Cracking the Gold

Edited:

I found the missing posts!!! I have bolded them so you can find where they were and what you missed. ^^; Sorry!!

Author\'s Note: Ack! Appologies for the length in the postage!! I have had mock exams, tests, was in the hospital one night, interviews, my sister\'s wedding... X_X But, here\'s a update for you!! I\'ll try to make it LONG to make up for the time away!!! ^^;

Disclaimer: See Introduction.

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\"No.\" Blunt. Bitter in his voice, but hesitance as well. He wasn\'t comfortable, but he wasn\'t sure whether he\'d be emotionally comfortable beside Draco--unless he sat on the other couch.


Draco smiled again, head tilting to indicate the space beside him on the couch, \"Probably be more comfortable up here.\"


Harry felt his ears burn as he slid fluidly onto the couch, onto the far end from Draco, trying to avoid seeing any part of him---even a finger.


Draco smiled at that, shaking his head as he picked up a book from the side table, flipping through it in silence a moment before coming upon the poem he\'d wanted, reading softly aloud:

\"The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding, riding, riding
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door.\"


Harry stopped figeting to the beat in his head and listened, turning his head softly to hear better.


Draco managed to keep his face impassive, though he was thrilled to find that Harry was already listening so attentatively.

\"He\'d a French cocked hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doeskin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: His boots were up to the thigh!
And he road with a jeweled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jeweled sky.\"


He has a pretty voice at times...I\'m sure it\'s damn sexy when he wants it to be. Harry shot the thought in his head as soon as it came to him, ignoring it, almost repulsed that he\'d thought that. He was under Imperio. He just knew it.


Draco was smirking slightly as he continued reading, apparently simply immersed in the task at hand:

\"Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn yard,
And he tapped his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord\'s black-eyed daughter,
Bess the landlord\'s black-eyed daughter,
Bess the landlord\'s daughter
Plaiting a dark red love knot into her long black hair.\"


Harry tried to rid all thought from his head and concentrate on listening. Perhaps this was a hidden message Draco was giving him and if he could figure it out, he\'d be free, or something. Perhaps he\'d need this for a future test. Don\'t be silly---this isn\'t school anymore. He continued to listen, wondering angrily why it had to be about love.


Well because under everything, Draco really was a romantic at heart. Very very deeply buried of course, but that was another story:

\"And dark in the dark old inn yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked;
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like moldy hay,
Bue he loved the landlord\'s daughter
The landlord\'s red-lipped daughter,
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say:\"


Harry slowly turned his body so his side faced the blonde instead of his back. He continued to stare at the floor. He hated reading, why was he listening to this? Surely there was going to be some bloody test or something...


Well it was a test in the way that everything was, Draco was wondering just how far he\'d get before Harry couldn\'t take it anymore and interrupted, or fell asleep:

\"\'One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I\'m after a prize tonight,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I\'ll come to thee by moonlight, though Hell should bar the way\"


Harry sat back, closing his eyes and trying to picture the scene he was being read. He wasn\'t sure why he was doing it, but it was better than staring at the floor anyway. Or staring at Malfoy\'s lips. Harry furrowed his brow for a millisecond, pushing those thoughts aside once more, vowing to hex them---somehow.


Draco was still smirking, the expression present in his tone as much as anything:

\"He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hear i\'the casement! His face burned like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
(oh sweet black waves in the moonlight!)
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonlight, and galloped away to the West.\"

Harry opened his eyes. That had been pretty, but rather uneventful. Besides, he didn\'t want to be read to at that moment. What would you rather be doing...? Hmm? Harry could practically feel his mind sneer at him. He blinked, hoping the thoughts would be caught up in his lashes and blown away by...a breeze?

Draco tilted his head, still smiling faintly, \"Still listening Harry? Would you prefer something else?\"


Harry shrugged. He was listening, but he didn\'t really care for the poem all that much... It had been pretty, yes, but rather....--his mind was being overactive to appreciate it.


Draco smiled slightly once more, shaking his head, \"Perhaps something more sinister would suit you better? Something humorous mayhap?\"


\"Maybe.\" He wasn\'t sure. His eyes stared at the walls, taking in any portraits that were up, any decor.


Draco nodded slowly, flipping through the book in search of something else, humming softly to himself as he did so.


Harry chewed on his lower lip for a while, a few minutes before realizing his hand was trailing idly over the marks on his neck again. Damnit! He quickly put his hand back into his lap and nearly sat on them to keep from doing that again. He closed his eyes. He had to plan.


Draco smirked, reading again, voice almost singsong and soothing:

\"On either side of the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And thro\' the field the road runs by to many-tower\'d Camelot;
And up and dow nthe people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.\"


Harry half listened, half plotted. He yawned randomly for no reason except he was thinking too much. He wasn\'t tired in the slightest.


Draco chuckled softly, shaking his head, \"Not that one then. Hmm.\" He flipped through the book again, head tilted slightly as he continued searching.


Harry became rather bored with the reading. He pushed the book aside with a thought and laid across him, resting his head on the closest thigh of the other and closing his eyes.


Draco arched a brow at that, then smiled, trailing his fingers through the other\'s hair, \"Yes Harry? Comfortable?\" he shook his head then, smiling as he settled back, still petting.


Harry nodded slowly, trying not to move his head much. It was better than reading. Reading, or listening to it, reminded him of Hogwarts and lectures. And Peeves. He wasn\'t sure why, maybe because he\'d been conked in the head a few too many times with a stray book.


He chuckled softly as he continued petting, \"Well then this is what we\'ll do for now.\"


Good... Harry half smiled, and let his hand fall off the side of the couch, then after another minute, let it trail loosely along Draco\'s calves. He had it figured it, mostly. All he had to do was get Draco to trust him enough. And if Harry did nothing against him, then he\'d be fine. Now all he had to do was forget about the wonderful feeling of Draco\'s fingers in his hair.


Draco smiled at the half-petting, his own fingers trailing across Harry\'s brow, careful not to touch the scar now, then down over his temples and through his hair, fingers cool against warm skin.


A deep breath escaped Harry as he discovered this was going to prove harder than he thought. He kept his eyes closed, and focused on the goal ahead, not the task at hand. A day--at most. A day he\'d have to pretend, then it\'d be all over. Harry made a noise in his throat as Draco\'s fingers unintentionally tugged at his hair. He was shocked when it didn\'t hurt, but instead a tingle of a shiver ran along his scalp and tickled down to his shoulders.


Draco smiled slowly at that, nodding mostly to himself as he kneaded fingertips against Harry\'s scalp before resuming petting his hair, repeating the half-tugging motion.


Harry\'s jaw and lips parted briefly with a quiet gasp before he forced them shut again, his eyes darting back and forth beneath his lids. He bit his lip gently as his hand caressed Draco\'s leg softly, pausing once in a while at a tug that sent shivers along him.


Draco smirked, settling back, fingers still petting through the other\'s hair slowly, giving it a gentle tug here and there, nothing to cause any undue pain, just enough to work him up a little maybe.


Harry wanted to bite his lip, but his face was in view of the other. Instead he kept a rhythmic stroke along Draco\'s ankles with his own fingers. He kept his eyes closed, them flickering around at almost every tug.


Draco was purring faintly at that point, fingers still stroking through and tugging at the other\'s hair gently, the teasing pressure of the other\'s fingers was too much to tickle, but not enough for anything else.


Harry swallowed thickly as he fought to keep his mind on track. He shifted in his seat, moving around a bit and resting his head a bit higher up for more comfort--nothing else.


Draco smiled slowly at that, since it made it easier to slide his fingers down Harry\'s spine, pressing and kneading gently.


Harry\'s jaw trembled slightly with a shiver as he finally did chew the corner of his lip. His mind was cursing himself over and over. Damnit...keep on track.....keep on track....keep on ....bloody hell. It wasn\'t working. Well, it was more than if he was focusing on what his body wanted him to.


Draco smirked faintly then, giving Harry\'s hair another gentle tug, trying to draw him up again, wanting to lay claim to the brunette\'s mouth once more.


His head leaned back, following the tug slightly, but he tried to force his head back down, a shivering tingle in his stomach rising. His fingers lightly scratched at Draco\'s leg at the last tug before he drew his hand up beside him quickly.


Draco smiled once more, shaking his head as his fingers slid down Harry\'s spine again, petting still, \"Such a good boy.\"


Harry\'s eyes clenched tighter at those words, them bringing him back to his previous thoughts. He had to remember Ron...Hermoine---everyone--where ever they were now. Sitting up quickly, Harry forced his eyes open and he looked away, adjusting his clothes like a nervous school girl waiting for her prom date to pick her up.


Draco chuckled again at that, leaning in to trace the shell of Harry\'s ear with the tip of his tongue, almost purring, the touch light enough to tickle.


Harry\'s body tremmored with a shiver as he hadn\'t seen Draco approach him closer. His eyes and jaw threatened to fall again, though his jaw went through with that threat with a shuddering whisper of a breath. His hands curled in his lap, gripping at the cloth as he fought to pull himself away.


Draco smiled, one hand sliding along Harry\'s jaw, curling against the other side of his head, holding him gently in place as he repeated the quick little flick of his tongue


Harry resisted against the hand, leaning into it, only to relax his head completely onto the hand unknowingly. His breath managed to hitch again, though he knew this was coming. He bit his lip harder, pulling at his clothes idly, fighting a disturbing urge to jump onto the other right there. I hate him....


\"Don\'t fight it\" Draco cooed against his ear, \"It\'s so much better when you don\'t fight.\"


A whimper escaped him as he pushed the words from his mind. He hadn\'t heard that. With hesitance, he pushed himself to his left, forcing him away from the tempting touches.


Draco\'s fingers slid slowly along the underside of Harry\'s jaw as he moved away, chuckling and nuzzling down the side of his throat, \"Why do you keep resisting?\"


Harry shivered, swallowing nervously, head unwillingly leaning back only slightly. When the other spoke again, he was brought back to his \'right\' mind. He stood nervously, stepping away. \"I...I....D-don\'t.\" His eyes were low, if open at all, it was hard to tell.


Draco smiled, leaning back against the arm of the couch that Harry had recently occupied, \"You don\'t what pet?\"


Harry tried to look at him, but he found it hard to do without falling trance to the other. \"Just...just don\'t.\" He needed to be alone. He couldn\'t do this any longer, he had to execute his plan then. \"D-don\'t....\" Harry forced the words out as he forced his eyes to look at the silvery ones across from him. \"Don\'t tease...\" He forced his body to steady as he shifted on the spot.


Draco\'s brow arched slowly at that, leaning back against the couch once more, \"Was I teasing?\" He shook his head, \"I didn\'t think I was.\"


Harry felt the bile in his stomach rising but he forced it down as he stepped closer to the other again, tucking his legs under him as he sat beside the blonde again. He took the vile initiative to kiss the other\'s neck, praying he couldn\'t fall victim. His arms curled around the other as he kissed a tender spot.


Draco\'s breath caught just slightly at that, head tilting back, fingers easing gently through Harry\'s hair once more, holding him close and surprisingly gently.


Harry forced his mind onto what he had to do and with a lurge in his stomach protesting, he lifted a leg over the blonde\'s lap and straddled him, arms circling him as he nipped sharply at his neck in hopes to cause some pain to pay him back for everything.


He made another low sound at that, shifting slightly to settle more squarely against th back of the couch, arms looped around Harry\'s waist then.


Harry couldn\'t resist a slight grind against the other before he focused on his long run task. He kissed up Draco\'s neck to the side of his lips, refusing to kiss them---in disgust that he was hiding.


Draco made a faint sound at the grind, head rolling back further, he could care less about the lack of kissing at the moment, as Harry was doing a bang up job with everything else.


Harry urged Draco\'s head back as he nipped at his adam\'s apple, almost nuzzling the skin. His left arm curled around his neck and his fingers tangled in his hair as his other hand lay flat on the other\'s chest, fingers trailing the skin.


Draco was ... purring, low and rumbling in the back of his throat, eager for more, wondering for a moment where this had come from with Harry, since he\'d been so reluctant previously.


Harry was figuring that this was a question, as it was rather out of no where. He could only murmur soft explanations against the prince\'s skin. \"I couldn\'t take it anymore...I can\'t...resist. Merlin...Draco you\'re so bloody hot.\" Harry tried to say the words as seductively as he could without puking.


He chuckled softly at that, shaking his head, fingers tangling through the other\'s hair again, tugging his head back sharply, voice somewhere between a seductive purr and a sinister growl, \"Don\'t lie to me pet.\"


Harry was afraid he was seeing through him for a moment, but he continued on praying he wasn\'t. \"I swear I\'m not...\" He ground his hips against the other, cursing himself for being aroused at this, but thanking it also as it helped \'prove\' his point.


Draco made a faint sound in the back of his throat then, almost smiling still as he leaned in to nip at Harry\'s throat, just once before releasing his hold of the other\'s hair again.

Harry\'s head tilted as he trailed his hand down the blonde\'s chest, fingers toying with the hem of his pants suggestively as he pulled back to look at the other, only eyes lowered and face red with embarassment. He chewed his lip, almost pretending he wasn\'t thinking about it. Which he wasn\'t. He was trying to get Malfoy eager enough to leave him time to prepare his scared nerves in the washroom to....carry out other plans.


Draco grinned then, settling back once more, arms looped loosely around Harry\'s waist, smirking like a cat that\'s had the cream, \"Very well.\"


Harry bit his lip, knowing he had to calm the prince down enough so he wouldn\'t be too eager for Harry to get out of the washroom and walk in on him. He slid off Draco\'s lap and knelt on the ground, lowering his head to hide a slight shiver of fear or \"anticipation\". He tugged Draco free from his pants and boxers and trying to keep his \'eagerness\' up, he instantly had his mouth engulfing it.


Draco\'s breath caught at that, as it was quite unexpected, given Harry\'s previous reluctance. His fingers settled in the other\'s hair again, still purring as he shifted slightly once more, ankles hooking together across the middle of Harry\'s back, keeping him effectively pinned for the time being


Harry jumped slightly at this but didn\'t retreat. He suckled on the other firmly, wanting to get this over with, or simply seem eager and have been wanting to do this for a while. His tongue swirled along the length a much as he could reach, even twisting his head side to side, lips sealed around the other.


Draco made another faint sound in the back of his throat at that, almost a purr, almost a whimper, it was all in all, nearly too much for him.

Harry rose his head, lowering it again soon after and repeating with tedious stroke of his tongue, his hands roaming along Draco\'s thighs and chest. His eyes stayed shut as he tried to imagine it was simply a popsicle or a Weasel Pop (a Weasley invention of course) instead of a---a Malfoy.


His breathing was growing shallower by the minute, it wouldn\'t be much longer at this rate, fingers curling more tightly in the other\'s hair, making a few throaty little noises.


The firm mouth around the other lowered once more and suckled on the other firmly, determined to get this over with, trembling in thought of having to swallow the vile substance again, but he\'d gone this far to put his plan forward---he couldn\'t very well give up. This seemed to only make him more determined to make the other fly off that ledge.

Draco was panting outright, hips bucking up in shallow little movements against Harry\'s mouth, eyes mostly closed. The only warning Harry got was a half-strangled \'Merlin, Harry...\' before Draco\'s hips arched upwards slightly, a shudder snaking down his spine as he came.


Harry instinctively almost pulled away, but he forced himself to swallow around Draco\'s heat, increasing the overall pressure and suckling around him for a moment as he did so. His nails half dug into Draco\'s hips as he fought the coughing and gagging as the blonde pressed further into his mouth---he hadn\'t thought that was possible.


Draco shuddered again, breathing still shallow, almost nonexistant as he settled slowly back against the couch again, a sated lump of Malfoy.


Harry slowly pulled the other free of his mouth, placed a kiss on the tip before rising and sitting beside the other again. He held his arms around Draco, trying not to shudder but in \'nervousness\' as he leaned on him, gently kissing his neck again.


Draco\'s breathing slowly settled once more, head tilted to bare his throat to Harry\'s teasing lips, eyes still closed, purring away.


His lips trembled as his actions seemed more hesitant as he shifted nervously on spot. \"Draco...can I....can I use the washroom? I...I\'m really scared...and...I\'ve...I\'ve never....p-please? I\'ll...I\'ll be out in a bit, I promise...\" He lied, partially. He was scared, terrified, but not for the reasons he was implying. But he wouldn\'t be out again, he hoped. He tried badly to get across that he needed the time to mentally prepare himself for--for the unspeakable which he was trying to imply; for sex. Tried to get an assured reaction that he wouldn\'t be walked in on, no matter what. I\'ll have to move quickly either way...


Draco just arched a brow, mind still moving a little sluggishly, \"Honestly?\" He shook his head, \"I don\'t believe it.\" He shrugged then, still half sprawled on the couch, flicking a hand dismissively, \"Go on then.\"


Harry kissed the other completely on the lips, more so to keep his mind slugging along. He ran a feathery light touch over the other\'s length as he left for the washroom, closing the door behind him. He instantly wanted to puke, but he refrained, as the place wasn\'t sound proof. He held his stomach, wiping his mouth in disgust with his other hand as his eyes scanned the room.


Draco decided to stay put, at least for another few minutes, let Harry prepare however he felt he had to. He smiled slowly, stretching and settling back again, this, he decided, was going to be fun


Harry\'s green eyes scanned the contents of the bathroom. Why is it so bloody bare in here?! He sighed and looked around some more, searching for anything. Why...why did the sink and all that have to be outside the main washroom? Was this a hotel? No, then why was it there? Partition, towels...tub. No...no...no... He needed those quite probably, but that wasn\'t what he was searching for. He needed something sharper. Much sharper. Tweezers even---but he figured those were outside as well.


While Draco was utterly relaxed due to Harry\'s current state, his master was not. Though Tom wasn\'t entirely sure what was going on just yet, he didn\'t think he liked it. At the moment however, he was embroiled in a meeting that he couldn\'t end so quickly, not until he got a confession at least


Harry realized with a lump in his throat that this wouldn\'t be as easy as he\'d hoped. He wanted to get one last stab at Malfoy, even in his death. Draco was a vampire---so he\'d annoy the heck out of him by draining his blood, over the floor, the tub, anything. To show that he could care less whether it felt good to be bitten, but that he was still a monster and Harry hated that. But that plan was falling through as he found nothing workable. Not even a broken piece of...

His eyes landed on a mirror. He smirked and padded his way over to it. He shouldn\'t have gone so overboard with making sure Draco trusted him enough to be alone---he shouldn\'t have implied that he was....\'ready\'. A growl in his throat that only he could hear showed his annoyance that his body was still turned on from all that. He rather didn\'t want to die with----this predicament, but he didn\'t see another option. He wasn\'t going to go out there after what he\'d just said and implied and ask Draco to relieve him----ever. He cursed at it underneath his breath, willing it to go away. I\'ll cut you off damnit!! He winced at that thought, figuring he should, to annoy Malfoy more, but the pain of it made him cringe.


Draco however, was oblivious to this conflict, Tom on the other hand blinked twice when he quite clearly heard \'I\'ll cut you off damnit\' against the back of his head. That was not good. He sighed, straightening in his chair and flicking a rather vicous hex at the unfortunate death eater who happened to be meeting with him that morning. He unfolded completely and tugged his robes straight, perhaps it was time to go and pay a visit to his personal pet Malfoy.


Harry looked into the mirror, taken aback from the figure staring back at him. He stepped closer to examine himself. His hair was fluffier than usual. Prolly from his damn fingers being glued in it... The brightness in his eyes had faded, but that he\'d almost expected. What did he have to look forward to anyway? Voldemort will finally be defeated. A smile crept onto his lips at that. He\'d win---finally. It wasn\'t over until he won---and it was almost over. His eyes began to travel downwards to his neck, but he turned away. He didn\'t want to see the sick words engraved on his...his collar. Harry wanted to rip it off, even if it meant ripping his own head off to do it. This proved unlikely as it seemed to be magically bonded together. He couldn\'t even get the tiny tag off that bounced across his neck.

Harry rested his palms against the edges of the mirror, hanging his head gently. He was terrified. He didn\'t really want to go through with this, deep down, but he had to. He\'d be free then, everyone would be free. McGonagall could resume her Headmistress position, and regain control of the student body. The brunette sunk to the floor at this thought. Images came rushing back to him.

It had turned into a face off. There seemed to be an invisible line or two which no one wanted to cross. Ron, Harry and Hermoine; respectively; filled the front row, wands stretched in front of them, white knuckled in grips. Lucius, Voldemort and Bellatrix stood opposite of them. Voldemort was across from Harry, Lucius across from Hermoine looking as if he had a personal battle to pick with her. Bellatrix seemed to find everything amusing, especially Ron\'s freckles which she was managing to draw lines on his face without him knowing it. She stopped when the Dark Lord shot her a glare and growl.

Hagrid stood immediately behind the trio, eyes narrowed at the clan across from him. He was none impressed by Dumbledore\'s falling. The words rung in all of their ears and in the air. Caeodus Crucio.

Behind Hagrid stood the DA along with Remus. Every single Weasley had shown up for the battle, and Arthur had brought other Aurors along to help them stand their ground. Of course the order was there, and the only person missing was Severus. And he wasn\'t even missing, simply on the other side.

Every other Death Eater stood on guard behind or around the majority of them all. It was Harry that lost it first, lost the staring stand off. \"Silencio!\" His wand jerked about the entire Dark side, before he then turned to his own crew , waving an arc above them with \"Protego!\"

The group then gatherd in the middle of this shield to plan what they would do next---they nearly had to drag McGonagall away from Dumbledore\'s body.


Tom was in no hurry just yet, though he was getting flickers of the Final Battle against the back of his mind, and was mostly just curious as to what Draco had done to his new toy to cause the distress. He sighed heavily and swept his way down the halls to the living quarters of the Death Eaters


Harry looked up as the mirror rattled, making a idea twinkle in his shimmering wet eyes. Avoiding looking at himself, he gently took the mirror down and walked to the tub, stepping in. The water turned on, filling the area with about a foot of warm water before shutting off again. The mirror was gently slid into the water and placed on the bottom before he stepped onto it, hearing the muffled creaks as it cracked beneath the water. Harry then sunk to the bottom of the tub, shirt tossed aside. He picked up pieces of the glass, palming them. Tears ricocheted into the water.

They reminded him of the mirror Sirius had given him....

Harry struggled with every ounce of strength he had left, which wasn\'t a lot after a month of fighting. He tried everything he could to move, but he was frozen---full body bound. Almost a dozen DE\'s all with their wands seemingly attatched to Harry. He was suspended like a board in the air, twirling in the wind. Each DE had the levitating spell bound to him, and each had already cast their binding spells. Some had silenced him, and one had put boils all over Harry\'s skin. Harry had been trying to keep his occlumency up between the battles but he had failed this time.

He could have sworn he remembered Snape telling him to never constantly block his mind, that it took too much power from him and would drain him too quickly, but that if he didn\'t make it obvious when he was trying to block anyone, no one would ever know when he was. In fact, the professor had even said it had worked for him for years to resist the Lord\'s calling for him to go back. He had said that to hold a block up for more than a few hours could be harmful. It hadn\'t worked. Harry remembered specifically going to sleep and putting a block up, and he had always woken up every two hours when it fell down, but he\'d put it up again.

When he woke, he was already hovering where he was now. Glancing around him, he saw everyone on his side, Aurors included, with their wands laying on the ground in front of them, everyone staring at him with wide eyes. It clicked to him then, that he\'d been caught off guard while he slept. He hadn\'t woken to re-strengthen his shield.

Then he heard the words. \'Imperio!\' He\'d been caught off guard, even as Hagrid had stood official guard, which meant that Harry had weaseled his way past him on \'a walk\' or the like. Harry\'s head spun as the DE\'s had their fun, twisting him upside down so the blood rushed to his head and made him pass out periodically. They soon grew tired of this, and when Voldemort had finally summoned all of the other wands to lay at his feet, the \'play\' turned around. Shouts of \'Crucio\' filled Harry\'s head as his body explerupted into pain and he struggled to move in pain but he couldn\'t even open his mouth to scream.

It seemed that every DE was tossing a curse at him, and painful ones at that. Harry passed out numerous times, but was pulled back to the pain each time with \'Ennervate\'. Everyone\'s eyes were on Harry\'s terrified and tearing ones. All eyes except two. Ron\'s.

The redhead charged at Voldemort as he saw the wand raising, assuming he was out of line from the Lord\'s vision. \"Avada Kedavra!\" came a hiss. Ron tackled Voldemort from the front at that moment. Hermoine screamed. Harry hit the ground with a hard thud. All of the DE\'s had turned to face the fallen one, wands down. Harry? No. One DE had crumpled to the ground and the hood had fallen from their face. Ron had been shoved aside so Voldemort could see who he\'d hit; shoved right into the vulture clutches of Draco.

The man on the ground? Lucius.

Suddenly Ron was gone, and Draco was as well. Hermoine cried as Harry ran to her. Molly called her wand back to her in the diversion and was stomping towards the invisible line. Voldemort turned and more shouts rang the air. \'Caeodus Crucio\' being the prominent one.

Molly froze in fear.

Arthur fell trying to save her.


Draco was growing impatient over what was taking so long. He glanced up at the clock, deciding to give Harry another five minutes. Then he yelped and swore softly as his Mark began to burn.

Tom was sweeping down the halls at that point, and he was not happy, he\'d given Draco strict instructions and it appeared to him that they hadn\'t been followed.


Harry opened his eyes, then sunk further into the tub. He held the glass firmly as he crossed his arms, razor edges of the mirror resting on both of his forearms. Taking a deep breath, he jerked his arms outwards and pressed down, hissing to himself as he saw the deep line of blood instantly run down his arms. He felt like he was going to pass out then and there, and knew he\'d have to do this quickly before he did---create enough cuts and damage that he\'d be done in minutes, if not less.

Cries filled his head as he closed his eyes. His mind pleaded with him that he didn\'t want this, that he wanted to live. A nagging pixie in his brain prodded him with thoughts of Dra--Malfoy which he tried to push free. He grasped at another shard of glass and clenched his teeth as he jarred it into his leg, then his ankle and dragging it down his thigh before repeating on the other side, weaker now.

A low whimper echoed in his closed mouth as he gripped the shards tighter, cutting into his own palms. His eyes clenched shut as he jabbed both of his sides at once with renewed strength at the thought of staying here and letting Malfoy get the best of him. How do you like this....Malfoy? You\'re p-pet wins. I win. Look at your...your precious blood...swirling...swirling... Swirling in the water below him was the blood, his eyes followed it, making him dizzy. He almost gagged as he felt hilmself draining already, but he was growing more annoyed at his still---hardness.

Gritting his teeth, Harry grabbed a nearby towel, dampened it and bit it firmly as his hand took control and first slid across the skin near his base. As he cried into the towel, flashes of Hermoine falling in battle overcame him and he soon found his hand jerking away with his lengt, more cuts than he\'d wanted to inflict dripping from him.


Tom staggered a moment, but then threw open the door to Draco\'s quarters, he knew where Malfoy was now, and he knew where Harry was, they weren\'t in the same place. He snarled, slamming his way into the bathroom casting the first charm that came to mind, one for slowing time. That would work for the moment.

Draco was right behind him, gasping sharply when he saw what Harry had done. He shook his head, utterly livid, \"What the bloody hell do you think you\'re doing Potter?\"


His head was spinning, his vision was slowly going. He felt naseous, he was going to pass out soon. It was too soon...he wasn\'t sure if he\'d succeed right then. He tried to search his mind for more major blood vessels in himself. His hearing had nearly died, he heard a thud, and a voice. This wasn\'t good...he needed to act on what little strength and consciousness he had left. He gutted his stomach, bubbles blowing in the water as he cried into the soaked towel.

Then he realized; to drain blood, go for the neck--like Draco had. Trembling harshly, his body already going into the first stages of shock, he looked right at the two without knowing it, and jarred glass shards into his neck, his mouth falling open finally in a vocalized cry. He could practically see Dumbledore, Hermoine--his parents.

His lips almost smiled. Pain coarsed through him and shocked his brain as he collapsed, head hitting the side, then sliding down in the tub, mouth gaped open as his muscles twitched. He wanted badly to win...to die.


Tom swayed again and Draco yelped. Though a moment later his wand was free from his sleeve, jabbing towards Harry, snarling a counter-curse, something that was usually used to reverse the damaging effects of a hex or a jinx, but worked well enough on injuries or broken crockery. The shallower cuts should seal, and the deeper ones would likely only fade.

Tom\'s voice was almost a growl, still a little shaky himself, \"Draco, go and fetch your toy, he\'ll want to see this.\"

Draco\'s brow furrowed, but he blinked and nodded, murmuring a \'yes master\' before slipping away.\"

Tom shook his head, surveying the damage and simply reaching down to yank Harry upright in the bath again by a fistful of hair, \"You won\'t go so easily Harry.\"

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Author\'s Note: Caedo=to fall, kill crucio=torture, so torture until dead basically

Protego=to protect/shield

I hope this got your minds going a bit. ^^; I was originally going to stop with Harry\'s first cut, but I figured I needed to make time up to you. ^_^ Umm...a little bit of a worse cliffy though, no? *smirks* *giggle* ^_^

Responses to Reviews on this Chapter

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LPhoenix
well harry almost had it there.... but... then he got caught..... update again soon... i need to know what is going on with this story!!!

*grins* ^_^

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moidy
this is a great story. im loving it. one question, i\'ve been wondering for a while. can draco read harry\'s thoughts? some sort of vampire ability maybe? just a bit confused but loving the story none the less. cant wait for the next chapter ^__^

Ahh, yea it took me a while until I asked her. Yes, Draco can, however he hasn\'t very much. He\'s been weak due to lack of feedings, but now that he\'s able to feed from Harry more often, he will get stronger. It seems as if we can read each other\'s thoughts in a way, but that\'s our way of narrating. You can usually tell what Draco is eavesdropping on. Harry you know what he\'s thinking due to the italicized text, if you hadn\'t figured that out yet. ^_^

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Swiftrunner
FF_4_Becca@hotmail.com
I love your story, and i thought i would pay a review. I was a bit confused with this chapter, but i think ii was distracted, i was trying to figure out the name of your poem at the beginning. What is it? I\'ll have to read this chapter again.

Thank You!

Swiftrunner

^_^ The Highway Man. I forget who wrote it, but I talked to you already and you found the author--so it\'s all good. ^_^


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thrnbrooke
Oh poor Harry! He had it good but not anymore. Can\'t wait for chapter 23!

^-^ Thankies! And who says he doesn\'t have it good? Have I said that he won\'t die? Riddle\'s there now, yes, but perhaps it\'s too late? Or perhaps he wants to just stop Harry then treat him like a king so he doesn\'t try it again.

And I\'m wondering why no one has even given a verbalized thought to what this \'toy\' is. *pouts* I wanted to see what everyone thought before I update again. *waits it out evilly*


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Fefs
Hello! Really good chapter. I mean, it was good for the plot but not so good for someone that want them to be together.. I hate to read Harry doing things with Draco wanting to puke.. feeling disgusted. But it was, as always, really well written. Congratulations. I\'m afraid to read the next chapter, but curious too. Please update soon, alright? Hugs! I love this fic so much.. i can\'t imagine where this is going and is driving me crazy!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!! I wanna know how this is going to end!

Maybe it is good for people who want them together. *I* want them together. :) And--Draco wasn\'t the one wanting to puke. It was Harry \'leading\' Draco on, but wanting to puke himself because of forcing himself to do \'vile\' things. *grins* Noting the \"leading\" as perhaps... *trails off* :)

And end? oh no...I do not see this ending for a LONG time. We\'re a fair distance ahead in rping still (amazingly) and it doesn\'t look like it\'s ending anytime soon. :) So don\'t worry. ^_^


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Tiffany
Unicorns_gems@hotmail.com
Wow that\'s the best story ever! I switch over from fanfiction dot net to this and haven\'t reveiwed on this site yet, your story was so good i just had to leave feedback. Maybe this will make you put up more chapters like right now? I hope so. that was a terrible cliffie, then again so is everyother story i read\'s last chapter

*blushes* Thank-you... ^^; That\'s...quite a praise... ^^; *hugglz*


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FGLorka
I\'m only wanted for Draco to let him die. It would be rest for him. It\'s disgusting, all Draco does to him for mess with Harry\'s mind and broke Harry\'s will. Damn it, if it was I who wrote this story, I would write it in the end about Harry, dying and taking Voldemort with him. Because - it\'s never can be possible to make someone happy by force. Harry the willing slave is broken Harry. Actually, not Harry at all. I always ache when I see it. I hate Voldemort!!! And I hate Malfoy!!!
/ Goes to be sick in dark grim corner, wanting a lot of chocolate to heal wounded heart/ :(

All I can say, is I\'m sorry you don\'t like it. I\'m not sure how far you read into it, but if you read more than a few chapters dispite not liking it, then....thanks? ^_^; I\'m not going to argue your opinions because they\'re just that...opinions. I love the story and the way it is, and if you don\'t--then I hope you find another story that you do enjoy. ^_^ All I want to say however, is if you didn\'t like it, please don\'t go...\'be sick in a dark grim corner\' but get out there anf find a story you do like!! Appologies again on your dislike of the fic, but--I\'m not changing it. *heart*

Luv y\'all. ^_~


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Rose
DRACO\'S TOY IS RON! ISN\'T he! Well, of corse he must be, for Ron and Hermione can\'t be dead, not both of them anyways. I LOVE this story. please update really really really soon!!! i had an idea I was going to suggest to you, before I read this chapter, but what you are doing is much better. You\'re a fucking Genious!

Update!

*grins* ^_^ I\'m not telling. Okay yes i am. You\'re right. ^_^ *grin* Heehee. Can I hear what you were thinking anyway? *puppy eyes*

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Fefs
Ahhhhhhh!! I love my hair!! My beautifull hair is going to the floor since my dear (ex-dear!!) author don\'t give me another chapter!! I\'m pulling all out!! I\'m going crazy here!! PLEASE UPDATE!! About this toy thing.. Won\'t Harry be really pissed of if he sees Draco is a son of a bich that is playing with his best friend? I mean.. this will get things a little harder for Draco to get Harry\'s heart (i still have hope...) But them again,you love to complicate things.. Humpf!! UPDATE PLEEEEASE!! Ok, that\'s IT!! I don\'t like you anymore!!

Ps: What\'s the problem with that somebody that said all those rude things about your fic? Talk about it! I was shoked when i read it! Don\'t like it, don\'t read it... Oo

NO HUGS FOR YOU!! >=/

*pouts* Noo...I don\'t want to lose my fangirl... *clings to and works on update immediately* *giggles* I *do* love to complicate things don\'t I? ^_^ Ahh, but see...just because Riddle told him to go *get* his toy....doesn\'t necessarily mean that Draco\'s gonna play with him. Maybe someone else will, or will be forced to do something. Or maybe Ron will be killed in fron of Harry to get him to smarten up.

*grabs Fefs in a huge hug against her will until she\'s happy with her again*


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WretchedScar
Holy fudge! UPDATE the bloody hell SOON!

*grin* Heehee... *evil smirk*

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