Furry Magic

Title: Furry Magic, chapter 2
Author: ne\'ichan
Email Address: faestion1@yahoo.com
Pairing:luciusxharry
Warning: m/m, beasty things, AU
Summary:assessment, evaluation, diagnosis.
Disclaimer: Not mine, the characters you recognize. They belong to JK Rowling.
Previous Chapters: at this site.

\"Up, Potter.\" Lucius Malfoy strode back into his study and toward the boy in his chair. His long legs eating up the distance between them. Harry\'s eyes met his with trepidation, huge green eyes in a white face. Terrified. Lucius continued to advance.

Harry struggled to his feet, grabbing the edge of the chair to steady himself, his voice came out as an unrecognizable croak. Lucius Malfoy watched him swallow, working his throat to clear it. He never made it to another attempt at speech. He stayed upright for precisely ten seconds, then his eyes rolled back in his head, and he crumpled to the floor, landing with a thump.

Lucius looked down at the rumpled heap of young man. Grunting with annoyance, he stooped and picked up the small frame. Instantly he felt it, the connection. Potter was a were-leopard, and he had come from Lucius\' line, sanctioned or not. The most practical action was to kill the boy, and find the one who had turned him. Then to punish or kill that one. Depending on the circumstances.

But he knew Potter. Admired him to a degree, a damned determined young man if highly irritating. And he smelled good. Delicious. Like pride. Part of Lucius\' pride. As if he was already claimed by an alpha-leopard. An impossible thing. Lucius was the only alpha in his pride. The rest were omega or beta. Second and third tier in the dominance scale.

Lucius carried the unconscious youth down the hall effortlessly. The young man was cool to the touch, too cool, shocky. Not much muscle on him either. Physically weak, mentally strong. If Harry had still been wholly human Lucius would have been worried for his survival. But he was not human, not any more. There was plenty of time now to strengthen the too thin body.

Potter smelled of old and new blood, with a healthy dose of fear combined, pore deep, as if he\'d been afraid for a while. Looking down, Lucius knew what he would see once Potter was undressed. Bruises. Scratches. Typical when a lycanthrope of one type encountered a second type. Rage, competition, the urge to toy with prey. It took many years to gain the control not to answer to the instinct. To defeat the drive to kill. Paulsen may have played with the fledgling, or it may have been someone else.

The bathing room was warm, steam rising from the shallow pool. The edge sloped down into the water. Lucius lay the boy down and sent out a call for Amrys, his Des, or second in command. He felt the answering call, and set about undressing Harry while he waited. Then he undressed himself, the work of only moments, not wanting to wet his clothes.

He saw the expected scratches, and the bruises, some days old, some from only hours before. But Potter was alive, and would remain alive. His clothing was stuck to him in several places over the larger lacerations. Lucius scooped water and dripped it onto the places where the clothing was stuck. He gently prised the fabric away.

Amrys entered the room slowly, on alert, nose twitching, hair ruffled and standing on end. His lithe, golden skinned body was clothed only in light brown leather pants. His feet were bare. He approached cautiously. And at Lucius\' nod of permission, he sank to his knees beside the two who were on the bathing room floor.

Amrys offered his cheek, lifting his chin and baring his throat to his alpha. Lucius rubbed his scent along the other man\'s face, back up to behind the well shaped ear. He lingered over the large pulse in the other man\'s neck. Then he pulled back. Together they gazed down at the slender youth sprawled on the flooring.

\"Who is this?\" The blond were-leopard growled. In answer Lucius pushed back the lank hair with one hand, revealing the pale forehead. He watched his second for a reaction. \"Ahh.\" Amrys said as he took in the z shaped scar. \"Why is *he* one of us?\"

\"I do not know. I have not discovered who turned him. He scents as if claimed, but is yet unmarked by an alpha.\" Lucius told the younger man. He turned Potter and looked at his back. More bruising.

\"That does not make sense. He can not be claimed if you have not marked him. There are no other alphas in our pride.\" Amrys stated the obvious. He sniffed to be sure. \"He smells like one of us, but brand new, a kitten, less than a month old, two or three weeks at most, who had your leave?\"

Lucius\' pale eyes gleamed. \"I know that. And I have not marked him. But I can smell an alpha claim on him. No one had my leave to do this. No one.\" He snarled, baring his fangs. Amrys rubbed his face submissively along Lucius\' bare arm.

\"You will lay claim to him? To take over the prior claim?\" Amrys asked for confirmation when his alpha had calmed. If the boy was to be eliminated, then he would not be here in the bathing room of Malfoy Manor. Lucius meant to let the young man live.

\"Yes.\" Lucius lifted the new one and walked into the bathing pool, the steam rising higher as he disturbed the water. Amrys waited until he was given a nod of permission, then he shed his pants and entered the water. Together they bathed the somnolent youth, who gave no reaction beyond a small moan when the worst of his injuries were washed.

Lucius ducked himself, rinsing off the remnants of Potter\'s blood from his own skin. He rose from the steam, water cascading off of his pale skin like drops of crystal. His broad chest, deep and strong with nipples like pale oval coins, gleaming on his pectorals as he rose. He took Harry from Amrys and stood still, allowing his second to run hands over him, to wash him clean.

Then he carried Potter from the pool, large muscles bunching under his old-ivory toned skin. He set the youth on a cotton blanket and set about treating his many wounds. Claw marks, teeth scrapes. And the one bite mark, high on his shoulder. That was the one that had turned him. Forcing the saliva deep into him, holding the bite while the virus in it had time to sink into his bloodstream. Lucius measured the bite with is eyes. A big cat. Every bit as big as his own bite.

ne\'ichan