Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

New Skin	By : magentasouth Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Tom Views: 12893 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I neither own nor profit from any part of the Harry Potter universe

Chapter List
- 1-Ch 1
- 2-Ch 2
- 3-Ch 3
- 4-Ch 4
- 5-Ch 5
- 6-Ch 6
- 7-Ch 7
- 8-Ch 8
- 9-Ch 9
- 10-Chapter 10
- 11-Ch 10.5
- 12-Chapter 10part 3
- 8
- 9
- 10
This must be what living within Gringotts would be
like, Tom observed with displeasure.�
Everywhere metal gantries and the doors were like vault doors.. � or like doors in muggle ships
or submarines.� He had not had the
opportunity (nor desired an opportunity) to examine such edifices before but he
had been made peripherally aware of the things in his youth.�

They were very...solid.. to one who could not use
magic.�

And the strangely thick and oily feeling of Potter�s wards � wards which the
boy had had to lead him through by the hand
-� only worsened
his unease.� He paced away to the bed,
feeling trapped..�

The room was spartan.�
A small metallic box with a generous single bed, a tiny desk and
metallic chair, a set of shelves with clothing stacked neatly within, a small
narrow and unappealing sofa that seemed mere fabric covered board.
�I�m
sorry!�
The
incongruity of the first words to spill from the apparent �commander� of the
order of the phoenix stilled him in his pacing.�
He turned slowly, narrowing his eyes at the youth.

Potter stood, visibly distressed, green eyes burning
and glassy.
�What
exactly are you apologising for?� Tom managed sourly.�
Harry
took three quick steps toward him and it was with the utmost self control that
he forced himself not to take a step backward in response.
�I
shouldn�t have left you.. I should have refused to go,
that night.

No, it was already ruined by then � really, I shouldn�t have held you
down.� If I hadn�t done that then you wouldn�t have made me
leave and he wouldn�t have had the
chance to..�
Tom
glared sharply.� If the boy mentioned it.. if he used the word...

Harry seemed to comprehend and stilled, looking down apologetically.�

Pressing his lips into a hard line, Tom considered his options.
�I
agree.� It was beyond unacceptable.� And it is also irrelevant now.� Why am I here, Potter?!�

Even if you manage to recapture Severus � According to his explanations to me
during the extraction procedures, the transformation process is known only to
him and is exceedingly complex.� Assuming
it were
possible to draw the knowledge from him, it would not be possible to duplicate
his skill, and the man himself cannot be trusted to administer it to me.� I will not submit myself to unconsciousness
in his presence.�

There is thus no reason for me to remain here.�
Have one of your servants prepare portkeys to
each of the major cities in South America.�
I will take my chances as a muggle once again.�
The
distressed boy before him seemed to become even more panicky.� �No!�
Please, Tom � I�ll fix it!� I�ll
make him do it somehow.. or
I�ll find another way.� I can�t let you..� you
can�t...� don�t.. Please don�t leave!

Harry wrung his hands and seemed on the brink of leaping at him.� �I.. I need
you..�� I can�t do this!� They all think I can, but they�re wrong!� All I know is how to dance..
how to get someone into my bed.. I haven�t got a clue
about purebloods or the ministry or any of the stuff I�d need to fool Lucius Malfoy and get support from the others.� �I
can�t do it!��

I can be a slave..�
I�m good at that..� I can talk to the
others.. I can.. I can serve you..� But if you go..� If you leave � everything will fall apart
because he�ll figure out that I�m not Draco and then he�ll drag the information
out of me and everything will be ruined.�
Britain will be lost.

Look.. I know.. that you.. you
can�t stand the sight of me anymore.� I�m
sorry!� I�m so sorry!!!� I can�t help
that.� Soon I�ll look different, though
and you won�t have to ever think about that again.�

Please, Tom..
You know it wasn�t me.� Not really!�� It won�t be so bad if I look like that boy
in the file folder � surely!��

And �and if it is, you don�t have to fuck me.�
You can just..��
Harry�s face tightened slightly and he swallowed �-torture me.. or something.� Whatever you want.� I�ll do it.�
Just stay!�
Tom felt
his own lip curl slightly into something between a sneer and a snarl.� This display was too similar to the simpering
begging that the boy had given him in New Zealand.� It had been pure deception then and the odds
were good that it was equally false now.�

�You are a blemish, Potter.� He hissed� �Since I first laid eyes upon you, my
every move has been-�
He was
interrupted by the dull clank of the boy dropping to his knees on the metallic
floor.�

�Punish me.� Just..
just do whatever you need to do.� I won�t ever resist again.� Just.. �
Tom found
his own heel lashing out at Harry�s face before he even fully registered the
words.�� It didn�t matter if the boy was a lying little wretch � he really emphatically wished to hurt him right
now.

The youth flew backward with an oof
and blood bloomed from his nose, racing down his face.� It was gratifying.�

Bare footed, he kicked the boy squarely between his splayed knees and then
raised his leg again, stamping down in the same place.� Harry gave a choked cough and retched,
clenching his eyes, his body curling slightly in defense
as his hands cupped himself.�

Tom moved forward and stamped down upon his stomach with his heel.� This seemed to choke the boy further. �He grunted his pain as the wind was knocked
out of him.�

Harry�s struggling breaths, tight with agony, pushed the idea into Tom�s head further.� He moved to straddle Harry�s belly, sitting
down hard and thereby pinning the boy�s hands (as they were still tightly
gripping his own wounded balls).� Thus
positioned, with unimaginable satisfaction, he wrapped his hands around the
slender white throat, narrowing Harry�s airway slowly but surely.�

There was a new panic in the Avada green eyes as Harry wrenched them open,
looking up with tear blurred terror into Tom�s face.
�Yes, Potter.
That�s right.� Don�t resist.� I am merely doing.. what I need to
do..� Lie still..
It will not take long.�
Harry
blinked a few times and Tom felt the arms pinned beneath him struggle
slightly.� He smiled down at the boy and
tightened his grip around his throat, appreciating the reddening flush of the
hated face of his enemy.
Then the
boy beneath him went entirely limp.� He
simply looked up at him acceptingly, eyes wide and popped with pressure.�� His lips formed, with difficulty the word
�please�.

Tom held on until he passed out.
Then he
slapped him hard till he stirred.�

When Harry awoke with a start, he punched him in the mouth and replaced his
hands over the boy�s throat.�� Harry
panicked a little in disorientation before returning to himself and then once
again going limp and acquiescent.� This
time he did not plead.� A few tears slid
down the sides of his face but he stared up into Tom�s face with something that
looked disturbingly like resignation and trust.
After he
had throttled the boy to unconsciousness for the fourth time it became
tedious.�� He glanced about the room for
something else to use on Harry.�

There was nothing of much interest.� The
room was at best functional and at worst rather reminiscent of a prison
cell.� Nothing was surplus here.�� He stood smoothly and stepped back from the
prone, and now somewhat more bloodied, boy who lived.
�Get
up.� Do not turn over.� Balance on your hands and feet.� Raise your body.�
Harry
struggled to comply, obviously still in considerable discomfort from his
kicks.� He failed to drag himself up at
first but eventually, with difficulty managed to pull himself sufficiently
aloft to form a horizontal plane with his body.�
Tom narrowed his eyes.� �Higher�
he demanded.� The boy strained his
muscles and arched just a little more, lifting up a few inches.�
�Remain
as you are.�
Satisfied
for the moment, Tom stalked to the back of the boxy room and sat down on the
bed.�

It was suitably comfortable.�� He pushed
himself back till he could lean against the wall and watched contentedly as the
uncomfortable position the boy held became painful and then intolerable. �Although it did not take more than a few
minutes, the boy endured longer than he expected in light of the previous abuse,
he noted with vague appreciation.� When the
shaking of his thighs and arms set in eventually Harry alternated between
holding his head up and letting it fall back.�
Both positions were obviously increasingly uncomfortable for him.
�Tom...�
he bit out breathlessly when his entire body was shaking in painful tension
�please.. I.. can�t..�
�You will
remain as you are until I choose to release you or you will go and retrieve the
portkeys I require.� Tom informed him dryly.
The
tightening of the �savior�s� jaw as he clenched his
teeth and managed to nod was quite aesthetically pleasing, he decided.� Almost pleasant enough to forget how it had
felt when he had...

No.� No he would not think of that.� He did not want the feeling of helplessness
to infect this quite enjoyable moment.
Harry
struggled on for another few minutes.� It
was clear that every second was an ongoing battle for him.� Tom watched as he tried to take the tension
off his limbs one by one, and smiled wider, knowing that this would only increase
his difficulties.

When the boy�s stomach started to dip below the horizontal, Tom slid off the
bed and strolled over, gripping him lightly at the waist and lifting him up to
the desired height.�

Harry had opened his eyes and looked up at him hopefully,
gratefulness hovering on the edge of his expression.� When Tom let go of him again the moment that
his muscles were tensed to the appropriate degree, the hope in the green eyes
died again and he clenched them once more, furrowing his brows in concentration.

Tom smirked and returned to his position on the bed to watch Harry continue to
battle his own body�s will to collapse.
�You may
rest� he offered pseudo-generously when he observed the boy slowly subsiding in
exhaustion again, his belly dipping down out of the arch.
Harry let
himself drop onto the floor at once, panting, and scrunching his face in
discomfort.� After a few seconds his
hands wandered to his thighs, trying to massage the muscles that were,
doubtless, cramping and twanging in reaction.�
�Enough�
Tom said with great satisfaction. �Resume the position�
Harry�s
eyes shot open and he looked over at him in horrified disbelief.�

�Tom!� I.. can�t
yet.� I need a minute.� My legs-�
�Now.� Or the portkeys.� It is entirely your choice, Potter.�
Harry
wailed low in frustration and forced his cramping limbs to obey, struggling
back up into a lopsided and half collapsed arch.� One of his legs was bouncing as the muscles
in it spasmed.��
He was still
suffering in that state several minutes later when there was a knock at the
door.�

Tom found himself unreasonably pleased when the pitiful wretch did not even
attempt to move out of his pose and turned his head questioningly to Tom.
�Very well.� Answer it� �he commanded with a
satisfied smirk.
Harry
lowered himself more carefully this time and caught his breath.�

The knock at the door sounded again more loudly and there was a slightly
worried cadence to it now.�
�Yeah, yeah.� Hold
your bloody horses, Mione� the black haired boy on the floor muttered, turning
slowly and lifting himself up onto rubbery limbs.�
He limped
to the door and unlocked it, opening it slowly.�
The
familiar blonde wizard on the other side looked him over solicitously � his
face drawing sharply in shock.�

�Oh my God.. WHAT
has he done to you now?!� I only left you alone for an hour and a half
and he was supposed to be sleeping, wasn�t he?!�
Your face is covered in blood and you can barely stand!� Harry!�
You can�t do this!� I won�t let
you do this to yourself!�� The once-witch reached forward to try to grab Potter by the arm and
drag him out of the room but her hands met the edge of the ward as if it were a
solid surface.

�Harry!� I�m serious � you have to come
with me now.� You can�t stay with
him.� He�ll kill you!�
Tom
scrutinised the green eyed boy�s reaction.�
Harry seemed to sigh slightly and responded in a weary voice.� �I�m fine, Mione.� You�re always fussing.� Tom didn�t do much to me.� I�m tired because I�ve been working out and
the punch � well I deserved it, anyway.�
I�d forgotten about the blood.��
I�ll wash it off in a bit.�� You
have news about Snape.�
The
blonde wizard frowned, her/his eyes flicking between Harry�s weary stubbornness
and Tom�s restrained smugness.� It was
obvious that the boy�s lie had not fooled Hermione and that she understood it
to mean that Harry would not allow her to persuade him to leave.� Tom tilted his head slightly, allowing his
smile to widen maliciously.� The blue
eyes darted away from his own quickly, settling back on green orbs and hardening.

�Fine.� I think
you�re an idiot, Harry.� But if you�re
not willing to listen to reason, I�m not going to watch you self destruct.�� We�ve tracked Severus to Nepal but he�s put
up anti portkey wards.�� He�s probably trying to locate and extract
the splinter.� He won�t be able to, but
for the moment we have a choice between sending a party to recover him or waiting for him to leave the anti portkey
ward.�

I�d recommend we go after him.� If we
give him enough time he�ll figure out a way to get around the splinter without
removing it.�� I haven�t found any but
that doesn�t mean that he won�t.� He and
I don�t exactly think alike.� I�ve no
idea what approaches might occur to him that I haven�t considered.�
Harry
seemed to think on the matter.� �I�ll go
after him..� he said finally, with a grimace.� �I�m the only one who can order him in..�
With
surprise Tom heard himself countermanding the resolution.

�No.� Send others.� You will remain here, Potter.�
The
blonde wizard was nodding.� �As much as I
hate to agree with anything that he
might say � you can�t go after him Harry.�
He�s not stupid.� If he�s trying
to get away from us then he�s going to be prepared for you if you come.� We can�t afford the risk... maybe you should
come to the control centre with me and oversee things though.
Harry
however had turned when Tom had interjected and was looking at him with that
damnable hope in his eyes again.�

�No.. I�ll stay right here, Mione.� You can keep me updated.� Send Whitehall, Jellicote,
Moorly, Anders, and Simeon.� I don�t care who else goes but don�t send Switht
or Banks.�
He was
already closing the door on the distressed response of the blonde, locking it
absently and then turning back toward Tom.�

It was with a low burning determination that he slowly lowered himself to his
knees and waited, his eyes fixed to Tom�s own.
It took
only a slight cooling of Tom�s expression to shift the green eyes submissively
to the ground, nevertheless Potter remained silent; waiting.
He
examined the picture of contrite hopeful obedience before him while idly
considering what else he might do to the boy.��
After a while, Harry shifted slightly on his sore knees before steeling
himself and stilling once more.�
Perhaps
he could.. balance.. the feeling of being overpowered by Severus in Potter�s
form.� Perhaps..if
he were to re-enact the event..with the roles reversed?...

Tom considered the prospect from all angles.�
It was not.. entirely
loathsome to him.� He might be able to be
persuaded to carry out the act without too much revulsion.�

The slight twitch from the region of his pants informed him that the flesh was
quite willing to be a party to the idea.�
�Disrobe.�
The boy
did not raise his head, did not shift his eyes.�
He did not flinch or stiffen or display any untoward movement at all.

Nevertheless relief, hope and joy streamed from him unmistakeably.� His fingers moved quickly and efficiently to
his robe fastenings, freeing them and then slipping the robe off his shoulders
to the floor and reaching for the hem of his teeshirt.�

He was unclothed within seconds it seemed and his body clearly displayed the
unhealed scars and bruises of their time together
Tom
examined his own reaction to the development uneasily.�� It was quite paradoxical.� He had hardened further and the faint burn of
desire was welling up however his stomach was swirling queasily and he knew
that the speeding of his heart and the chilly prickling of his skin into
gooseflesh was not a product of
lust.�

He felt confused by the conflicting impulses within him to approach and retreat
simultaneously.�� If anything, it was the
small pull to touch the wretched boy even now that was most disconcerting.� The need to escape was entirely logical to
his mind.
�Clothe
yourself and leave, Potter� he snarled, turning his gaze away from the exposed
youth.� �I have changed my mind.� I wish to rest and I will not do so while you
remain here.�
The
kneeling wizard reacted with sudden and unexpected violence � and with strength
that Tom had in no way expected him to have, in light of how weak he had
appeared � he launched himself at him upon the bed, catching him off guard and
bearing him down to the mattress effortlessly.�
It was all Tom could do to hold in the entirely improper cry of fright
that had filled his throat.� He struggled
with frantic mindlessness, managing to knee and kick
the unclothed body above him several times to no effect.� Harry allowed him to do so with terrible
pitiless patience, his face above Tom�s own calm and determined.� Eventually in despair and frustration,
exhausted, Tom stilled again, trying to catch his breath.

�Let me go� he hissed, hating the desperation bleeding through in his voice. �Get
off me, Potter or I shall..�� he hesitated, unable
to come up with any viable threat at all.�
�I.. I..will..� he
fumbled even as hot burning tears prickled at the corners of his eyes
dangerously, threatening to fall and broadcast his weakness to his worst enemy.
Harry�s
voice was low and soft; unsettling him even more in its gentleness. �It�s ok,
Tom.� I won�t do anything.� And...and
I won�t leave again.� Not after last
time.� I shouldn�t have left you
alone.� I�m sorry.� I really am.�
I should have protected you better.�

Tom felt twin icy pearls of salt water escape the corners of his eyes and sear
down the sides of his face, damning him.�
He clenched his traitorous eyes shut and fought to keep further moisture
restrained within.
�Spare me
your condescending drivel, boy.� I do not
require anything from you.� You will
arrange for me to leave this place at once.�

Even he could not ignore the contradiction in his words and the sharp bitter
awareness of his own dependency upon his enemy�s generosity stabbed him again
painfully.
�No.� Harry
murmured sadly from close above him.� �No.� I won�t.�
I�m sorry for that too, Tom.� It
probably isn�t any consolation to you, considering how much you hate to lose
control � but you won�t remember what happened to you soon and then-�
The
former Dark Lord�s mind spun as he wrenched his eyes open in horror to meet
once again the disconcertingly calm green gaze of the former �boy� who lived.� Harry looked reluctant and sorrowful but,
equally, resolute and unwavering.� He was
going to have him obliviated!!�

�NO!!� he gasped out desperately, interrupting what Potter was about to inform
him would happen after he had had his memory reamed by some, most likely
insufficiently skilled, subordinate witch or wizard. �NO!� YOU CANNOT!!� he half demanded, half
pleaded.� And then he did plead, despising himself for it even
as he was incapable of suppressing it.� �Please!��
Please, Potter!� Harry.�
Do not.. don�t..
I...� My mind.. Please... I can�t...�
Harry�s
face had taken on a pained tightness and his soft voice broke at first when he
tried to speak. �...I don�t know how else to fix this� he confessed.� �I don�t know how to help you.�� If you forget
what happened...maybe...�
Tom shook
his head urgently, beseeching with his eyes. �You would do exactly as Severus
intended.. you would addle my
reason to force me to submit to your will.�
Please..�
Let me go!� Let me return to the
life I had before I stumbled upon you in that bar.� You need never concern yourself that I will
seek to harm you again.� Let me live free
and in possession of my faculties.�

He was frightened to realise that he meant it.�
If he could only return to the miserable state of bare survival he
subsisted in up till last Saturday night, he would take care never to allow his
path to cross again with Harry Potter or, indeed, any other from the wizarding
world.�� He would content himself with
the awareness each time he woke in the cold, that he
was free to come and go as he pleased and, if careful, would not be molested,
brainwashed or enslaved in any way. �
�I.. need you� Harry whispered sadly.� �I�m sorry.�
His lips
did not move in the slightest but Tom felt the faint whispery tingle of a spell
flash over him.� In shock and sudden
understanding he caught the other wizard�s apologetic expression and
comprehended the reason for the thick oily texture of the wards he had had to
be brought through to enter this chamber.�
Harry had been utterly certain that he would be safe here with him
because the room had a selective dampening field.� It was shielded from external detection or
engagement and Harry�s was the only magic that would function within its
confines. �The boy had voluntarily submitted himself to the physical
punishment that Tom had required of him, probably in the hope that this would
assuage the tension between them now and bring him back to a position from
which he could manipulate the Dark Lord with desire and flattery.

Tom did not even waste the effort of fighting against the partial body bind.� His terror at imminent cognitive violation
had given way to a paralysing mortification at his own foolishness and
credulity. �Potter was in no way weak.� He was, rather, an even better actor than Tom
himself had been at his age.� The
knowledge was bitter that he would shortly be forced to forget all the events
that had led him to understand how completely the boy was in mastery of their
situation.� He would be led by the nose
once again; believing himself in control; believing himself fortunate.
�You won�t
believe me, but I really do regret it, Tom�

The words were indeed meaningless.

�If I thought there was another way...�� Harry
shook his head sadly� �But
we don�t have the time to waste on
this.� It shouldn�t have happened.� I didn�t know about..�
he hesitated and his face tightened marginally before he continued ��-about your..uh.. history.. with Sev � or i�d
have taken it into account when I was planning.�
He shouldn�t have had the opportunity to-� Again
the boy broke off and this time closed his eyes, bowing his head slightly with
harsh recrimination on his face.� When he
looked up again and met Tom�s eyes, his expression was flinty and his gaze
could have cut diamonds.

�No one will ever know but me, Tom.� What
he did - It never happened!� When I get Sev back
here, I�ll take the memory from him too and then it�ll be gone.� No one will find out.� You�ll never have to know.�
Tom shook
his head slightly, wanting to shrink away from that Avada green stare.�� Never before had he had the slightest
inkling of how others might have felt when faced with him.

�Please... don�t!� he whimpered,
unable even to care that he sounded pathetic.
Harry
ignored him entirely and raised one hand, placing his fingertips delicately on
the plane of Tom�s forehead in a precise alignment with the four most significant
pressure points, his thumb resting just above the bridge of Tom�s nose for
stability.�

Somewhere within his blinding panic, he was reassured that the boy at least knew
what he was doing in this arena.� His
hand was perfectly arrayed for the least damaging form of wandless targeted-obliviation.� The
practiced ease with which he had found the pressure points made clear that Harry
had used this tool often in the past.�

He hoped that the boy had not obliviated him
before.� He truly had no way of knowing.�� With that assumption however, and the
realisation that his mind was not about to be butchered, the horror gave way
slightly for something almost approximating relief.�

The knowledge.. the memory.. of his weakness would be gone.� No one would know, Potter had said.� He would not have to experience that
sickening fear any longer.

Not quite understanding why he was doing it, beyond the fact that he was
presently so degraded that the honesty changed little, he allowed his thoughts
to slip across his tongue in a whisper.
�Thank
you� ��
This, of all things stopped the
beautiful youth poised above him.�� He
felt Harry�s fingers slip from his skin as the hand moved from his field of
vision. ��

Cautiously, as if sudden movement might break the fragile permissiveness of the
moment, Harry leaned lower and finally slowly brushed his lips against Tom�s own.�

The feeling was as always magnetic and pleasurable.� Without thought, he parted his lips, seeking
to deepen the chaste kiss he was receiving.�
The younger wizard allowed it and responded tentatively.�
Harry�s
kiss was a broken, careful thing, redolent of uncertainty, regret and sorrow
and he did not try to take the lead and plunder Tom�s mouth. ��However, as Tom�s own tongue slipped, hot and
wet, into the other�s mouth; supple muscles each slowly stroking and caressing
the other; he felt Harry�s arms slide beneath him, holding him gently and protectively.� His eyes slid closed and, for once, he gave
himself over to the pure sensation.�
There was, incomprehensibly, something quite freeing in utter
powerlessness. �Nothing could be done against the visually stunning and magically
formidable wizard who was presently running his fingers tenderly through Tom�s
hair, unwinding his mind with slow, pleasurable arousal.� Even the disturbing feeling of not being in
control was twisted into something like excitement.� He had no particular will to do anything to stop Harry.�
He could enjoy this and know that he would not remember having done so
later.� It evoked a strange peace in his
mind.
It was
over all too quickly.� Harry broke away
with a pained expression, his eyes dropping in miserable, guilty aversion.
�Sorry�
he whispered again, his voice thick.� �I
wish...�
Tom didn�t
find out what Harry wished because in the next moment the distraught boy had
shivered and forcibly pulled himself together.�
It was the harder, more resolute wizard that gazed down upon him then
and placed his fingertips once more upon Tom�s forehead.

�This is all I can offer you� he murmured.
Harry did
not speak the incantation aloud, but Tom felt the foggy confusion settling upon
him at once.� He didn�t struggle against
it � it would be futile to try and in truth, he no longer even wished to fight
this � he embraced the sensation as the spell caught him up and dragged him
down beneath the misty waters into that greater peace of unconsciousness.�
...
�I would
like to state once again how unwise I
consider this course of action to be.�
You have no comprehension how
dangerous the-�
�I�ve
already decided, Severus.� I don�t want
to argue about it anymore.�� This is what
we�re going to do.� Start the prep.�
Tom,
dozing lightly, furrowed his brow at the voices and drifted closer to
waking.�
�There is
only one chance for this, Harry!� I agree with the Professor!� You should take the part of Draco.� He doesn�t
even know him.� He isn�t going to deal
well with the realities of Draco�s life there and then what will you do?!� You can�t exactly come and go there freely as
a slave!� You won�t even have full access
to your magic!� It�s too great a risk to
put him-�
�Shh.�
�What?!�
�Tom?�� Harry�s voice called softly.� He had moved closer than where he had been
speaking from before.
�Tom � I�m
sorry if we woke you up.� Severus is
ready to start the procedure and he was just getting impatient.� Another friend of mine has come to assist him
with everything.�
Reluctantly,
Tom cracked his eyes open a slit and squinted up at the boy hovering nervously
near the side of his bed.� The black �playroom�
that Severus had transfigured for them to use last night had apparently been
transfigured back into a nondescript white walled bedroom while he still slept.�� It unsettled him that the use of so much
magic in his sleeping presence had not woken him.

He recalled vaguely that he was irritated with Harry.� The boy had done... something.. or other... last night, right at
the end of their play together.� Whatever
it was had ruined the otherwise eminently satisfying sex and caused him to send
the boy from the room.�� He couldn�t
quite recall what it was, but his mind was still uncurling from the coil of
sleep.��

Yawning, he stretched subtly beneath the covers and raised a brow at the wizard
wringing his hands nervously now.��
�Is
coffee likely in the near future?� he enquired pointedly.
Harry
grimaced and shook his head slightly.� �fraid not.� We need to be... uh... evacuated too, before
we start.� No eating or drinking anything
beforehand.� The pod Severus designed
will supply us with liquid nutrients while we are regenerating over the next
three days.�
�It
really would be preferable for you to -� Severus� voice hailed across the room
disapprovingly.
�We are sharing the Pod.� Harry gritted back, interrupting
her/him with clenched teeth and an irritated expression
There was
something wrong.
Tom blinked
and tilted his head slightly, trying to put his finger on what exactly it
was.��
�You can
adjust the values for the mass and Herman will help you with the second layer
of the incantations.� The decision is made, Snape!� Stop fussing now!�
It was something
about the little girl Severus, Tom decided.��
Something odd about the way she.. he.. appeared this morning.��

He examined the thought even as his eyes rested pensively on the bobbing
ponytail of the girl who was turned away talking in a hushed angry voice to
another tall male with curly reddish blonde hair and glasses.

Harry broke his concentration, stepping in between him and the couple at the
other side of the room and catching Tom�s eye.

The earnest, worried discomfort on the aesthetically pleasing face distracted
his mind from the nagging conviction that something was not right with the
potions master.
�Tom...My Lord...I.. I�m
sorry that I..� he broke off and swallowed.� �about last night.. you know.. saying those stupid
things.� I didn�t think.� It was just... just the afterglow � you know?�� I didn�t mean..� I..� I�m sorry that I
made you angry.�
Tom hadn�t
the slightest notion what the boy was babbling on about.� Frowning, he struggled to recall what had
happened the previous evening.� Most of
the evening was clear and became clearer as he inspected the memory.�

The thoughts of what he had done with Harry were somewhat distracting however -
particularly upon first waking - and he startled, mortified, at the resulting
effect on his nether regions, shifting in the bed and rearranging the blanket
in the hope of disguising his unintentional response.�� If Harry noticed, he did not draw attention
to the fact.
�We will
discuss it at a more opportune time� he answered curtly, turning his mind
quickly to less stimulating thoughts.� �What
is to happen next?�
Harry
seemed relieved.
�well... right now Severus is preparing the pod in the next
room � it needs to...uh.. warm up or..or.. melt or something.� I don�t really know.� Then we will wash and be thoroughly
scourgified.� All our hair will be
removed and..��
Harry paused and pulled a mildly squeamish face �and..
um... our fingernails and teeth too unfortunately�

Tom gave a moue of distaste before nodding.

�and then we take the initial potion and severus will position us in the pod� Harry went on, glancing
distractedly over his shoulder to check on the others, who were still
apparently debating something.

�Then Severus gives us the primary potion and we sleep.� During that time some kind of spells need to
be cast at various points to.. er.. I don�t really know � this is all not my area,
Tom.� Herman is the one who understands
these things.� I just know that we take a
potion and then it�s really complicated with transporting potions directly into
certain areas of the pod and casting wards and movement spells, heating,
drying, liquefaction, solidification, calcification..� They explained it to me but its a bit above my head.�
Tom
peered around the green eyed wizard in front of him at the potions master in
the little witch body.� Again he had the
feeling of not quite rightness.�
Something was off about him/her.
�Tom!�
Harry demanded tensely. �we should shower.� The sooner we�re ready, the sooner we can
start and the sooner we can finish.� You�ll be able to use magic again.� You were impatient yesterday.� Are you having second thoughts?�
Tom shook
his head absently, still puzzling over what was not right about what he was
seeing.� �No.. and you will modify your tone, Harry.�� He broke off his contemplation and glanced
back at the apprehensive looking wizard watching him tensely.� The worry on Harry�s face melted away as soon
as he met Tom�s eyes.�
�Good� he
responded, sounding relieved and completely ignoring the mild chastisement.� �you had me worried
for a moment there.� I�ll show you the
bathroom and check on how Severus and Herman are going � it shouldn�t take
long.�
Tom
tilted his head thoughtfully.� There had
been a very faint note in Harry�s voice when he mentioned the potions master
and his assistant.� It sounded hard and
cold...hinting vaguely at the prospect of some unresolved conflict that had
taken place while he slept.� The
impression tacked itself onto his growing sense of unease.� Something was not as it seemed.��

It would be wise, he decided, to discover exactly what it was before he was incapacitated and rendered
helpless for three days.
He
glanced at Harry�s offered hand disdainfully and pushed back the covers, rising
out of the bed unassisted and stalking in the direction of the door.
It did
not escape his attention that Harry leapt to join him at his side and, seemingly
coincidentally took his hand without permission, dragging his attention in his
direction just as he approached the potion master-in-witch-skin.� He snarled a rebuke and snatched his hand
away but the entire exchange and resulting apologies was distracting enough
that they were at the door before he thought to turn and glance back.�
And recognised,
with a sudden jolt, exactly what was �off� about Severus.
It was
the shimmer.� The very
faint shimmer that one caught only out of the corner of one�s eye when looking
at him/her.
He was
wearing a glamour.�
As far as Tom could tell � a full-body glamour,
which in and of itself was an unusual thing to employ.� Severina looked
exactly as sHe had the previous evening,
therefore the glamour could not be there for enhancement.�

What then was the potions master seeking to disguise?!
�

Author note.
Review replies can be found at
http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/18725-review-replies/
- 8
- 9
- 10
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

New Skin