The Death Eater

Draco lowered himself carefully to the couch, wincing a little with pain. Harry had been gentle and careful and everything he could have wanted in his first lover (most especially, he'd been Draco's husband and the man he's in love with), but that didn't mean he wasn't now suffering for their actions. And suffering for his own, actually, because this pain could only remind him of Harry's own lost virginity, the pain he must have felt then, and the things Draco had put him through afterwards.

There were times you could cope with realising you're a twisted, vicious bastard, and there are times you couldn't. This was definitely one of the times he couldn't.

The Floo chime broke Draco successfully from his thoughts, and he fought a short but vicious battle with himself to suppress the hope that it was Harry again. He was glad he was victorious when Severus stepped out of the Floo first, and bounced to his feet eagerly, before wincing again and struggling to remain impassive. Really, that wasn't the kind of pain you just forgot.

"Severus, what brings you here today? You're not due back until Monday!" But thank goodness you are here, because I get really, really lonely here and I can't stop thinking about how awful it really must have been for Harry...

The slap caught him off guard. The flush of pain from his cheek worked quickly to wake him from his thoughts, and he stared for long seconds at Severus in confused hurt, one hand on his cheek and the same sickening feeling in his chest that he remembered the first time Lucius had taken his cane across his young son's backside.

"I have been upset by you before, Draco. I have been angered, I have been hurt. I have even been humiliated. But I have never, never felt the kind of shame that you have made me feel today."

"W... What did I do?" He asked softly, tears welling in his eyes. He blinked them back rapidly, shocked by their sudden appearance, but he couldn't stop it. He hadn't even felt this sense of desolate hurt the first time his father had hit him, and he couldn't quite suppress the fear of loosing Severus. Severus was the only one who visited him in his prison, the only one who seemed to care, the only one who brought him news about Harry.

"I fought a lot of people to protect you, Draco. Most of the Order wanted to take Harry and abandon you, even knowing it would almost certainly lead to your death. Some wanted to kill you themselves for what you did to that boy. At best, you were looking at a prison sentence, and a lot of information gathering. These are desperate people and you hurt their saviour. But I defended you, I protected you. I sold my own dignity, pride and a great deal of my own personal protection to get them to agree to you staying here. And I, personally, vouched for your actions, I swore you would do nothing to jeopardise our position or to harm anyone. And you... You have thrown that back at me. You have betrayed me and you have betrayed everything I have done for you."

Draco sat down heavily on the couch behind him, barely noticing this time the heavy pain in his body over the pain in his heart. He swallowed back a sudden rush of nausea, looking up at his angry guardian warily. Of all the people to believe something about him, he would have thought that Severus, in the least, would hear him out. But instead Harry had gone to them and said something - and this could only be about what had happened between he and Harry - and Severus had chosen to believe the worst.

"What... What did he tell you?" He finally asked, his voice cracking on the words. He swallowed dryly, watching Severus pace and fume.

"He came here to annul the marriage, he was here for a long period of time - too long to have simply been collecting a signature - he returned in a state of disarray, clearly distracted, and told us there would be no annulment. Not that you had said no, or that you had decided against it. He made it clear that an annulment would not be possible. He departed to his room and has not emerged since."

"You think I raped him again." Draco said hollowly, his throat and voice closing over the painful words. "He left you to believe the worst of me."

"Are you telling me this isn't what happened?" Severus asked. "Are you expecting me to believe something else happened instead? That you are innocent now of a crime we are all fully aware you have committed before?" His voice showed doubt, derision, but there was a glimmer of hope in his expression. Severus wanted to believe, he just didn't know if he could.

"I... Harry offered me the choice... Of doing as he said, or of loosing them both. He asked me... He asked me if I wanted to be married to him. I told him yes. He... No, there's no possibility of an annulment, not now, but I didn't rape him. I didn't do anything to him."

Severus sat down across from him, the nervous tension finally dissipating in its entirety. "Draco, are you suggesting that Potter - Harry - was the one to... To... Sodomise you?"

"Sodomise?" Draco snorted derisively over the word choice, but finally nodded. "If you mean 'did Harry order you to strip off and lay still, drag you to within an inch of an orgasm and fuck your brains out', then yes, that's what I'm saying. I didn't know that he was even thinking of having the marriage annulled, he didn't say anything and he didn't give the impression that he had any intention of leaving me. Besides which, I have a life-debt over him and he's carrying my child. Had he tried to annul our marriage there were plenty of other ways I could have used to stop him - and be aware that I would have stopped him. I can't believe an annulment was even in the offering! He's pregnant, just THINK of what that would have done to the baby!"

"Draco... I am sorry. I told them that I did not believe it the wisest course, but his family were determined. He appeared to agree, however thinking on it now, I can see how he was manipulating them. He was the one to suggesting coming here, and coming alone, after all. I must return, I will... I will speak with your husband, on your behalf. They will not allow him to come here, however once his family is aware that he considers himself, and that he is, infact, completely married to you, they may permit you to live with Harry. Should you wish it."

Draco snorted softly, a grim smile curling his lips. "Should I wish it? It's the only wish left for me, Severus, this wish for a life with my husband and child. My family." He glanced around the room briefly, before returning his gaze to Severus. "You speak of protecting me from a prison without seeming to realise that all I've done is trade Azkaban's bars for this cell. Harry is all I have left for hope."

Severus bowed his head in acceptance of Draco's words and rose silently. A part of Draco's conscious cried for Severus to stay, to keep the dark thoughts at bay, but the rest of him would be glad for the respite from that dark gaze. Severus was not an easy man, and Draco's current turmoil left him too vulnerable to him.

“I will speak with Harry.” Severus promised, before sweeping from the room and through the Floo. Draco sat carefully back in his chair, wiggling uncomfortably before giving up and calling for a bath to be drawn. When Harry did return to him, Draco had a lot of pampering to do.