FOR SERVICES RENDERED

It seemed like the longest walk that Severus had ever taken. He was a strong man, more than six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a lot of stamina. Farid on the other had was barely five feet six and weighed far less than he should for his height, so it was not carrying Farid that was the problem, it was the distance and the fact that almost every child in the school must have stopped at some time to stare at them. Because he was Severus Snape and they feared his tongue, his wrath, they did not ask the questions he could see glittering in their eyes. Severus was sure that if Farid had not been hiding but walking beside his master then they surely would have ripped him apart with their questioning by now.

Line after line of children stopped to watch them pass, quietly, wide eyed and all this time Farid kept his head firmly buried in the crook of his master’s neck, and as they walked he trembled. Whether from fear, or cold, or exhaustion Severus could not tell. He wanted to take Farid to his bed, undress him, check him over, own him again. He wondered if it were the bond that made him feel like this about the boy, so protective, so sensitive. The bond that he was not even sure existed

But they would investigate now wouldn’t they? Albus and Lupin and Black. They would see if they could break it or transfer ownership to one of them? Black would fight him in the courts try to force the issue and the thought of Farid in his hands made Severus want to turn around and go and beat the bastard to death! Only a few days ago Farid had stood in the Great Hall and introduced himself to the Gryffindors, unafraid, unashamed of what he was. Now that same brave boy was hiding his head with shame, thinking he was dirty, somehow responsible for what he had had to do, and that dreadful confrontation that he had had with Nott couldn’t have helped.

Severus sighed deeply and Farid just tightened his grip and trembled some more. Finally he reached the door of his chambers, and so many things had happened that day that he found himself completely unsurprised to find a small delegation of Gryffindors and one Draco Malfoy sitting outside. They stood as he approached and watched his progression.

“Good afternoon,” he said “and what might I do for you?”

“Please Sir, may we see Farid?” Hermione seemed to be spokesperson for this strange delegation

Farid shook his head; he obviously did not want to see anyone, possibly ever again. But Severus knew that feeling, he had been there himself once or twice when he had been a teenager, and funnily enough there had usually been a Potter involved then too. So he nodded, and ignoring the tiny whimper that Farid gave he whispered the password and led them into his chambers.

Farid was clinging to him now and Severus had to steel himself, hard though it was

“No Farid,” he said, “your friends are here and they want to see you, you will talk to them!”

Farid froze

Then he let go of Severus’ neck

“Jes Master.”

Severus heard the other children gasp as he said this and he lowered Farid to the ground.

Farid it seemed did not know what to do it was obvious that he would not disobey his master but it was also obvious that he was very distressed, when had he come to care so much about what these children thought about him? His hands were clenching and unclenching his head stayed lowered and he was trembling harder than ever.

“Oh Farid!” Said Hermione sadly and she walked over to him and hugged him tight. Farid looked panicked, his eyes met Severus’s asking for permission but when Severus nodded and smiled at him Farid finally relaxed. Severus could see it in the lines of his body, the relief on his face; he was barely an inch taller than Hermione so he could lay his head on her shoulder without being picked up or having to stretch, they stood there for a moment or two and then Hermione said

“Poor Farid, poor, poor love,” that was all it took to open the floodgates and finally, heartbreakingly Farid wept. He wept for his stolen childhood, for the pain and humiliation he had had to suffer in his life, for the strain of the last few weeks and for the spirit crushing embarrassment that Black had forced upon him. All of this Severus knew, he felt it; they were almost tangible these feelings Farid was broadcasting to him, presumably through the bond, and he speculated about how many people had held Farid like this in his life requiring nothing in return, merely offering comfort. He realised with a guilty start that it was probably precious few.

Much later Severus sat in the battered armchair that was adjacent to the fireplace in his bedroom. He had often spent time here after returning from one of Voldemort’s summonses, trying to get the images out of his head. Tom Riddle, and the shade that had been Voldemort had joined together soon after Ginerva Weasley had died in the Chamber of Secrets. No other children had been killed once the Basilisk had been released as Dumbledore and the other teachers, assisted by some very brave seventh years had guided them all from the building. But it had taken nearly four months for trained Aurors, supported by Hagrid to finally subdue the beast, hence the school closure. Parents had been reluctant to return their children and a number had departed for Durmstrang, Beauxbatons and other wizarding schools.

The return of the other Weasley children had probably been the one thing that had really reassured the other parents, so Severus should have known, he really should, that there was more to Ron than he had suspected previously. The boy had sat next to Farid, once he had calmed down enough to listen and told him that he thought he was one of the bravest people he had ever met and that he should not mind some of the other kids because “some of them really are a bunch of wankers!” Farid was an important addition to Gryffindor he told him

They had all been shocked by the fact of Farid’s slavery, how could they not be? But again they had assured him that they did not mind or feel any differently about him. How they felt about Severus they did not say, but they eyed him once or twice, warily. Even that craven fool Longbottom had been quick to reassure Farid, that they liked him, and did not think any less of him for Black’s dreadful words and still wanted to be his friends.

Severus had never quite forgiven this young Longbottom for being so unlike his brave and handsome father. Frank and he had had a relationship for almost the whole of one term when Frank had been a glamorous seventh year and Severus had been a lowly fifth. They had parted on good terms though and tentatively stayed friends when Frank had married Alice, she of the fearsome wit and dancing eyes. Severus had always thought this quivering weakling not worth the sanity of his mother and father, but seeing him comfort Farid he thought that maybe he had been wrong and there was more to this boy too than met the eye.

The children had stayed for more than an hour and Severus wondered ruefully about the changes that his boy had wrought in him. The Snape of a month ago would never have even dreamed of hosting several of Gryffindor’s elite in his chambers, never mind offering them all a hot chocolate and raison and oat cookies as he did, those being one of Farid’s favourite treats.

When they were sitting, sipping their drinks, hands wrapped around the cups for comfort asking Farid a little about the things that he remembered about being Harry Potter and his life before Hogwarts; Draco asked Severus if they could speak alone, and then launched into questioning his godfather about his spying and how long he had been on the side of the light. Severus was delighted, he had wanted Draco to make the choice he seemed to be deciding on for several years now, but he was under no illusion that the other students had taken the opportunity to question Farid about Severus’s treatment of him. That fact would have seriously annoyed him not that long ago, and it still would if Albus were to ask it, but somehow the concern of these young people touched him in a way that was unexpected because they had cause to have seen the very worst of Severus, he knew they were in awe of him and yet they had braved his quarters to check on and reassure their friend. Gryffindors indeed he thought.

Draco had stopped short of offering his assistance to Severus, but he was certainly leaning towards that instead of his current neutrality, but Farid, who was so tired that he was swaying sleepily where he sat, distracted Severus. So he sent the children away, promising Draco that they would talk more at a later date. Then he had sat beside Farid and proceeded to take care of his boy

He loved his baths, and Farid enjoyed them too. Severus had never had much money in his childhood and as soon as he could afford it on his teacher’s salary he had built this bathroom. It was his major luxury; his one indulgence and he loved sharing it with Farid. He undressed the boy slowly, carefully he wanted to examine him see how Harry Potter differed from his little Farid. Without the glamour he was different and yet essentially the same. He had a look of his father. About his nose, his mouth, but James features were softened on Farid, which is perhaps why Severus had never noticed the resemblance before now. His eyes though were just like his mother’s large, expressive and Severus’s favourite green. He was truly beautiful and Severus thrilled to the fact that he still belonged to him.

Item by item he peeled away the layers of the boy’s clothing until naked and defenseless he stood before him, eyes lowered, perfectly still just as he had been taught, open to his master, denying him nothing. Severus ran his fingers over him, checking him, caressing him, exploring this new skin.

He was much paler than he had been with the glamour. Then his flesh had been the colour of very milky coffee. Once, before Voldemort returned, he had spent a summer in the south of France with his sometime lover Lucius Malfoy, and each morning they had sat in pavement cafés and watched the world go by, eating pastries and croissants and crumbling them into the deep white cups that had held café au lait. That had been the colour of Farid’s skin, creamy, palest mocha, smooth and unblemished all over. Farid’s true colouring had yet to emerge, he was so pale right now that he was almost translucent, blue-white in places. That combination made the scars that decorated him and the dark circles under his eyes livid against the paleness of his skin. The combination of lack of sunlight for years on end, and the added protection offered by the glamour meant that Farid’s skin was as unnatural right now as it had been earlier under the glamour. It was not unattractive though he thought absently stroking the boy’s back and thighs.

Farid did have a number of scars. There were some on his back that looked like they had been made by a vicious whipping, probably using a strap. There were burn marks on his inner thighs that might have been done with a poker and worse of all carved into the flat patch of skin above his right hipbone was the word FREAK in small neat letters, faded to brown.

Severus was incensed that his boy had been marked like this and vowed to ask him about it the next day, he could see that he was too tired to speak coherently right now, but tomorrow, tomorrow there was much that they would discuss.

He tugged gently on the nipple rings, so that Farid would follow him over to the gleaming sunken bath and Severus carefully lowered him in to the hot water, which was filled with bubbles and aromatic floating candles.

Seconds later divested of his clothing he joined Farid in the steaming water and pulled the boy towards him, stroking his silken thighs; he turned his slave so that he was facing away and started to prepare his tight entrance for Severus cock. Massaging the area around his anus, slicking him with oil and stretching the muscles with long slim fingers. He was very aroused now, Farid had leaned back against his master, sweet, obedient, his hair wet and plastered to his back, cheeks gaining a little pinkness from the heat of the water, he looked completely delectable.

Severus held him tight, hands crossed in front of him gripped firmly in Severus’s own fist. When the slave was in the right position Severus buried himself the boy in one hard thrust, and Farid cried out, but whether with lust or pain Severus could not tell. He just knew he had to be inside his slave right now, he had to possess him again. The boy was so well trained, and he marvelled at his compliance his acceptance of ownership. In this position Severus could not do very much but he thrilled with pleasure as the boy slowly fucked himself on Severus’s cock, building up the pressure slowly, languidly until Severus came, screaming his completion. He was only afterwards that he realised that Farid had not come, that his cock was limp and unresponsive buried in his damp curls. Severus had forgotten to order him to get hard.

He sipped a bit more of his Talisker and leaned back into the chair, Severus loved the malt and had even once in his younger days visited the distillery on Skye, though he had apparated there rather than facing the rickety bus ride that seemed to take ages trundling along the narrow single track roads, sometimes he was really glad that he was not a muggle. Farid whickered in his sleep; he had cried so much tonight and Severus hoped that some of it at least had been cathartic. Farid cried easily, most boys his age would have done almost anything before displaying weakness, but Farid had been taught to appear weak, in his case it was strength that he hid.

But the tears tonight had been different they had been the cry of a tortured soul, abandoned, lonely and frightened. By the time the Gryffindors had left they looked exhausted, tired out from their part in trying to rebuild the pieces of this seemingly broken boy.

From what Severus had seen of Farid since he had taken him from Yusuf’s tender care Farid was very tough, he had overcome so much and if he had collapsed at last because of Black’s idiotic behaviour then no one would be strong enough to stop Severus ripping out his heart with his bare hands.

He finished his whiskey with one final gulp and made his way over to the bed. Climbing in beside the boy and pulling him possessively closer he lifted his nightgown so that he could feel the boy’s naked arse against his cock, which was hard again, and leaking. He could have lost him today he almost had. He needed to make him his own again, Farid stirred “Masteerr, how can this slave serve dyou?” he muttered, half asleep.

“Sshh,” Severus whispered, “just turn on your front, my own,” Farid obeyed as ever, completely acquiescent and Severus took him again.




Wow thank you all for your reviews they do mean a lot to me and I wish I could reply individually! I just don't think an author can do that on AFF. Anyway a big box of cookies and a hug to you all. Luciexxx