Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

The Guile and Devotion of a Black Heir	By : StarLightMassacre Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 104307 -:- Recommendations : 9 -:- Currently Reading : 26
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Harry Potter; all rights go to J. K. Rowling. I make no money for this piece of fictional writing and never will.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Last Time
A small pop of Apparation was heard a short while later and he turned to his new guest.
“You called for me, My Lord?” The new voice asked carefully.
“Yes, I did. I have need of you for something. Dolohov, leave us.”
Dolohov bowed at the waist yet again and left the room, closing the heavy, solid wood door firmly behind him, leaving Voldemort to look happily at his new arrival.
“Come, have a seat. We have much to talk about.”
Chapter Eight – Winter Blues
The first few days of the winter holidays were a little stuttered and awkward for the two betrothed, but very quickly Harry found a niche with Rabastan and they both fell into it easily and comfortably until the awkwardness just melted away.
They could converse about things now, where before Harry had been struggling to find subjects and topics that wouldn’t bore Rabastan to death and he had worried about it constantly. Now he looked forward to talking to Rabastan about anything and everything. As soon as he stopped worrying about making a fool of himself, he found that Rabastan was surprisingly easy to talk to and very understanding about their age difference, and thus their naturally different interests.
It got easier once he found out that Rabastan really liked Arithmancy, as in it had been his favourite subject when he had been in Hogwarts. He’d also found out that talking about the Ministry was a good middle ground for them both, despite it being responsible for imprisoning Rabastan and his brother, Rabastan was very interested in the goings on of the Ministry and all the politics that were at play within it.
So though it was strictly forbidden by law, Harry enjoyed sharing his Wizengamot debates with Rabastan, who enjoyed hearing in detail about everything that was being currently voted on and how Harry was personally doing in the courts. It wasn’t like Rabastan could go out into Wizarding public and tell others about what Harry was saying after all and Harry trusted Rabastan not to rat him out, even if he could have gone out into the public. That and it was never spoken of, but universally understood that most of the Lords would tell their Wives about the happenings of the court. It was just one of those things that happened but was mostly ignored until one of said Wives gossiped to her friends, then it became a problem. But most of them understood that they would get their Husbands into serious trouble if they talked, so they kept their mouths shut and instead gossiped about other things.
Someone knocked on Harry’s bed suite door and he put a bookmark into his current Ancient Runes book and closed it while he called for whomever it was to enter.
He grinned when Rabastan entered his sitting room. He put the closed book onto the square side table beside his armchair so that he could give his full attention to Rabastan.
“I believe that you’re taking liberties now.” Harry told him teasingly. “Imagine coming into my bedroom at night without a chaperone? You could do anything to me in here.” Harry winked at him naughtily.
The door slammed off of the wall and Harry grimaced as he realised that Rabastan had not been as alone as he’d first thought. Rodolphus had his arms crossed over his chest and a very serious, icy looking glare on his face.
“Oh…oops. Evening, Rodolphus.” Harry said with his best innocent grin. “There’s absolutely no chance that you aren’t going to tell everyone what I just said, is there?”
“Absolutely none.” Rodolphus replied stonily.
Harry sighed. “I was only joking you know.”
“I’m not taking that chance with my brother.” Rodolphus told him seriously.
Harry rolled his eyes and stood up from his chair and went to hug Rabastan.
“I came to ask if you wanted to take a walk with me in the garden. I asked Rodolphus to chaperone us because he’s the least invasive and the least intruding.”
Harry smiled. “I’d like that. Just…no more flowers, okay?” He said with a grimace, referring to the walk in the gardens that they’d taken when they were newly betrothed and before Harry had gone to Hogwarts for his sixth year where Rabastan had plucked a flower from a bush and handed it to him. “I’m just really not a flower guy.”
Rabastan chuckled. “Alright. No more flowers. I’m not much of a flower guy either.”
The two of them walked hand in hand down the corridor, Rodolphus following after them like a looming, solid shadow.
“Can you try to be a little less menacing?” Harry turned to ask him as the hair on the back of his neck continued to prickle uncomfortably. “We’re just going for a walk in the twilit garden. We’re hardly going to start rolling around in the rose bushes. Too many thorns.”
Rabastan laughed, but Rodolphus’ scowl only deepened, making his skeletal face look even more sinister.
“It isn’t funny.” He declared sharply. “There is ancient tradition to uphold here. A contract that has strict guidelines to follow. I will not let you ruin my brother. I won’t let you hurt him.”
Harry sighed and he let go of Rabastan’s hand. He went right up to Rodolphus and stood in front of that skeletal thin, impossibly tall man and looked at him seriously, dead in the eye without flinching or cringing back. Lucius had taught him the importance of eye contact and Narcissa had taught him the importance of a straight back.
“Believe it or not, Rodolphus, I have absolutely no intentions of ever hurting Rabastan or ruining him. I’m trying my best to help him! It might be hard for you to believe, but I do love him and I will not let him go and I won’t allow anyone to tell me otherwise. I was adopted by the Malfoys, yes, but only because I’m underaged, I am still Lord Potter and Lord Black. I am still my own man and I can make my own decisions if I feel I have to. I love Rabastan and nothing is going to stand in our way, because I will not let it! The only person who can destroy this betrothal is Rabastan himself.”
“Good.” Was all Rodolphus grunted, but Harry got the distinct impression that he’d passed some sort of big brother test as Rodolphus looked much happier and his stance relaxed a fraction.
Harry went back to Rabastan and slipped his hand back into the older man’s. They carried on their way to the garden and Harry no longer felt the sensation of a glare boring into the back of his head, so he was a lot more comfortable.
“He’s just worried.” Rabastan whispered as they started their walk around the garden, Rodolphus falling a few feet behind them to give them the illusion of privacy while still keeping them in his sights.
“I know. It’s wonderful that he loves you so much and that he’s so protective of you. I just wish he’d realise that I’m not the enemy here. I meant what I said, I don’t want to ever hurt you.”
“Yet I’m the one who can’t stop hurting you.” Rabastan said with a growl of frustration.
In the scant few days since he’d arrived home from Hogwarts, Harry had had more minor injuries than he had actually had meals. Rabastan had bruised his ribs, had elbowed him in the side of his head, given him a black eye, split his lip, knocked him down the stairs, kicked his shin twice, yanked some of his hair out when he’d had a spasm when running his fingers through it, dug his nails into his elbow and dropped a heavy jug of water onto his left hand. Harry had ignored it all as best as he could while Narcissa had applied bruise salve for him and healed his minor cuts with a deft wave of her wand.
Rhadamanthus found it all incredibly entertaining and never failed to remind Rabastan of how utterly useless and inept he was at every opportunity. Which seriously wasn’t helping Rabastan’s confidence at all and caused even more instances of spasms and muscle locking as the thirty-six year old tried too hard to control himself and put more strain on his recovering body, which then caused his muscles to twitch and to move out of his control even more frequently.
Rhadamanthus was undoing all of Harry’s calm and patient care methodically and with a practiced ease that spoke volumes of how much he had given time and thought to the best ways possible to ruin his own son.
“You should see my list of Quidditch injuries if you think that the few whacks you’ve given me are anything.” Harry said, letting go of Rabastan’s hand to link his arm through Rabastan’s and reaching down to link their hands back together.
“Please, don’t joke about it, Harry.”
“You’ve got to give yourself time to recover.” Harry told him patiently. “You can’t expect a miracle recovery to happen overnight and you need to realise that I understand that and I did before we’d even met for the first time. I believe in you. I know that you can get better, but you have to let go of all the small lapses you have had and will have in the weeks and months to come. Your recovery was never going to happen overnight, we both know that, Rabastan. It’s going to take months, if not years of help and specialised care to get you back to health and fitness.”
“I know that.” Rabastan snapped angrily. “But when I see Rodolphus doing so well, I…”
“Rodolphus is a different man to you.” Harry interrupted sternly. “You are not Rodolphus, you are not your brother and you need to stop comparing your own recovery to his. You were younger than he was when you first went to that place and the younger you are the worse the effects the Dementors have on your mental health and overall wellbeing. Rodolphus is doing so well because he is a different person to you. This doesn’t mean that you are not as strong as he is.” Harry added softly. “It just means that you were both affected differently and he is having an easier time overcoming what happened to him. He still twitches, he still has stiff, aching muscles and joints, just like you do. He dropped a glass of water just this morning because his hand spasmed and he lost his grip. The difference between him and you is not how strong or weak either of you are, it is that he can let those small instances go. He knows that they’re going to happen and he accepts that and when they do happen, he lets them go, Rabastan. You need to learn to do the same.”
“I don’t know how.”
“Then sit down and talk to Rodolphus and ask him how he does it.” Harry replied, not giving up in the face of Rabastan’s pessimism. “I can let it all go when you accidentally injure me because I know, and I accept, that you can’t help it, that you can’t control what your body is doing. For me, as long as you never hurt me purposefully, I can let go of being injured by accident.”
“But you wouldn’t be injured at all if you weren’t betrothed to me in the first place! If you were with a man that wasn’t ruined by Azkaban then you’d be safer, you wouldn’t have to worry about being hurt just from sitting next to me. You could be happier with another man, a whole man who hasn’t ever been to Azkaban.”
Harry sighed. “That’s true, but you’re forgetting one thing. I love you. I love you, here and now, as you are stood before me and I am happy. I love you. I don’t want another man, whole or otherwise. I don’t care if he’s the personification of perfect! I don’t want anyone else because I don’t love anyone else. I love you, I want to marry you, I want children with you. Why can’t you just accept that? Why isn’t my love enough for you? What more do you want from me, Rabastan?” Harry demanded, his temper flaring as they had this conversation yet again. This was the fourth or fifth time that Rabastan had urged him to go off with another man. It didn’t seem to be sinking in that he damn well didn’t want to! “I can’t change that I love you, I can’t change how I feel or how much I want to help you, if you don’t like that then maybe you should think instead about what you do want and consider your options instead of trying to push me away towards other men, making me come off like the bad guy so that you can play the victim some more! If you can’t let go and help yourself and you can’t love me as I am, then you need to be honest and break off the contract yourself because I refuse to marry a man who refuses to help himself and can’t love me for who I am or doesn’t accept my love when I offer it so heartfelt and willingly.”
Harry left the silent Rabastan and went back towards the house. He considered going inside for a moment, but he changed his mind and he instead went to the front garden to pet at Lucius’ prized albino peacocks. He wasn’t in the mood to be around other people right at this moment. He wanted to be alone to reflect on the anger fuelled spiel that he’d just delivered. Why didn’t he ever check his mouth before opening it? Why did he always let his anger get the better of him? He really needed to learn how to stay calm and speak through his anger, not because of it. It was almost a mindless reaction now when he was angry to just speak what came to his mind, to blurt out exactly what he was feeling or what had made him angry in the first place. It was almost like he couldn’t control that kneejerk reaction at all.
But on the other hand, he had meant every word that he’d said to Rabastan, but all the same he would be completely devastated if Rabastan decided to break off their contract, which is why he should have controlled his anger better instead of planting the thought to break their contract into Rabastan’s head. He was just so angry, he wanted to help Rabastan so badly, but how could he even begin to help a man who refused to help himself?
Rhadamanthus really had done some serious damage and Harry couldn’t help but wish that the bastard would just fuck off back to India and leave them in peace, but no, the man was hell bent on ruining everything because he was a sadistic prick that took pleasure from maliciously destroying his youngest son and harming him in any way his mind conceived. It was just Harry’s rotten luck that Rhadamanthus was a very intelligent man to boot. His mind could come up with all manner of disgusting, psychological tortures to use on Rabastan and it was a tactic that was damn well working as well.
There was only so much that he could do to counter that tactic, he saw that now. He could help Rabastan all that he could, he could tell him a thousand times that he loved him, that he wanted to be with him, but in the end it wouldn’t matter, because Rabastan was listening to Rhadamanthus and his fucked up little mind games and not to him and as long as he did so, nothing that Harry said or did would matter at all.
A tear tickled his cheek and he fisted it away angrily as his other hand stroked the super soft white feathers of the peacock in front of him. How had everything gone so wrong so quickly?
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Harry didn’t look around as Lucius came to stand behind him, though more tears fell when a hand went to his hair and tugged gently and rhythmically. The repetitive motion was calming.
“Rabastan is inconsolable and Rodolphus is hunting the house for you. Would you mind telling me what happened?”
Harry said nothing as more tears fell and he all but hugged the poor peacock to his chest for comfort.
“I can’t help you if you suffer alone in silence. What happened tonight to change everything? I thought you and Rabastan were coming on so well.”
“I’ve tried my best, but he won’t help himself.” Harry said thickly, his tears having made his voice gruff.
Lucius sighed and tugged at his hair hard until Harry had no choice but to stand up, letting the peacock slip through his arms and make it’s hasty escape as he did so. Lucius turned him so that they were face to face and he dug out a handkerchief and dabbed away his tears.
“It is almost the middle of the night, in the middle of winter and you are crying out in the gardens. You’ll make yourself sick.” Lucius chastised him as he pulled him towards the house.
Harry hesitated as he thought about what everyone would say if they saw him looking like this.
“Xerxes and Rabastan are in the front parlour, Draco is in his room, blissfully ignorant of everything that is going on and I believe that Narcissa would have found Rodolphus by now and is explaining to him exactly why he doesn’t want to harm one of her sons, especially not in her own home. Now come along.”
They didn’t meet anyone on the way to Lucius’ study and Harry slipped into a chair and remained silent as Lucius sat in the chair beside him, his body turned to face him, instead of in the chair behind his desk as per usual.
“Explain to me what happened. Rabastan is saying nothing and all Rodolphus is saying of the matter is that he’s going to find you and curse you until you aren’t recognisable.”
Harry said nothing as he gathered his thoughts. Lucius wanted patiently, and then increasingly impatiently for several minutes before he lost his temper.
“Speak to me, Harry. Now.”
“It started out fine, we were happily walking around the gardens, but then Rabastan started yet again on how much he’s injured me since he’s been here and how I’d be better off with a ‘whole’ man who hadn’t been to Azkaban. I love him, not anyone else. I don’t want him to keep pushing me away and towards other men!” Harry said and suddenly his anger was just there, warm and fierce, and he threw himself up out of the chair and he started pacing furiously, in tight motions. “Why aren’t I enough for him? Why can’t he love me? I don’t want another man! I understand and accept that it’s going to take years for Rabastan to get better and to recover his lost strength and health. I understand and accept that he actually might never be fully recovered, I know what that means for me, for the both of us in the future and I’m prepared for it. It doesn’t matter at all to me, I still love him and I still want him, but he can’t see it! He wants to feel sorry for himself, he doesn’t want to help himself and he keeps pushing me towards ‘whole and undamaged’ men as if my thoughts and feelings mean absolutely nothing to him! He hurts me more when he says things like that than when he accidentally catches me with a hand or foot! When he undermines my thoughts and feelings and my love for him as if they don’t matter at all to him. I refuse to marry a man who doesn’t love me enough to fight for me and I refuse to be with a man who won’t accept that my feelings are important. If he doesn’t want me, doesn’t love me and wants me to be with another man so badly then he should stop saying it and break off the contract himself instead of trying to make me do it so that he can keep on pretending that he’s the victim and I’m the one solely at fault!”
“You don’t want him to break off the contract?”
“Of course not!” Harry answered immediately. “I love him, but I refuse to be in a loveless marriage! I want a man who will love me and will accept it as the truth when I tell him that I love him. Nothing I say is enough for him, he doesn’t believe a word that I tell him about anything!”
“I believe that is his Father’s fault.”
Harry snorted. “I know that it’s his fault. Why does he hate Rabastan so much? He doesn’t treat Rodolphus nearly as badly as he does Rabastan, why?”
Lucius sighed. “What is the one startling difference between Rabastan and Rodolphus?”
Harry blinked as he was caught off guard. His anger simmered down as he thought about the strange question as he tried to think of the answer. It came to him in a moment of insightful clarity.
“Their eyes.” He said softly. “They have different coloured eyes.”
“Exactly. The Lestranges have predominantly all got brown eyes, Xerxes and Rodolphus have the same dark brown eyes and Rhadamanthus has a pale hazel, all except for Rabastan, who has dark blue eyes. His Mother’s dark blue eyes.”
“No.” Harry shook his head, unable to take in what was being hinted at, it was completely inconceivable to him. “Please tell me that Rhadamanthus doesn’t hate Rabastan so much just because of his fucking eye colour!”
Lucius glared at him, but said nothing about his use of foul language as he started up his pacing again at a much more violent pace, his tight turns becoming almost jerky as he moved.
“Rhadamanthus loved his Wife, he loved her from the moment he laid eyes on her in Hogwarts and he pestered Xerxes to make them a betrothal match.” Lucius said simply. “She wasn’t as keen as he was in the beginning, but her Father refused to allow her out of the betrothal contract as the Lestranges have always been very influential and wealthy and they’re one of the sacred twenty-eight, so they did enter a contract and a courtship and they eventually married.
Rhadamanthus only ever wanted the one child. One son and Heir to carry on his line, so when Rosia gave him Rodolphus, he was a very happy man and Rosia was very happy with her son and thus she began to show more affection towards Rhadamanthus. He was incredibly happy with the family that he had. His beloved Wife was coming to love him in return, he had the one boy child that he’d wanted and everything was perfect in his life. Until Rosia announced that she was pregnant again a little over two years after Rodolphus had been born. Rhadamanthus was not pleased with the news and he tried increasingly desperately to convince Rosia that they didn’t need a second child. He failed miserably as Rosia had always wanted more children and seven months later, when Rosia was into her ninth month of pregnancy, she gave birth to another baby, Rabastan. He was as hefty and as healthy as Rodolphus had been, but in Rhadamanthus’ eyes, he would never measure up, he was an unwanted intrusion into his perfect life and family. Rhadamanthus has never loved Rabastan and he’s never wanted him. He has come to resent Rabastan and that resentment has bred a dark desire to completely destroy him, mentally, physically, it doesn’t matter as long as he causes Rabastan as much pain and torment as possible.”
Harry’s fist clenched tight at that and he took longer strides in his pacing, trying to work out the rage that he was feeling, but as Lucius’ story progressed, he was only getting angrier and more worked up. He wanted to find Rhadamanthus and destroy him before he got the chance to destroy Rabastan, which was apparently his life’s only desire and a fervent mission of his. Harry would die before he let that bastard completely crush the already injured and suffering Rabastan. He swore it.
“As you can imagine, Rosia kept Rabastan incredibly close to her after his birth, knowing as she did how passionate her Husband had been in terminating Rabastan before his birth. I believe that she even slept in his nursery with him, which naturally, did not best please Rhadamanthus at all. The way that he saw things, Rabastan was coming between him and his beloved Wife who had previously been showing him love and affection, and now suddenly she was sleeping out of his bed and was spending every single moment with this new, unwanted baby. In reality Rosia was just trying to keep her son safe from the anger and hate she could see in her Husband’s eyes. I believe that all of her previous misgivings came flooding back to her and she realised exactly why she hadn’t been keen on the betrothal to Rhadamanthus in the first place.
When she suddenly became sick just a few short months later, Rhadamanthus was distraught and he found her the best possible care, but despite all of the finest medical care and specialist Healers that Galleons could buy, she still died just three weeks after falling ill. Rhadamanthus was unable to deal with her death, so he fled from it to India, leaving a near newborn Rabastan and a three year old Rodolphus in Xerxes’ care. He didn’t come back for twelve years and then it was only to ‘do his duty to his line’.”
“He came back just to set up Rodolphus’ betrothal and his future marriage?” Harry asked with a frown.
Lucius nodded. “He had forgotten how old Rodolphus was, however. He thought that his son was actually a year older than he really was, not that it stopped him. Rodolphus and Bellatrix didn’t have much of a betrothal, they went almost straight to engagement and then a month later they were married. But as soon as he had trapped Rodolphus into a loveless, hate filled marriage that he didn’t even want with Bellatrix Black, Rhadamanthus flounced back off to India and left Xerxes to deal with the mess that he’d left behind. Xerxes tried everything, and I mean everything, to break the marriage between Rodolphus and Bellatrix, but Rhadamanthus’ wording of the contract had been airtight, Rodolphus had signed and had gone through with the ceremony and the consummation and Bellatrix’s Father, the late Cygnus Black, was very uncooperative. He’d married his oldest and least beautiful daughter to a very prominent family, after all. Why would he want to break their marriage? Especially as Rodolphus had ‘already sullied’ his daughter.”
“He actually said that?” Harry grimaced in distaste.
“Almost word for word. So Rhadamanthus had ruined his oldest son’s life at just fifteen. He didn’t come back from India again until Rabastan was nineteen. He’d always hated his youngest son, he even blamed Rabastan for his Wife’s death, insisting that it was he who had made her so sick in the first place, but as soon as he saw those eyes, his Wife’s eyes, on Rabastan he made it his mission in life to destroy him as he believed that Rabastan had destroyed his marriage and killed his Wife, at least from the way that he had seen things. Two short years later and Rabastan and Rodolphus were in Azkaban, where they were unreachable by both Rhadamanthus and Xerxes and where they stayed for fifteen long years, but the damage had already been done in those initial two years and Rabastan went into Azkaban thinking that he was lower than dirt and knowing that his Father didn’t want him, didn’t love him and believing fully that he’d killed his own Mother.”
“Then he started on Rabastan again, as soon as they were freed.” Harry said, his hand clenching.
“Exactly. Xerxes does what he can, but the damage has been done by a lifetime of hate, because despite not being there, he always made sure that Rabastan knew how much he was hated and unwanted. Rhadamanthus’ brand of torture works so very well because it’s the truth, at least to an extent, and the truth always hurts worse than any lie that can be fabricated. Rabastan naturally and subconsciously seeks his Father’s love and approval, which only makes it that much easier for Rhadamanthus to hurt him with the truth that he was unwanted and unloved. Nothing Rabastan does, or has ever done, will ever change Rhadamanthus’ mind, but still he tries and it completes a vicious circle where Rabastan sets himself up for Rhadamanthus’ torture like a pig walking blindly to the slaughter.”
“Why can’t he just go back to India and leave us all alone?!” Harry declared, changing the direction of his pacing before he became dizzy and fell down.
“Because he wants to see Rabastan dead.” Lucius replied.
“Over my dead body!” Harry hissed.
“I believe that would make him very happy as well.”
Harry muttered under his breath about wanting to kill the vile man as his pacing picked up yet another level of speed. It wasn’t working at all, the pacing was not helping him to calm down his anger. The more he heard, the more he wanted to rage and lash out.
“Yes, Xerxes had mentioned that to me, about your desire to kill Rhadamanthus. How serious are these desires, Harry?”
Harry looked at Lucius and then looked away again, carrying on his pacing.
“That serious, hmm? I knew that you disliked him, you make it plain and obvious enough, but I never thought to that extent. Murder is a crime, Harry. If you’re caught, you will face life in Azkaban for it.”
“He is trying to kill the man that I love! His own son!” Harry exploded.
“Murder is still murder, no matter the reasons. You have too much potential, too much to live for, to throw it all away by killing Rhadamanthus. He would love knowing that he’d ruined your life in such a way, even if you did end up killing him.”
Harry had known that Lucius would try to talk him out of killing Rhadamanthus, so he just sighed and nodded his head, sitting back down in the chair in a show of calm. An image of Rhadamanthus harming his child as he’d done to Rabastan popped up and he crushed it viciously. He was still going to go ahead with his plans to kill Rhadamanthus, he just couldn’t tell anyone about them.
“If Rabastan does break his betrothal with you, then I have a backup betrothal contract for Thorfinn Rowle.”
Harry clenched his jaw so hard that the joint cracked. He didn’t want anyone else!
“If he doesn’t break the contract, then there is no reason why you can’t dangle Rowle in front of him. A bit of jealousy is healthy in any relationship. It shows, at the very least, that you both care about one another. It might help to prove to you that Rabastan will fight for you, because I’m very sure that he isn’t going to break the contract because he loves you just as much as you love him. He’s just inept at showing it.”
That made Harry smile. “What does Rowle look like, anyway?”
Lucius smirked and Harry didn’t like it. “He is an incredibly handsome man. Tall and muscled, he’s blond with blue eyes and though he’s loyal to a fault, he’s fiercely protective of anything he perceives of as his. I didn’t pick him as a first choice because of that. He’d treat you as a possession, not as a person who could think and feel for himself, and I didn’t want that for you.”
“He sounds awful.”
“Still, a bit of harmless flirting wouldn’t go amiss in this situation. He likes pretty things, so you’re likely to catch his eye regardless.”
“Excuse me? When will I catch his eye?” Harry demanded.
Lucius’ smirk grew. “My, did we forget to tell you that every year we, the Pureblood society, hold an annual ball on New Year’s Eve?”
“No.” Harry shook his head. “I won’t do it.”
“You won’t have to do a thing, Harry. Rowle will inevitably spot you at the ball and he’ll be drawn to you. As I said, he likes pretty things. The Lestranges already know that Rowle was in my list of candidates for you. So this little set up should all fall together nicely.”
“The New Year is over a week away, what if Rabastan and I make up before then? He could ruin everything!”
“If you’ve already made up by the New Year, then it is unlikely that Rowle taking an interest will do either you or Rabastan any harm. If you haven’t made up by then, then he could be just the catalyst that you both need to sort things out.”
“I hope we have made up by New Year…it’s a little over a week away and I don’t think I could stand to stay here for that long if he isn’t speaking to me.”
“Go to bed, Harry. We’ll see how things pan out in the morning.”
Harry nodded at the clear dismissal and he stood up and walked to the door. He opened it and stopped just before he walked out.
“Thank you.” He said quietly. “For everything.”
He closed the door behind him and he went to his own rooms. He still didn’t know how things had gotten this bad so quickly, but he did know that if he gave in and apologised, then nothing would be resolved and he and Rabastan would never move forward. He needed them to move forward for the sake of their relationship and the chance of a future together.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X
Harry ignored the summons for breakfast the next morning and instead he took a lengthy bath. He’d taken his Ancient Runes book in with him and he easily read several chapters in the hot water before he’d even started on washing himself.
“Young master, Master be asking if you are coming down for breakfast.”
Harry looked at the elf and he shook his head. “Can’t you see that I’m having a bath? I don’t want breakfast.”
The elf nodded and left him again and Harry rested back against the side of the bath and luxuriated in the still hot water. He really loved magic.
Hammering on the locked bathroom door ten minutes later had him getting angry.
“I’m bathing!” He shouted out.
“It’s been three hours, Potter. You can’t still be in the bath!” Draco yelled at him. Of course Draco would be the only one egotistical enough to enter his rooms without permission to come and disturb him while he was in the bath.
“Well I am. Go away, Draco.”
“Stop hiding away!”
“I’m not hiding, I’m having a damn bath!”
“Tell me what happened!” Draco demanded. “Why has everything changed? I don’t like being out of the loop, I’m the only one who doesn’t know what’s happening, tell me!”
Harry sighed and he got out of the bath, drying himself with a spell before he tugged on his towelling robe. He opened the door and looked at Draco’s stubbornly set face.
“Rabastan doesn’t believe a word that I say.” Harry told Draco as he walked past him and he went straight into his wardrobe to get himself dressed as Draco took a seat on his bed. “I told him to his face that I loved him and he turned around and he told me to go and be with another man! I could have handled him not saying he loved me back, it has only been a short amount of time, after all. I understand that he might be uncomfortable with the idea of love, but to tell me to go to another man! He said I should be with someone who hasn’t been ‘ruined’ by Azkaban. He just doesn’t get that I love him! That I want to be with him! He doesn’t believe that I love him and he won’t let me help him at all, but most importantly, he won’t even try to help himself. I’m so frustrated with him, Draco.”
“So you’re going to give up?” Draco asked sceptically.
Harry actually laughed. “Merlin, no. I’m just going to show him that he has to take me seriously or I will walk away. Father thinks I should…tease him with Thorfinn Rowle. Apparently he’s coming for the New Year’s Eve party?”
Draco bobbed his head. “It’s basically a social gathering for Purebloods, of a certain standard.”
“You mean Pureblood Death Eaters.” Harry corrected as he yanked on his chosen clothes and came out to join Draco on the bed.
Draco winced, but he nodded his head.
“Do you think it’ll work?” Harry asked him.
“It could do. Rowle is handsome and clever, but he’s very possessive. You should have seen him when he first saw me for the first time. I was twelve, it was the first party I had been allowed to attend as I was finally old enough and the moment his eyes landed on me, he wouldn’t leave me alone. He hounded my Father for the next two years trying to set up a betrothal between us.”
“But you don’t have the gene.” Harry said with slight shock that Rowle obviously didn’t care about little pureblood heirs. He was one of the sacred twenty-eight families as well, the only male Rowle left! It should have been one of the only things he cared about.
“Ah, you see, that was my Father’s problem with the contract too. Rowle had written a stipulation into the contract. That the both of us could each have a chosen Pureblood mistress to birth our heirs for us. I was to be his Husband by law, but the way I see it now, I would have been a married pet to him while he went and had sex with his chosen mistress. With how possessive he is, I doubt I would have even seen my so called mistress.”
Harry actually laughed. “Seriously? Oh hell, I bet Lucius was not happy about that.”
“He wasn’t and neither was Mother. I was a little too young to understand what was going on at the time, but now that I’m older and I look back on it, I can’t believe the audacity of him. He would not be a good Husband for you.”
“Or anyone.” Harry stated.
“Maybe Daphne.” Draco amended. “But he definitely is not Husband material for my brother. I will not have Rowle in my family.”
Harry laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, I know that we won’t be seeing that come about, he sounds dreadful. As for Daphne, well I actually like Theodore and he doesn’t deserve to be treated like that just because his Father wants a claim on the Greengrass fortune. Maybe we should push her at Rowle. It would be no less than she deserves.”
“His Father has been obsessed with money ever since he invested a lot of gold in the wrong stocks. He thought of himself as a genius investor and delighted in ‘giving advice’ to everyone and he claimed to be giving them hints and imparting his ‘wisdom’ onto everyone else. He put the majority of his gold into this new, upcoming company and he started hinting to everyone else that it was going to be the next big thing and that it was going to make them all millions. Father always refused to buy stocks in most of Nott’s little imparted hints, though he did sometimes humour the man when it suited him. But this one venture he outright refused to put his gold into and he advised many others to do the same. He could read in the market what was going to happen, so when it did crash, spectacularly, many of the Lords owed him a debt of gratitude. Nott lost almost everything and he’s been trying to regain his fortune and his former status ever since.”
“And he thinks forcing his son to marry a girl like Daphne is going to help?” Harry asked sceptically.
Draco snorted. “Obviously so. It will get him a good amount of gold at any rate. Harvey Greengrass knows very well what his older daughter is like and is fully aware of how she behaves, despite his attempts at curbing her, so he’ll be willing to pay through the teeth to ensure her a good match. Despite his lack of intelligence and his lack of wealth, the Nott family is still a prominent and pure one.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “So who else doesn’t have a match, or are my options really between just Rabastan and Thorfinn?”
Draco frowned consideringly. “Blaise doesn’t have a match, but he’s outside of the sacred twenty-eight.”
“What, why doesn’t Blaise have a match?” Harry asked, this news having shocked him a little. “I’ve been glaring at him for sleeping with that Ravenclaw.”
Draco snorted in amusement. “I know, it has been quite amusing to see you chastising him for so much as looking at another person when he isn’t betrothed like the rest of us, but luckily he sees the funny side of it too. His Mother, however, never wanted to limit him in such a way. She wants him to choose his own match.”
“Really?” Harry asked in total surprise.
“She was matched by her parents and it was a very bad match. Her husband was cruel and abusive and she had no way to get out of the marriage and she worried constantly about him hurting Blaise as well, she saw no other option. She killed him and covered it up and now she can’t trust any man and often gets frightened and ends up killing them too as she’s paranoid that they’ll kill her and Blaise if she doesn’t do so first. She doesn’t want that life for Blaise, so she’s letting him choose his own spouse, though she has stipulated that they must be Pureblooded.”
Harry nodded, still a little shell shocked at what he had learnt. It seemed he owed Blaise an apology for glaring and nagging him about going off with his Ravenclaw conquest.
“Amycus Carrow doesn’t have a match either, but you really don’t want to be matched to him, Harry. He makes Bellatrix look sane and I think he’s having a sexual relationship with his own sister, Alecto. They’re both odd and very touchy around one another and at one of the social gatherings a few years ago, Alecto got very drunk and kissed her brother full on the mouth. They tried to play it off and laugh it away, but I seriously think that there’s something going on there between them. Lucan Selwyn is looking for a new spouse too, but he’s seventy years old and already has four children, unfortunately for him, they’re all girls and all ugly, so he hasn’t been able to match them to anyone, even Goyle’s family turned one of them down and Selwyn gave them a choice of which one they wanted. He’s looking for a new spouse now so that he can try and get a son, or at the very least a better looking daughter that he can match up to get heirs to his line. The Selwyn’s will be extant only in the female line if he dies without a legitimate male heir. It’s every Pureblood Lord’s nightmare to know that you are the last male of your line and you run the risk of making your own name and house extinct.”
“So really, those are my only options?” Harry grimaced in distaste.
“Well, you remember Marcus Flint don’t you? He’s just thrown his Fiancée out on her arse. They were engaged and about to be married in March, I think. Anyway, he caught her in bed with a foreign Pureblood who had come to see him on work related business. The wizard was staying at his manor for the week because Marcus still needed to be in work at the time, so he opened his home to this wizard, let him eat his food, trusted him and he just happened to come home really early one afternoon and he caught them in the act. He beat the wizard almost to death with his fists, then he cursed him to never be able to close his mouth and threw him out of his manor. Then Marcus kept his would be Wife locked up for four days. No one knows what he did to her, but she came out unharmed with no signs of any magical abuse, but Marcus is very happy and she bursts into tears if she so much as sees his picture. As for the wizard, I believe that the Healers are still trying to find a counter curse for the one that Marcus cast, the man can’t eat or drink anything, has trouble sleeping and breathing and he can’t talk. He’s getting weaker by the day and Father thinks that that is Marcus’ real revenge, he gets to die a slow, painful death knowing that the Healers can’t help him and that the one person who could perhaps help him, Marcus, isn’t going to.”
“I’m not sure whether his Fiancée deserved whatever he did or not because I’m not entirely sure what he did to her. But if I caught Rabastan in bed with anyone while we were engaged I would not be happy either. It’s why I get so angry with Daphne and her ridiculous behaviour and why I was unhappy with Blaise.”
“Then Marcus is another potential match for you. He’s protective more than he’s possessive and he has his own manor house. He actually bought it himself with his own money instead of it being a wedding gift from his parents.”
“Really? He was so thick he had to repeat a year, how did he get his own manor house?”
“He had to repeat a year because he failed in most of his core subjects in his final exams. He is incredibly proficient in Runes however. As you know, Runes are very difficult to master and jobs that use Runes are very high paying. Marcus was so skilful and talented in Runes that when he surpassed the N.E.W.T level curriculum in his fifth year, he gained the attention of specialists. He was so focused on Runes, that everything else fell to the way side, so he inevitably failed his last year, but when he actually did graduate a year later, he already had a job waiting for him when he got out and it wasn’t an entry level job either. He went straight in as a specialist and he’s been climbing the promotion ranks since.”
“Wow. He’s only been out of Hogwarts for what, a year and a half?”
“Exactly, and he already has his own manor and the title of special consultant. Not to mention he’s on a very, very large salary.”
Harry laughed. “I think I need to apologise to him for thinking that he was as stupid as Crabbe and Goyle for all these years.”
“He does lack a certain amount of common sense and he is quite stupid when it comes to anything other than Runes, so I doubt any apology is needed. You’ll see him at the Parkinson’s winter gala tonight.”
“Wait, what? What winter fucking gala?” Harry demanded.
Draco rolled his eyes. “This is a season of celebration, Harry. The Parkinson’s are hosting the winter gala this year and we are hosting the New Year’s Eve party, Father managed to beat the other Lords back and claim this honour over everyone else because of you. All the other Lords are very curious about you and I think that they worried that if they didn’t give Father hosting privileges this year then he would stop you from going and they wouldn’t get to sate their curiosities by meeting you.”
Harry flumped back onto his bed. “Seriously? Two parties in what, a week? Plus Christmas is tomorrow as well.”
Draco moved to sit next to him and smirked. “It won’t be so bad. The Parkinson’s were given hosting privileges before Pansy lost her betrothal match, usually such an embarrassment would have the family being overlooked for such an honour. It’s going to be hilarious to watch them overcompensate tonight for the humiliation while they proposition every wizard who doesn’t already have a match to take on Pansy for a Wife.”
“You’re very sadistic.” Harry told his brother, who grinned at him and pushed him to sit up.
“It’s all a part of the culture that I’ve grown up in. Social standing is everything in these circles, Harry.” Draco told him as he picked up a comb and started doing his hair for him. “Nothing comes before our family.”
Harry smiled at that. “I like that family is so important, it’s just…I can’t imagine being so cruel to others just to make me and my family look better.”
“That’s just the way it is.” Draco replied dismissively as he sorted out Harry’s hair.
“Will you help me get dressed for tonight?” Harry asked unsurely. “I don’t know what to wear and I don’t want to make a fool out of myself.” He didn’t mention that he wanted to look his best to try and entice Rabastan’s attention to him.
“Your wardrobe will include three winter dress robes for these occasions. One for the Christmas Eve party, one for the New Year’s Eve party and one spare, just in case. I used my spare set of dress robes in our fourth year for the Yule Ball.”
Harry nodded his understanding, only to be smacked on top of his head by Draco and his comb. A loud knock on the outside door interrupted them.
Harry groaned. “That better not be Rabastan.” He muttered under his breath. “Come in.” He called out loudly as Draco continued doing his hair for him.
They had to wait a moment as whoever it was walked through Harry’s sitting room to reach his bedroom, but Harry was overall glad that it was Lucius who was the one who walked in and he hesitated only slightly as he saw them on the bed together as he slowly closed the bedroom door behind him.
“I came because I thought that you were moping around. It seems that that wasn’t the case.”
“Why would I be moping about? If Rabastan doesn’t want me, then it’s his loss.” He said firmly.
“That’s the spirit.” Draco nodded his approval as he finished combing Harry’s hair to the best of his abilities.
“So you’re seriously considering breaking your betrothal?” Lucius asked surprised.
Harry shook his head. “No. Our talk from last night still stands. If he doesn’t want me, then he’ll have to break our contract himself, until then, I’m going to fish the waters at the gala tonight, that you never told me about I might add, and if he still hasn’t bucked up his ideas, I’ll do the same at the New Year’s Eve party.”
Lucius nodded. “I’m not sure that you’ll have a chance to implement your plan. Rabastan was devastated that you never showed up for breakfast. It seemed to agitate him and it seems to have affected his behaviour as well, he broke two glasses, dropped his food onto the floor and hit his own brother when he lost control of his arm.”
Harry bit his lip and immediately the feelings of guilt and regret surged inside him. The very last thing he’d wanted was to cause a lapse in Rabastan’s recovery when he’d been doing so well lately.
“It’s not your fault.” Draco told him sternly. “He’s the one who won’t listen to you. He needs to learn to listen to you or he is never going to respect you and he’ll never listen to a word that you say if you give in now. Carry through with your plan or he’s just going to continue ignoring you and disbelieving everything that you say, even about you loving him.”
“But I never wanted to be the cause of him getting worse.”
“You’re not the cause.” Lucius told him. “He is the cause and he will never fully recover if he doesn’t realise it.”
Harry swallowed and nodded.
“Now, you missed breakfast and it’s almost lunch. Are you hungry?”
Harry shook his head. “No. I’m just not hungry at all today.”
“Perhaps I should call that therapist to see if he’ll see you today.” Lucius murmured thoughtfully.
“I don’t need a therapist just because I’m not hungry.” Harry said.
“I’m more concerned about the reason behind you not being hungry.” Lucius replied.
“I’m fine. I just can’t stomach anything. I can’t believe how wrong everything has gone.”
“Things will work out.” Draco assured him.
Harry nodded, but he didn’t feel as confident about it. He still loved Rabastan, he didn’t think such a feeling would disappear overnight, just as it hadn’t come overnight, but the thought of trying to replace Rabastan with anyone else made him feel sick.
“You’re not going to be marrying these men.” Lucius told him. “You’re just going to talk to them, be polite and perhaps let them get you a drink. Then if the natural order of things occurs, then Rabastan should storm over and remind everyone that the both of you are betrothed.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“Then the man’s a complete fool and you should definitely scout out someone else to be your Husband.” Draco told him simply.
Harry laughed then and he thanked both Malfoys. He actually felt much better for talking with them.
“Are you both staying in here? I’ll have the elf send up your lunches, if you eat your lunch, Harry, then I won’t call the therapist to see you today.”
“We’re staying.” Draco said firmly. “Look at this hair. It’ll take me all day to fix for the Parkinson’s gala.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “As if it’ll stay whichever way you put it.” He huffed.
“I’ll sort it out for you. I picked up a potion especially for tonight and our own New Year’s party.” Draco insisted.
“I’ll leave you boys to it then.”
Lucius saw himself out and Harry breathed out and slumped. “Must I really go to this party? I like Pansy more than Daphne, but she’s not my favourite person. Tracey is much more level headed and she’s quieter.”
Draco laughed. “She is more watchful than mouthy, but don’t turn your back on her. She can be dangerous with her wand.”
Harry smiled. “What do you think of Astoria, Draco?” He asked curiously, wondering if everyone had trouble with their betrothals.
Draco frowned. “I’ve never really thought about it. Our parents brought us together for play dates when we were children and then when I went to Hogwarts I sent her the occasional letter and now that we’re both in Hogwarts, we sit down after dinner once or twice a week to talk for an hour to fulfil the terms of the contract.”
“That’s not really what I asked. Do you even like her?”
“She’s not too bad I suppose.” Draco answered. “She’s nothing like Daphne, thank Merlin, but she’s not very talkative either. I have to struggle to get her to say anything. I don’t think she’s that interested in me.”
Harry rolled his eyes. “I remember what Hermione was like with Viktor Krum. He liked her because she was the only person in Hogwarts who wasn’t fawning over him because he was an international Quidditch player, but she was really embarrassed and shy and it took him a while to get her to talk. Do you know what Astoria likes? Perhaps if you talked about her interests then you’d have more luck.”
Draco shrugged. “She reads Witch Weekly, she likes keeping up with the latest robe colours, cuts and patterns, and I think she once said she likes interior decorating.”
“Please tell me that you don’t just talk about yourself when you’re with her.”
“Well she doesn’t talk.” Draco scoffed. “What am I supposed to talk about?”
“How about shutting your mouth and letting her talk?” Harry suggested with a grin. “If she likes interior decorating, show a bit of bloody interest.”
“But I don’t have any interest!” Draco answered.
“That’s not the point at all.” Harry said. “It’s called being supportive and showing that you care about her thoughts and interests, that’s why Rabastan and I are having trouble. Because he isn’t listening to me and he’s brushing aside my thoughts and feelings. Just, try asking her how she is or how her day has been once in a while.”
Draco nodded thoughtfully. “Alright. I’ll make the time to do so tonight. But don’t try to distract me, I will be getting that potion onto your hair.”
Harry laughed and nodded. “Okay, I’ll let you do as you please with it, but if I don’t like it, I’m putting it back to normal.”
“Your hair will never be normal.” Draco said seriously.
They were interrupted by the arrival of a house elf with a bowl of food in each hand.
“Thank you.” Harry said kindly while Draco just scoffed and snatched his bowl.
“You’re too soft.” Draco scoffed at him.
“You’re an utter bastard.” Harry replied. “It won’t kill you to be polite once in a while.”
Draco rolled his eyes, but he ate his lunch and Harry dug into his own bowl of fancy beef stew with warm, fresh bread rolls. He would stay in his rooms with Draco and he’d get ready for the party tonight. He was a little apprehensive about everything, as he knew he’d have to be on his best behaviour, which meant behaving like a Pureblooded Lord of two houses. He sighed. He’d have to behave like he did in the Wizengamot meetings and that was going to be difficult for him to maintain for more than a few hours, less than that depending on how bored he was or how other people acted towards him. It was going to be a long, exhausting night.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X
Harry was dressed in the softest, most sumptuous and expensive dress robes that he’d ever imagined himself wearing. They were a brilliant red colour and made from brushed cotton. They were light, but warm and with a fitted black shirt and tailored, smart trousers on underneath, they looked wonderful.
He and Draco had spent most of the afternoon talking to one another and laying out a plan of action, which had mostly just been Draco talking while Harry laughed until his stomach hurt.
Draco had helped him get ready, had paired the black on black underclothes before laying the red robe over the top for a glare of colour to stop him from looking like he was attending a funeral, or worse, like Snape’s mini me.
The earthy red made his cheeks look more flushed than they actually were as it picked out the warm undertones of gold in his skin and he just looked healthy, youthful and full of life, he thought as he stared at himself in the mirror.
Draco had dumped a load of potions into his hair, one to make it soft and shiny, another to make it more tamed and a final one to style it. Harry had to hand it to Draco, he could definitely become a hairdresser if he wanted to. His hair looked shiny, sleek and was styled to be tousled instead of just plain messy. Draco had tried to make it lay flat and when that had failed he had tried to slick it back, but when that hadn’t worked either he had compromised and worked with Harry’s natural hairstyle to make his hair look a little windswept. Harry rather liked the effect.
“Are you ready? We’re going an hour early to catch up with the other ‘kids’.” Draco told him, rolling his eyes at the stressed ‘kids’.
“Yeah, do I look okay?” He asked nervously.
“You look perfectly presentable, now come on. I need to try and catch up with Blaise before we greet Pansy.”
They met Narcissa in the receiving room and she straightened out both of their collars, even though they didn’t need it.
“You boys behave at this party, do you understand?”
“Yes Mother.” They both answered respectfully.
“Draco, you go through first and you wait for Harry on the other end, do you hear me?”
Draco nodded with a smirk that was aimed at him and Harry rolled his eyes, but he was glad. The last thing he wanted was to be lost in an unfamiliar manor house, he’d only just gotten used to the Malfoy manor.
“You look lovely, Harry.” Narcissa told him. She was being a little strange as her small hands brushed over his robe. “Very presentable. Remember your manners tonight and behave yourself, but try to enjoy it too.”
Narcissa shooed him off and Harry flooed over to the Parkinson’s. Harry hadn’t seen Rabastan once that day…in fact he hadn’t seen any of the Lestranges that day, but he was sure that he’d be seeing them in an hour or so.
He arrived at the Parkinson’s manor and Draco was stood waiting for him, as soon as Harry stepped out of the fireplace, he snorted and shook his head. Harry realised then that there was no one to receive them.
“This is ridiculous, someone should be here to greet us.” Draco scoffed before leading the way out of the receiving room and he went right up the stairs.
Harry was a little apprehensive about this, he wouldn’t have liked anyone just arriving in his house and walking around without him knowing about it, but then if he was going to be hosting a massive social event in his home he would have been sure to greet people in the receiving room, if only to direct them where to go once they arrived. Narcissa had taught him that much.
Draco led them down numerous corridors before hammering on a door. It opened to reveal Pansy in a beautiful gown of peridot. The pale green went well with her short, black hair and the peridot necklace, bracelet and earrings added a touch of repetitive colour to her pale skin and contrasting dark hair.
“You look lovely.” Harry complimented her naturally and she and Draco both looked at him in surprise before Draco stood back and looked at her properly.
“Harry’s right, you do look nice tonight. Is anyone else here yet?”
“Daphne, Astoria, Blaise and Theo are already here, come inside.”
They went into the bedroom and Harry realised that it was just a very, very large bedroom. Where his, and Draco’s, bedrooms were split into three rooms, Pansy’s was just one massive room with a very large bed at one end and a seating area around an ornate fireplace at the other.
“You look good enough to eat, Harry.” Blaise teased him and Harry laughed.
“My tailor picked out the colours and made my entire wardrobe, so I have him to thank for the robes and Draco dressed me. I take no credit for the way that I look tonight.”
“You look nice, Astoria.” Draco complimented his betrothed, being reminded of his need to do so after Harry had complimented their host and remembering suddenly his promise to talk to her more.
Harry looked at the young fourteen year old wearing a pale blue dress that went wonderfully with her long blonde hair and her matching blue eyes. She was wearing dark sapphires to contrast with the pale blue of the dress and it looked fantastic.
“Draco’s right, you look good.” Harry told her with a smile as he noticed the matching, small heeled shoes she was wearing. “Very elegant and sophisticated.”
Astoria flushed with pleasure at the attention she was getting, which Harry assumed was mostly given to Daphne, and of course for being called ‘sophisticated’. What fourteen year old didn’t want to be praised on looking grown up, after all?
Daphne in contrast was wearing a knee length gown, which Harry guessed had been forced onto her by her parents, but it was the low cut of the top of the dress and the strappy heels she was wearing that made her so different to her younger sister.
“Hi, Theo.” He greeted instead as he sat himself next to Theodore, who was wearing dark blue and black dress robes.
“Blaise is right, you’re looking really good tonight, is it for the benefit of your betrothed?”
Harry sighed. “No. Rabastan and I are having…problems.” He said.
“What sort of problems?” Blaise asked in friendly concern.
“Not so easy to be in a contract now, is it?” Daphne said snidely.
Harry just looked at her neutrally before purposefully snubbing her and focusing back on Blaise and Theodore. He’d learnt that move from Lucius at the Wizengamot meetings and it always worked a treat.
“Just a few complications from his previous Azkaban stay and his Father, that’s all.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Theo told him.
“He’s dressed to find himself another betrothal match.” Draco put in. “The Malfoy family deserves better than someone who isn’t interested. If Lestrange doesn’t buck up, then Harry will be betrothed to someone else.”
“Perhaps we could…” Pansy started before Draco cut her right off.
“You’re not worthy of my brother.” He told her cruelly.
“I’m gay, Pansy.” He said more gently. “I have the gene and I want another man to marry.”
“You’ll both be competing with one another then.” Daphne said gleefully at the idea.
Harry rolled his eyes, but he saw Pansy’s face fall at the thought, then she got a calculating gleam in her eyes that Harry really didn’t like. He hoped that he wasn’t about to have his leg broken or something due to an ‘accidental’ fall down the main flight of stairs.
A knock on her bedroom door and Pansy left to go and greet someone else, who turned out to be Millicent Bulstrode. Harry tried not to cringe at the sight of the tall, broad, almost square shaped girl being confined in a mandarin satin dress. He was sure that it would have looked lovely on absolutely anyone else. The dress did absolutely nothing to flatter her, it wasn’t the right cut for her body shape and the colour was completely wrong for her skin tone, hair and eye colour. Whoever had chosen the dress for her, whether it was the seamstress, her parents or Millicent herself, they really needed to put more thought into such things in the future.
“What do you think?” Blaise leaned forward to whisper into his, Draco’s and Theo’s ears. “Would you rather fuck her face to face in that dress, or suck off Dumbledore.”
The three of them all made disgusted noises and pulled faces and Draco pushed a laughing Blaise away.
“That is utterly foul.” Draco insisted as Pansy and Millicent did the whole girl greeting at the opposite end to the large room.
“I know one thing for sure.” Harry said, pausing to gain the guys’ full attention. “I’d look better in that dress.”
That set the four of them off laughing, loudly. He got a hand on the knee as Theo bent forward, trying to hold himself up. Draco flung an arm around his shoulders and Blaise punched his shoulder, his purple eyes wet with tears of mirth. Harry just laughed and revelled in the feeling of being accepted, despite the odd circumstances. He was the only Gryffindor here after all.
The door knocked again before Pansy and Millicent could make it over and Pansy opened the door again to let in the lumbering forms of Crabbe and Goyle. The boys greeted Pansy and Millicent and then came right on over, the two girls following.
“Are we waiting for anyone else?” He asked curiously.
“No, the adults have started milling about downstairs, though.” Pansy told him.
They spoke to one another, laughing and joking, Harry keeping mostly to Draco, Blaise and Theo, but when he noticed something that didn’t sit right with him, he nudged Draco and nodded to a totally excluded Astoria, who was staring at the group of older girls on her left in an imitation of being included in their conversation, despite all of their backs being turned to her. It must have been awful for her to be sat on her own as everyone else formed groups around her, it was only because she was the youngest, he was sure.
“Astoria, I feel like a drink. Would you mind accompanying me down to the ballroom?” Draco stood to ask, offering her his hand.
The younger girl looked so pleased at the offer as she accepted Draco’s hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet before she brushed the back of her dress down and agreed to accompany him. She slipped her arm through Draco’s and they both left Pansy’s bedroom to go down to the ballroom that would, by now, be filling up with the adults.
“I suppose that it’s time to go down now.” Pansy said as she stood and checked her reflection in her mirror before leading the way.
Harry walked with Theo and Blaise, laughing happily. At least until he reached the ballroom, because it was nearly impossible to miss Xerxes, he was towering over everyone else and Harry knew, that if Xerxes was here, then so too were Rhadamanthus, Rodolphus and Rabastan. He immediately turned and walked in the opposite direction.
“Are you okay?” Blaise asked him, turning with him to follow.
Harry smiled and nodded, trying to ignore the people staring at him.
“Yes, Draco went for a drink, so if he’s anywhere, he’s going to be at the drinks table.”
“Good thinking. I saw you trying to play match maker.” Blaise winked at him.
“I just thought that it was sad that Astoria would be excluded just because she’s younger. She is Draco’s betrothed after all. I just gave him a shove in the right direction. A shove that shouldn’t have been needed as he should have taken the initiative and done it first, without any prompting, I might add. She’s his betrothed, he should have noticed her needs before I did.”
Blaise wrapped an arm around him and pulled him to the drinks table, where they found Draco and a very happy Astoria in a discussion about the latest home styles.
“Would you…would you allow me to decorate our home when we’re married?” They arrived to overhear Astoria ask a little timidly.
“Of course.” Draco replied amiably. “As long as I can have a personal study to my tastes.” He compromised and Harry beamed at him for taking his advice and showing an interest in Astoria’s interests.
“Oh Draco, thank you.” Astoria gushed. “I’m thinking more and more that I want to do home decorations as well as robe and dress making.”
“I think you’ll be very successful with that.” Harry told her, smiling as she spun around startled. “You obviously know how to put an outfit together, perhaps you could use Draco to trial your robe making skills.”
Astoria’s face lit up and she turned back to Draco shyly “Would you let me practice my robe making skills?”
“I don’t see why not, but I have particular tastes and my colouring makes for very few combinations that don’t look ridiculous.”
“I would of course take in all of your opinions and wishes.” Astoria said excitedly.
“You never know. I might be bringing my children to you in the future to get their robes.” Harry teased.
“Is it true that you have the gene?” Astoria asked. “It’s been so long since a boy has been born with the gene and I overheard what you said to Pansy.”
Harry nodded. “Yes, I tested positive. It helps that I like men too.”
“I’m a man.” Blaise said with a smirk.
Harry rolled his eyes. “What happened to your Ravenclaw?” Harry asked.
“I was going to keep her for a few more months, but if I had you, I’d get rid of her immediately. After all, you’d be a betrothal match, not just a girlfriend.”
“I feel so special.” Harry said with heavy sarcasm.
“Oh no. Rowle’s spotted you, Harry.” Draco said, looking high over his head. “He’s coming right over.”
“Damn. It hasn’t even been ten minutes yet!” Harry groaned before he weaved his way past Draco and snatched a drink before diving into the mingling people.
He evaded Rowle while making mindless small talk for a full half an hour, which Harry thought was quite impressive, but ultimately, he almost barrelled into the man after he’d stopped at a table to refill his glass.
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you since the beginning of the night.”
Harry looked up at the tall, blond, blue eyed man. He was broad and muscled and if he had to guess, Harry would have put him in his early to mid-thirties. He was very, very good looking and his eyes were all over Harry, taking in the tailored cut of his robes which accentuated his trim waist and the slim line of his body.
Harry calmed himself, took a deliberate breath and took a moment to peruse Rowle slowly as he slipped into his ‘Lord’ persona that he used in the Wizengamot. He’d been slipping in and out of this persona since the party had begun and he had used it in all his previous conversations when meeting up with other members of the Wizengamot, who all wanted to introduce him to their Wives, children, brothers and friends, it was tiring.
“I’m not exactly hard to miss.” Harry replied calmly as he indicated the bright red robes that he was wearing. He was the only one tonight wearing red and the only thing that came closest to his robes was Millicent’s mandarin orange dress and a few spots of pink here or there from some of the women’s dresses.
“It is a lovely colour on you.” Rowle complimented easily. “It brings out a nice flush to your cheeks, unless you’ve been sneaking wine.” He joked.
Harry laughed politely. “No, just pumpkin juice for me. I have no wish to kill off my brain cells before I’m even an adult.”
“It’s refreshing to meet someone so young who recognises that they’re not adults yet. Most of the little shin lickers here tonight would insist that they’re mature, in the process proving just how immature they actually are. By recognising that you still have room to grow, well…I think that you’re the most mature person in this room who is actually under the age of seventeen.”
“Thank you. It helps that I sit on the Wizengamot.”
“Ah, yes. Spending that amount of time around a table with very old men has the tendency to age people.”
Harry couldn’t stop the genuine laugh that came out.
“You came over to get a drink, may I have the honour of refilling your glass?”
Harry nodded and watched as Rowle took his empty glass from his hand and refilled it with the jug of pumpkin juice. He handed it back and his hand lingered longer than strictly necessary.
“I’m Thorfinn, everyone just calls me Finn, however.”
“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Harry.”
Thorfinn laughed. “You are probably the single most known person in this room. Everyone knows about you and your adoption.”
Harry nodded. “The papers have been going on about it a lot.” He replied ambiguously. Of course he knew Rowle was talking about Voldemort and his current orders for his Death Eaters, but Harry didn’t want to ruin his night so early on by thinking about it.
“Indeed. So, I suppose you already have a betrothal match?”
“I do. Rabastan Lestrange and I are betrothed together.”
“You could do so much better than him.” Rowle insisted. “I always thought that Lucius was punishing you by pairing you with that old cripple. I’ll have a word with him and see if he won’t reconsider.”
Harry frowned and blinked as Rowle looked around the room, before he patted Harry’s shoulder and walked away determinedly, apparently he’d spotted Lucius. Harry turned to look at him walking away and he was sure that he was gaping. Rowle had asked about his betrothal despite apparently already knowing about it and now instead of asking him if he liked Rabastan and wanted to be betrothed to him, he was assuming that he didn’t and was taking it upon himself to ‘liberate’ Harry in order to be betrothed to him himself.
He definitely understood what Lucius and Draco had meant by possessive…they’d only just met one another and Rowle was already treating him as if he couldn’t think for himself. It didn’t bode well for anyone who married Rowle in the future, but he knew that it definitely wouldn’t be him!
He shook his head in bemusement and moved off, greeting some of the Lords he knew from the Wizengamot politely and allowing himself to again be introduced to their Wives or children. Really it seemed that that’s all they wanted to do tonight was introduce him to everyone under the sun that they knew.
He smiled the most at the shy preteens, he knew from Draco that these were adult parties and that it was incredibly unlikely that anyone under the age of eleven would be there, so he was extra kind to them when he did see some twelve year olds and there was one newborn sleeping in a tiny little gown in her Mother’s arms.
This entire gala seemed to be over the top and extravagant. There were ice sculptures everywhere, depicting winter animals that he assumed were magically made and hollow. Everywhere he looked there were frosted glass tables holding an array of drinks in frosted glasses and every canapé and appetiser ever invented on frosted glass plates. Everything was white and glittered oddly, like freshly fallen snow and the massive glass doors on the one side of the ball room were flung open into the softly lit garden beyond. Draco was right, it was very over the top and gaudily showy.
“I will not allow you to speak of my brother in such a manner!”
Harry turned automatically as he heard the furious voice of Rodolphus and now that he looked, he could see the man hissing at Rowle. Lucius had been standing with the Lestranges when Rowle had gone to proposition Lucius, it seemed and instead of taking Lucius off for a private conversation, he’d just mentioned taking Harry’s contract from Rabastan in front of the entire Lestrange family. Harry really didn’t like Rowle and he was glad that Lucius hadn’t lumbered him with a betrothal to him.
“I’m just saying that someone as young, supple and gorgeously stunning as Harry deserves better than some spluttering old cripple from Azkaban.” Rowle said simply.
“And what does Harry say about this?” Lucius said calmly, as if considering the proposal.
“He likes me.” Thorfinn boasted.
Harry looked from his vantage point behind the back of a very old man who seemed to be mostly deaf and half asleep on his feet. Rabastan was standing behind and between Rodolphus and Xerxes saying nothing and that angered Harry. He wanted Rabastan to fight for him, to fight for their future, but he was just stood there, as if considering the proposal himself.
“Say something, Rabastan!” Xerxes burst out furiously.
“If it’s what Harry wants.” He said quietly.
“It is.” Rowle declared. “How could you possibly think that he’d prefer you over me?” He sneered and indicated his own face and body. “I can offer him this, you would likely break your own back trying to lift him and he’s such a tiny little wisp of nothing that I could lift him with one arm. He deserves only the best.”
Rabastan said nothing and Harry balled his fists up. He’d have to deal with this himself it seemed.
“If Harry agrees to it.” Lucius told Rowle, neither accepting nor declining his proposal.
“Of course he will, it’s a better deal.” Rowle said cockily. “I at least would be able to pleasure him properly.”
Harry smarted at the disrespect and the attack of his dignity and he would have expected Rabastan to immediately jump to his defence, but he didn’t. Lucius was just about to remind Rowle that Harry was his son, adopted or not, when Harry decided that it was time to take things into his own hands.
“How dare you say such things about me!” He hissed.
“There you are.” Rowle smiled at him. “I was just sealing the deal with your adoptive Father.”
“I just heard what you said about me.” He growled.
“It’s alright. Everyone here knows that I’d be able to satisfy you. That cripple wouldn’t even be able to pull a moan from your pretty lips. Unless it was one of pain, of course.”
Harry’s hands clenched so tightly his whole arm shook with the tension. He tried to breathe deeply to calm himself, but his temper was too roused to be calmed.
“How dare you.” He bit out from between clenched teeth. “I am not some bed slave given to you merely for your pleasure. I deserve better than that from a betrothal. I want someone to talk to, someone to start a family with, to spend my life with…not merely someone who thinks that my only use is in the bedroom!”
“There’s no need to get so angry over such a comment. I take pride in the knowledge that I’d be able to pleasure you.”
Harry didn’t even think as he ripped his wand out of his sleeve and sent Rowle flying halfway across the room to smash into one of the gaudy ice sculptures. It wasn’t hollow as he’d initially thought, it was solid ice and Rowle left a blood smear on it as he fell to the floor, unconscious. Harry hadn’t even uttered a spell, he hadn’t had time to think of one, his magic had just immediately reacted to his rage.
“If that man comes anywhere near me again then he’ll lose his head.” Harry told Lucius before turning to glare at Rabastan. “Way to stand up and defend me. So much for being betrothed.” He spat before turning on his heel and striding off.
He went outside to cool off, walking around the wooden decking at the back of the house and several minutes later he found himself sat on a low stone banister that boxed in a patio seating area before leading out onto the lawn.
“Way to keep your calm, Harry.” He chastised himself as he growled and fisted his hair in frustration.
That wasn’t how he wanted people to see him. As some angry thug who attacked people at parties. Damn it he was supposed to be a Lord of two houses, he held two seats on the Wizengamot and he couldn’t even control his own anger. It was pathetic.
He was trying to convince people that he was suitable to sit in on the wizarding court and vote on incredibly important laws and in trials despite his age and here he was, attacking another person at the Pureblood’s winter fucking gala just because he’d lost his temper.
Damn, he knew he shouldn’t have come to this damn party, he had known that it would be a massive mistake and now he’d gone and shown himself up and embarrassed himself and most likely the Malfoy family too, in front of every other pureblood family, including Rabastan and his family, his betrothal family. He felt humiliated and lower than low, he just wanted to hide away, but he knew that if he did that then it would make everything a thousand times worse. It would be better to stay and face up to what he’d done with as much dignity as he could muster rather than run away and give everyone even more ammunition to fire at him. He was no coward after all and he would face up to what he’d done. He wished that it had never happened, but he had lost his temper and he had attacked someone. There was nothing that he could do to change that now.
“I saw what you did, Potter.”
Harry startled and looked around, over his shoulder, to a face that was only partially familiar to him. Then it had been over a year since he’d last seen Marcus Flint. He no longer looked quite so trollish, though he was still tall and massively muscular.
“Flint.” He greeted with a nod.
“Why were you attacking, Rowle?”
“Because he’s a cocky, arrogant son of a bitch and needed to be taken down several pegs! As if I’d allow anyone to get away with saying those sorts of things about me!” He defended himself and his actions hotly. Just because he regretted his rash behaviour didn’t mean he had to show it to others. He had done it and the best way to deal with it now was to stand by his actions and act like he had been entitled to act as such. It helped that he didn’t really regret attacking Rowle, just that he’d let his temper get away from him enough to do it in front of all of those people.
“He was disrespecting you?” The tall, muscled twenty year old man asked him tightly.
“Yes, he was and you can bet that if someone talks to me like that they’re going to end up regretting it!”
Flint nodded and he looked out over the garden, standing next to where Harry was sat.
“I hear from the rumours spreading tonight that you have the carrier’s gene.”
Harry blinked at the topic change and calmed down. “That’s right. I tested positive at Saint Mungos.”
“You went to the hospital to be tested?” Marcus said, looking pleased.
Harry nodded. “I didn’t believe the home test that Lucius administered, so he took me to the hospital to have it done professionally.”
“You would have the papers signed by the Healers then?”
Harry scrunched up his face in confusion. “Yes. Lucius keeps them in his study for me. What are you getting at here, Flint?”
“Marcus. I was working my way up to asking you to go for a walk.”
Harry clicked on. “You were making sure that I could carry your Heirs before wasting any time on me.”
Marcus grimaced. “That’s one way of phrasing it. A blunt, very negative way of putting it, but still, would you like to go for a walk, or perhaps you’d like a drink.”
“A walk sounds nice.” Harry replied. “If I go back in there, Rowe won’t ever be getting back up.”
He moved to turn around and slip off of the stone banister, but he was overall confused and oddly pleased when Marcus slipped a strong, muscled arm under his knees and behind his back and picked him up easily, turning around to face the lawn. The arm under his knees slid away and Harry stretched his legs down to touch the wooden decking as the arm around his back squeezed tight to support him before falling away once he was back on the ground.
It was a small thing. A nice gesture and it hadn’t lasted for longer than Harry felt comfortable with and he found himself smiling at the move. It had been completely unnecessary, of course, but he appreciated the gesture all the same as he and Marcus started their walk, keeping to a winding path that had been laid out for the occasion through the trees and bushes, and he found, much to his surprise, that he was very much enjoying himself in Marcus’ company.
“Are you still playing Quidditch?” Marcus asked.
Harry bobbed his head. “Yes, I got made Captain too. I made a new team, they’re mostly young. I kept Katie as a Chaser and paired her with a fifth year named Demelza and a second year named Sarah. Both of my Beaters are third years and my Keeper is a second year called Pauley.”
“You made a young team.” Marcus told him, looking at him like he was mad.
“I did and I’ve worked with them all personally, even one-on-one when it was needed. I’ve built up their skills, their courage and defiance and their confidence and we slaughtered Slytherin in November.” He said proudly.
“I knew leaving Urquhart as Captain was a mistake.”
“He’s a gormless worm.” Harry agreed with a grin. “That team is going to be my legacy, all my reserves are young too, but I might switch a few of them in or out next year, depending on what the new second years who try out are like. My reserves have reserves.” He joked. “That team is mine and they’ll last for the next four, five years at least! Long after I’ve graduated.”
“Are you still the star Seeker?”
Harry grinned. “You know that I am.”
“I hated playing Quidditch against Gryffindor when you became the Seeker. I knew I didn’t have anyone to beat you unless it was by lucky chance, like the chance that Diggory got in my last year.”
They wandered around the little path in the beautiful garden and Harry didn’t really feel anything and he wasn’t sure if Marcus did either. They weren’t walking close together or hand in hand like he’d done with Rabastan. It always came back to Rabastan. Perhaps it was because he was still in love with Rabastan, despite being angry with him, that was causing him problems with seeing Marcus as anything more than a familial acquaintance.
“Draco said that you worked with Runes?” He said.
Marcus truly smiled then. “Yes. They’ve always been a special passion of mine. You never took Runes, did you?”
Harry grinned. “Actually, I am taking Runes now. Lucius changed my electives when I told him that I was unhappy with the ones I’d chosen. I’m doing Runes and Arithmancy now.”
“I could help you with Runes, if you’d like.” Marcus offered and Harry all but bit his hand off at the offer. Someone who had been scouted out at fifteen for a top job was going to be a massive help and asset to him.
“Please! I even asked for extra homework just to try and help myself get more used to Runes. I have a good basic understanding, but I definitely get confused still over some of the things that my other class mates would find easy.”
“I would be happy to help you. I’ve never offered to tutor before. I’ve been busy and I am very blunt and brusque, so I doubt I’ll be any good at it, but I will get you understanding Runes better if you can put up with me for long enough.”
“I never was one for talking riddles or beating around the bush.” Harry told him.
They made it back to the manor and without saying anything, they went back inside to get drinks. Harry’s hands clenched and he literally went red hazed when he saw Pansy Parkinson all over Rabastan. So that had been her little plan, she was trying to take the man that he was betrothed to from him!
He took a deep breath and turned to accept the glass off of Marcus.
“Are you alright?”
“Parkinson is all over the man that I’m supposedly betrothed to.” He said through clenched teeth.
Marcus looked to where he was glaring, found Pansy and he sneered.
“You shouldn’t accept that disrespect from him. She’s pawing at him and he’s doing nothing to stop her.”
Harry growled under his breath.
“You obviously love him.” Marcus said.
“I do, but he doesn’t even care about me.” Harry answered tightly.
“Hmm, I’d say differently if the way he’s glaring at me is any indication.”
“Are you sure he’s not glaring at me?” Harry harrumphed.
Marcus moved to the table to pick up a different glass and then came back.
“No, definitely me.”
Harry became interested then and wondered if perhaps his flirting with Rowle and Marcus had worked.
“He’s a fool if he’d even try to risk a true marriage with you.” Marcus commented. “He should be over here beating my face in. At least that’s what I’d do if our roles were reversed. You’re worth a few busted knuckles if I thought that I was losing you to another man.”
Harry chuckled and Marcus kissed his cheek and told him that he’d be in touch about the Rune tutoring before he left into the throng of people, leaving Harry blushing and shyly ducking his head. From the corner of his eye he saw a furious Rabastan storming over, it seemed that Marcus’ parting kiss had been what had finally, FINALLY, tipped him over the edge and got him reacting.
He was pleased and he mentally prepared himself to have this out with Rabastan so that they could get their betrothal back on track. It was long overdue and it shouldn’t have taken him flirting with anyone to get Rabastan to fight for him. He should have done it because he loved and respected him and didn’t want anyone speaking to or about him in such a way, because he wanted to be with him and wouldn’t let anyone come between them, as Harry would do for him if their roles were reversed.
He took a deep breath and held it, getting himself into the right mind set to have this talk, or at least he was until a huge, powerful shove from behind had him flying into one of the numerous frosted glass tables. The edge of the table dug hard into his chest, but thankfully the table didn’t break, the glass in his hand, however, shattered into several large pieces and the glass cut his hand and arm, digging in deeply as his arm was forced against the table and then the shards dragged across his skin as he slipped to the floor after losing his feet.
For a wild moment he thought that Rabastan had actually attacked him, or even Rodolphus, but when he turned around, sitting on his folded knees as he tried to control his shock and the shaking that had started all throughout his body, it was to see Rowle standing over him.
“You will be mine!” He hissed. “Then you’ll know how big a mistake you’ve made tonight!”
“In your fucking dreams you nut job!” Harry answered back as he stood himself up, cradling his profusely bleeding right arm and locking his knees to try and stop the shaking. He felt like he was going to collapse back down to his knees at any moment.
Someone pressed against his back and an arm was wrapped tight around his waist as he was pulled back protectively, being supported and he was grateful for the hold as he knew he no longer had to fear stumbling and falling back to the floor where he’d be an easy target for Rowle. He recognised the too thin, quaking body immediately and he relaxed minutely.
“Get away from him.” Rabastan growled deeply. His strong, steady voice, as always, a complete contrast to his weak, shaky body.
“Oh, now you’re interested, Lestrange? Maybe you only like things that bleed. You two deserve one another, you’re both insane and there must be something wrong with you, Potter to actually like a cripple!”
“Do not call him that.” Harry defended easily and immediately. “Unless you want to go back into another sculpture, then we’ll see who the real cripple here is.”
Xerxes and Lucius were there in an instant and Lucius when caught sight of Harry’s bleeding arm, he immediately took hold of it and raised it into the air. Rodolphus waded over, saw Harry’s arm and his upset brother stood at Harry’s back, an arm wrapped tight around his waist to support him on his feet and he turned around and slammed a massive fist right into Rowle’s face with all the force of someone who had been aiming to hit right through the thing that they were aiming at.
Harry laughed when Rowle went flying off of his feet again, landing hard on his back. He was unconscious again and blood spurted from his mouth and nose. Rabastan’s arm clenched around his waist tight from the stress of the situation and his betrothed tried to release his one arm with his other arm. Used to this happening Harry didn’t panic and he sucked in a deep breath when he was able to, not drawing any attention to Rabastan’s slip up, especially not in this public situation, instead he patted Rabastan’s cramped arm with his good one, letting him know that it was alright.
“Come, Harry. This arm needs seeing to.” Lucius told him, his tone brooking no room for argument.
He nodded and he wriggled out from Rabastan’s hold and took hold of his hand instead, pulling him along as Lucius led them out of the Parkinson’s ballroom, still holding his arm up, bent at the elbow.
Draco followed with Narcissa and Xerxes came with a grinning, very self-satisfied Rodolphus, who was wiping blood off of his knuckles with a handkerchief.
They left the Parkinson’s winter gala and Harry found himself back in Malfoy manor where Lucius had already called for the house elf to get the medical supplies.
Rabastan ushered Harry to sit down and he sat next to him looking very worried and concerned as he used his own handkerchief from the inside pocket of his robes to dab at the blood on Harry’s fingers, taking over Lucius’ task of holding Harry’s bleeding arm up. Lucius took over again and used his wand to cut the sleeve from his robe and the shirt underneath before carefully removing it, Harry grimaced when he felt the pinch of a piece of glass being pulled out with the cloth.
His arm wasn’t as bad as his hand, but Draco still went grey when he saw the state of him.
“It’s alright, Draco. This is nothing.”
“Nothing.” Draco breathed incredulously.
Harry smiled as Lucius unstoppered a vial and dipped a clean cloth into it so that he could wash and cleanse Harry’s arm and hand.
“Wormtail cut my arm open worse than this at Voldemort’s rebirth. He cut through the main vein in my forearm.” He said mildly. “That bled so much that I needed a blood replenisher.”
Lucius’ movements stopped, but it lasted only a moment before he carried on. Harry ignored the sting and the lingering burn of the potion as he instead watched with morbid fascination as someone actually cared enough about him to clean up his cuts.
Rabastan’s arm slipped back around his waist and his hand gripped his hip in comfort as he pulled Harry to rest more firmly against him, worried still that he might collapse.
“This will be easy to heal.” Lucius told him in the quiet of the room as everyone watched Harry’s arm bleed. “They are simple, straight cuts.”
“My chest hurts too.” He admitted. He rather liked being taken care of in this way.
“Your chest?”
“He shoved me into one of those stupid tables, I wasn’t prepared for the attack, so I landed on the edge of it so it’s probably just bruised.”
“I’ll take a look at it after I’ve sorted out your hand and your arm.” Lucius told him and he sounded pleased too. As if he liked knowing that Harry wanted to be cared for.
Lucius took his wand to Harry’s arm them, meticulously healing the cuts, leaving nothing, not even a scar behind.
Rabastan was the one who used another, clean handkerchief to gently swipe away the lingering blood after the cuts were healed. Harry could barely restrain himself from grinning happily as he sat there, Rabastan beside him, Lucius crouched in front of him, as they both tended to his arm.
“I’m going to kill that Rowle.” Rabastan swore furiously, his voice tight with anger and a vicious promise.
“Don’t kill him.” Harry said mildly as he watched Lucius heal the last cut.
“Don’t tell me you still like him after he did this to you?” Rodolphus hissed.
Harry looked up at that. “No! I didn’t like him in the first place.” Harry said tightly. “I just meant that it would be much more fun to…keep them alive, so to say.”
Rodolphus’ anger cleared and he grinned that wide, evil smile that allowed Harry to clearly see how a younger Rodolphus had easily tortured two people into insanity without losing any sleep over it.
“Yes, keep him alive so that his punishment lasts longer. I do like the way that you think, Harry.”
“What about Flint?” Rabastan asked. “You seemed to be cosying right up to him!”
“Are you jealous?” Harry asked.
“You told me to stand up and defend you, from your face I could see that you wanted me to fight for you. This is me fighting for you. If Flint lays his slimy lips on you again, I’ll break him!”
Harry grinned at Rabastan, he felt utterly elated and he rested his body against Rabastan.
“I don’t like Marcus. No, that isn’t quite right. I do like him, but not in that way. He’s going to tutor me with my Runes! He said he’s going to be very blunt and hard on me, but he’ll get me achieving higher than everyone else. It’s going to be brilliant!”
“But you don’t love him? You don’t want a betrothal with him?”
Harry shook his head. “I didn’t stop loving you! Of course I don’t love Marcus or want a betrothal with him.” He insisted firmly. “You’re a thick headed idiot, but I still love you. I met Marcus for half an hour at the most, that’s not long enough for anyone to fall in love, but I do think that he’ll be a good friend. I just wanted to make you jealous so you’d damn well stop trying to push me towards other men all the time! I don’t want anyone else, I wanted you to realise that for yourself. So I decided to let you see what me being with other men was going to be like.”
“I’m definitely not going to do that again.” Rabastan told him. “Listening to Rowle ask for you to be betrothed to him, seeing Flint holding you, carrying you, kissing you…I was so angry and I hated that he was doing those things to you when I wanted it to be me. I was on my way over to you to pull you into my own arms when Rowle came up behind you and hit you. Then my anger transferred easily to him.”
“It should have been you who hit him.” Rodolphus told his brother.
“I thought it was more important to check on Harry.” Rabastan answered his brother immediately.
“Besides, you did a fantastic job.” Harry told Rodolphus with a grin. “I heard his nose break and I had a wonderful view of his eyes rolling up into the back of his head when your fist connected with his face. I think it was best to leave that to you when you so obviously enjoyed it, while I enjoyed having Rabastan’s hands on me.”
Xerxes laughed and placed a hand on Harry’s head for a moment, his thumb moved in a stroke before it was gone and Harry felt so accepted, so loved that his heart swelled with it. He felt that he’d finally found his place in the world, that he’d found his own little niche to thrive and grow in and he loved it so much.
Lucius repaired his shirt and his robes with an easy flick of his wand and very soon after that they found themselves in the drawing room, cups of hot chocolate in hand, or in Lucius and Xerxes’ cases tumblers of Firewhiskey, and Harry was curled up, resting himself on Rabastan, who was playing with his soft, potion styled hair.
Lucius had checked his chest as he changed from his dress robes into pyjamas and he had been right, just a bruise that was going to come out in a wonderful starburst of colour soon, but nothing more serious than that. Harry had swallowed a pain reliever and currently he was feeling very, very good as he cuddled with Rabastan, though he knew that very soon, likely as soon as tomorrow, they’d have to sit down and seriously sort out their thoughts and feelings. He wanted this to work, he needed this relationship to work because he wanted it so very badly, because he loved Rabastan so much. They needed to talk to one another and they needed to sort out their damn feelings before they had any hope of progressing, but as he looked up at Rabastan, who was gazing softly at him with his fingers still massaging his scalp, Harry was very, very hopeful.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ X

A/N: Harry and Rabastan got a little derailed in this chapter, but thankfully they came back together at the end! The next chapter will now be the morning after the end of this chapter, so it’ll be Christmas Day and we get to hear more from the delightful Rhadamanthus.
I don’t know when the next update will be as I’m currently trying desperately to finish another fic, Damaged Bodies, which is right on the cusp of being completed, and I want to focus a little more on that fic for the moment as well as Rise of the Drackens, for which the 98^th chapter is coming along nicely and will be updated in the weeks to come. I have far too much going on with my stories lately.
I couldn’t see any questions that required an answer, but if I have missed something, please feel free to message me, I never mind answering any questions you readers have, so until the next time, lovelies. I hope that you’ve enjoyed this chapter,
StarLight Massacre. X
- 7
- 8
- 9
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Guile and Devotion of a Black Heir