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Severus did not know how long they sat there, he and Farid. Long enough that his legs began to cramp and a dull ache began to make itself felt in his lower back, Farid had fallen asleep curled half onto Severus’s lap, half on the floor, and Severus just sat there stroking his hair. Farid’s hair had not changed it was as soft and as dark as it had ever been and just as wild. He marvelled as he sat there that his boy seemed to be able fall asleep just about anywhere, almost catlike he was in some ways, his little Gryffindor kitten, and didn’t those stunning eyes just add to that effect?

He supposed that Farid had had to learn to grab sleep whenever it came but even in sleep Farid did not seem to forget what he had been trained for, because curled as he was against his master, there was no defense in his pose. Severus could have had access to any part of Farid that he wanted, and sometimes he just wished that Farid lay like that because he trusted Severus and not because of whatever vicious training that had taught him that he was not allowed to defend himself against his master and whatever physical plunder might be inflicted, ever.

Now that the glamour was off Severus could see the dark circles under Farid’s eyes, they had been there for a while he suspected but when Farid’s skin had been darker they had been far less noticeable but he wondered what other scars the glamour had been hiding all this time. He had felt them sometimes, raised skin here and there on Farid’s otherwise smooth skin, there was one spot in particular on Farid’s right hip that piqued his curiosity and he wondered how the boy had come by them. Yusuf said he had had scars as a small child but Severus also wondered if he just meant the one on his forehead and whether the boy had gained many scars in his time with the vampires. Right now his particularly famous scar was livid red and looked very sore, had it been this way for a while too?

The was a soft knock at the door startling him out of his musings and he looked up to see Albus peeking around the entrance at him.

“Severus? He asked tentatively, “Is every thing okay? Can we come in?”

Severus sighed deeply he had known that it could not last this time when he was trying to come to terms with the day’s revelations, the last precious time together he and his Farid. The world was already battering at their door and he knew now that the secret was out that there was no way on earth that their relationship could continue as it had been before. They would take Farid away from him, train him to defeat Voldemort and present him with all the Potter gold that was rumoured to lie waiting in a Gringotts vault. And Severus felt quite desperate right then, he almost wanted to take his boy and run away but that was not possible, Harry was needed and when Harry discovered the world that awaited him, he would not want to stay with Severus, bond or no bond. So although he wanted to scream at the intruders to leave them alone, leave them in peace, he nodded anyway, albeit reluctantly.

“Can Sirius come in too?” Albus queried.

“If he thinks he can behave himself,” he replied dryly.

Soon Albus, Lupin and Black had joined him in the wrecked classroom.

“Shit, just look at it, did the boy do all this?” Sirius asked gesturing at the mess that surrounded him

“He was very frightened,” Severus, said defensively “He thought that our row was his fault and that we’re going to send him back to Yusuf,”

Albus tutted sadly at this

“And some of the other boys, thought he might like to play with them, as you outed him to the whole school so effectively!”

Black at least had the grace to look somewhat ashamed of himself

“Well I’m sorry about that, I thought he was some little whore that you picked up..”

But he did not finish that last sentence as he found his gaze was met and held by a pair of deep green eyes. He, Lupin and Albus all gasped when they saw Farid’s face for the first time.

“But I cham a liddle cwhore Mr Black!” He said coldly “I take it up ze ass, and suck my master’s cock ven I am told to, just like dyou say, that is vat cwhore jo is it not?”

Black’s mouth dropped open

“Harry!” said Dumbledore; his eyes were twinkling so madly that they might just explode. He was crouching down to be on a level with them both, and it was certainly unusual to see the 150 year old wizard, sitting on the floor, eye to eye with him and Farid, looking for all the world like a very hairy five-year-old. Black and Lupin very quickly followed his example and Severus nearly chuckled, so surreal did they all look sitting cross legged, in the middle of a totally wrecked DADA classroom.

“My boy,” he continued, “I am so pleased that we have found you at last!”

“Dyou jid not find me Alboos Grey Beard my masteerr jid, I stay wiz chim, jes?

This time it really was all Severus could do not to laugh out loud, now that the glamour had gone anyone could see that Farid Harry had his mother’s eyes and they were flashing with something indefinable right now, anger, anxiety, fear, determination? Severus was not sure but Farid’s hand had slipped into his and he held it tightly as if he might never let go.

Then those green eyes turned to look at him and Severus thought that he might melt under the hot viridian glow.

“I may stay Masteerr? Jes?”

Severus felt relief wash over him, he was not sure what the hell was going to happen next but Farid at least wanted to stay with him.

He smiled at the boy and nodded once.

And it was as if someone had turned on the sun Farid glowed with joy, and he leaned over and placed a kiss on his master’s lips, lifting his eyes once as if to ask permission.

Black seemed to be choking.

“I am sorry about ze classroom, Albus Grey Beard, I vas very frighted! I zought I moost go back,” He shuddered, and looked at Albus, “I cannot go back I vould die before zat.”

The twinkle in Albus’s eyes had dimmed some, and they sparkled with something else this time. Tears perhaps? Severus wondered if anyone or anything had ever brought Albus as close to weeping in recent years, as Farid seemed to manage on an almost daily basis.

“We would never, ever do that my boy, you need never worry about seeing Yusuf again, but we do need to talk, perhaps we can go somewhere a little less…”

Farid hung his head

“M’sorry Suir, I make good,” he idly waved one hand in the general direction of the destroyed items littering the floor and instantly everything was restored.

“Oh my good God!” Lupin said in astonishment.

“Fucking Hell!” Said Black

Farid just looked at them once more with his steady gaze and said

“Ve stay chere for a vhile pleas Alboos? My friends zey know everyzing now they might chate me.”

Black looked completely stricken

“I am so sorry Hhharry,” he said stumbling over his words in an uncharacteristic way

“Jo not be, It is true! I am a slave, and maybe I am ze uder zings too,” He looked down sadly and shrugged his shoulders, “But I vould chave liked to tell zem.”

This time Black seemed to crumple, and Severus, almost felt sorry for him. Almost. The stupid fool had told the entire school about him and Farid, but also about his spying activities and he speculated about how long before these little nuggets of information made their way back to Voldemort.

Albus spoke then, “well if we are to stay here we had better get a bit more comfortable.” This time the headmaster conjured a sofa, and some chairs although it seemed to take him longer than it might have taken Farid.

Albus almost seemed to be reading Severus thoughts because he said then

“Harry, everyone knows who you are, or at least who we suspect you are.”

Farid looked back at him seemingly unruffled, an expression of mild curiosity on his face.

Severus was stunned, Farid did not seem to care about this at all, he wondered what his boy, because he was still his boy, he had made that pretty clear, was thinking.

But what Albus had just said seemed to sink in and he exploded then. “But how the hell does everyone know, Albus? I thought it would come out soon, but not yet, Miss Granger just told us, how does everyone know?”

“Well I might have shouted something about it being a possibility,” Black muttered. It was all Severus could do at that point not get up and hit the stupid fool, but Albus held up a hand in his direction as if asking for peace.

“Why did you not tell us Harry?”

Farid looked down again.

“I was frighted, very frighted. Zat Masteerr vould not vant me anymore.”

Black snorted at this point and Farid fixed him with another of those hard stares of his, which seemed to quell any other comment he might have made.

“I vas scared to fight ze dark vizard. But I know I chave to tell dyou zoon, ze silver vizard he know and ze….” He said a word in Kazakh here looking quizzically at Albus,

“Raggedy.”

Rraggedy chat!”

Albus was looking puzzled

“The Sorting Hat knew?”

“Oh jes!” Farid replied brightly “He say, if zese clever vizards cannot zee vhat is under zer noses I’ll not tell zem,” and he smiled one of his enormous smiles.

Now it was Albus’s turn to choke.

Severus wanted to laugh out loud, Farid with his own unique mix of shrewdness and innocence was running rings around them all, and could not help but feel inordinately proud of the boy right now.

Severus spoke for the first time.

“Farid who is the silver wizard?”

“Ze von cwho make vands, he zay I chave been marked by destiny and my vand is bruzzer to Voldemort’s.”

This time Severus knew he looked as stunned as everyone else did.

“What does that mean Harry? Your wand is a brother to Voldemort’s?”

“Jes, zey both chave,” here he wrinkled his brow “Phoenix fezzer inside zem. Same phoenix I sink, jes?”

The silence that met this remark was profound.

“Farid,” Severus said, “when did you first realise who you were, when did you first know?”

Farid looked down again and a tear fell into his lap, Severus felt so awful, so dreadful that his boy, his beautiful boy had known all this time that he was Harry Potter and he had been too frightened to tell him, Ollivander had known, the Sorting Hat had known. Dumbledore had told him the whole story of what had happened to his parents, in a cool objective way. Farid knew that they had died because of the prophecy, it struck him then that all this time he had known Severus part in their deaths, because Albus had told him that he had passed the edited details to Voldemort. It was their fault, his and Albus’ that Farid had had the childhood, the life that he had and yet he showed no hatred, no resentment. How could that be?

“Farid, please tell me?” He gently lifted the boy’s chin so that their eyes met and once again their beauty and the expressiveness within overcame him. How could he have thought the brown eyes expressive when these were just so much more? Before with the glamour in place his eyes had been beautiful but it had been like looking into a veil by comparison with the gorgeousness that was before him now.

Then finally, with one more quick peek at his master to seek approval Farid told them everything, he told them about his revelation the return of the memories and fearfully, checking to see Severus reaction he told them why he had been frightened.

Now Black exploded. “You see Albus, I told you he could not be trusted! Harry is scared of him, terrified, he could not even admit who he was while all the time this…this fucking pervert was raping my godson!”

But now Farid was on his feet and this time he had completely lost his temper, magical energy was spitting and crackling all around him and he rounded on Black like a hellcat.

“Stop it!” He yelled, “Jon’t dyou dare say zose zings about my Masteerr I lof him! I lof him viz all zat I chave!”

Black was on his feet too backing away but Farid was far from finished.

“Dyou zay I cham a cwhore, like I chave choice, like I choose zis, I vas eight year old! Master Yusuf he took me from house and he beat me and lock me in cage, and zey fuck me over and over again. In my mouz and up my ass and it churt mooch and I cry and I cry and zey beat me again. Zen zey lock me in liddle cage again for so long time and nobody come, zo I pray and vish zey would. I pray zat someone help me but nobody come. Not for ten year, not till chim.”

Farid’s voice had broken now and he was holding back the sobs, trembling with distress and anger, “Not till Masteerr come and let me zit on chair and wear clothes and chave baz, in varm vater. Masteer take off collar and tell me I not have to fuck unless I choose, and I jo choose! I man now and I lof fuck wiz Masteerr I lof Masteerr and no von, not dyou, not Alboos take me avay!”

He was sobbing openly unable to stop the tears Severus went to him then, and enfolded his boy in his arms and Farid buried his face in Severus robe and wept.

Severus picked him up and cradled him in his arms to comfort him just like he had that horrible day after he had stood by and let Farid be so savagely beaten.

He kissed him tenderly on the top of his head and said with as much dignity as he could muster, for he too was shaking with anger

“I think that is enough for one day Albus, we are going back to my chambers. We will see you in the morning.” Farid had wrapped his arms around Severus neck by then and without more ado, still cradling his precious burden, Severus swept from the room.


A/N Thanks for all your reviews, I am away for a few days now and will not be able to answer them or post anymore till I get back, but here is a little something to keep you going! *hugs you all* Lucie