation. I need to you put what little trust we do have in me and understand I'm doing it to help you. I'm going to make certain everything goes to your solicitor so he can assist you.” Reaching out, he put his hand on Harry's leg and gave it a squeeze. “Sirius is right here, so are Remus and Severus. You know they won't allow me to ask or do anything that has an evil intent behind it.”

Nodding, not sure what to say, Harry just looked at Lucius. When the man touched him, it seemed to increase that floaty feeling he was dealing with, something he liked. Looking down, he could see that Lucius' magic seemed to wrap around his the same way Sirius' did. It was fascinating to watch.

Seeing Harry focused on something else, seemingly at ease, Lucius thought it best to start, well, once he said something to Sirius. Looking over the young man's shoulder at his lover, he said, softly, “Hang on to him and don't move. Just hold him and don't try to do anything. I need you to stay out of this as much as possible, for all our sakes.”

Looking at Lucius, sure he wasn't going to like what was coming, Sirius gave the barest of nods, wrapping both arms around his godson and held him tightly, letting one hand slip under his shirt to rub his bare stomach.

Knowing that if this played out how he thought it would that he would have to work with Sirius more than once to keep him from trying to exact revenge, Lucius gave an internal sigh then launched in. Focusing back on Harry, he said, “I want to talk to you about the part of the memory where you and Vernon were alone.” Seeing the young man look up at him then nod, he pressed on, “Those curses you threatened him with—do you really know those?” He figured that was an innocuous place to begin and was curious if the young man did. They were something fairly dark that would be frowned upon if Harry did know them, something Amos would have to dance around if it was true.

“No, I don't. Vernon doesn't know that though,” Harry told him, grinning slightly, chuckling unevenly.

Relieved the young man didn't know any of the darker spells, Lucius said, “Smart move, Harry. Do you know any spells at all that would do the kind of thing you threatened?”

“Not really, no,” Harry shook his head. “I know the ones they teach the girls when they go to that lecture about their cycle. You know the ones; they are supposed to help them if they are attacked.”

Knowing exactly what Harry was talking about, Lucius nodded, “I know them. They are handy to know for both males and females.” That he was relieved about. Those spells were actually Ministry approved for passing out to the younger set to help defend themselves. It wasn't something anyone could quibble about the young man knowing. Pressing on, he asked, “Has Vernon threatened you like that before? It sounded like he has.”

“He does it all the time,” Harry shrugged, looking at him. Rolling his eyes, he said, “It's nothing to worry about. I know how to handle Vernon.” Something, somewhere in him was screaming at him to shut up, back off and make the questions stop as they were treading on an area he didn't ever talk about to anyone anymore, but that filter that kept him from doing so seemed to be down for maintenance right now and he couldn't be arsed to care. Shutting his eyes, rubbing them, he reached out and put a hand on Lucius' knee, though wasn't sure how he would react to that. The feelings he was getting seemed to grow stronger and intensify when he touched him as well. As he liked them, he wanted them to continue.

Though confused as to why Harry was touching him, Lucius didn't comment. Instead, he moved closer slightly so that it would be easier on the young man. Putting his hand over Harry's, giving it a squeeze, he said, “You did very well handling him, Harry. It was quite effective.” Stopping, he wasn't sure how to word or segue into what he wanted to discuss. Quietly, he asked, “Have those kinds of threats gone on for a long time or are they something new?”

Giving a snort, Harry shook his head, “It's gone on for years. It's nothing to worry about. He's scared of me now, so he backs off.”

“Why is he scared of you?” Lucius asked, almost afraid of the answer he might get from this one.

Grinning, Harry looked at him then said, “He's afraid of what I might be able to do to him. He was worried after the first couple years of going to Hogwarts since he didn't know what I was taught, the reason he tried to keep my things locked up when I was home. After I accidentally blew Aunt Marge up, he's been really scared. I don't think he understood that it was a case of accidental magic, even though it was explained to him, and thinks I can do magic without a wand. That's a lot of it. Sirius is part of it as well.”

Glancing at his lover, seeing a confused look on his face, Lucius asked, “How does Sirius help?”

“When he escaped, he even made the Muggle news. After the third year I casually mentioned that he was my godfather and I'd be writing to him. If Vernon gets too stupid, I just mention that I'm going to write to Sirius then he goes all pale and stammery before backing off.”

“Oh, that's good, Harry,” Sirius chuckled, actually grinning a little, giving his godson a squeeze.

Smirking at that, Lucius nodded, “Very wise move, Harry!” Face taking on a serious cast again, he asked, “Have you ever had to actually use a spell on Vernon to stop him from doing anything?”

“Naw, I just have to pull out the wand and snarl then he backs off. He's a coward, I know that, and is scared of me now. So, I've not ever had to actually do anything,” Harry admitted, grinning himself. Shrugging, he said, “It works and I go with it.”

“It was quite effective from what I saw,” Lucius nodded. Looking at the young man, he was actually starting to feel guilty about what he was going to do. Harry was in no shape to rationally judge what he should and shouldn't answer. Nor would that normal stopgap everyone had to keep certain things from coming out of their mouth work right now. That could be interpreted as him manipulating someone he was desperately trying to gain the trust of. He didn't like that. That was balanced out by the fact that they needed Harry to confirm what they thought happened to get him out of a situation that he didn't need to be in. Sighing internally, he stiffened his spine then said, keeping his tone as gentle as he could, “I need to ask you about what Vernon said now. He hinted at something and didn't say it outright so we want to make sure we understood what he meant. You seemed to understand what he meant, didn't you?”

“I know what he meant,” Harry confirmed with a nod.

Looking around, hoping to prepare everyone sitting there for what he was about to ask, he softened his tone then inquired, “Harry, it sounded like Vernon was threatening to sexually assault you. Is that what he meant?”

“It is,” Harry told him without thinking about it, looking down at Elliot, petting the dragon that was nuzzling his chin with its head. “It's nothing to worry about. I can handle him, as you saw.”

“I did,” Lucius said quietly. Stopping, he let out a shaky breath, glancing around. Lupin was completely white, trembling more. Severus was looking at them, hands clenched as they rested on the table, more pale than normal. Sirius—well, he was glaring at him. Seeing the muscles in the man's jaw work, Lucius knew that he was desperately trying to control his temper. And the fury there wasn't directed at him, but the situation. Not sure what to do about that yet, he looked at his lover and shook his head, hoping he got the inference to keep his cool. Focusing back on Harry, giving the young man's hand a squeeze, holding onto it, he asked, hoping like hell the answer was no, “Did Vernon ever sexually assault you? It sounds like he was saying he did in the past.”

“He did,” Harry confirmed, petting Elliot, ignoring that voice in him that was now louder than ever.

Rubbing his eyes with a trembling hand, feeling sick to his stomach, Lucius looked at Harry, not sure where to even go from there. His first instinct was to go curse the fat blob into something unrecognizable. He couldn’t do that though and knew it. Not wanting to look around and see the expressions on the others’ faces, he focused on Harry then asked, “When did he start? Do you remember?”

Rubbing his eyes, trying to think, Harry told him, “I was six I think. I don't remember. It might have been seven.” Frowning, he said, “Sirius? Can you loosen up a little? You're hugging me a little too tight and it's getting hard to breathe.”

“Sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to,” Sirius managed to get out, trying to sound normal. Feeling enraged in a way he hadn't in his entire life, he was desperately trying to keep control of himself. He hadn't realized how tightly he was holding onto Harry while doing that. Glaring at Lucius, feeling sick to his stomach, he didn't know what to do. His first instinct was to go kill the fat bastard. However, he knew that he wouldn't even get two feet after standing before one of the three in the room would stop him.

Looking at Sirius, seeing the expression on his face and knew this was about to get even worse since their worst fear had just been confirmed, he realized he had to do something before all of them were going to end up in a battle with him. Sliding closer to Harry, keeping an eye on Sirius, he said, softly, “Harry, we're going to change positions a little. It's nothing more than that.” Glancing at the young man, seeing him nod, he eased Harry forward until he was straddling his lap. Holding him close, rubbing his back, he motioned for Sirius to move backwards until the man's back was flush with the wall. Scooting forward, he sat as close to Sirius as he could, wrapping his lower legs around, Sirius'. It wouldn't hold him forever, but it would slow him down if he got up. Moving Harry around until he was seated on Sirius' lap with his back to the man's chest and legs draped over his own, he said, “There, this is good.”

Liking this position because he was touching both, Harry gave a contented sigh when Sirius wrapped his arms around him again, increasing that good feeling he had. Looking up, frowning, he was searching for his drink.

Seeing where Harry was looking, Lucius slid the glass down to him. Glancing at Sirius, he mouthed, 'stay right there'. Seeing the man nod, he focused back on Harry, wondering what the hell to ask now and not sure he wanted to know answers to the questions he did have. Shooting a look in Severus' direction, he saw the man was white as a sheet, a sick look on his face. Never before had he seen that look on the man's face. Like himself, and anyone that had to deal with the maniac that called himself the Dark Lord, you learned to not show emotion. This time, that skill seemed to have failed his old friend. Giving a helpless shrug, hoping to impart this was about to get worse, he sighed. A look in Lupin's direction showed the man was green, looking like he was going to vomit with a hand clasped over his mouth. Shutting his eyes and rubbing them, he looked back at Harry. Putting his hand over the young man's once more, giving it a squeeze, he asked, trying to keep his voice steady, “When did he stop abusing you? Or didn't he?” Oh, he hoped like hell he did because if Vernon hadn’t, he doubted there was anything any of them could do to stop Sirius.

Frowning, trying to think, Harry said, “I think I was eleven, maybe it was twelve. It was the summer after my first year at Hogwarts, right before Ron and the twins rescued me.”

Shutting his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, Lucius took several deep breaths, feeling sick to his stomach. Any thoughts that he had that he shouldn’t be doing this were gone. Now he needed information and as much of it as he could get. The problem was he was now feeling ill himself. Clearing his throat, hoping like hell he sounded normal, he asked, “Has he tried since then? Or is it just threats?”

“He tries to threaten me or blackmail me into it, but it doesn't work,” Harry shrugged, looking at Lucius. Frowning slightly, he was confused by the expression he saw there, not sure what it was. Lucius was someone that didn't show much emotion and he hadn't seen anything like this before. “Are you alright?” He asked.

Giving Harry's hand a squeeze, trying to slide a more neutral expression into place, Lucius said, “I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about.” Switching topics, he asked, “What do you mean blackmail you into it? The threat we saw, but I don't understand the other one.”

“Like when I want to go somewhere or do something, he tries to force me to do that with him before he'll give permission. It doesn't work, but he tries,” Harry shrugged. “I just do what I always do and tell him I'm going to write to Sirius to explain why I can't go then he relents.” Chuckling unevenly, he gave a lopsided grin then said, “He's scared of him, so it works.”

“Oh, he needs to be scared of me, that's for damned sure,” Sirius said quietly, trying to keep an even tone, rubbing Harry's stomach. Glaring at Lucius, grinding his teeth, he was shaking slightly. Along with that, he kept glancing at his wand, wondering if he could make a grab for it.

Watching the whole thing intently, trying not to beat himself up over signs he felt he should have seen, Severus saw Black glancing at his wand. Glaring at the man, pointing at him, hoping like hell it got the point across for him to stay put, Severus grabbed the man's wand and put it in front of him. Black was less likely to tangle with him to get it than he was Lupin, or at least he hoped.

Looking at the young man seated in front of him, Lucius was, quite frankly, at a loss on how to go about any more with the questions. There were plenty that needed to be answered, none of them pleasant either, but he was floundering. He had to push on though, even if they were disjointed and not in some kind of coherent order. The only thing he hoped was that he could keep Sirius right where he was and not end up getting sick himself. Swallowing thickly, he asked, quietly, “How often did he molest you? Was it just a couple of times or more than that?”

“It was--” trailing off, Harry tried to think. Shaking his head, he sighed then shrugged, “I don't know how many times it was, but it was a lot.”

“Merlin on a manticore,” Lucius muttered, rubbing his forehead. Trying not to tremble, something that was threatening to happen, he looked at Harry then asked, feeling ill as he did, “Did he ever really hurt you when he did? I mean to where you bled or had problems afterwards?” He didn't want to know this, he really didn't, and was going to have visions of the act if it had occured, but Amos needed to know this.

“Yeah,” Harry nodded. Of all the things asked so far, this was the one that had that part of him that was all but panicking at what he was saying, screaming loudly. It was something he had never told anyone, ever, and wanted to keep to himself. It had come out though. “I bled quite a few times, but the last time he did it was the worst because he was so mad.”

“How was it the worst?” Lucius asked, feeling the contents of his stomach start to churn.

“When Ron and them rescued me I was still bleeding even though it had happened a couple days before. I even did for a few more days and things hurt when—well, you know, for a while afterwards.”

That was all it took for Remus. Muttering a strangled 'excuse me', he got up and dashed out of the room to get sick.

Watching the werewolf go, Lucius glanced at Severus who didn't look to be in much better shape. Then, trepidatiously, he looked at Sirius. Though the look of rage was still there, there was one tear sliding down his face. Shaking his head, he didn't know what to say to the man. Already he was feeling ill with himself for not being able to find Harry like he had been asked, something that could have gotten him out of this situation. Sirius had to be feeling worse, though the circumstances were such that he couldn't have done a damned thing. Swiping a hand over his now sweat beaded brow, Lucius asked the one thing that came to mind, “Did your aunt know? Did you ever tell her or did she find out?”

“She knew,” Harry sighed, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Shrugging, he didn't say any more.

“How did she know? Did she guess or did you tell her?” Lucius asked, already prepared to kill the bitch if he didn't like the answer. Vernon—oh, if he had anything to do with it, the man was the walking dead. If Petunia—he wouldn't even think that.

“Because she walked in when he was doing it once.” Harry told him with a shrug. “She doesn't care about me. I've told everyone that. They just don't believe it.”

Head coming up, hearing a strangled noise from Sirius, he saw the man about to try to move. Pulling his wand out of his cane, he cast a sticking charm on Sirius, all but gluing him to the bench. Setting his wand aside, making sure it was well out of Sirius' grasp, he looked at the man and gave him a firm shake of the head. Oh—fuck. He didn't know how to handle this! “What did she do?” He asked quietly, eyes locked on Sirius, clutching onto Harry's hand tightly.

Snorting, rolling his eyes, Harry said, “She looked like she had sucked on a whole case of lemons then walked out of the room and slammed the door. I heard her yelling at Vernon later, but it didn't stop anything. After that, she just treated me worse.”

Putting his head in his hands, Severus took several deep breaths, shaking in rage. Petunia—he had hoped like hell the woman would do the most basic of things and protect the boy when she found out. It appeared that her hatred and jealousy of Lily had overridden everything else in her life. This was wrong. Looking up, feeling his own eyes burn, he looked at Harry. Seeing the peaceful expression on his face, as though they were just discussing the weather or something else innocuous, he felt himself start to tremble. He didn't know how much more of this he could handle before he did something foolish himself. Glancing at Lucius, he could see an expression there that mirrored his own, a first.

Shutting his eyes, Lucius fought an internal battle to control himself. He wanted to hurt someone, badly, and there were two bright and shining names at the very top of the list. He couldn't do that though and knew it. “Did you ever tell anyone else? Or did they find out?” He asked, praying the answer was no because he wasn't sure if he could handle it if it wasn't.

“Yeah,” Harry shrugged. “Like I said; no one ever believed me.”

“Was it when you were with the Muggles or at Hogwarts?” Lucius inquired, looking at the young man. He wanted names, dammit! He couldn't curse the living shite out of someone if he didn't have names!

“Both,” Harry told him.

Feeling ice form in his gut, Lucius' eyes widened. Oh, he knew he wasn't going to like this! “The Muggles--” he started, taking the easier one first. “They didn't do anything?”

“Nothing,” Harry shrugged. “One of my teachers reported it and someone talked to me then the Dursley's. They didn't do anything.”

“You told them what was going on?”

“Yup, all of it,” Harry nodded, cuddling Elliot close, liking the way the dragon was clinging to him.

“At Hogwarts—“ Stopping, Lucius wasn’t sure how to phrase this because, honestly, he didn't know if he wanted the answer or could handle the reaction from everyone if he got the one he thought was coming. “Who found out and what happened?” He finally managed to get out though his voice was uneven.

Looking at Lucius, not sure what to make of his voice as it sounded off, Harry was distracted when Remus came back in. Watching the man sit down, his brow was furrowed when he saw how pale he was. Shaking his head, he looked back at Lucius then said, “It was after that bit with the stone when I ended up in the infirmary. Madame Pomfrey did whatever scans she does and found some kind of scarring. I don't understand that part. She seemed really upset and said she had to tell Dumbledore. He came and talked to me.”

“No,” Severus muttered, tone broken. Shaking his head, he was trembling, not wanting to hear what he was sure he was going to.

“Did you tell him?” Lucius asked, feeling a rage like he had never known course through him. If that old bastard knew, he was going to end up hexing him within an inch of his life!

“Yeah,” Harry nodded.

“What did he say,” Lucius inquired, looking at Sirius who was now trying to free himself, face a mask of pure rage. “Sirius!” He warned, shaking his head. Oh, this was going to end badly, he knew it. Snagging his wand, he immobilized his lover, silencing him. This was going to bad and he didn't need Sirius' reaction to make it worse!

“Well,” Harry said, looking down, brow furrowed as he tried to remember. “He said I had to go back because of the Blood Wards. They are the only thing that protects me. He said he would talk to Vernon about it and make sure the stipend he gets from my vaults each month was increased, that he thought doing that would make it stop.” Stopping, he sighed and shook his head. “It didn't work.”

“He gives the man money from your vaults? It doesn't come from the government?” Lucius asked, tone incredulous. He knew that the Ministry was the one that paid the stipend for families that took in the orphans and fosters. They didn't have to pay for their own upkeep, no matter how rich they were.

“Yeah,” Harry confirmed, nodding. “He told me how much but I don't remember.”

Putting his head down on the table, Severus was shaking so badly it was as though he were having a seizure of some kind. He had known all along the old man had something up his sleeve with Harry and was not putting the young man's best interests at heart, but this? Even he hadn't thought it was this bad!

“Harry--” Lucius started, not knowing what to say. “Did you tell him that it didn't stop the following year or try to get help?”

“I didn't bother,” Harry shrugged, rubbing his eyes. “Everyone says this is wrong, that's what they teach you, but no one wants to do anything about it. It's just lip service. I've handled it myself since then. Besides, it's not like anyone actually listens to me when I say anything like this so why tell?”

Reaching out, Lucius ran his fingers through the messy mop of hair on Harry's head then put a crooked finger under his chin. Lifting the young man's head to where he was looking at him, he said, firmly, “They will this time, I promise you. You will not be going back there, ever. I don't care what we have to do. No more! And you will not be returning to that bloody school either! No!”

Sighing, Harry looked at him, shrugging, “Nothing ever changes, even if I tell. I want to believe you, but--” he trailed off.

Putting his palms on the young man's cheeks, he said, “They will this time, I guarantee that. None of them have dealt with the four of us sitting here. And we are going to make damned sure they know just what happened and that no one did anything. You don't understand. When you told Poppy and Dumbledore, both, they are required, by law, to report it. Someone, somewhere would have done something! Muggles might not be able to tell what happened, but our kind can. They broke the law and both of them are going to pay for it, I swear on my magic they will.”

Shrugging, Harry didn't know what to say. He wanted to believe him, he really did, but with the history there, he couldn't allow himself to do that. Rubbing his eyes again, he leaned back against Sirius. Right now he was starting to feel really tired. That wonderful feeling was still there, but tired was creeping in and it was not going to be fought off.

Though there were plenty more questions that needed to be asked and answers he wanted, Lucius was at the end of what he could take. Amos would have to take over from here. Looking at Severus, who was just starting at him, face so pale it was as though there was no blood in it, shaking, he said, quietly, “I think we're done. Just give us a few. I'm going to cast a privacy spell.” Seeing the man nod, rubbing his eyes, Lucius cast a privacy ward around the three of them on the bench. Holding onto his wand, he looked at the furious Sirius then said, pulling Harry closer to him, holding the young man there. “If you give me your word by blinking once that you won't try anything foolish, I'll end the spells.” Seeing the blink, he ended the spells. Setting his wand down, he pulled Harry onto his lap and held him to his chest. Rubbing the young man's back, he didn't know what to say to him. Shaking his head, he looked at Sirius.

Snorting like an enraged bull, Sirius scooted closer and all but wrapped himself around his godson. Looking at Lucius, he didn't know what to say. He wanted to kill someone and that had never happened before. Shutting his eyes, leaning his forehead against Harry's shoulder, he didn't know what to say or do. All he knew was he wanted to hold Harry, nothing more.

Rubbing Harry's back softly, Lucius said, “We're done for the night. Remember what Remus and Severus said to you tomorrow, Harry.” Resting his head against Harry's, he sighed and looked at Sirius. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't stay the night to keep an eye on his lover, but something needed to happen to make sure the man didn't go off and do something foolish, though it was warranted. Stroking Harry's head, he asked, softly, “Since you're obviously tired, do you mind if daddy carries you upstairs? Your other daddy is around all the time and will get to do that, I won't.”

Smiling a little, Harry nodded the best he could then said, “Sure, daddy.”

“We'll do that then,” Lucius said, casting the charm on the young man. Standing, motioning Sirius to follow, he grabbed his lover's wand off the table and walked out, telling the other to he would be back in a few minutes.

Once in Sirius' bedroom, after Sirius had come in, Lucius cast a charm on it that would set off an alarm if the man walked out. Seeing a glare from his lover, he just looked at him then went and sat down on the bed with Harry, holding him. Rubbing the young man's back, seeing him doze off, he looked back at the now pacing Sirius. Quietly, he said, “I'm going to talk Severus into staying the night. Don't do anything foolish. I want you to give me your word, Sirius! Harry needs you, desperately. You can't be here for him if you go try to exact revenge.”

Stopping, glaring at Lucius, Sirius hissed, “Dumbledore fucking knew that pervert was molesting him and did nothing but pay him to keep doing it! From Harry's own damned vaults!”

“Promise me, Sirius,” Lucius told him, looking in his direction. “You always keep your word to me, so promise! We'll handle Dumbledore, Vernon, Petunia and everyone else in this mess, you have my word!”

Rubbing his eyes, looking at Harry, who was clinging to Lucius, in a doze, he gave a bare nod then ground out, “I promise.”

Relieved, Lucius sighed, “Good. And you have my word it'll be handled. If I have to do it personally, it will be done. Amos will take care of this. Trust in that. Just worry about working with Harry tomorrow. The fallout here is going to be immense. He gave up things he has kept secret for a long time. You are going to need to deal with him. More than any of the rest of us, you're going to need to work with him and get him to understand why we did this.”

Not having thought of that, Sirius looked at the floor and sighed. “You're right.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he slumped. “This is a fucking nightmare! No wonder he trusts no one and is so angry! I would be pissed as hell!”

“It explains a lot, no doubt there,” Lucius sighed. Shaking his head in a tired way, he told him, “I'll talk to Severus before I go. There are some things I need him to do. Just stay up here with Harry.”

“I will,” Sirius said coming over and flopping down on the bed by Lucius.

Reaching out, Lucius ran his fingers through Sirius' hair and said, “I'll contact the both of you tomorrow so we can talk. I'm not sure when, but I'll manage. I'll also send a few messages your way when I'm able. If you have problems, let me know.”

Nodding, Sirius said nothing.

Looking down at the dozing Harry, Lucius said, softly, “Daddy has to go home, Harry. I'm going to leave you with your other daddy. Be a good boy for him.”

“Alright, daddy,” Harry mumbled, rubbing his eyes while holding onto Elliot.

Giving the young man's head a rub, he gave him a squeeze then passed him over to Sirius. Standing, he smoothed down his robe before handing Sirius his wand with a pointed look. Leaning down, he kissed his lover, who was clinging to Harry, then gave the young man a rub on the head before walking out.

Walking into the kitchen, he flopped on the bench on the other side of the two men. Severus was looking furious and Lupin still looked sick. Glancing between the two, Lucius said, “Sirius will stay put. He's given me his word.” Seeing them nod, he looked at Severus, “Can you stay here tonight? I think that's best. I have a spell up that set off an alarm if Sirius exits the room.”

“I'll stay,” Severus told him, looking grave. He planned to anyway to help with Harry the follow day. Lifting his wand, he pulled the memory of the conversation and put in a waiting jar before pushing it over to Lucius.

Pocketing it with the other that was sitting there, Lucius sighed, “Tomorrow, when Harry calms down, see if you can get him to let you scan for any scarring. That'll help. I'm going to contact Amos tonight and hand this over.”

“I will,” Severus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Can his solicitor do something about this? We—this can't go on! He can't go back there and shouldn’t go back to the school if Albus is willing to allow something like this to continue,” Remus said quietly, trembling, still feeling ill.

“He'll manage. How? That I don't know, but he will. If he can't, we'll find a way. I promise,” Lucius told him wearily. Shaking his head, he said, “I need to get home.” Seeing the two nod, he stood. “If you need me, don't hesitate to contact me and I'll come back.” With that, he sighed, Disillusioned himself then walked out, plan in place of what needed done when he got home.

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Preventative Measures