Madame Scarlet's

Author’s Note: Many thanks to Deb and Laurel for their beta work on this story and thanks to my loyal readers for your patience as I work this story out. I think this is my favorite chapter so far, and the story is almost over now. One, maybe two chapters left at most.

Chapter 18 The Power to Change

Harry’s heart jerked as he watched Draco fall to his knees in front of his father, his lips parted tentatively as he waited for Lucius to fill that precious mouth. Green eyes flicked back and forth between the older blond’s cock and the younger blond’s mouth, wondering if this was really going to happen. Why hadn’t Draco ever mentioned this before? The way it sounded, sex between the two men was a regular occurrence, which was something Harry just couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around, no matter how turned on the Incubus was at the sight before him.

Part of him had to admit; the image of the nearly identical wizards about to enter into forbidden territory was rather erotic, no matter how wrong it was. Still, it made Harry wonder what else Draco had been hiding from him during their courtship.

In a moment of sheer Gryffindor determination, Harry vowed to find out.

Draco’s tongue snaked out and caressed the hard flesh of his father’s prick, leaving a trail of shiny saliva in its wake. Lucius threw his head back at the heady touch, thrusting forward slightly and driving himself deeper into Draco’s hot mouth. At the same time Harry let the walls around his mind fall, allowing the Incubus to feel the lust boiling through the room and giving Harry access to reach forward and coax away the walls Draco had erected.

They came crumbling down with little effort, as if merely waiting for a single graze of Harry’s soul. However, as it happened, Harry did more than graze. He had attempted to punch forward through Draco’s protective barrier, expecting to find resistance where there was none. The movement sent Harry toppling forward into Draco’s mind, surrounded by and covered in his thoughts and feelings. What he found left him astonished and momentarily numb.

A thick moan flew from Lucius’ lips as he commanded Draco take the rest of him, suck him faster, harder, and, like a good Imperiused servant, Draco obeyed. He was nearly choking on Lucius’ length, the speed of his rocking back and forth making his jaw ache. Still, it didn’t seem to be enough for the elder Malfoy, for his own thrusts merely sped up until he was verily fucking his son’s mouth, hitting the back of his throat with each pounding movement.

“Suck, Draco! Yes!” Lucius screamed. “I knew you were good for something.”

At those words, Harry lost it. Pulling free from Draco’s mind, Harry shook his head, trying to cast off the images he’d seen and he leaned up and captured Lucius’ mouth with his own. He could feel the man groaning around his tongue, approval evident in the sound. Draco’s movements slowed beneath them until he backed off completely, Lucius’ cock falling from his mouth with a wet plop.

Meanwhile, Harry continued his assault, his teeth grazing Lucius’ lips as he let his Incubus feed on the sex Lucius exuded from every pore. His fingers trailed down to graze the now slippery erection before gripping it almost painfully and stroking. Malfoy shuddered in his grasp, his body trying to produce noises that his occupied mouth wouldn’t allow, and Harry swallowed it all down, every last gasp and moan until he was full.

And then he pulled back, his lips only a hair’s breadth away, and whispered his own commands against Lucius’ mouth. “Come for me, Lucius. Come for me now.” And Lucius did; he came fast and hard and covered Harry’s hand and hip with the sticky fluid.

“I knew it,” Lucius rasped as he convulsed against Harry’s body. “I knew you would be mine.”

“Am I?” Harry asked, his face impassive and his tone strong and unaffected. “Because the way I see it,” he noted, glancing down at the still twitching appendage in his hand, “it’s you who belongs to me.”

Malfoy swallowed, seeming to only realize his predicament that very moment. “As you wish, Harry,” he allowed. “I could be content with that.”

“Well then, as your owner,” Harry purred, running the flat of his tongue from Lucius’ lips to the shell of his ear, “I should be able to do as I like with you, yes?”

It was a question, but Harry already knew the answer before he spoke the words. Still, Lucius seemed hesitant. Harry’s tongue made quick work of dispatching any reluctance, however, as he caressed Malfoy’s earlobe, sucking it into the wetness of his mouth and nibbling gently.

“Yes,” Lucius rasped at last, almost reverent in his tone. “Whatever you want, Harry. Anything. Everything. Just ask.”

“Good,” Harry whispered like a lover and brought both hands to cup Lucius’ jaw, tilting his face as if he wanted to deepen a kiss. “Then what I want is for you to die.”

Lucius sighed, as if Harry had bent over and exposed his readied hole for him to plunder, and then his eyes widened as pain laced through his body, starting at the spot where Harry clutched his face firmly within his strong hands. “I- I don’t understand,” Lucius stammered. “You were so-”

“Pliant? Yielding? Obedient? Those should have been your first clues that something was wrong, Lucius,” Harry chastised, his voice humorless. “Apparently you’re too used to your poor Imperiused son to know when you’re being fooled.”

A guttural snarl emanated from Lucius’ lips, but he was unable to form words, Harry had already taken that ability by slowly crushing his throat from the inside. In fact, all of Lucius’ muscles seemed to be collapsing under Harry’s touch and it seemed the only reason Lucius remained upright was because Harry willed it so.

“I needed your lust to recharge my magic,” Harry explained. “So I devoured it and now I’ll devour you, but not in a manner you’re likely to enjoy.”

“Harry,” a voice sounded from behind him, soft and pleading, but Harry ignored his Mate and pressed forward, trailing one of his hands along the crumbling bones of Lucius’ arm.

“How could you do that to Draco? How could any part of your twisted mind think it was okay to Imperius him and then attempt to fuck him?” Harry demanded, even though he knew he would get no answers now. Perhaps he should have started with Lucius’ toes and worked his way slowly up instead? He’d remember that for the next person who harmed his lover. “The fact that I didn’t stop you sooner will always haunt me,” Harry hissed.

“Please, Harry,” Draco called again from behind him, but Harry only laughed as he felt Lucius’ ribcage give way like dust under his hand. Wishing to enjoy taking down the tyrant, he paused and stared at the pale chest before him, his nostrils flaring as he studied the older Malfoy.

“Such a fragile thing, the human heart,” Harry murmured to himself, flitting his fingertips lightly over the beating instrument, fluttering wildly beneath the taut skin. “With just a touch I could stop it.” With his words, Harry pressed two fingers against Lucius’ chest and watched as light faded from his eyes. “Or, with that same touch, I could restart it like a Muggle engine.”

Again, Harry pressed his fingers to Lucius’ heart and the man’s eyes flared wide, a choked scream on his lips. “Unpleasant, isn’t it?” Harry asked. “Having your life in someone else’s hands.”

Lucius gave a weak nod and Harry let go, letting the crippled body fall to the floor.

“Harry,” cried the increasingly persistent voice of his Mate, the sound echoing through his mind and his ears all at once.

“Draco, I refuse to spare him again,” Harry told him without turning around. “I showed mercy once, and he repaid me by trying to spoil you.”

“Has he?” Draco asked, his voice breathy and frightened. “Have I been spoiled for you?”

Harry turned then and took in the vulnerable nakedness of his lover, his friend, his Mate and didn’t find it sexy or erotic. The Incubus was long burrowed inside of him and something else had hold of him now. Wild magic, raw and all-powerful, gripped Harry’s skin in every place and made no room for his beast. Harry could see Draco clearly now, without the intoxicated gaze the Incubus offered and without the schoolboy hatred that clouded his mind before that.

What Harry saw was a tired, frightened boy and Harry went to him, wrapping his arms around the blond and clutching him close. “You’re my Mate, Draco,” he whispered softly, rocking the Slytherin in his arms. “Nothing could ever ruin you in my eyes.”

A shuddering sob escaped Draco’s lips before they crashed into Harry’s. The kiss was feral – hurt and comfort spun together in a golden ball that gave weight and flavor to Harry’s tongue. He was in love with this boy, and he didn’t need to know anything else. Not now, perhaps not ever.

Severus ran as fast as his legs would carry him, stopping only when he reached the sentient gargoyle of the Headmistress’ office. A shouted password and spiraling staircase later and he was standing before a glowering McGonagall and three others – Granger, Weasley and Narcissa Malfoy.

“I assume your bursting in uninvited has some sort of reasoning behind it, Severus?” McGonagall chimed, looking none to pleased.

“I’ve found them!”

Granger and Narcissa finally gave him their full attention and nearly shouted ‘What?!’ in the exact same moment.

“I’ve found them,” he repeated. “Harry and Draco. I was hoping that I could create a successful scrying spell for the boys-”

“And it worked?” Minerva asked hopefully.

“Well, no, not as such,” Severus admitted somewhat begrudgingly. He would have liked for his potion skill to accept all the credit, but it unfortunately had little to do with that. “The bonds opened up a moment ago,” he explained. “I can feel them as if they are in the room with us now. They are open so wide, Minerva, it’s a tremendous feeling.”

Minerva narrowed her eyes and stood. “Can you tell where they are? Are they hurt?”

“They seem fine, better than fine,” Severus assured. “I can feel Harry’s love and warmth cascading over me like a blanket.”

“Perhaps it’s some sort of trick,” Granger warned. “Lucius might be trying to lure us all there with a false sense of calm.”

Weasley nodded in agreement, even though it was perfectly clear he had no idea what his girlfriend was talking about, and Narcissa continued to look skeptical but then, Severus wondered if she even had another look; none that he’d seen at any rate.

“A joy like this couldn’t be faked,” he argued. “I feel as though his naked body is pressed against my own, as if he’s holding me and preparing me for-”

“That’s enough!” Minerva shouted. “I’ve had enough of this debauchery to last me three lifetimes. I don’t need to hear anymore about nudity or penises going near anyone’s orifices. I just don’t.”

Ron disguised a laugh with a forced cough while Hermione stared up at her Headmistress with amused eyes.

Snape’s mouth snapped shut and he stared at her blandly for a moment, trying to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “What I was about to say was that it felt as though Harry was preparing me for sleep,” he corrected. “But it’s good to know your mind automatically follows the gutter, Minnie.”

Minerva grimaced at a combination of her faux pas and the smirking nickname, and cast her gaze to the desk as she regained some sort of balance and authority in the room. “Do you know where they are?” she asked, calmly and quietly.

“Yes,” Snape replied, puffing his chest out slightly. “I can take you there.”

“Fine,” she bit out. “Lead the way.”

“Is he dying?” Draco asked, tearing his gaze reluctantly from Harry’s to his father’s. The spark was failing; the light that brought his father’s metallic gaze to life was slowly fading around the edges.

“Yes,” Harry replied without reluctance or guilt. “Slowly.”

Draco swallowed thickly and crawled over to his father’s prone form, Harry watching the exchange very closely. “Father,” he whispered, kneeling next to the man. “Can he hear me?” he asked his Mate.

“For now,” Harry replied, placing a gentle hand at the small of Draco’s back.

“You’re such an arse,” Draco told his father. “You brought this on yourself. You could have left us alone; you could have even left me in that cell. You didn’t have to force yourself upon me or take away my control. I loved you, Father.”

The man choked, his eyes taking on a momentarily insistent gleam.

“Maybe you could give him one last chance,” Draco breathed, but Harry merely leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on Draco’s neck.

“Is that what you want? He could kill us both if I reverse the spell, or worse,” Harry breathed. “You saw first hand what he’s capable of. I wish it weren’t true, but it is.”

“You goaded him,” Draco accused. “You made him think you wanted to have us both.”

“Is that a good excuse to Imperius and rape you?” Harry asked, his body still enveloping Draco in its warmth.

“No,” Draco replied after an extended silence.

“Do you want him to live? Knowing what he did to you?” Harry asked. He wasn’t even sure if he could reverse the spell, but he knew that at Draco’s word, he would try.

“No,” Draco said at last. “He deserves death.” Silence stretched between them, working its way into their bones before Draco’s voice sounded again, almost weak in its cadence. “But, Harry,” he asked, “could you speed it up? I don’t want to see him suffer anymore.”

Harry nodded solemnly, turned Draco’s face away, and touched Lucius’ body one last time, stealing away the last of his life. “I love you, Draco,” Harry whispered. “I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again.”

“You can’t go around murdering everyone who hurts my feelings, Harry,” Draco rasped, emotion nearly gagging him.

“For injuring your ego? No,” Harry admitted. “But if anyone else lays a hand on you the way your father did, they’ll have my wrath to contend with and Lucius’ death will seem like gingerbread cookies by comparison.”

Draco nearly laughed at the comment - nearly. “You realize that you’ve murdered a man in cold blood, without even using your wand,” he pointed out instead.

“Do you love me any less?” Harry asked, casting his gaze to the floor. A few short months ago he would have thought himself incapable of such an act, but he knew now that under certain circumstances, he was capable of anything.

“Stop being dense, Potter,” Draco grumbled crawling to where the other boy sat on the carpet, staring vacantly away. He was in Harry’s lap before the brunet looked up, his legs twined around Harry’s waist and his lips pressing lingering kisses against his temple. “You are my soul, Harry.”

A sigh escaped Harry’s lips as he turned and kissed his Mate, his lover, his Draco. His arms laced around Draco’s back, tracing swirling shapes into the pale flesh as his tongue made similar motions in Draco’s mouth. He could feel Draco grow hard against him, his erection pressing against Harry’s stomach.

Draco pulled away with a sharp gasp and clambered off Harry’s lap, offering his hand to help the brunet up as well. “I’m not fucking you in my father’s office with him lying dead on the floor,” he muttered logically.

“Good point,” Harry whispered, shuddering as he took in the full effect of his vengeance before he led Draco from the room. He vowed to burn the entire place to the ground once he got Draco out of there. It was only then that Harry remembered that he and Draco weren’t Lucius’ only captives.

The door gave no resistance to the five powerful witches and wizards bearing down on it. It was Snape that slipped through the entrance first, marveling that Lucius could make a perfect copy of their old establishment in such a short time. Unless, of course, he’d had it sitting here in wait all along, unbeknownst to Severus, which was perfectly plausible. Severus had always been concerned that he would be slowly nudged out of the partnership once Draco came of age, but he never imagined such a ploy.

He thought that after everything he and Lucius had shared, the man would have been decent enough to give him his fair cut and be honest and upfront. He laughed aloud at the very notion. The last few months proved nothing if not that Lucius was cruel and cunning beyond any reasonable measure of the words.

“The other captives will be downstairs,” he told the others. “You can reach them through a secret door at the end of that hall,” he instructed and watched as Minerva and Weasley broke off and went the direction he pointed. Severus wagered that neither wanted to see what was going on upstairs.

Severus had his own doubts about it, even though he could still feel bliss through the bonds. What if Lucius had somehow convinced them, through magic or simple Malfoy charm, and the boys were at his mercy? What if Lucius was buried inside one of them this very moment and that was the joy Severus was feeling?

He shook his head and plowed onward, marching up the stairs with Granger and Narcissa in tow. He didn’t make it to the office; however, because he was stopped by the very teens they’d been looking for when he rounded the hallway. “Harry!” he shouted. “Draco! Are you alright?”

“Never better,” Harry replied, his quivering voice betraying him slightly.

“Where is Malfoy?” Granger asked.


“Right here,” Draco replied, rolling his eyes.

“Not you, Prat, your father,” she quipped, her lips curling into a teasing smile.

“Dead,” he replied, and Hermione’s smile died abruptly as well.

“Sorry,” she whispered, glancing from Draco up to Narcissa. The blonde woman looked stoic but for a single tear that fell down her cheek.

“It’s for the best,” she said, wiping the tear away with a perfectly manicured hand. “I’m sure he deserved it, however you managed it. Besides, the Cambions would likely be crueler than you were.”

Draco’s eyes flicked to Harry, who winced slightly. “Yeah,” Draco replied, his voice hushed.

“Er, could someone get us some robes?” Harry asked, suddenly feeling the full extent of his nudity now that he was in front of Snape, Hermione and his boyfriend’s mother.

Harry sat on the sidewalk and stared up at the burning building in front of him. He could feel the heat and see the flames roiling off of it – all burnt oranges and fiery reds - and he wondered what the Muggle neighbors saw that kept them from calling the fire department. Could they smell the smoke? Did they see the building in tact as it had been an hour ago?

There was still so much about magic he didn’t understand, yet he could wield it in a way no one else could.

With the other prisoners released and placed into the custody of trusted Cambion members, Harry had spared no time before laying waste to Madame Scarlet’s. He felt freer already and hoped that Draco wouldn’t grow to resent him for the murder of his father. Beside him, Draco sat still, wearing robes a bit too large for his lithe frame, his fingers twined with Harry’s. They just stared at the flames in bitter silence, the others choosing to leave them be, until a tall stranger came up to block their view and break the silence.

He looked wise and had the years to back up that wisdom. Harry found the man’s long white beard reminded him of Dumbledore and he distrusted him at once. “My name is Enric,” the man greeted and extended his hand. Only Draco took it. “I’m the leader of the Cambions.”

“You weren’t at the meeting,” Hermione piped in, walking over to stand behind Harry and Draco. Clearly she’d been eavesdropping.

“No, I wasn’t,” he replied simply and redirected his attention to the boys. “I understand that you have taken care of a blight that has been plaguing our kind for more than a decade, and for that I would like to extend my thanks.”

By thanks, the man apparently meant drugs, because he handed Draco and Harry each a thin, green vial. “What’s that?” Hermione asked for them.

“It’s an antidote of sorts,” he explained.

Hermione rolled her eyes and snatched the vial from Harry’s hand, studying it closely. “Is that even possible?”

The old man chuckled, apparently amused by Hermione’s brazenness, and nodded. “It was developed years ago and given to anyone of our kind who cares to take it.”

“I was waiting for you to experience all there was to being one of us before I offered you the serum, Draco,” Narcissa said, stepping in beside Enric. “I wanted you to make an educated choice because the effects are permanent.”

“What are the effects?” Harry asked.

“The potion will suppress the Incubus gene, putting it in a constant restive state. It won’t be able to resurface and force you into…embarrassing situations,” the man explained.

“But, I thought the Incubus eases off when you find your Mate?” Harry asked, and his emerald gaze flicked to Draco’s.

“Have you felt it easing?” the man asked, and Harry could only swallow and shake his head. “The Incubus will be more reluctant to seek feeding outside your match, but it will still crave lust and sex as much as it always has -with or without Draco at your side.”

“So, it just curbs the beast,” Harry replied, thinking that didn’t sound so horrible.

“If you drink that potion, the Incubus can no longer cause you pain and you can live a normal life of your own choosing. Some of our members have refused the potion, wanting to remain untainted and pure, but most of our ranks enjoy the freedom the antidote has allowed us,” he explained.

“And the side-effects,” Hermione butted in. “What are they, exactly?”

“Your bond with the Potions Master will be broken,” Enric replied, and Harry couldn’t help but think that this just got better and better. “And your bond with one another will break as well. You’ll no longer be pulled to each other like mystical magnets.”

Harry blinked and started to shake his head. “What? The bonds will dissolve, mine and Draco’s both?”

“If either one of you drinks the antidote, your bond will be lost forever,” the man assured.

Harry looked down at the potion, then to his other hand, still twined with Draco’s and then into Draco’s sullen face before the blond lifted the vial to his lips and downed the green liquid in one full gulp.

“No!” Harry screamed, his eyes flaring wide as the last drop slipped from the glass and through Draco’s perfect lips.

“I promised you I would fix the mess I put you in, Harry, and I have,” Draco whispered. “It was my fault we were bonded, but you don’t have to worry anymore. We’re no longer tied by the Incubus, or fate, or anything else.”

Harry wanted to shake Draco, tell him to stop being an arse and spit the potion back out, but he could already feel a shift. Something untangled in his gut and his mind was suddenly free of any thoughts that didn’t belong to him. No longer was Draco’s presence wrapped around him like a purring cat, no more could he simply reach out with his mind and stroke his lover’s consciousness. Draco was gone. Their hands were still laced together, but Draco was gone.

“What did you do?” Harry sobbed, feeling more alone than he’d ever felt his whole life.

Author’s note: Anyone expecting that? This will be my last update before Xmas, and the updates between now and January 4th might be a bit erratic because I’ll be on holiday, but I’ll do my best to post what I can. To anyone I don’t normally talk to, I hope you have a lovely holiday and a happy new year.