The Rules of the Game

Chapter 14

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“Harry, come on in!” God that voice! Some people’s voices were just at that certain pitch that grated on your nerves. Pansy was one of them, and Lockhart was definitely another.

“Now Harry, I heard that you were signing autographs…” Ah, yes. The Creevey boy who I whispered to that I would break his fingers so he could never take another picture if he suggested such a thing again. I knew I shouldn’t have said something so harsh without insuring that he wouldn’t be able to repeat it, but he had been driving me crazy.

“I have to tell you, that it’s ok for now and all, but you should wait until you’re older and more spectacular like… well like me.” Is this guy serious! Is he that full of himself? Oh wait, our course books, yes, yes he is.

“So I thought you could help me with some of my fan mail, make you realize there isn’t just fun and games in being so famous.” He said, giving a fake chuckle at the end before sitting next to me and starting on his own pile. Right… since my idea of fun is being stalked, harassed, under constant suspicion, and expected to save the wizarding world..

***

It had to have been hours later, when a hand on my shoulder woke me from my stupor. How did I not realize he had moved? I think doing this was making me brain dead.

“Wow Harry, you’re all tense.” He said as he began to massage my shoulders.

Dammit! Stop touching me, I hate people touching me. “Professor…” I began as he slipped a hand down the collar of my shirt across my chest.

“Don’t fight me, I know you want it.” Those words…

“Don’t fight me boy, I know you want it.” I was only seven, but I was pretty sure I didn’t want it. But what could I do, I wasn’t strong enough, could never be strong enough to get my uncle off of me. And if I fought he just hurt me more, but I didn’t want him touching me.

A hard slap across the face froze my struggles allowing my uncle to take the rest of my clothes off. “You fight me anymore and I’ll make you truly sorry, boy.” He growled, pressing his sweaty body against my back, the sweat running into the lash marks I had gotten only a day ago making them sting.

“Now on your hands and knees.” I complied, what else could I do, it was just how things were, how I was supposed to behave?…”

When I came out of the memory my robes and shirt were already gone, and my pants were open. My entire body was numb, my mind had instantly switched so that it was like it wasn’t happening to me and I was just observing; just as it has every time my Uncle touches me. I didn’t understand; this wasn’t supposed to be happening here! I was just my uncles whore at home, but I thought I was something else here, I thought the rules were different. Lockhart’s hand was now stroking my penis, but nothing happened, nothing ever did.

“Harry, I want you.” He whispered in my ear.

Was that it? Was this truly all I am? Perhaps I was wrong, this place isn’t so different, sure it has magic, but nobody cares for me here either, and they want the same thing as my uncle. Perhaps I can’t escape the inevitable, I will never be anything.

Lockhart was still kissing my neck, and now pushing on my back, trying to get me to lean over the desk. I bent over, not even bothering to fight. I had never been able to fight this, and had given up on doing so long ago. There was no point in fighting it would only lead to more pain, of that I was sure. My pants and boxes dropped to the ground, and I felt a slick finger probing at my ass.

What was he doing, my uncle had never done that, was he trying to draw this out as some kind of torture?

“God your so tight Harry, my little virgin.”

Yes, the joys of extensive healing magic, it hurts like a bitch every time.

Finally he was done messing around and just shoved into me. Sudden pain shot down my legs and up my back, as my entire ass just throbbed with it. But I was still in the back of my mind where the things done to my body were distant, only faintly registering with my mind. He was picking up pace, and long before I expected collapsed onto my back. I stood up, gently pushing him back into his chair so he pulled out of me. I got my clothes back on and left before he had recovered.

I would not be getting anymore detentions this year.

***********

After the incident I couldn’t stop cutting myself, it was the only thing that made it possible to think and every chance I got I would disappear to put another line on my arm. I successfully avoided being alone with Lockhart for several days despite his efforts, but still felt sick every time I got even remotely near him. I felt jumpy, and tried to avoid crowds at all costs, coming to my one meal of the day late or early.

Draco was still trying to talk to me, but I couldn’t right then; I needed to straighten out everything, and though part of me wanted to talk to someone, who? I couldn’t trust Draco anymore and if I told Persephone or Erebus they would try to kill the fool, not that that was a problem, but I didn’t need more attention after what had happened the other night.

It had been the day of Nearly-Headless Nick’s deathday. I had no real interest in going; beside there being no other people alive and as a favor to the Bloody Barron it wasn’t my idea of a fun night. Not to mention the food wasn’t really that appetizing and since I hadn’t had anything to eat for the day yet I left early. I heard some whispering somewhere, it almost sounded like a snake talking about killing (not really unusual) but it sounded much larger than a normal snake’s voice, and echoed in an odd way. I tried to follow it and that was when I ran across a message. Overall it seemed a bit ostentatious, but the cat was an interesting touch. I was observing it, wondering what had happened since it was still alive when I heard footsteps behind me, and probably half the students from the Great hall came around the corner to see me standing next to a frozen cat, and a lovely message written in blood. Just perfect.

“My cat! What have you done? You killed her!” That weak fool of a caretaker. If I had wanted her dead she would be dead.

“I did nothing, and she’s not dead.” I told him annoyed.

“Yeah right boy! I’m going to get you for this.” Hmm, more worried about an evil dark lord after me, or a squib? Tough question.

“Argus, calm down. The boy is right, the cat is alive. It has merely been petrified, which is something no second year or even seventh year could have done. Now I think we should take this elsewhere.”

For once I was actually grateful to Dumbledore for getting this cleared up.

“We can take it to my office, it’s the closest.” Lockhart offered happily, and I felt the bottom of my stomach fall out.

Barely a week later and I’m standing in the same room. Yes Dumbledore, McGonagall and Snape are there, but so is Lockhart. And across the room isn’t nearly enough space between us.

I answer all the questions monotonously, trying to keep control while Lockhart just stands there acting like some hero for having the Headmaster choose to use his rooms.

When the questions were done, Lockhart asked for me to remain behind and I just about lost my non-existent dinner right then. Snape must have noticed me stiffen because he insisted that it was late and he needed to escort me down to the dorms for safety, and even Lockhart wasn’t fool enough to argue with Snape.

The walk down was mostly silent but I could feel that there was a tension between us. The fact that it could have been any number of things that he wanted to talk about kept me silent, until he indicated which one.

“Harry, why won’t you talk to Draco?” Ahh, that one.

“I have nothing to say to him.”

“Then just listen to the boy, I’m tired of him coming and complaining to me.” Snape growled and I had to smirk at the fact that some things don’t change. We had reached the common room so I stopped with him at the portrait.

“I thank you for your concern over my relationship with Draco professor, but it really isn’t needed.” I said and then giving the password, entered the common room and letting the entrance close behind me.

******

Snape must have been truly annoyed with Draco because it was only three days later that he came to speak to me, under the guise of homework.

“Harry… I was wondering if you could help me with this?”

“It’s not a good time Malfoy.” I said coldly, focusing on the transfiguration homework before me, expecting him to leave.

“What happened between us Harry?” Guess that wasn’t blunt enough.

“You gave me your word, and you went back on it. Clearly I wasn’t worth your time.”

“When!? You’ve been mad at me since the beginning of the year, and you were the one that never responded to any of my letters over summer!”

“I told you I couldn’t… wait what letters? I got nothing from you all summer!”

“What?!... is that why? You thought I abandoned you?” I didn’t answer, I didn’t want to admit that I had felt abandoned. “How did you not get my letters?”

“Dumbledore must have done something…”

“He couldn’t have, I sent them with my house elf, Dobby.”

“Dobby? Wait… that annoying ugly creature?”

“Well, you sorta just described every house-elf but, yeah.”

“He came and told me I couldn’t return to school, and almost got me in huge trouble with my uncle in an attempt to stop me.”

“That bloody piece of shit! No wonder he was hurting himself so much over summer.”

The two of us remained silent for a short while, unsure where that left us. “So what did you want help with?”

A smile cracked over Draco’s face as we silently agreed to forget the whole matter; aside from the matter of severely punishing Dobby.

We worked together, finishing up our homework, him talking on like usual and I enjoyed listening to all the things I had missed. But I still remained silent, what could I tell him about? My summer? The voices I’m hearing? How about how Lockhart… no, there was nothing about me that anyone needed to know.

That night I felt more relaxed than I had in a long time. It still bugged me to sleep in a bed, but as I curled up in a corner, everything didn’t seem so bad. I lay there thinking for a while, I had thought Draco was asleep, but then I heard him whisper.

“I would never abandon you Harry.” My breath caught and my body froze despite the fact that the curtains were firmly shut. No one had ever said anything like that. No one had ever cared.

*****

When the dueling club started I was impressed by Snape, but also realized how much I have to learn. He moved so smooth, everything precise; I was so far behind. I talked to Draco and we agreed that we would work on it secretly together. So every night we would sneak out under my invisibility cloak and go to the Room of Requirements that I had found. There we would look up spells and then practice them on each other. Slowly, we became closer than had been before. I began to talk to him about some of my thoughts and began to show him a little more of what I could do. I felt that I could trust him now, and I knew that he wouldn’t abandon me.

*****

“Harry, please stay behind.” My hands froze in putting the quill in my bag. It was my last class of the day, last class of the week, and Lockhart wanted me to stay. I didn’t have any more excuses, I didn’t have another class, there was nearly two hours until the next meal… I would be alone with him, there was no escape, there was never any escape, I was alone.

“Harry? You ok?” I jerked away sharply from the hand on my shoulder and looked up into startled silver eyes. Draco, just Draco. “Harry, what’s…”

“Don’t leave me.” I whispered, some of the desperation I was trying to hide leaking through.

“Harry?” Draco was looking at me confused. I had never been anything but cold and calculating unless I was angry. But that didn’t matter right now, I could trust Draco, and I didn’t want to be alone right now, not with him.

“Harry my boy, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Lockhart said coming closer to put his hand on my shoulder, but I slid out of reach, making it seem as if I was just turning to face him. “Malfoy, you can leave now.”

There was silence for a second, except for my heart which I was sure was pounding so loud that they both could hear it. My mind was numb with memories and already beginning to shut down. “I was just going to wait for Harry.” I heard him say and could hardly hide my relief from showing.

“Oh now I’m sure Harry will be fine by himself for a while.”

“It’s ok, I don’t mind waiting.”

But I’m sure you have other things to do.”

“Well actually Harry was going to show me some new info on a potion’s ingredient, so I really should just wait.”

It was clear that Lockhart was getting upset, but all I wanted to do was give Draco anything he wanted in thanks.

“Well I suppose I can talk to Harry later if this is so urgent.”

“Right.” Draco said before shoving my bag into my hands and dragging me out of the classroom. Once we had an entire hall length between us my brain started to work again and I began to drag Draco in a different direction.

“Harry! What was that about?” He asked, like I knew he would but I still didn’t know what to tell him. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”

“You want to help?” I asked finally stopping at a door which I knew Draco now realized was the room of requirements. “Then fight me so hard I can’t think.” I said before opening the door. And with a reluctant nod of agreement Draco entered, and thankfully no more questions were asked.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed it, and please review.