What the Devil Wants

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Harry awoke abruptly to a commotion downstairs, and the thundering of feet outside in the hallway and on the stairs. Rising quickly Harry tucked his wand into the waistband of his sleep pants and hurried out of his bedroom. Order members were running everywhere and Harry had to avoid being run down by the rushing wizards and witches. Making it to the stairs safely Harry headed down and into the front foyer. It was then that he smelt the familiar scent in the air. The metallic tang of blood clung to the warm air of the house and Harry’s panic began to rise. Hastily pushing his way through the milling crowd in the doorway of the living room Harry clambered into the room. The very first thing Harry saw was the bloodied trails across the polished floors. Dumbledore, Mrs. Weasley, Madam Pomfrey and Remus were all gathered around the couch. Harry heard the cries of anguish and pain as the group tried to hold whomever it was still as Madam Pomfrey worked on them. In the pit of his stomach Harry had a horrible feeling it might be Snape on the couch but as he took a few steps towards the group, a voice made him pause.

“Potter.” Snapping his head around Harry’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at Snape. The elder wizard was a mess. Still in his death eater robes, his white mask clasped in one hand Snape stood by the window out of the way. Severus was covered in blood; his hands caked in the stuff. Big, glistening dark patches spoiled Snape’s cloak, while smears and splatters of red had dried on the man’s pale face. Snape’s hair was mattered and clogged with dirt, and several nasty bruises and gashes caught Harry’s eye on the exposed part of the elder wizards neck. Silently Harry wondered how much of the blood was Snape’s and how much of it was the person’s on the couch. Either way it was far too much blood for Harry’s liking. With a restrained sigh Harry took the few steps over to Snape by the window and took up position beside his elder, a look of sympathy in his gaze. “Come along, I need a bath.” Harry squirmed a little as Snape took hold of his wrist with one of his bloodied hands. It was an uncomfortable feeling having the sticky blood pressed between his skin and Severus’ but Harry didn’t complain.

Despite being such an infrequent visitor to Grimmauld Place, Severus still had his own room like most of the order members. Admittedly it was the dusty old attic, but Severus seemed to like the quiet being this far away from the rest of the house afforded. Harry sat quietly on the broken lid of an old traveling trunk as Snape flicked his wand around the room lighting a few sparse lanterns that hung from the beams of the roof above. In the dim light Harry watched as Snape peeled each layer of his soiled clothes from his body. Harry was completely entranced by the smooth, alabaster skin that was reveal to him with each article of clothing. Automatically Harry looked for signs of injury on Snape’s person, and only fully relaxed when the last item was dropped carelessly onto the floor, leaving nothing by a pale expanse of uninjured skin. Admittedly there were scars. Old scars that littered Snape’s back like strips of fabric but there was nothing new or nothing bleeding at least. Still with his back to Harry, Snape flicked his wand at the unpolished floorboards beside the fireplace. A copper, claw footed, freestanding bath appeared beside the lit fire. Steam rose from the watery surface of the full bath filling the air with a menthol fragrance that reminded Harry of hospitals.

Silently Snape padded across the room and with his back still to Harry slid into the copper bath with a hiss and sigh of relief. Harry watched as Snape disappeared beneath the surface of the water before re emerging a few seconds later his hair soaking wet and water beading down his face. Harry stared at the elder wizard who’d closed his eyes and relaxed back against the towel headrest of the copper bath. Feeling suddenly very unwelcome and intrusive, Harry rose from the trunk and took a step towards the door leading from the attic.

“I didn’t give you permission to leave Potter.” Harry froze and glanced sheepishly over his shoulder back at Snape. The elder wizard hadn’t moved from the bath, and with his eyes still closed and his hands resting idly on the sides of the bath had obviously no intention of moving either. Harry swallowed awkwardly, forcing himself to speak.

“I thought you’d want to be alone…” Harry was cut off abruptly.

“From now on Mr. Potter, I will make the decisions for both of us and you will trust me enough in that what I decide will be in your best interests.” Snape’s voice was unusually calm and devoid of any lingering sarcasm or anger he often laced his other conversations with. Harry truly didn’t understand how these things were supposed to work and apart from what he’d heard and read he was completely in the dark.

“Yes Sir.” Harry whispered belatedly not sure what he was required to do or say.

“My name is Severus, Harry and in my company you will refer to me as such. The only time you will not address me by my given name will be during class, when Sir will be much more appropriate.” Snape paused and Harry assumed he was to reply.

“Yes, Si….Severus.” Harry corrected himself quickly and was reward by a bemused chuckled from over at the bath.

“Good, now come here.” Snape sounded almost sleepy as Harry approached the copper bathtub tentatively. Harry tried to keep his eyes to himself as he came to a stand still beside the tub where Snape was still reclined in relaxation, seemingly uncaring that the water left little to the imagination despite the few bubbles. “In my cloak pocket you’ll find a gift for you.” Harry was a little surprised by what Snape had said next and stared at the man’s still closed eyes before padding quickly over to where the elder wizard had discarded his cloak earlier. Rummaging through the bloodied robes, Harry found amongst the bottles of potions a strange strip of black leather with clips at either end. Pulling the item free of Snape’s pocket Harry held the thing up to the lantern light to inspect it. It appeared on closer inspecting to be a very short necklace of some sort. The inch wide leather strip appeared to have some strange engraving burnt into the leathers surface and in the middle hanging from what appeared to be a gold loop as the biggest ruby Harry had ever seen, around which wove a gold dragon and a silver snake, entwined together to hold the ruby in place.

“Thank-you,” Harry paused as he realized he hadn’t spoken for a good five minutes since he’d begun inspecting the item. “It’s beautiful.” Harry hesitated still not really knowing what the item was supposed to be. Snape chuckled from over in the bath and for the first time since he’d hopped into the water, opened his eyes to stare directly at Harry.

“It’s a choker Potter, and is often the first gift given to submissives by their partners as a sign of ownership, usually after their first night.” Harry blushed bright red from the tips of his ears right down his neck as he looked sheepishly away from Snape and the chocker still grasped in his own hand. Harry chewed his bottom lip nervously as he tried to steady his breathing. Having gone from being an uneducated virgin to a submissive pet in under a month, was a somewhat confronting notion. “No need to look so worried Potter, I have no intention of bedding you this eve. I fear it may take some days to recover myself after my audience with the dark lord.” Harry breathed out with an inaudible sigh of relief as he fingered the intricate chocker, still in confusion about what it was for if not for the obvious. “I must confess I am still in doubt about your commitment to me, and this arrangement.” Harry’s head snapped up instantly from his chest to stare at Snape in worry. Harry wasn’t sure himself yet if he’d made the right decision but he’d assumed there was no turning back. “I am by rights allowed to claim you as my own, once you have made public your agreement to it. A claim, which is usually made during our first night, via a permanent mark unique to my family bloodline. However, due to my doubt and partially your importance in the wizarding world I have decided to postpone my official claim on you.” Harry frowned in confusion as he knelt down beside the bathtub, his shoulder brushing Snape’s wet fingertips on the edge of the bath as he did so. “I can manage to hold Voldemort’s demands off for a month before he will expect to see the evidence of my claim. Consider this your months trial period. If at the end of this month you believe you have made the wrong choice you may walk away from this and I will bear the entirety of the consequences.” Snape’s voice was grave and deadly serious, something that told Harry the consequences of ending the relationship would be the ultimate in punishments. A shiver of fear ran up Harry’s spine. “While I am not marking you, you will however wear the chocker as a public sign of my ownership. It will help you better understand what it means for you to be mine and the situations pleasant and other that that knowledge may bring you from your peers.”

“I don’t care what everyone thinks…” Harry began to protest but was cut off quickly by a wet finger being pressed against his lips.

“You say that Potter, but you’re young and as yet have absolutely no idea what it means to be ‘claimed’ by another. You think it’s all about power and dominance, that’s what brought you to me in the first place, but I assure you this is nothing without trust. I am not an easy man to please Harry, and I expect nothing but submissive obedience from my partners. If you break the rules expect to be punished, if you challenge me I will bring you pain you know nothing of yet. There were others, before Draco,” Snape clarified before continuing. “That tried and failed. However if you succeed I will give you everything…” Snape trailed off as he leaned forward and replaced his finger still pressed against Harry’s lips with his mouth. The kiss was intense and Harry fell limp under Snape’s carefully manipulative tongue. With Snape’s wet hand cupping the back of his head preventing him from moving away Harry was light headed and breathless within moments.

Snape broke the kiss seconds before Harry thought he was going to pass out. Gasping for air Harry collapsed against the side of the copper bath as Snape levered himself out of the now cooling water. With his vision still fuzzy and his head dizzy with lack of air, Harry didn’t pay much attention to the sinewy, pale frame of the totally naked potion professor as he stepped out of the bath and reached for a towel hanging over the fire surround. By the time Harry realized he’d missed the show Snape was safely wrapped up in his bathrobe and standing beside the fire drying his dark hair.

“I won’t disappoint you.” Harry whispered as he stood up from the rough floor and easily clipped the leather chocker around his neck. Harry was surprised by how perfect the leather choker felt around his neck. He’d thought the chocker might have been heavy or too tight but the cool leather against his skin felt familiarly like Snape’s hands caressing his throat. With a comfortable smile Harry stepped over to where Snape was standing watching him from the front of the fire. Stepping into Snape’s personal space Harry nervously rested his head against Snape’s chest hoping he wouldn’t be rejected the small embrace. Much to Harry’s surprise Snape allowed the contact as he gently ran his thumb down Harry’s bruised cheek, where Sirius had slapped him earlier. Harry winced under the touch of the bruise but didn’t pull away.

“If he touches you again Potter, I will break every bone in his body.” Harry smiled secretly at the defensive mutter from Snape before letting his mind wander back to earlier in the evening. It is only now, as Harry runs over what had happened that he realizes he knows the voice behind the cries of pain that had come from the couch.

“Draco’s………..” Harry stepped back in horror of having forgotten about the blood, the pain and the screams of terror but Snape pulled him instantly back against his chest, and held him tightly.

“The boy will be fine Harry, tonight he learnt a valuable lesson. No one challenges Tom Riddle’s decisions and get’s away with it.”

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TBC>>>>>