When Living Ain\'t Easy

Chapter Sixteen : A Field Trip to Hell

In all his years, Harry had endured many traumatic experiences. Abuse, neglect, starvation, manipulation, plus repeated death threats and attempts on his life five out of the last six years. He had weathered it all with as much grace as anyone could possibly expect. But this...

A glance at the two over-eager blonds confirmed that he would be shown no mercy. They could smell his fear, and it only fed their delight at his predicament. The sole voice of reason merely stood back and allowed the torture to continue. Green eyes begged the other brunet for clemency, or at least a bit of sympathy. It was summarily denied.

\"Potter, there are some things in life that one must simply deal with. Any excursion with a Malfoy bent on spending large sums of money is such an instance. I am here to act as packmule for purchases, and to guard against the unlikely event of ambush. You should accept the inevitable.\" Nearly black eyes sparkled with wicked glee. \"Thank all the gods that you are their target this time. I would hate to be forced to slaughter my dearest friend.\"

The Boy Who Lived threw his teacher the dirtiest glare he could manage. He knew that there was no escape, but had counted on at least a little compassion from Snape. That thought repeated in Harry\'s mind several times as he tried to determine when his attitude about the irascible Potions Master had changed so much that Harry would expect such treatment from him.

His internal ramblings kept the Gryffindor sufficiently occupied through several different stops, as the shop-a-holics dragged him to try on clothes and shoes, choose colors and fabric, and make the few minor decisions deemed too personal to be made for him. Boxers or briefs? At least some things were still within his control.

Harry finally perked up when they entered a jewelers. Here he spent a great deal of attention on the numerous types, cuts, quality and sizes of the loose gems available. Only one ready made set of earrings was to his liking, which he promptly informed the clerk to box up for him. By the time both Malfoys had indulged themselves in various foppery, Harry had also collected a fair number of precious and semi-precious stones. Neither Draco nor Lucius made comment on his selection, but Severus\' raised eyebrow demanded an explanation.

Leaning into the taller man\'s space, Harry quietly answered the unspoken question. \"Most of these can be enchanted, right? And let\'s face it: I\'ll need every scrap of protection I can get. Plus, it\'ll give me a hobby, something to do in what little free time I\'ll have this summer. And maybe I can get enough practice to make a few Christmas gifts for my friends.\"

Snape\'s other eyebrow joined the first. \"Very well, Harry. I suppose that is a harmless enough way to utilize your energy. If you will remind me when we get home, I believe there are a few texts applicable to your endeavour in the study.\" In response, he received a glowing smile.

\"Thank you, sir! I looked into it a bit a couple of years ago, but with everything that\'s happened lately... well, I haven\'t had much free time to develop a hobby. Nothing outside of school and extra training.\"

Severus marvelled at the lack of rancor in his student\'s attitude. Merlin knew that he himself resented the demands placed on his scant spare time. But even as he thought about it, he understood the answer -- Harry Potter had never had the very basic luxury of having his own interests. First with those dreadful relatives, then with the expectations of the magical world. He vowed to provide what little opportunities he could over the next nine weeks, encouraging the deprived young man to find interests outside of his duties.

A subtle nudge at his elbow brought Severus back to the present. Apparently, the recent exchange had not gone unnoticed by his friend, if the look on Lucius\' face was anything to go by. A short nod of acknowledgement confirmed this, as well as letting him know that he would not be alone in helping the young man explore his potential. Satisfied by the silent understanding, he moved over to the register to sign for their purchases. He didn\'t even cringe at the amount.

~ * ~

Within minutes of their return to the safe house, Harry enquired as to how well warded the property was. He grinned in mischievous delight when told that they were unplottable, with every Muggle repelling charm and notice-me-not spell imaginable in place. He dragged as many bags as he could carry into the bedroom, followed by Draco with the remaining luggage.

Tossing everything on his bed, he ignored the lot in favor of ransacking his trunk for every scrap of hand-me-down clothing he possessed. In short order, he had a pile of faded, worn clothes floating along toward the back yard. Harry lit the discards on fire, summoning hot cocoa and marshmellows to toast.

Draco joined the impromptu bonfire while the two older men watched from the back porch. Little was said, but they all knew that the display was Harry\'s way of purging the linguring shadow of his relatives. Such catharsis was a healthy sign of the Gryffindor\'s adaptability, and they could only hope to encourage his further healing from such an environment.

If either man felt odd at their changed opinions about the famed Boy Who Lived, well, they were Slytherins for a reason. Survival depended on change, and the ability to use whatever resources were available. And if, just maybe, they had begun to see Harry Potter as more than a symbol of freedom from their unwanted master... no one could blame them for the almost fond way they watched the Gryffindor laugh as his \'therapy\' popped and sparked into the night

~ * ~

Supper was a simple affair that evening, with soup and sandwiches throw together to assuage appetites worked up by the shopping trip.

Harry caught himself yawning several times, and his slow blinks gradually lengthened until his eyes refused to stay open any longer. He made a half-hearted apology to the room in general before staggering off to bed, barely bothering to strip down to his boxers before his head hit the pillow.

Lucius volunteered to check in on the young wizard while his son and Severus cleaned up after the meal. He was hardly surprised to find Harry sound asleep on top of a pile of bags. A series of quick spells had the Gryffindor\'s bed cleared and Harry comfortably wrapped in cool sheets. Turning off the lights on his way out, the blond permitted himself a long, thoughtful inspection of the young man.

He was ashamed to admit that, like the rest of the magical world, he had fallen into the trap of assumption about the Boy Who Lived. Every moment since Harry first stepped foot in the house had chipped another mistaken belief away from Lucius\' preconceptions. He wondered how many more surprises the Darling of Gryffindor would provide on the morrow.

\"Lucius.\" A very familiar drawl broke the blond\'s introspection. \"It is time for us to have a little chat, wouldn\'t you say? Join me for a drink.\"

With a nod, Lucius made his way toward the parlor, passing Draco as he headed for a shower. His son smirked, saying, \"Don\'t talk all night. I know you two want to dissect Potter and his revelations, but we do have quite a bit to accomplish tomorrow.\"

Father and son said brisk goodnights, and the elder joined Severus as requested.

He gladly accepted the steaming mug of mulled wine from his friend, settling into an elegant sprawl across a low chair. Out of habit, he sought Severus\' eyes before catching himself. Lucius chuckled darkly.

\"It appears we have much to work on this summer, other than Harry\'s training. I hadn\'t realized how often we slipped into glances.\"

While the elder Malfoy had been making their charge more comfortable, Severus had taken the time to change into drawstring pants and a loose, unbuttoned shirt. He assumed a lazy position on the soft, sipping from his own mug. It was simple for him to read the conflict on his oldest friend\'s features, giving the Potions Master an ideal opening for their conversation.

\"Harry is nothing like he would appear to be, as rumors and speculation proclaim him. If I had to classify him now, it would be most fitting to treat him as one of our own.\"

Grey eyes unfocused for a minute before Lucius replied, \"Yes, our own.\"

\"Luc, in that direction lies madness. The boy has already stated his fidelity to the youngest Weasley.\"

\"The *young man* seems to be open to experimentation. Come now, Severus, you can\'t tell me you don\'t find Harry attractive. I saw your reaction to him clearly when he removed his shirt earlier. And that power surge! Salazar himself would be drooling over the lad.\"

Severus grumbled at his lover\'s teasing, but could not deny feeling pulled toward the Gryffindor. Naturally, he would fight such attraction to one of his students, however appealing the package.

\"I am still his instructor, Lucius. Regardless of the school\'s rules, it would be imprudent for me to enter into a personal relationship with young Mr. Potter. Imagine how sorely it would undermine my authority with the brats if anyone suspected impropriety.\"

Waving a hand in dismissal of the notion, Lucius pushed on, \"Yes yes, but we are Slytherins. Surely between the two of us, we can easily keep ourselves above gossip and reproach.\" He decided to try another tactic. \"You cannot sit there and honestly tell me that, given the opportunity, you would refrain from taking that delicious, untouched body; the eager mind, naturally curious and open to suggestion. Imagine him spread, naked and trembling, across dark sheets, just waiting for his own debauchery. How his skin would glow with a fine sheen of moisture, his entire body glowing from desire, nervous but desperate. How he would plead for your touch to deliver some measure of relief from the intensity of sensations his first sexual experience would bring him. How tight and hot his-\"

Through gritted teeth, the Potions Master snarled, \"You have made your point abundantly clear, Luc.\" Several deep breaths later, Severus felt his ardor cooling enough to chastise his lover. \"I will admit that your description was... intriguing. However, it does not remove the issue of the student-teacher relationship that I must maintain for the foreseeable future. Harry Potter\'s... attributes, no matter how tempting, are safe from my efforts. You, of course, are still free to pursue the boy.\"

\"Sev, don\'t be dense.\" Darkest brown eyes snapped up at the admonition, flashing with the threat of great bodily harm in the immediate future. Lucius returned his glare with amusement. \"Take the time to recall Dumbledore\'s instructions. It would seem to me that the old codger expected this opportunity to come about, and gave explicite permission for you to take the *young man* in hand. So to speak.\"

Snape rolled his eyes at the rather crude play on words. \"Knowing Albus, he could have meant anything from taking care of Potter\'s owl to taking his virginity and turning the *boy* into a Knockturn Alley catamite.\"

Lucius moaned at that image. \"Oh yes, on his knees, mouth open and eyes closed. Ready and willing to accept whatever we want to do with him. Spank his perfect little arse to a bright red, teach him to swallow cock like a professional. And he\'s young, his body resilient... I\'d bet my entire estate that we could both fit inside him at the same time, with just a little practice, hmm?\"

Gasping as flashes of arousal flew up his spine, Severus couldn\'t prevent himself from getting hard at the decadent mental picture his lover painted. Hissing through clenched jaws, he scolded the blond, \"Luc, just stop. Please. There is no need to get your hopes up about seducing Harry. However pleasant an occupation these fantasies are, the boy has a girlfriend. He is the savior of the magical world. And he is my student. These are lines I must not cross, if I am to retain some semblance of moral fibre.\" In a flutter of silky shirttails, he headed toward the hall. \"It\'s time for bed. This conversation is getting us nowhere.\"

Silvery blond hair bounced across his shoulders as Lucius shook his head. He wouldn\'t give up so easily, but he might let it rest for a few days to give Severus a chance to cool down. And just maybe he could find a way to convince the stubborn man that it would be a grand idea to seduce the Boy Who Lived. Idly stroking his own erection, his smirk more evil than ever, Lucius slouched farther into the chair\'s cushions to take care of himself before joining his lover in bed.