FOR SERVICES RENDERED

Farid crept up towards the headmaster’s office following his master. Severus had swept from the Great Hall cloak billowing behind him in pursuit of the two newcomers and Farid could see that he was upset. The gargoyle had moved aside at his arrival as it always did and Farid curled himself on the top step, just outside the door. In Farid’s experience doors were very rarely barred to slaves as they were of no importance and could not speak their master’s secrets anyway but he did not know how things were here, everything still seemed so strange in many ways.

But Master was upset and Farid needed to know why, so that he could comfort him, so he had said goodbye to the others and followed on behind. But with the shouting, the anger and the magical energy crackling in the air he could not seem to screw up enough courage to go inside the room.

The men in Dumbledore’s office were bellowing at one another savagely ripping at each other like a pack of dogs. The only one of the four that did not seem to raise his voice was Dumbledore but he just seemed infinitely sad.

Farid heard Master’s voice rising loudly above the others and he listened hard.

“…. ing obvious that the boy is not going to turn up now, all that time, blast him, nearly six months wasted on a wild goose chase!

“You are just bitter Snivellus because this is James’ son we have been looking for and you were always jealous of him,” A man’s voice heated and refined turning on his master.

“Calm down Sirius and you too Severus, we are all disappointed but it does not serve us well if we start tearing each other apart.”

“Well said, Remus!” Dumbledore again. “I know we are disappointed, we are all terribly disappointed but we have to keep trying as Harry is the only one who can save us, and now that Severus has found Farid we have destroyed all the Horcruxes bar the snake, Tom finally can be killed!”

And how do we know that this find of Snape’s can be trusted Albus, that he isn’t about to go trundling off to the Dark Lord with tales of Horcruxes and how we can’t find Harry?” The shouty man was shouting again, louder than ever

“Farid is a slave, he is bound to Severus and he is very loyal.”

“A slave, some little whore who has been waggling his arse for vampires for god knows how long, how do you know we can trust him? For all we know he has been planted by Voldemort, you know what Snape’s like, easy prey, can’t keep his dick in his trousers!”

“HOW DARE YOU…” Master’s voice, very angry

“Sirius please, there is no need for such language, or such personal insults, we need to know what to do about Harry, were there no more leads, did they know nothing these people?”

The quieter man was speaking again, “they had a child living with them all right, well a young man, English originally but he was most assuredly not Harry, Fawkes checked. Not only were his eyes blue and his forehead without a scar but he had no magic, none whatsoever and from all the reports we’d had from Lily and James, Harry was very magical indeed. No we must keep trying.”

“What is the point?” Master again, “we have been looking for the past seven years almost, we haven’t found him yet, those muggles have to be lying about the Potter boy going to America, I should go, find the truth. They will not fool me with their lies.” This last was said through clenched teeth.

Farid knew that it was the time to tell everyone who he was, he wanted to tell Master first but these men were so angry, maybe he should go in and ask to speak to Master and then he could explain to Albus and maybe just, maybe master would forgive him and not hate him. His heart felt like it was about to break but he forced himself to stand on shaky legs and lifted his fist to bang on the door.

“You are glad we couldn’t find him aren’t you Snivellus? Cause that means you can continue your so oh so important spying?” The shouty man was saying in a scathing way.

But Master wasn’t shouting now “You are so wrong Black,” This last word spat out as if it tasted disgusting “I want this war over as much, if not more than you do. I would be delighted if you found the bloody boy as I have missed having a Potter to hate!”

He wrenched open the door, to be met by a stunned Farid, grabbing the boy’s arm which was raised, obviously he had been going to knock the door he rushed off down the stairs with the boy running behind him, along the corridor only to have his flight halted by the sheer mass of students pouring out of the hall after lunch.

But Black had pursued them, and Dumbledore and Lupin followed him closely.

“Don’t you turn away from me you fucking coward!” Black was shouting, the children stopped in their progress and turned to look at the two men and the interesting spectacle they presented, and there trapped between them, helpless to speak or get away was Farid.

Black’s face was close to Severus’s now but Severus had pushed Farid behind him, desperately trying to protect him from the furious tirade that Black was about to unleash. He should have stayed in Dumbledore’s office, he realised too late, this area was too public and Black was too angry, and therefore likely to be indiscrete, Farid obviously thought so as well as he had closed his eyes and was waiting, fearfully for what was to come.

“So is this him then, your little fuck toy? We can’t find Harry anywhere but you don’t care, you are glad, you hate the Potters so much don’t you? Who needs Harry Potter? We do you fucking moron! But you don’t care do you? You are so fucking blinded by your own hate! You don’t care that our world is going to hell because you are having far too much fun playing with your catamite. You must love sticking your cock up his pretty little arse do you Snivellus?

First you trailed after Lily. Then Frank Longbottom then finally James, and they all turned you down, because you are an ugly, greasy little shit! So you went and found a slave who can’t refuse if you want him to suck your cock! Is he well trained Snape, does he call you Master when you fuck him and make you feel like a big man, instead of the pathetic little spy that you are?”

There was total silence.

Dumbledore said in horror, “Sirius how could you?”

And the blood drained from Black’s face as he belatedly seemed to realise where he was and what he had just said.

Severus turned on him.

“You fucking fool,” he screeched "do you not realise you have just signed not only my death warrant but his as well?"

Severus was shaking with anger

“Oh shit!” Black said I’m…so sor”

“Don’t you dare, Black, don’t you speak to me. Do you know what he has been through? How hard I have tried to protect him?” Severus was beside him self with agitation he reached urgently behind him to find Farid, but the slave was gone. Severus had been so focused, so intent on what Black had been saying that he had not noticed him slip away.

But Theodore Nott and three of his seventh year cronies had.

Farid ran, he was sobbing, he had failed. Master had said not to let anyone know what he was and now the whole school knew. Everyone knew. And Farid realised that it was all his fault! If only he had gone in to the office, then Master would not have been in the hall, but when he had heard his master’s final words he had frozen. Master had missed having a Potter to hate. Farid was frantic, desperate he just did not know what to do, the strangeness, the worry of the last few weeks was so outside his experience and sometimes he almost missed the predictability of his old life, but at the same time he was absolutely terrified that Master would now send him back. He had failed in the one thing he had been told to do and not only that but all this time he had been the boy that his master hated more than he hated anyone.

Someone was calling him, so he stopped and turned around, only to see that it was the Slytherin that Draco had warned him about, Nott. He and two friends had caught up with him, they were panting, out of breath, but even though he was very fast, they had caught up with him at last.

Farid was terrified, he could smell their arousal, he knew that tang well enough now, knew what they wanted from him. Nott came up to him and firmly pushed him against the wall. “So you are a little fuck toy after all?” He sneered, wrapping his hand in Farid’s long plait and winding it securely like Master did sometimes he pulled it tight and wrenched Farid’s head back so that he was looking up into Nott’s face “I bet you are very skilled at sucking cock aren’t you, why don’t you show me? Because I bet your master won’t want you now that the whole school knows what a dirty little whore you are, and if you please me, maybe, just maybe I won’t let him send you back!” And slowly but firmly he began to force Farid to his knees.

Severus was panicking, he did not know which way the boy had gone. Dumbledore took charge of the situation, “start looking children" he said, calmly "Farid is missing and after that little incident he is bound to be upset, please help us find him.”

The students began to break up into little groups and drift away from the hall, some seemed to be looking for the lost boy others were more shocked by what they had witnessed and seemed intent on discussing it.

Just then Hermione came over to join the group, looking at Severus with a pleading look on her face “Professor,” she said, “I need to speak to you, urgently. Are you really looking for Harry Potter?"

Severus snapped at her, “Miss Granger, Farid is upset and I have to find him. I don’t have time to discuss this now.”

“I’m sorry Sir, but if you do hate Harry Potter so much then there is almost certainly more than one reason why Farid is so upset.”

“Granger what on earth are you talking about? He hissed, Albus, Black and Lupin had all turned to look at the girl now, and she quailed a bit under their intense scrutiny, but Hermione was in Gryffindor for a reason and she was not about to give up now. “Please, Sir.” she said somewhat scathingly he thought. “Ron’s parents are..” and now she whispered “with the old crowd. We know you have been looking for Harry Potter, and I have had my suspicions for a while, Farid is after all so powerful magically..”

“Granger, will you get to the point before you find yourself in detention until you are forty-five!”

Hermione swallowed,

“Please do go on Miss Granger,” said Dumbledore quietly

“This morning when I was giving Farid his reading lesson, he had been progressing so well, he had learned his letters and we had practiced writing them, so today I thought we would try writing his name. He said he remembered writing his name before, when he lived with his aunt and uncle, so I suggested that he write it out for me to show me, we didn’t have time to discuss it because just after Draco came in and I wanted to ask him about it when we were alone, but….” And she reached her hand into the pocket of her robe, to bring it out seconds later clutching a bit of paper, which she handed to Severus there was just one word on the paper roughly printed in block capitals

H A R R Y.

“Professor! We’ve found him, but we can’t get close he’s in the DADA classroom." It was Ron and Neville, rushing up, out of breath, looking eager and pleased with themselves for having found the lost boy.

He shoved the paper into Albus’ hands and Severus ran, he did not care who was behind him, he knew that he had to get to Farid. To hold him, comfort him find out the truth.

Minutes later he reached the door of the second floor classroom, outside was Theodore Nott with his nose bleeding clutching his private parts. “Little bastard’s gone mad!” He spat, “I was only trying to help him.” Severus grabbed the boy by the lapel of his robes,

“Are you sure you weren’t trying to help yourself Nott?” Severus hissed, “Be very careful, very careful indeed boy! You do not touch what is mine!” He shoved the boy to one side and took a deep breath.

Slowly, tentatively he opened the door to the classroom and almost immediately jumped back as a large tank of water containing a very surprised looking Grindylow went sailing past. He was despite his worry quite delighted to see that it completely drenched Black as it flew past.

The classroom was full of things flying around, a gramophone was playing a record, a muggle phone was ringing, a cage full of Cornish Pixies was whirling by.

“Farid stop. Stop now. Its Master!”

All at once everything stopped and fell and a small, frightened voice said tremulously

“Masteerr?”

“Let me in,” said Black, "if he is Harry Potter he is my godson, I have the right, let me by.” But Dumbledore held his arms in a surprisingly firm grip,

“I think you have done enough damage for one day Sirius, don’t you? I think we should leave Severus and Farid alone for a while. Let us wait down the corridor, I am sure we can speak to him later, if Severus agrees.”

The headmaster led Black away then, protesting loudly, but before he left he turned to Severus and said, “Be gentle with him Severus, he needs your support and if what Miss Granger suspects is indeed true, then we need him!”

Severus was annoyed. Farid was his. He had found him, rescued him. He was not planning on sharing him with anyone and what Granger suspected could not be true, surely not. But then he thought back to the way Farid had behaved whenever Harry Potter’s name had been mentioned and his heart sank. If Farid was Potter, then he would have been too scared to tell him, just like he had been too sacred to mention his magic at first and just where did all that powerful magic come from anyway? He had not really thought about it before, but the power that Farid displayed that would fit with the little they knew about the missing Potter boy. Severus, not a man known for his tact and diplomacy swallowed hard and walked slowly into the DADA classroom.

“Farid?” He could not see the boy at first as the classroom was in complete disarray, instead he followed the sound of the soft sobbing and Severus was almost overcome, whatever, whoever this boy was, he was still Farid, Severus’s Farid, and he relied on Severus to take care of him. So he got a grip of himself, swallowed his prejudices, tamped down his anger and got on his hands and knees to crawl under the desk where he had finally spotted the boy.

“Ssshh, my own. It is alright, I am not cross with you.” The boy was curled up in a little ball, pressed into the corner as far as he could get, he peeked out at Severus though.

“Pleas Masteerr, jon’t send me back, M’sorry, so sorry!”

Severus was horrified; Farid thought he would be sent back? No wonder he was so scared

“Oh my love, don’t worry, I won’t send you back. Farid? You will never, ever, ever go back there. Whatever happens, never back there to Yusuf!”

The boy let out another sob, and literally threw himself at Severus, shaking with emotion, overcome by the fear, the terror that he had been feeling.

“Sank dyou, sank dyou, not send me back.”

And for a while they just sat there. Farid snuggled in Severus’s lap muttering about Nott, and letting his master down and being a whore, and Severus’ heart very nearly broke in two, he loved this boy so much, felt so protective of him, but what if he was Harry Potter? What would happen then?

But he had to know, had to find out so he said as gently as he could. “Why did you not tell me Farid? Why didn’t you tell me who you are?”

Farid froze and then turned fear filled eyes up to his master’s face.

“I jidn’t know, Masteerr” He whispered “I’m sorry, and cwhen I jid, I jidn’t vant dyou to chate me. Pleas jon’t chate me Master!”

Severus felt like his body had turned to lead. In his arms, the boy who had shared his bed, the boy he had tied up and raped and fucked almost daily since he had found him, the boy he had enslaved was the saviour of the wizarding world. What the fuck was he going to do now? But he placed a gentle kiss on Farid, no Harry’s, head and said

“I won’t hate you love, just show me.”

And all at once Farid’s skin was paler, cheeks rosie from all the flying he had done in the last few days, on his forehead there was a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt, and his eyes, why his eyes were not brown at all but a vibrant emerald green.