Hogsmeade, Circa 1826

~*~

Once in the sanctity of the room, Harry dropped the chain and threw himself onto the bed. He sighed dramatically as he stared at the ceiling.

“What?” Harry asked when he realized that Severus was still standing by the door, his head bowed and his hands folded neatly in front of him.

“I am awaiting your orders, Master,” Severus said, looking pointedly at Harry.

“We’re alone! I don’t have to order you in here.”

“You might as well get used to it, since we’re obviously going to be here a while,” Severus told him before once again bowing his head.

“Oh, bloody hell,” Harry muttered irritably. “Fine. I order you to sit down!”

Severus rolled his eyes. “You don’t say ‘I order you’! Just say ‘Sit’.”

Harry growled. “Fine. Sit!”

Severus very gracefully sank down to his knees right where he was. Harry growled again and sat up to glare at Severus.

“Not there! On the chair, you git!” Harry said, pointing to a dirty chair sitting next to an even dirtier window with faded curtains.

“You must be specific, Master,” Severus said gently, amusement clear in his voice. “I am not here for my intellect, Master. I also am not worthy of a chair, Master. Surely you would agree that slaves are not deserving of such comforts.”

“Look, we’re alone, all right? I don’t think it matters where you sit! And stop calling me MASTER!” Harry nearly yelled in frustration.

“It is important that you learn your role and learn it well! There can be no mistakes in public, so the best place to learn is in private! And in case you hadn’t noticed, this bloody collar won’t allow me to address you as anything else, Master!” Severus growled and gasped again as the collar tightened.

“Oh, god! I’m sorry!” Harry cried as he rushed to Severus’ side. He sat in front of Severus and waited for the older wizard to breathe normally again, uncertain as to what he should do.

Severus panted heavily once the collar had stretched back to it’s normal size. He felt light headed and dizzy, his chest burned, his throat ached terribly when he tried to swallow, and he cursed Lord Voldemort silently. He fought against the darkness that blurred his vision and tried to focus on his hands resting on his thighs.

“Is this his way of torturing us?” Harry asked softly, his voice filled with anxiety.

“Yes,” Severus barely managed to voice through is sore throat. “You for having the ability to kill him, and me for having the audacity to turn on him.” Severus tried to look up into Harry’s worried eyes, but his vision swam before the darkness over came him.

~*~

Severus awoke warm and comfortable. He started to yawn, but the pain in his throat put a quick stop to it, bringing with it the memory of his situation. He opened his eyes to see Harry sleeping soundly next to him. He turned onto his side and looked closely at the young man that was, at least temporarily, his new master.

Severus already knew Harry was attractive, after all, he had been watching the young wizard grow up for over six years now and wasn’t blind. Harry had the same classic good looks as his father without the arrogance to distract from it. His unruly black hair was sometimes a bit too tousled, but was still appealing, nonetheless. He had smooth, creamy skin, an athletic body, and warm hands, one of which Severus discovered was laid protectively across himself.

But it was Harry’s eyes that Severus found most attractive. As he gazed at his reluctant companion, Severus admired the long lashes that rested against his soft cheeks. Severus admitted, though only to himself, that Harry’s bright emerald eyes were fascinating. He loved the way he could always read Harry’s emotions so clearly in them and the way Harry spoke volumes with a simple look.

It was true that Harry had once only reminded Severus of James Potter, his childhood nemesis, but over the years, Severus had seen more and more of Lily Evens in him. Harry, like his mother, had a clear mind and a way of seeing beyond the surface. Harry had the potential to be one of the greatest wizards of their time, he just lacked the ambition. There was a time that Severus had once found that to be one of Harry’s biggest faults, but now he recognized it as Harry’s best asset. There was no chance that Harry would one day fall victim to his own lust for power the way Tom Riddle had.

Severus sighed softly as his eyes fluttered shut once more. He knew he should move out of the bed and onto the floor, as is the proper place for a slave, but he couldn’t muster the will or energy to do so. He could only pray that no one would come to check on the newest guests of The Rusty Nail Inn and Tavern.

~*~

Harry awoke with a start and instinctively reached for the spot where Severus had been the night before. When he found the spot empty, he bolted upright in the bed. The room was just beginning to lighten from the early morning sun and all he could see were blurred shadows. He took his glasses from the night stand and quickly placed them on his face.

As his vision cleared and adjusted to the lighting, he was able to make out a very still form sitting next to his side of the bed.

“Gods, Professor!” he said with a start. “What are you doing?”

“Awaiting your orders, Master,” Severus stated, his voice hoarse from his tortured throat.

Harry sighed and brushed his fingers through his hair. “Must you do that in private?” he asked irritably.

“There can be no mistakes,” Severus said firmly. “If either of us screws up, we’re both dead. And don’t call me Professor.”

Harry nodded his understanding, then swung his legs over the side of the bed and slid to the floor in front of Severus.

“What are you doing?” Severus asked a little nervously as Harry drew nearer.

“I want to see your neck,” Harry told him. He gently lifted Severus’ chin to get a look at the angry red marks left by the metal ring around Severus’ slender neck. “Surely a master is allowed to take care of his slave,” he said softly, a touch of distaste showing on his face.

“Yes, but don’t heal it completely. It’s good to have discipline marks. It shows you to be a forceful master.”

Harry sighed again, but understood what Severus meant. If they were going to find a way home, they first had to convince the locals that they were indeed Master and Slave. It was going to take time to work out how they got there and then how to get back.

Harry retrieved his wand and asked Severus for the correct healing spell that would take away the worst of the bruising but still leave some telltale redness. When he was finished, he sat back and watched his professor as he bent and twisted his neck to relieve some of the kinks.

“So now what?” he asked.

“Now I think we should go down to the tavern for breakfast, Master.” Severus’ shoulders relaxed as some of the pain was gone from his throat. He could swallow without pain and didn’t wince every time he turned his head.

“All right.” Harry stood up and grabbed the little leather purse from its place under his pillow, then sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his shoes.

Severus shook his head and silently cursed Harry’s poor grasp of their perilous situation. He took the shoe out of the young man’s hand and very gently placed it on his foot. He took the second and did the same. Then, on a whim and hoping to get his point across to Harry, kissed the tip of each shoe. He hid a smirk as Harry made a disgusted face.

He watched as Harry stood up and moved towards the door, but remained where he was on his knees.

“Well?” Harry called when he reached the door and discovered Severus wasn’t following him. Severus merely looked at him with amused patience, his eye lashes fluttering innocently. Harry huffed and grumbled as he realized that Severus was waiting for Harry’s orders to follow. “Stand up and follow me.”

Severus nodded and rose gracefully. He ignored the protest from his knees and picked up the chain that had been removed and discarded the night before. He held it out to Harry with his head bowed low. Once Harry took it from him, he lifted his head high to give Harry access to the loop on his collar.

“Master?” Severus asked as Harry was about to open the door. When Harry turned to him, he said, “Did you happen to notice what was going on in the dining room yesterday when we arrived?”

“I tried not to look,” Harry admitted sheepishly.

“There were plenty of Masters and Slaves in there. If I remember correctly, The Rusty Nail was a common meeting place for them. You should know that there was plenty Masters displaying their slaves.”

“So?” Harry said, not understanding why Severus felt he had to know this.

Severus ducked his head to hide his amusement at Harry’s lack of understanding. He tried to formulate a decent description.

“They were showing off their slaves ‘talents’, so to speak,” he said softly.

“What do you mean?”

Severus sighed and cursed today’s youth for their lack of subtleties. “I mean, they were engaged in various sexual acts with their Masters,” he finally said bluntly.

“WHAT?!” Harry gasped. “You mean that they… in the dining room… doing… THAT?! I’m going to have to… YOU’RE going to have to… No way!!”

“Master, please keep your voice down,” Severus said softly, afraid of the reaction from his collar. He gave a silent thanks when it merely tightened a little but continued to allow him to breathe fully.

“I’m not saying that we have to do anything, but you mustn’t be shocked by it. You’re supposed to be a Master and so should be used to the sight. Don’t act like it’s anything different or important.”

“Oh, right,” Harry said with a roll of his eyes. “Happens all the time. Why, everyone has sex in the Great Hall…” Harry paced around the room for a moment while he collected his wits. “Ok, fine, not a big deal. Just as long as no one expects US to be doing that!”

Severus stopped him again when Harry moved towards the door. “There’s more you need to know before we go down.” Harry looked at him wearily. “Remember to tell me exactly when and where to sit. This is important!” he stated when Harry started rolling his eyes again. “Order yourself some breakfast, what ever you want, and tea. Order a slave plate and water for me, if you wish. You probably shouldn’t every time, but I’m starving, so get it this time. Also, you can show your dominance and loyalty to me by sharing some of your tea.”

“My loyalty to you?” Harry questioned.

“Yes, meaning that you’re not willing to share or to sell me.”

“OH!” Harry understood the importance of this immediately. The last thing they needed was someone trying to buy his Potions Professor.

“There are two acceptable ways of doing this, but I suggest you use the second, as it is far more dominant. The first is to simply hold your cup to my lips and let me sip. The second is to take some into your mouth and then spit it into mine.”

“Eww! I’m not going to do that!” Harry said in utter disgust.

“Master, we are in a very precarious position. The more dominant you are in certain areas, will help to mask your lacking in others. As distasteful as it is, this is the best course of action for us.”

Harry groaned at the truth in Severus’ words. It would seem to be a necessary evil. He was becoming more and more grateful to the abolishment of slavery. He could imagine living this way his whole life, not as a Master nor a slave.

“All right. So I tell you to sit, order breakfast and a slave plate, share my tea, and hope that it doesn’t make me ill. Anything else?”

“Yes. Don’t share too much of your tea or people will think you’ve spoiled me. You can also share your breakfast, letting me eat out of your hand, but don’t do that too much, either. In fact, don’t do it all this time. The fact that I’ve obviously been punished recently,” Severus said as he lightly rubbed his neck, “means that I’ve done something wrong and should not be given ‘treats’.”

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. Holding the end of Severus’ leash tightly, he squared his shoulders and opened the door. “Follow,” he said curtly as he stepped out of the room.

~*~