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
- 22
- 23
- 24
AN: Chapter 23; this chapter is nothing like I originally planned but it had a mind of its own and as soon as I started writing it, it became this, which I now love and will be very curious to hear about your opinions on. Also I officially completed my BEng Electrical Engineering Degree yesterday with a 2:1 (second best grade possible for those of you who don’t know) so just thought I would share this good news with you all. Also this chapter takes Erotes over the 100000 word mark; it has been an amazing journey so far, and I look forward to sharing the next 100000 words with you all too. <3 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 30/11/2015)

It was the day that the article was to be released and Harry and Draco had already decided they didn’t fancy sitting in the Great Hall being stared at while they ate breakfast, something which seemed inevitable given they knew what was going to be in the Daily Prophet. As such, the two of them were cuddled up together in their bed, having called Dobby to bring them tea and toast, so that they could eat there.
“We should probably get up,” Draco suggested half heartedly, leaning a little more against Harry to relieve the pressure on his wings. “Missing breakfast is one thing, but skipping, or being late to, class is quite another.”
“Mhhhmmm...” Harry hummed, downing the remainder of his tea. “We could do that,” he said, reaching over to put his now empty cup on the bedside table. “Or we could find something else to do...” he suggested.
Draco rolled his eyes at his boyfriend and went to get out of bed; however, Harry was apparently determined, and probably horny, because in one quick move he shifted to straddle Draco’s lap. Harry was wearing a salacious smirk as he leaned down and Draco was sure that his mate was going to kiss him, but instead the dominant nipped playfully at the blond’s lower lip, before pulling back and grinning.
“Tease...” Draco told him sulkily, putting on an exaggerated pout as he looked up at his mate.
“Oh shush," Harry said with a genuine laugh. "You love it,” he added with a wink.
“Did you...?" Draco started to ask, watching his mate with bemusement for a few seconds before laughing. "Harry Potter, you just winked at me,” Draco declared, giving him a gentle shove against his shoulder, still chuckling softly.
Harry huffed, not particularly liking being laughed at; however, he knew Draco meant nothing by it really and so he settled for silencing his mate with a kiss. Draco moaned as Harry's lips were pressed possessively against his own but he wanted more; he wasn’t sure why it still surprised him because one kiss from Harry always left him wanting more.
Draco wrapped his arms around his mate's neck, Harry's arms around his waist as the dominant moved him down the bed so that he could lie down fully, purple wings spread beneath him. The submissive held his dominant close, his toes curling and gripping the sheets beneath him as Harry’s lips moved from his mouth, across his jaw and down to his neck.
Harry nibbled and sucked at the pale, tender flesh near Draco's throat, drawing a wanton moan from the blond, the wings beneath Draco fluttering gently as arousal swept through the submissive. There would surely be a mark there for all to see but Draco really couldn’t bring himself to care, not when it felt so good; and if he was honest with himself, he wouldn’t care much later, knowing it was proof of how much Harry loved and wanted him.
Harry’s nimble fingers worked their way down Draco’s body, trailing over sensitive nipples and the submissive's still-flat tummy, making Draco very glad that neither of them had bothered with night clothes. The blond squirmed, his wings coming up to wrap around them and actually giggled a tiny bit when the light brush of fingers over his waist tickled; though he gave a manly glare at Harry a moment later to make up for it.
Harry chuckled deeply at that, but quickly leaned in close, pressing his lips against Draco's, and soon Harry’s mouth was dominating the submissive's once more. They pressed their bodies firmly together, such that their hard lengths moved against each other as Harry shifted his hips in a teasing motion that promised so much more.
Draco spread his wings flat across their bed once more as he leaned his head back, breaking their kiss as he gasped for air. “Don’t tease...” the blond ordered, and he was kind of proud of himself when his voice didn’t wobble at all, despite his mate's lips on his neck.
“But you can still form words,” Harry whispered huskily into Draco's ear, pressing a kiss to the blond's temple, “therefore," he went on, chuckling at the gasp his mate gave as he thrust against him, "I am sure you can handle a little more than this."
Harry’s hand slid under his mate’s body and squeezed at the pert, round globes of his arse; Draco moaned lustfully as Harry's lips trailed over his neck and shoulders. Using his wings, he arched his body up against his boyfriend's, as Harry moved further down over his chest, kissing pretty much any flesh he could reach.
“Harry!” Draco commanded, though admittedly the word definitely had a pleading undertone. His whole body was thrumming with arousal and Harry's teasing had him feeling like he was going to lose his mind if his mate didn't do something more soon.
“Bossy today?” Harry asked with a smirk, his fingers teasing the top of Draco’s arse, rubbing down just between the cheeks. “What’s the hurry?” he questioned with an amused and knowing look, enjoying every reaction he could draw from his usually restrained submissive.
“Oh...” Draco said breathlessly, the words pushed out between needy gasps, “maybe that... gah... that we... are... ooh... supposed to be...”
Harry smiled; he loved it when Draco was so aroused that he struggled to even speak. The dominant let his fingers slid further down Draco’s crack and brushing over his hole teasingly; he could feel how slick his mate was and Harry was thankful that Draco’s Erote inheritance made this easier on him.
“...supposed ... ah... please... to be...” Draco was still trying to finish his sentence but in truth he had already completely forgotten what they were talking about, what he was trying to say.
Harry pulled his hands out from under the blond, pressing them to the soft skin of Draco's thighs. He lifted and parted Draco’s legs, leaving his mate's beautiful little pucker exposed to his lustful gaze; it fluttered and he knew that it was because Draco loved being looked at so intimately. The sight was too tempting though and so he wasn't able to hold out more than a few seconds before he was gently sliding a single finger inside his mate.
"Fuck, Harry," Draco gasped out. "More!" he demanded, trying to push his body down against the pleasurable intrusion.
"I have you," Harry promised, as he happily obliged, sliding a second digit in beside the first. The submissive's hole was tight as it always was but slick with Draco's arousal, and the muscles loosened and relaxed quickly, welcoming Harry into his body. Draco was gasping and begging, his fingers tangled in the bedding beneath him, by the time Harry was moving three fingers inside his boyfriend.
“Harry...” Draco pleaded almost desperately. His mate's fingers felt amazing but it wasn't what he needed right then; he could feel Harry's hard length brushing insistently against his thigh and he was eager to have it buried inside him.
"Yes," Harry agreed fervently and didn’t hesitate a moment longer; he was going to come undone from watching the writhing blond if he wasn’t careful and the need to be joined with his submissive was burning him to the core.
The dominant took his cock in hand and lined himself up, pushing into his mate, and as they joined it felt to Harry like pure heaven; he tried to go slow, not wanting Draco to feel any pain but the submissive had other ideas. Wrapped his legs tightly around Harry’s waist, Draco pulled his mate's erection deeper into his body.
“Oh Merlin... YES!” Draco cried out, as he felt the delicious stretch of Harry pressing into his body.
Harry was nowhere near as articulate as his mate at that moment and let out a startled cry of ecstasy. There was no way he could have moved right then and so it was a few moments before Harry was able to shift his hips; as he pulled back slowly, the smooth friction caused them both to moan with lust before Harry thrust back in with almost brutal strength.
They had long since learned that Draco enjoyed Harry using his strength; apparently the blond was a Slytherin even in bed, and he revelled in the proof of how powerful his boyfriend was, both physically and magically. Bracing himself with his hands either side of Draco's head, Harry used his knees to spread his mate legs just that little wider and pushed himself into Draco's slender body repeatedly.
"Harry," Draco cried out as his mate moved over and within him; the magical energy transfer was electrifying and put Draco into a mesmerising high as Harry’s cock brushed against his prostate, sending different and even more pleasurable jolts through his body.
Harry couldn't take his eyes off Draco as he thrust into his mate; the blond was a glorious sight spread beneath him, lithe, with pale and perfectly smooth skin, in stark contrast to the bed of royal purple feathers beneath him. Draco was writhing and panting with the pleasure that was consuming him, strangled pleas, which were no longer intelligible, falling from his lips.
'All mine,' Harry thought possessively and it was that thought that sent him surging towards his climax already. Knowing how close he was, he took his weight on one arm and, with the other, reached down to wrap his fingers firmly around his boyfriend's twitching and leaking cock, stroking it as he thrust twice more.
“Come for me,” Harry ordered huskily. Draco was so close already that he hadn’t needed the command, though he didn’t exactly mind it either. As Harry's hand moved across his aching length, he shuddered, crying out his orgasm, his release coating them both as he felt Harry’s fill his arse.
Harry was gasping for air as he leaned his head against Draco’s shoulder, the submissive also trying to catch his breath. They were both hot and sweaty, not to mention rather sticky and definitely in need of a shower, but it was a few moments before Harry could regain enough control of his muscles to be able to move.
Harry couldn't stop smiling though and, even as the afterglow began to fade, he still felt gloriously sated, feeling wonderfully connected to his mate; however, when he finally felt able, Harry pulled out and rolled off to the side, taking care not to land to heavily on Draco's wing
"That...” Draco said breathlessly, “...was definitely worth missing breakfast for.” He had a decidedly dopey grin on his face as he rolled his head to the side to look at his flushed, naked mate; Harry was smiling back at him just as broadly.
“Definitely,” Harry agreed, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss against his mate's lips, a strong wing wrapping around him and holding him close to Draco. “Though," Harry added, with a mildly amused smirk, "are you going to be able to walk to lessons now?”
Draco grimaced at that; he would be able to, and absolutely didn't regret a second of what they had done, but he had to admit he probably wasn’t going to be comfortable doing so. Maybe they could stay in bed a little bit longer after all.
-#-
Hermione closed her Arithmancy textbook and dropped it onto the coffee table as she got to her feet, when she heard the familiar plodding of Ron's heavy footfalls coming down the stairs from the boys’ dormitory.
Ron smiled at the sight of her as he reached the common room and headed in her direction. “I assume we are unlikely to see Harry and Draco for breakfast this morning,” he said conversationally, given that she was alone, neither of the boys anywhere in sight.
“Do you think that Harry would really want to face all those stares?” Hermione asked rhetorically. She knew full well how much Harry hated the media attention, and wouldn't want to be in the Great Hall when the post owls arrived.
“Oh, right," Ron said, remembering that today was the day that the article about Harry and Draco's inheritance. "I guess not,” he agreed, as they headed out through the portrait together. He still didn't really understand Harry's aversion to his celebrity status, but he at least had learned to respect his friend’s opinion on the matter. “Though I bet some reactions could be quite amusing,” Ron added.
Hermione scowled at him for that. “Everyone in the school already knows they are together though, and that they have a creature inheritance of some kind," she pointed out. "I can’t imagine that the confirmation of their exact inheritance is going to be that big of a deal anyway.” Hermione honestly wasn’t expecting there to be much of a reaction at all, at least not in comparison to the day Harry had flown across the Great Hall.
Ron shrugged; he suspected that Hermione was underestimating the significance of an actual Erote inheritance and how legendary such creatures were. The proof that they were real was going to be quite a shock to many. “I guess we will just have to wait and see,” he said, not wanting to get into a pointless argument over it, particularly as that would just likely delay their journey to breakfast.
Hermione nodded in agreement to that. Waiting was all any of them could do at the moment really. She definitely understood why neither Harry nor Draco would want to be there to witness the initial fallout but, honestly, she was far more concerned about the reactions of some of the adults. She was fairly sure that Dumbledore had been taking steps to keep the couple’s relationship from the headlines and would be less than pleased about the confessional article; she also suspected that Molly would disapprove, thinking that Harry had been reckless.
She knew that Remus and Tonks were both already aware that Harry and Draco were planning to tell the truth to the world but apparently Harry had persuaded them not discuss it with anyone else. Hermione suspected that Harry just wanted to keep them from putting a stop to his and Draco's plans. Hermione had her own doubts, of course, but having discussed it with Harry in great detail, she had simply had to accept that it was his and Draco’s choice.
Secretly Hermione thought the whole thing was brave and she could see the wisdom in it, even if it was perhaps a little reckless. She smiled at that thought; the whole thing did seem very Gryffindor but she also thought that it was probably better to never mention that to Draco.
By the time she and Ron reached the Great Hall, it was clear that the post had already arrived, and neither of them was particularly surprised when a lot of heads turned to watch them move over to the Gryffindor table.
Ron promptly took a seat next to Neville and wasted no time helping himself to food, Hermione slipping into the space on the red-head's other side, her eyes scanning the table across the room. Hermione spotted Pansy, who nodded in her direction; the simple gesture was enough to indicate that all was going well so far. Taking comfort in that, she too started to help herself to breakfast, keenly aware that a lot of eyes were still focused on them.
“No Harry this morning?” Dean asked Ron a few moments later, glancing towards the large doors as though expecting his housemate to arrive at any moment before looking back to Ron and Hermione once more.
“Apparently not,” Ron told him with a shrug. He wasn't Harry's keeper, and right now they knew as much about where Harry was as he did.
“Well I hardly blame him,” Neville said with a look of sympathy. “I feel pretty uncomfortable with so many people looking over here as it is, and they aren’t even really looking at us. Besides, I imagine that neither of them mind the extra sleep.”
Seamus laughed at that. “I doubt they are sleeping,” he said with a salacious smirk.
Ron frowned and dropped his spoon back into his bowl. “Thanks for that, Seamus,” he said sarcastically, causing his housemates to laugh. “I was hungry but that has completely ruined my appetite.”
-#-
Pansy looked up curiously as the general chatter and gossiping in the Great Hall seemed to suddenly quieten and spotted Hermione and Ron coming into through the large doors. The attention of most of the students in the hall was on the pair of them, she didn't even bother to hide that she was watching them as they made their way over to the Gryffindor table.
“No sign of Harry or Draco,” Pansy commented to Blaise, who was sitting next to her, not taking her eyes off the two Gryffindors.
As Hermione took her seat, the girl turned towards Pansy, their eyes meeting for a moment and so Pansy just nodded her head. She hoped that was enough for the other girl to get the message that nothing untoward had happened so far. Sure, there had been even more gossiping than usual and several heads had turned in their direction, presumably seeking out Draco, but no-one had made a scene or seemed to be particularly horrified by the new information the Daily Prophet had given.
“Guess they are... busy,” Blaise said, looking up at Pansy with an amused smile. “Either that or they are recovering from last night,” he added in a salacious whisper.
Pansy turned to him, shaking her head in amusement. Blaise had taken great pleasure in telling Pansy what he had seen in Draco and Harry's rooms when he had gone to fetch the book. “I can’t believe you seriously stood there and watched them,” Pansy said quietly with a little laugh.
“I told you, Harry still had his trousers on,” Blaise leaned in to tell her, as though he was completely innocent and it was Pansy who was being perverse. “Though," he added, his smirk quickly returning, "I am pretty sure Draco was only wearing Harry.”
Pansy genuinely laughed at that and when she cast a glance up at Vince and Greg opposite them, it looked like they were having trouble not laughing too.
-#-
When Dumbledore sat down to breakfast with the other teachers, taking his seat in the middle of the head table, he plastered a warm playful grin on his face; it wouldn’t do for anyone to realise just how frustrated he had been feeling lately.
It had become clear to him that Harry had become distracted, more so than the Headmaster believed was good for the cause; however, Dumbledore knew that there was no separating the young man from Draco now. The two of them were in love, as crazy as that seemed given their history, and were doing a remarkable job of becoming a family.
Under normal circumstances, this was something that would have delighted Dumbledore no end; he truly cared for Harry and felt that more love in the world was a wondrous thing. However, there was nothing normal about the current situation and if they were to win this war then the boy had to be ready to whatever it took, to sacrifice everything.
Remembering where he was and realising that his expression was becoming pensive, Dumbledore silently chastised himself; the Great Hall was not the best place to let his thoughts wander. The Headmaster picked up the copy of the Daily Prophet, which was folded in half on the table in front of him; he was hoping it would provide a distraction, preferably in the form of some amusingly preposterous article.
This was not, however, to be his day, he realised, as he took in the large headline that covered most of the front page. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, and the corners of his mouth drooped as he failed to maintain his facade of slightly-mad contentment that he liked to project.
‘THE POTTER-MALFOY AFFAIR’ was written in huge bold print, dominating the top third of the front page. He glanced up from the paper in his hands to look towards the Gryffindor table; he could see Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger chatting with several other Gryffindors over their meal but there was no sign of Harry.
He turned to examine the Slytherin table and quickly spotted Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini, sitting across from Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, looking amused as they talked in hushed whispers; however, there was no sign of either Harry or Draco there either. Though he was becoming increasingly aware of the higher than usual level of gossip going on amongst the students.
The Headmaster managed to put on an expression of mild concern, which he thought appropriate given the morning’s headline, but mentally he was frowning at Harry and Draco’s absence. He found himself wondering just how upset the two of them had been to have their private life splashed all over the Daily Prophet once again.
Knowing that he needed to know exactly what they were dealing with before he went looking for the young couple, he turned his attention back to the paper. Underneath the main heading he could see most of the top of three pictures; the middle one was of the young couple looking at each other lovingly, their wings just visible at the edge of the frame, and to either side were individual pictures. He didn’t recognise Draco’s picture, which was on the right, but the one of Harry on the left hand side was from the Tri-wizard tournament.
Dumbledore rubbed his forehead hoping to pre-emptively ease the headache that he would undoubtedly have before long. He had been so careful to trample down even the slightest inclination that any reporter had to publish a story about the young couple and couldn’t figure out how this had gotten past him, let alone how the Prophet had managed to get such an intimate picture of them, showing their wings of all things.
Unfolding the paper to read the article, with an already heavy heart, it took great restraint not to look shocked as he read the subtitle that was written in smaller bold print under the pictures.
‘Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy talk about their unexpected inheritance and falling in love’
'They didn’t...' was Dumbledore’s first thought as he stared at the paper in shock. He just couldn’t believe it; he couldn’t understand it. 'This has to be Draco Malfoy’s doing, Harry would never have been so reckless,' he thought angrily to himself.
However, when he took a moment to actually think about that properly, he realised that that didn’t actually make much sense. Harry was the one who was likely to jump in headfirst without thinking, not Draco, who would probably insist on a detailed and well thought out plan. Yet the article seemed to be implying that they had both spoken to the paper.
Dumbledore’s appetite was gone as he read his way through the actual article, which was surprisingly detailed; in fact, he felt slightly nauseous. It was going to take quite some doing to set this right and now they would have to take extra care to ensure Draco’s safety because there was no way this news wouldn’t reach Tom.
Thinking of protection, the headmaster cast a glance around the room and discovered that neither Nymphadora or Remus were present. He knew he would just have to arrange to speak with them as soon as possible; he just hoped that they were currently wherever Harry and Draco were, ensuring the young couple's safety.
-#-
Tonks smiled sleepily, taking a moment to enjoy the feel of Remus’ arms around her. He had said so many times that she should be wary of him, that he was not good for her and yet she never felt safer or happier than when she was with him. She was reluctant to break the tranquil moment but knew that they could not hide away there all day.
“We should probably get up,” Tonks said, smothering a yawn, chuckling at Remus’ groan. “I have a lesson to teach in a couple of hours and one, or both, of us should probably check on Harry and Draco before then,” she reasoned, glancing over her shoulder at the half-asleep face of her lover.
“Weren’t you the one who said that we needed to trust them more?” Remus mumbled, wrapping his arms more securely around Tonks’ waist, just in case she got any more ideas about getting out of bed.
“We are trusting them,” she replied with a roll of her eyes, wriggling until she had enough leeway to be able to turn around and face her lover. “We have trusted them to decide what they want the public to know, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t need to keep an eye on them and make sure they can’t get into any other trouble,” she reasoned.
Remus sighed. “Okay, that’s true,” he agreed, knowing that he would never stop actually wanting to help protect Harry in any way he could, no matter how independent the young man was becoming. “But that doesn’t mean we have to go and help them right now,” he pointed out.
Remus had been reluctant and sceptical when Tonks had first shown an interest in him but he had stood no chance against her determination. It had taken quite some persuading to get him into her bed, but now that he was there, he was always reluctant for either of them to get out of it.
Tonks laughed happily at the adorable pleading expression on Remus’ face and planted a kiss on his nose that made him scrunch up his sleepy face in a way that she found entirely endearing. She didn’t want to get out of their bed any more than Remus did, but had decided that one of them was going to have to be the motivated one and so she unwrapped his arms from around her and slipped out from under the covers.
“Where’re you going?” Remus mumbled groggily as she escaped from his hold, and managed to sit himself up just enough to be able to watch highly attractive sight of her naked body disappearing through the doorway into the other room.
“To fetch the tea and paper that the house elves left us,” Tonks told him as she returned a moment later with a paper in one hand, and her wand in the other, two cups floating in front of her.
She landed cup on the small table next her side of the bed, only spilling a small amount onto the saucer beneath it, and levitated the other towards Remus; he tried not to look nervous as he plucked the hot drink from the air but Tonks wasn’t exactly known for being graceful and a lap full of steaming hot tea would a sure way to ruin a perfectly good morning.
“Well, I guess the owl is out of its cage now; look at this,” Tonks said, laying the paper out on top of their bed covers for Remus to see, as she climbed back into bed next to him.
“So it would seem,” Remus said with a sigh, hoping that this had been the right thing to do and wasn’t going to come back to bite them in the arse. “I am still not sure this was a wise course of action and I am fairly sure that Dumbledore is not going to like that they did this without discussing it with him,” he told her as he skimmed the article.
Tonks nodded her agreement to that. No matter how supportive they were being of Harry and Draco’s decision, it was a big one and the Headmaster was likely to be annoyed at having been excluded from the whole thing. However, what was done, was done, and there was no taking it back now, and so she focused her attention on reading what the article had to say.
“Well at least they seem to have had to good sense not to mention the pregnancy,” Remus said a few minutes later, once he was done reading it through. He was actually quite impressed if he was honest with himself.
“Agreed, but that this is out there,” Tonks said, gesturing to the paper, “means it is probably going to be a long day. So, as soon as we are finished with this tea we should probably go talking with Dumbledore and make sure this isn’t causing too many problems.”
Remus just nodded and looked back at the paper. ‘At least they got a nice picture,’ he thought with a smile; the young couple really were so obviously in love.
-#-
Molly did love having The Burrow full of her children but she had to admit, at least to herself, that sometimes she did enjoy the slow quiet mornings she had been able to have since Ginny had started Hogwarts.
She had decided that today was going to be just such a day and so she remained in bed long after the sun had risen, and Arthur had headed downstairs to make his own breakfast and pack his own lunch before he would have to head off to work. However, it didn’t take long before her husband reappeared at their bedroom door with an odd expression on his face.
“Arthur?” Molly questioned as she sat up in bed, worried by the concerned frown on her husband’s face. Arthur didn’t say anything though, simply taking a seat on the edge of their bed as he handed her a copy of the Daily Prophet.
They both remained quiet while she took in what she was seeing, reading the headline quickly, and taking in the rather beautiful picture in the middle of the page.
“Oh, Harry,” she said softly, with a sigh, “I do hope you know what you’re doing.” She couldn’t help but wonder if this was why Harry had finally told her everything, not wanting her to find out in the papers; either way, she was glad she had been told because otherwise the day’s headline would have been quite a shock.
“I can’t help but think this was a bad idea,” Arthur said, a concerned frown still marring his face, “but I am thinking that they must have had their reasons. And he didn’t say anything when you saw him?” he asked. Molly had told him all about Harry’s inheritance the evening after she had gone to Hogwarts, and he had to wonder why Harry hadn’t mentioned that this article would be happening.
“Nothing about this,” Molly assured her husband, still feeling rather stunned by it. “But what’s done is done,” she went on resolutely, “all we can do is offer them all the support we can.”
“Well then I guess that is what we will do,” Arthur told her with his usual kind smile. He really loved his wife; she was such a loving soul and he knew they were all better off for having her in their lives.
-#-
Things were still tense between Severus and Lucius and they had been barely speaking with each other and, as such, Severus was not at all in the mood for company. Wanting to avoid the Great Hall, he had decided to take breakfast in his rooms, and so took a seat at table in his quarters, where the house elves had already provided his usual extra strong black tea and a selection of cooked foods for him to choose from.
He had been eating breakfast in his private rooms more and more as of late, particularly since Lucius had joined him there. This did at least mean the house elves knew what he expected of them, and so his copy of the Daily Prophet was, as always, on the table ready for him.
He picked it up and unfolded it with a well practiced motion, as he used his other hand to raise his still steaming hot cup of tea to his lips. However he never got to taste any of his drink before he realised what he was seeing. It took a moment for the sheer shock of it to wear off before he was able to carefully able to lower the still full cup back onto its saucer; miraculously without spilling any.
“Merlin...” he said slowly, spreading the paper out on the table in front of him. “What in the name of Salazar...?” he mumbled as he read the subtitle, before starting on the rest of the article.
This was definitely not good, he decided before he was even past the first paragraph. He was struggling to understand what on earth was Potter could have been thinking, for this surely had to be the Potter brat’s idea; though Severus could not work out why Draco would have gone along with such a thing either.
He rubbed his forehead as he read through the article, which was full of quotes from both Potter and Draco, lending credence to the suggestion that they really had both talked to the press. He really was going to slaughter them when he saw them next; at least some warning about this would have been nice, even if they hadn’t wanted to discuss it with anyone.
“Is it really that bad?” Lucius asked as he sat down opposite the potion master and took a sip from his sweetened black tea.
Severus looked up at the man, slightly surprised that Lucius had actually spoken to him at all. He didn’t, however, say anything, merely blinking slowly as he continued to stare at the blond.
“You look worried,” Lucius told him, pausing to take another sip of tea. “And so I thought that it must have been bad news,” he said with a nod at the paper spread out in front of the other man, though the table was large enough that he couldn’t read it from his current angle.
“Your son is an idiot,” Severus said bluntly, not really sure how he was going to explain what Potter and Draco had done now.
There were certainly times when he would agree with the potion master’s assessment, but he was curious as to what had prompted such a statement, and so Lucius simply raised an eyebrow elegantly in something close to amusement.
Severus, however, was not in the mood for the man’s smugness and momentarily wanted to leap over the table and wrap his hands around the older man’s throat; somehow, though, he resisted and managed to appear moderately calm as he handed over the newspaper for the other man to read.
Lucius accepted it from the other man and stared in shock at the bold headline on the front page for a few moments, scowling at the picture of Draco and his mate beneath it, before starting to read the article below. Severus sipped at his tea as he watched as Lucius’ expression becoming increasingly angry and confused the more the man read.
“Potter,” Lucius growled, as he slammed the paper down on the table in front of him. “Surely it is obvious this is his doing,” he declared, glaring at Severus. He did not approve of the man blaming Draco for this ridiculousness.
“Most likely,” Severus agreed, with a nod of his head, pausing to take a sip of his tea. “And yet," he went on, "it would seem that your son was a consenting participant in this reckless endeavour.”
Lucius gave an affronted huff at that. “And I suppose you were not aware that they were working on this... this embarrassment?” Lucius demanded, grabbing the paper up in his fist and waving it at the potions master frustration.
“Do you not think I would have stopped them if I had?” Severus snarled back, his eyes narrowed at the other man. “FUCK!” he cursed suddenly, dropping his tea cup and wrapping his right hand around his left arm, where the dark mark was burning against his skin. It was not so much the pain, more the sudden realisation that the Dark Lord would have received the published information just as they had, and it was apparent that their Lord was not happy about it.
Lucius was grimacing also; the paper was now scrunched up as he clenched his fists to resist the pain, doing his best to ignore the call he knew he couldn’t answer. “Don’t go.” Lucius requested, rubbing at his arm to try and ease the ache that was there now that the direct pain had gone.
“I have to,” Severus told him with genuine sadness in his voice. Without another word he got up from his seat; he paused for a moment, him and Lucius locking eyes for a few second before he turned and left. Lucius could do nothing but watch him go.
-#-
There wasn’t any mistaking the rage on Voldemort's face and as such the Death Eaters were suitably nervous. They couldn’t help but wonder who had messed up and who would be the poor sod to bear the brunt of their master’s wrath; not that those would necessarily be the same person. Of course none them were fool enough to think that they were safe, no matter of their innocence.
They were sat around the large dining table in Malfoy Manor, while the Dark Lord towered over them ominously from end furthest from the main door into the room. There had been some concerns that they would have to relocate, given that there was no longer any of the Malfoy family in residence; however, the Dark Lord had declared that if the Malfoys were loyal, they would approve of his use of their home and if not, then the traitors had no say in it.
Lucius’ loyalty was, of course, still being highly debated, as it had been since the man's mysterious disappearance several months earlier. Very few among the Death Eaters were eager for his return though; in fact, several of them were more than happy to step up and take the now vacant position of power.
Voldemort’s red eyes flashed dangerously as he threw the Daily Prophet onto the table; every eye in the room watching as it slid along the highly polished table top before coming to a stop a little over half way along it. They could easily read the bold heading and those who had not already seen the article gasped in surprise and horror.
“Which of you knew of this?!” Voldemort demanded to know, radiating his fury into the room around him, watching his gathered followers expectantly.
However, it seemed that no-one was brave enough to say anything, and the silence was terrifying, only Bellatrix was mad enough to even look towards the imposing figure at the head of the table.
“Fools!" Voldemort bellowed after a few seconds of waiting. "Are you all so completely incompetent that two children could hide their secrets from you?” he mocked softly, the words almost hissed as he spoke, sweeping his way along one side of the table.
“My Lord,” Bellatrix said in a sickeningly sweet tone, as her Lord and master passed her, leaning towards him, clearly desperate to be as close to him as possible.
Voldemort paused, narrowing his eyes at her in disgust; apparently even he found Bellatrix's simpering hard to stomach. “Did you intend to keep this hidden from me?” he accused angrily. “Do you deny that your nephew is a traitorous whore?”
“No, my Lord!" Bellatrix exclaimed, alarmed that her Lord would think she would betray him so. "I did not know, I swear it,” she pleaded, looking up at Voldemort imploringly. “And the boy is no family of mine,” she snapped viciously, her face hardening in sudden anger.
“It seems your family has developed rather a taste for those beneath us," Voldemort sneered, as he made his way back towards to head of the table. "Muggles, mudbloods and half-bloods,” he mocked, “perhaps we can find you a squib.”
He let out a cackling laugh as he took he seat, a sinister smirk on his face as most of the Death Eaters let out little twitters of amusement. “Rodolphus," he commented when he realised that Bellatrix wasn't the only one not laughing, "you don’t look amused.”
“My wife would never touch a filthy squib,” he said, making a clear effort to be as respectful as he could, given how insulted he was at the very suggestion.
“You think to know better than me?” Voldemort challenged, leaning forward and narrowing his eyes at the man sat next to Bellatrix about half way down the table. Rodolphus shook his head fervently, but it was too late and he knew full well from the tone of his Lord's voice exactly what was coming even before Voldemort raised his wand. “Crucio!”
Rodolphus screamed as his body jerked suddenly, making him hit his head on the table and then on his high backed chair, before falling to the floor twitching. Rodolphus’ screams filling the otherwise silent house for several painfully long minutes, before the Dark Lord broke the spell. There was a pathetic whimpering noise that might have almost been funny if not that every one of the Death Eaters in that room knew what he was suffering to draw that sound from his throat.
“My lord, what about Severus?” Bellatrix suggested, ignoring the pitiful sounds coming from her husband on the floor next to her. “Surely he, of all of us, would be the one who should have known.”
Voldemort narrowed his furious gaze upon her, annoyed that she had distracted him from enjoying the misery of his pathetic Death Eater; however, he could admit to himself at least, that she had a point. He need to know why it was that Severus had not mentioned the relationship between Potter and the Malfoy boy.
“Your arm,” he ordered and Bellatrix hurried out of her seat, moving next to her master and holding out her arm obediently. As Voldemort pressed his wand against the mark there, her lips twisting into an insane grin as she enjoyed the pain, the others in the room letting out hisses of discomfort as their own marks burned.
“Leave me,” Voldemort commanded suddenly and there was a scramble to obey.
Rabastan hesitated long enough to pull his brother to his feet and get him out of the room, though that was by half dragging him. Bellatrix, however, seemed not only unfazed by her husband’s suffering but unwilling to leave the Dark Lord’s company, leaving the room walking backwards slowly with a longing look in her eye.
“You have some explaining to do, Severus,” Voldemort said to himself as he waited for the potions master to arrive.

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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Review Responses:
AR – I love supportive, mothering Molly; also I hope the beginning of this chapter made up for Blaise’ interruption of the last one ;)
Delia Cerrano – Thank you, I am loving writing Blaise, he sort of naturally has become my comic relief. Molly is just very strong willed and opinionated, as long as you are “one of hers” you are probably safe.
Nari-chan – Thank you and yes, you and Harry are in agreement on Dumbledore not gaining trust points. Thank you so much for you praise, you always manage to make be grin like a mad-woman with your reviews.
Abbicat – I would love to add you, but you didn’t leave me an email, leave me a review with an email and I will do so.
LeaniaSTL – Harry definitely doesn’t completely trust Dumbledore, not now he is responsible for more than just his own life; Harry might have had very little care for his own well being but he places a high value on his family. I am strongly considering sending Harry back to Severus for Occlumency lessons but we will see, at the moment it could make things worse rather than better if they weren’t careful; it is something he will discuss with Draco before deciding anyway. Yep, Blaise is quite something, in my story at least and actually I think it was very Slytherin in a lot of ways; he was curious and had an opportunity to observe them, so he took it. ;)
ChaosLady – I love Blaise too, I am having way too much fun writing him.
Jabbychan – Thank you
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