FOR SERVICES RENDERED

Farid sat in the large squashy sofa that was in one corner of Dumbledore’s office. Albus had given the boy his by now usual mug of milky coffee and a sticky bun, but today Farid had ignored this usually treasured treat and instead launched immediately into rapid Kazakh as soon as they had entered. He was gesturing wildly and Albus was nodding and occasionally saying something in return, before being overwhelmed again by whatever Farid wanted to say and it seemed that Farid wanted to say plenty!

Finally though he was quieting, listening to Albus carefully and nodding occasionally, At last Albus spread his hands palms downwards and made a patting gesture in the air, and Farid stopped talking and picked up his coffee and his sticky bun and looked at Albus and Severus expectantly

“Well Severus,” he said at last in English. “I think I have been underestimating this young man for some time and he has very definite views on how he is being treated.”

Severus’ heart sank this was it then. But surely it was too soon? Farid could not have tired of him already!

But Albus was continuing and at his next words Severus nearly fell out of his seat with shock.

“Farid is worried that you do not care about him any more. He says that he loves you with all that he is, and he wants to belong to you, and that he is scared because you don’t want him anymore and you are pushing him away, oh and that you do not want sex with him any more either.”

Severus’ mouth dropped open now, because not only was this the last thing that he was expecting Farid to be saying to Albus but also because hearing Albus casually discussing his sex life was, well not only unexpected but somewhat alarming.

But Albus continued, “Farid, also says that he does understand what we are saying about slavery but he wants to belong to you, in whatever way we will allow him to, because this world is strange to him and confusing and he feels safe with you. So Severus I hope you don’t mind but I suggested an apprenticeship, as it is after all far too late for him to start to attend school, even with the other eighth years, as his experiences are so far from theirs, that way he could remain in your chambers. I must say Severus; it is something I have been thinking about for sometime but Farid is adamant that he wants to be with you, and seems quite distressed about his perception that you do not want him anymore. And he wants me to ask him what he has done wrong so that he can stop being, in his words “not good enough for Master””

“I don’t want him anymore?” Said Severus in complete astonishment, and then immediately he had to rush over to Farid and reassure him, the poor boy had let out a gasp and dropped the coffee at Severus’ question, which he had assumed was a statement, and then of course he could only be calmed down when Albus explained to him in Kazakh that Severus had been asking a question and had not said that he did not want Farid, at least that is what Severus assumed he was saying as he was glaring at Severus and patting the boy’s back as he spoke to try and calm his trembling.

After a warning from Albus Severus proceeded to talk directly to Farid, speaking quietly, gently trying to reassure him. Severus had never even considered that Farid might be feeling this way. Used, eager to move away from Severus yes, but worried that he might not want Farid anymore, not once was that something he had ever considered.

“Farid,” he said, “Farid, look at me.” And when Farid did as he was told, turning those dark, dark eyes of his on him, today missing the occasional green glints that they emitted, so sad as they were right now. Severus nearly melted inside, he could see all the way to the boy’s soul. Farid had let down any defences he had ever put up and Severus as a superb Legilimens could read the raw need, the want of Severus to look after him, the plea that Farid sent him from the bottom of his heart.

“Look after me,” it said “love me, please love me.” And Severus could not help himself, he knew that the boy needed to be reassured, how could he have forgotten that look of love that the boy kept bestowing on him? How could he have forgotten to look at those eyes, those beautiful dark eyes so full of need for his master?

“I will not leave you Farid,” he said, “not as long as you need me, I….I care for you very much, but one day, one day soon you might want to go away, be with someone else, someone less…. Bad tempered than me, less ugly….more attractive, more loveable perhaps?”

But at Severus’s words Farid was shaking his head and before he knew it his arms were once again full of shaking sobbing boy. A boy who was denying his words, “Masteerr, not nugly, Masteerr, beautiful, so beautiful, Farid lof Masteerr always lof Masteerr.” And he was being covered in wet kisses and finally he grabbed hold of this wriggling ball of passion and kissed him firmly, until he stopped squirming and instead looked deep into Severus’s eyes again.

Severus was not sure what Farid read in his eyes, what he saw in Severus soul. But he got down from his lap and knelt on the floor bending his head and he said,

“Masteerr, Farid lof dyou, always serve you.” Severus could feel the boy’s conviction, that he believed with every atom of his being, in what he was saying was undeniable. Against, all odds Severus suspected, finally believed that the boy truly did love him, with such passion and sincerity that Severus was deeply, deeply moved. And he vowed to put aside his doubts and do whatever the boy needed to grow, to be strong and to try to get past all that had been done to him.

So he reached down and took the boy’s shoulders. “Farid,” he said, “get up and look at me again, I need you to listen very carefully,” Now he looked at Albus, “anything you do not understand Albus will translate okay?”

Farid looked at him again, and the need still shone in his eyes. So Severus told him that he would be there for him always, whenever he was needed and Farid just had to say what he wanted and Severus would do his best to give whatever it was to Farid and he would be Farid’s Master and Farid could be his slave if that what was he wanted and Severus would always want him and love him.

And then Farid cuddled up beside him and the three of them in a peculiar combination of English and Kazakh, discussed what would happen when the students returned. Albus explained to Farid, that sometimes he would join the eighth years for extra tuition, he also explained that most schools only had seven years of magical education, but because they had had to close for a year several years ago, when a little girl had died and the hands of a very bad man called Tom Riddle and children had been kept away, Hogwarts had eight age years of students. He told Farid that the oldest students would be the same age as Farid and with them he might even find friends.

Farid had asked them then what friends were and Albus had explained. Farid had insisted that he had friends now, Albus, the house elves and of course his master.

And Albus and smiled and had said that one could never have too many friends and that friendship would help Farid grow and that every one would think that Farid was Severus’ apprentice and that he should call him sir in public, but that when they were alone together, Farid could be whatever he needed to be and Severus would help him, and support him and love him.

They told him that he had to know these things because the students would be back tomorrow and they would not understand about Farid and Severus, because they could never understand what had happened to Farid and Farid opened his mouth to say something, but whatever he was about to say was never heard because just at that moment a large brown bird flew into the room and landed on Albus’s desk and he apologised, saying that he was expecting this message and he would just have to read it.

Farid sat patiently whilst the headmaster read his note, and said nothing at all, he was apprehensive about tomorrow, he now knew that the other children who were due to arrive the next day would view him as different, they would have had normal lives, and not have spent their childhood’s enslaved by vampires and Farid would be strange to them, so he would have to pretend. But Farid could do that, for his master, because his master said he loved him, and with that Farid was content.

But then Albus Grey Beard looked up from the note that he was reading and his eyes were shining.

“Severus, oh Severus!” He said, this note is from Remus and Sirius; “ they think they have found him at last, the Chosen One, Harry Potter! We are saved Severus, we are saved.”

And Farid remembered

He remembered being an awful lot smaller than he was now, his first day at school, a woman a nice one, who had taken his hand in hers, had actually touched him kindly, actually wanted to touch him at all, he had thought he was disgusting, untouchable but she did not seem to think so and had taken his hand without cringing away or wiping her own hand at his touch.

“Don’t you know your name child? I have called it three times now. That’s you silly, Harry. Harry Potter. Didn’t you know?" But Farid hadn’t known. He’d thought his name was “Freak” That was the word carved into his hip, after all the only word he could read. Farid, felt cold all over, because he remembered, finally remembered trying hard not to forget his name, all that time in that cold, lonely cage he had tried to hold on to the fact that he was a boy called Harry and not a slave called Farid, but they had beaten him and hurt him and finally he had submitted and forgotten, because Harry was free and had maybe had a future someday away from those who hated him, but Farid was different, he never could be free again.

But Albus was talking once more and he was so happy, because he was saying that they were saved, now that they had found Harry Potter and Farid was scared all over again. Because he knew that whoever this strange boy was he was not this mysterious thing called “a chosen one,” because he was not Harry Potter and if Albus Grey Beard was pleased that they had found this boy wouldn’t he be disappointed when he realised that they really hadn’t and that Farid and Harry Potter were one and the same?

Then his master had grabbed his hand and was leaving the office, and because Farid had not really been listening, but instead trying to make sense of all he had heard he did not know why his master seemed so angry. But he was following Master now, and Master was moving so fast that Farid had to run to keep up with him, and he determined that when they returned to Master’s chambers he would ask him because Master had said he could ask anything and that he would help him.

But when they reached Master’s rooms, Master was in a towering rage and he was shouting and Farid had never, not once seem him like this.

“Fucking Harry Potter!!” He was shouting, “that’s all he can talk about, I knew it. The boy has green eyes and dark hair just like the Potter baby was known to, so now we can all go hang, and the spoiled little brat will come waltzing in here, just like his father did, taking over, bullying everyone. Just like fucking James did! Come here Farid, I need you now, I need to fuck you, is that alright with you?”

Master had taken Farid’s face in his hand and was looking into his eyes, so Farid nodded and before he knew it he was on his back and being prepared

“Hard Farid,” Master growled, “Hard for me,” so Farid was and the blue collar was around his neck and Farid did not know how to feel, he felt safe and loved and protected as Farid, as his master’s hands ran over his naked body and caressed him and stroked him, and as Master's lips told him how much he was loved and before he knew it Master was inside him and he felt filled and safe and possessed.

But Master had been muttering about Harry Potter and how much he hated him, and how much more he hated his father and Farid thought, even as Master pounded into him brushing his prostate with every stroke and even as he came harder than he ever had before when Master commanded him to do so, that he could never tell him who he really was, because Master hated Harry Potter, but he did not hate Farid.

So even as Master grew heavy on top of him and sank into sleep Farid strengthened the glamour determined that Master would never see his eyes coloured like death as they were, and he must never see the scars that marred his forehead and his hip, that Yusuf had first covered all those years ago because Master hated Harry Potter and he hated his father James and Farid knew that’s why his uncle must have hated him too. And as Master slept on he promised himself that he would not jeopardise Master’s love and when they brought this other boy to Hogwarts he would not say anything because if Master did not love him, then he might as well be dead.

Then finally with that decision made the frantic boy let himself drift slowly to sleep held tightly, desperately in the arms of the man he loved beyond all reason.