Indago:Reborn

AN: I wanted to do a little something for all the people who have asked in the past. I will let you know how I pronounce the names and such. Now, I haven't done this before, really, because I'm not the one reading it. I feel that when the reader is reading, the story is theirs, so who am I to tell you how to pronounce something? But, I know how badly I murdered Hermione's name until I heard it in the movie, and the way I mispronounced Louis's name in the Vampire Chronicles was wrong until the movie, so I thought, what the heck! :)

Indago: in-dah-go (it does not sound like the color)
Subicio: suh-bee-see-o
Supero: soo-peer-o
Muroch: myur-ock (there is no D)
Dagodine: day-go-deen

Bolded sections are where the emphasis of the word is found. Now this is just the way I pronounce them, so please, if you have another way, don't strain your brain to learn it another way! *laugh* This was merely for fun!

Happy New Year!


Chapter Twenty-Three

Draco opened the front door himself the next morning. Snape took one look at him and moved quickly into the house. The blond looked as if he hadn’t showered or shaved this morning. In fact his clothes looked slept in.

“You’re fortunate your father wasn’t at the door,” Snape said with a gesture at Draco’s rumpled attire.

“I set ward alarms if he came within two feet of the house. This cannot be known to my father,” Draco said emphatically. “I don’t want to imagine what he would do if he found out.”

“Yes, let us get to that. Your urgent owl was very cryptic.” Snape pulled his cloak off and gave it to the coat tree. “You say Harry has been acting aggressive and belligerent?”

“Yes,” Draco said and motioned them toward the stairs. “Not only that, but he has tried to …be sexually dominant.” Snape raised an eyebrow at that. Draco nodded and then continued. “But that I could handle. It was last night that has made me seek you out.” Draco stopped on the steps and looked directly into Snape’s eyes. “I must have this in strict confidence. This cannot be published or discussed.”

Snape ran the back of his hand along Draco’s arm, reminding Draco of their bond. “Strictest confidence,” he agreed. Draco nodded, slid his own hand across Snape’s chest and began climbing the stairs again.

“He abandoned the baby,” Draco stated quietly. Snape looked at him sharply. “He left the house with no word and did not return for several hours.” Draco looked at Snape. “He said he went for a walk.” Snape’s face showed his incredulity as they crested the stairs. They were soon standing in front of Snape’s old bedchamber. Draco opened the door.

The room was empty.

“Damn it!” Draco turned and looked down the hall. “I never heard him leave!”

“Why was he here?” Snape asked with a frown.

“Because I was trying to keep him away from me before I went too far!” Draco bit out. “I told him to stay here.”

“Could he be with the baby?” Snape asked. Draco pushed past and quickly made it to Maia’s door. He opened it and moved in, Snape on his heels.

The room was quiet. The only movements were the birds in the ceiling and the snake near the bureau. Then a soft sound of cloth moving and a messy black head popped out from behind the crib only a foot above the floor.

“I…I’m sorry, Draco,” Harry whispered apprehensively, seemingly trying to quickly stall the dominant’s anger. “I just had to see her. I had to make sure she was all right. But I didn’t eat anything like you said and I didn’t touch her.”

Snape looked at Draco in concerned confusion. Draco ignored him and instead seemed to be holding himself in check. Snape could sense the anger and fear of his fellow Supero. He quickly moved forward toward Harry to give Draco more time to control his emotions. Harry saw him coming and curiously sunk down lower on his hands and knees.

Black eyes quickly scanned the crib and found another set of black eyes watching him intently. The baby seemed perfectly well and unharmed. Harry, on the other hand, seemed a bit worse for wear. He, also, was in slept-in clothes and his hair was even more unruly. His eyes showed the remains of tears and his face showed the remains of a beating. What had happened?

“Have you slept here all night?” he asked the younger man who, for all intents and purposes, was cowering on the floor.

Harry quickly glanced at Draco and then back at Snape’s boots. “Yes. I mean… I, I came here after Draco went to bed.” Harry looked up forcefully at Snape’s knees. “I had to make sure she was okay. Draco told me she was, but I…” His voice, which had begun with bravado, trailed off to a whisper, “I just had to see her.”

“That seems very normal to me,” Snape conceded. This seemed to relieve Harry, who nodded and put his head back down.

“Harry.”

Immediately Harry’s body tensed and his head dropped lower to nearly touch the floor at the sound of his husband’s voice. Snape stepped back as Draco came forward. The blond was good at hiding his feelings but the tension and emotions in the room were hard to conceal.

Draco went down on his knees in front of Harry and pulled him up by the shoulders. The green eyes were shielded and down until Draco leaned forward and laid a soft kiss on the top of Harry’s head.

“I brought Snape here to find out what’s wrong, alright?” Draco stated quietly.

“Nothing’s wrong, Draco. I swear. I just lost track of time while I was out. I would never leave her for that long!”

“Harry, you were gone for hours with no word to anyone,” Draco said in a voice that was firm but not angry. “You don’t think that you actually lost track of time, do you? Perhaps it’s just something simple. Perhaps you just need more touch, yeah?”

“I’m not insane,” Harry defended. “I just got a little stir crazy. I just wanted to go for a walk and breathe a bit. That’s all.” Harry’s eyes pleaded for understanding.

“Do you recall where you went?” Snape asked from above them.

Harry shot a glance up. “Yes. I told you, I’m not insane. I walked down the road until I came into the town proper. I looked around a bit and then realized how long I had been gone and raced back.” Harry looked at Draco again, guilt and pain in his eyes. “I swear, I didn’t mean to be gone for so long! I wouldn’t hurt her! Ever!”

“I know. That’s what has me worried.” Draco looked up at Snape. “You brought your equipment with you?”

“Yes. We can set up in the room across the hall.”

“W-what equipment?” Harry asked with a nervous tremor in his voice.

“I just want to run a few experiments to see how you are after the birth,” Snape said, stepping further back as Draco pulled Harry to his feet. Harry’s hands clenched around Draco’s arm.

“No! No experiments!” Begging green eyes turned to Draco. “Please, Draco. Please, no experiments. I’m not crazy. I’m sorry I left her!”

“Harry, calm down!” Draco held tight as Harry tried to go back down to his knees at Draco’s fear-sharpened words. “We just want to make sure that everything is alright. You may be deficient in something that we can fix. And you telling me that nothing is wrong does not reassure me. You said nothing in warning the last time you went mad.”

Draco led Harry the few steps to Snape and put his arm in the older man’s grasp. “Take him,” Draco said to Snape. “I’ll be along in just a moment. I need to see to the baby.” Snape nodded and led a defeated Harry out of the room. Draco turned back to the crib. “We’ll get this all sorted,” he explained to the baby. “Your dad will be just fine.”

Maia obligingly accepted the words of comfort that were really meant to console her father. But being a lady, she didn’t mention that.

“I’m not crazy.”

“Yes, you’ve mentioned that.” Snape closed the door and let Harry’s arm go. “Get on the bed.”

Harry stayed where he was, his arms crossed and hugging himself as he watched Snape go to the desk that the teacher had used countless times before while staying with them. The precise hands withdrew a small satchel and it was quickly resized to normal. Then those hands began removing instruments.

“I don’t want to do any experiments!” Harry growled. “I’m just a bit tired and hungry. I didn’t mean to leave her for so long!”

“Exactly.” Snape turned and looked at Harry for a long moment. Then he crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. “Do you not find it extremely odd that even though you are quite vociferous in your claims of not wanting to harm or abandon the infant, you, for some reason, still did so? In fact, you’ve said that you ‘didn’t mean to’.”

“I just had to get out of the house!” Harry shouted. “I’m entitled to leave, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are,” Snape said calmly. “Our concern comes from the fact that until yesterday you showed every sign that you did not want to leave. You never once showed any inkling of desire to be separated from the infant. In fact you went against a direct order to reach the child’s side. All of this is normal. Your reported behaviour yesterday is not, however, normal at all. It is my intention to discover why.”

“Draco’s just… just blowing it out of proportion,” Harry argued quietly, his eyes down. “I forgot the time and… and Draco… Draco made sure I won’t forget again.”

Snape studied the younger man for a moment. He let his senses take in everything. Harry was dishevelled from sleeping on the ground in his clothes and from the apparent fight the previous night. His body language screamed guilt and fear. Fear of what, Snape could figure out. Obviously he was afraid of Draco, but Snape would bet that it was more along the lines of the accusations and distrust that he feared than any bodily harm. Harry’s subicio had obviously accepted the physical punishment as appropriate. The guilt was more obvious and was definitely keeping him subdued, where the fear was giving him these little bursts of fight. But all of it seemed a bit overdone, as if he were hiding something.

“Where did you go yesterday?” Snape asked calmly. Harry’s hands squeezed his own upper arms.

“I told you, I went for a walk. That’s all!”

But Harry still wouldn’t look up. Snape moved closer and forcefully pulled Harry’s head up by his chin. “Look at me,” he ordered. Harry kept his eyes down. Snape let him go and went back to his bag. He pulled a small bottle out and uncorked it. He walked back to Harry with it in his hand. “Look at me,” he ordered again. Immediately green eyes met his. “Let me in,” he instructed as he pulled his wand. “Legilimens.”

Harry did as he was told and Snape was able to access the other man’s mind. As he had thought, fear and guilt permeated him as visions began to filter through. He saw Draco throwing Harry against a wall, the blond in obvious aggression and being quite a fearful sight. He could hear a baby crying and quickly deciphered that it was Harry’s interpretation of what he believed Maia had sounded like without him. It seemed to be the soundtrack in his mind, but not the root of the guilt and fear. “Where did you go yesterday?” he asked and immediately the scene changed.

There were shops and houses, a dark alleyway. Harry was going to a pub. It was full but obviously not as busy as it would be during summer holidays. Music was pouring out of the doorway as Harry moved closer. Then everything went fuzzy.

“Don’t fight me,” Snape ordered and immediately the scene cleared. Harry approached a young man, a teenager really. A muggle. Harry’s emotions were rampant with anger, frustration and the need for control. He offered to buy the boy a drink. The boy shook his head and wandered away. Harry followed him. A dark alley. Harry pushing the boy against the dank and dirty wall. Harry’s hand covering the boy’s mouth as he groped him through his jeans. A struggle. A noise at the end of the alley. The boy’s friends arrive. Harry fighting all three teenagers. Harry leaving the scene as others came to the sound of the scuffle. Then, as Harry huddled out of the light and sight of the police, the emotions changing. Fear for Maia, guilt for leaving her. The need to be home. All these feelings began to run amuck and Harry ran toward home. Snape pulled out as Harry looked up the stairs at an angry Draco.

He focused on Harry’s face and saw tears silently falling from the green eyes. “So, that is where you were,” Snape said quietly. Harry dropped to his knees.

“Please, please don’t tell Draco!” Harry begged, his cheek resting on Snape’s boot. “Please, don’t. He’ll leave me. He’ll take my baby. Please, don’t.”

Snape looked down at him. “Stand up,” he said quietly. Harry immediately obeyed. “Why did you seek out and attack a sexual partner?”

“I don’t know!” Harry wailed quietly. He was obviously distressed, his hands clenching in agitation. “I just did. I didn’t want to. I would never leave Draco! I would never leave us!” Nodding, Snape understood what Harry meant. Harry’s subicio was in control at the moment and was obviously greatly distressed at his actions. Harry was telling Snape that he wouldn’t leave their pack, as the subicio saw it. Taking another lover outside of the pack could be construed as leaving it. The subicio was obviously in a panic over being accused of that crime.

“Have you done this before? Don’t lie.”

Harry frantically shook his head. “No! No, never. I would never do that!”

“Go lie on the bed.”

Harry nodded. He immediately went to the bed and lay down on it. Snape came forward and inspected Harry’s form. Other than the healing bruises on his face, Harry appeared well. No residual pregnancy weight could be seen. No discolorations of the skin. He seemed well nourished. “Remove your shirt.”

Harry did as instructed. Again, Snape saw no signs of ill health as he carefully set the bottle down on the nightstand. He put his hand on the other man’s chest and felt his heart beat. Steady. Snape pulled at the skin on top of Harry’s hands and saw that he was also well hydrated. No physical signs of problems.

Harry’s hand suddenly moved up Snape’s arm. He rubbed the back of it up and down and then rose up on his knees. Keeping his eyes down, he tipped his head to the side and back, offering his neck. Snape knew he was also offering his body.

“No, Harry. Lie back down. I will not have you.”

Tears fell from Harry’s eyes as he moved a bit closer. “Please, sir. Please. I- I wouldn’t leave us,” he whispered hoarsely. Snape ran his fingers through the tangled locks on the other man’s head.

“You have not left us,” Snape assured him brusquely. “But I will not have you. You are Draco’s alone. Not mine.”

Harry ran his hand across Snape’s chest. “I am both of yours,” he whispered. “I will be both of yours. I would never leave.” He leaned forward and pressed his neck closer to Snape.

The door opened softly and Snape felt Draco’s presence. The blond moved closer until he stepped up beside them.

“I thought you were on the potion,” he said, watching Harry move to him and run his hand down Draco’s chest.

“I am,” Snape said calmly. He picked up the bottle and waved it under the other Supero’s nose. Draco didn’t have to even sniff before raising an eyebrow at Snape. “Pheromone in a bottle,” the Potions Master explained. “I detest losing control, but as you can see, it is still quite handy as a tool for controlling him,” he said with a nod in Harry’s direction.

“And what is happening?” Draco asked as he grabbed Harry’s trailing hand and pulled him close. “The scent in this room is quite potent.” A bit of a low growl could be heard just behind those words.

Snape looked at Harry who had been pulled close enough for Draco to bury his nose in his throat. Harry’s eyes pleaded with Snape.

“I believe that Harry is experiencing a loss of control. His walk yesterday was apparently harmless, but it does seem to be a cry for management.” Harry closed his eyes in submission, showing his gratitude at Snape’s discretion. His hand came up and rubbed the back of it against Snape’s chest. “Harry, stay here on the bed,” he ordered. “Draco, I need to speak to you.”

Draco pulled away reluctantly and walked with Snape to the other side of the room. “What did you mean by that? What’s going on?” Draco asked in earnest now that the pheromones had dissipated around him.

“I believe that Harry has gone through an incredibly primitive act in giving birth. He reverted to a basic self and his instincts are leading him in most things these days. Therefore, instinctively I believe he is testing you to see if you are a good provider and protector. You, being a good husband, have been lenient and gentle with him, yes?”

“Of course!” Draco said defensively. “He just squeezed my heir out of his stomach!”

Snape rolled his eyes at the wording. “Exactly. Have you ever been as conceding and amiable before?”

Draco thought a moment. He shook his head. “No, not to this degree.”

“I believe that Harry is merely testing you to see if you can be stronger than him. That is what he requires. He seems very upset at his own behaviours and seems to regret them, but he is not sure why he did them in the first place. I reason that he, in fact, wants you to control him.”

Draco looked over at the bed. Harry sat there with his head down. He looked back at Snape. “He hates it when I’m ‘overbearing’, as he puts it.”

“Normally, yes. But right now he requires management.” At Draco’s look of hesitancy, Snape placed his hands on his hips in a classic teaching pose. “Do not forget that Harry is extremely gifted magically. He had and continues to have difficulty controlling it when in states of high emotion. Now that his resources are concentrated on the baby, he needs you to help him keep control. Notice that he is now quite docile.”

Draco nodded in agreement.

“Allow your Supero instincts some measure of control. He requires that now. He needs to be reassured of your presence and strength. I would imagine that he will test you occasionally until he is sure that you are strong enough.”

Draco nodded and smirked. “I have no problem with it. But once Harry stops needing it, he’s going to be hacked off at it all, you know.”

“Probably. But if it stops him wandering the streets in an attempt to get you to notice his absence and reel him back in, I imagine he will be appreciative of it.” Snape looked over his shoulders at the quite man on the bed. No, Harry would most likely be thankful for being stopped from committing adultery. He looked back at Draco. “I must return to the school. But I will attempt to visit on the weekends to lend my support. He is quite powerful and may require both of us to control him.”

Snape walked back to the desk after snatching up the small bottle and corking it. As he was packing it back in, he could feel Harry’s return to his senses.

“What was that?” he shouted. “How dare you do that to me!”

“Harry,” Draco warned. “Sev was trying to help.”

“I don’t care! He had no right to rape my mind!” Harry leapt off the bed and Snape turned to face him. Harry’s eyes glowed with indignation but no small amount of fear. “You had no right to do that!” he rasped.

“I did what I needed to do. No harm was done and nothing ill will come of it. I found what I needed to know,” Snape explained calmly.

“No! You didn’t need to do that!” Harry came close and his hands bunched into fists. “You don’t need to butt into our lives! I-I want you to leave and not come back!”

“You’re afraid of the wrong thing,” Snape said quietly. He raised his voice. “It is also not your place to tell me to leave, is it?”

“Get out!” Harry shouted. But Draco had gotten the verbal cue and stepped forward. Snape couldn’t smell the other Supero’s scent increase but he could see its effect on Harry. His shoulders immediately dropped from their aggressive position and he lowered his head in submission.

“We will be waiting for you to come visit this weekend,” Draco said. “Won’t we, Harry?”

“Yes, Draco,” Harry said docilely.

Snape smirked as he shrunk his bag. “Very good, Draco. Remember to balance it though. All demands and no play, makes for a very boring Boy Wonder.”

Draco laughed. “Got it.” He turned to Harry and pulled him close, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Maia is waiting in her crib for you, pet,” he said softly. Harry smiled and nodded. He preceded the other two men out of the room.

At the front door, Snape looked at Draco. “Keep him in control. But do not become a tyrant. His need for management will lessen and your marriage is based on more than just dominance and submission. It is a tight rope you walk, Draco. Be careful not to fall off.”

“Yes. Thank you, Sev.”

Snape nodded. “If you have need of me, just owl.” And he was gone.