What the Devil Wants

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Harry awoke rather groggily in a pile of soft feather floor cushions, with a blanket draped haphazardly over him to ward of a slight chill. It was dark, and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust so that he could work out where he was. One look at the ceiling of stars told him he was in Dumbledore’s observatory.

“Ah, awake at last I see. I can at least worry less knowing one of you is sleeping well.” Harry sat up quickly in the pile of cushions and instantly regretted it, as his head swam and pinpricks of light clustered in his vision. “Not so hasty if you please Potter, neither of us would wish for Poppy’s wrath should you pass out again.” Harry closed his eyes and waited for his head to stop spinning before he reopened them to focus on the headmaster who was sitting on a stool staring through the lens of his telescope.

“Where’s Severus?” Harry muttered abruptly as the events of the morning came swimming back to him.

“Safely sleeping off his injuries at Grimmauld Place. Poppy and Lupin are with him.” Before Harry could even stutter the start of his next question Dumbledore had cut him off again. “And NO Mr. Potter, you are going no where near Grimmauld Place. Severus needs time alone; your fussing will do naught but prolong his recovery.” With a firm nod in Harry’s direction the headmaster stood from his stool in front of the telescope and began the short walk downstairs into his office.

“I do not fuss!” Harry protested loudly when he realized just how badly he’d been insulted. Albus was already summoning a late night snack from a hovering house elf, as Harry teetered carefully down the stairs after the elder wizard. Albus quirked his eyebrows up, in knowing amusement as Harry scuttled across the cold floor and onto the rug by the fireplace. “Don’t look at me like that, I don’t fuss!” Harry grumped irritably as he rubbed his disfigured temple.

“Harry, you may not think you fuss but I assure you the very nature of your relationship with Severus ensures a certain degree of worrying fuss even if it is an unconscious act.” Harry scowled deeply at the headmaster but chose not to pursue the argument further, knowing Albus would undoubtedly win. The headmaster laughed boldly at Harry’s easily broken argument. There would have been a time when the fiery boy would have argued his point till he turned blue, but Severus’ influence over him was changing Harry already. A house elf appeared a few moments later carrying a tray of hot chocolate, and some finger sandwiches. Harry eagerly tucked in as he sat cross-legged on the rug by the fireplace. There was a silence that hung in the room, and before long Harry began to feel Albus’ silent stare acutely.

“What?” Harry mumbled around a mouth full of sandwich. Albus sighed heavily and sat down in his favorite armchair, still staring at Harry.

“I need you to tell me something Harry…” Albus paused and let out another deep sigh as Harry nodded with a flippant shrug of his shoulders. “It is rather private, but I need you to tell me the truth.” Again Harry nodded, although a little more seriously than before as he swallowed his mouthful of sandwich. “Has Severus claimed you Harry?” Harry frowned deeply but nodded on instinct. The lie had become the norm, that even Harry himself believed it was true now.

“Of course he has, it’s pretty obvious don’t you think?” Harry tugged at the collar around his neck by way of explanation but Albus simply closed his eyes and sighed deeply before shaking his head.

“That is not what I meant.” Slowly Albus opened his eyes and stared at Harry coldly. “Do you carry his mark Harry?” Harry frowned but still nodded a little more tentatively, as he really hadn’t understood the question being posed. This time Albus snorted in irritation and shook his head firmly. “Have you or have you not had sexual intercourse with him Harry!” A little shocked by Albus’ commanding voice, Harry instinctively leant backwards towards the fire, in worry.

“We’ve fooled around.” Harry whispered sounding less and less confident in his answers. It would take very little to see that Harry was lying to anyone else, but to Dumbledore it was plainly written on the boy’s face.

“Did he get it in Potter!” Dumbledore snapped in a rare lapse of his patience. Harry no longer able to look Albus in the face dropped his gaze to the rug, and began fiddling with the cuffs of his school uniform.

“You can’t ask me that, have you asked Severus?” Harry whispered into his chest not daring to glance up in case he caught Dumbledore’s disappointed gaze again.

“I know about Draco blackmailing you Harry.” Harry’s gaze shot up instantly his eyes wide with fear, as Albus sighed heavily, his usual iron clad patience having returned. “I know Severus took advantage of your situation to sever his promise with Lucius, and I know he used occlumency to gain insight into your ‘tastes’ to further persuade you to go along with his plan.” Harry couldn’t believe what he was hearing and stared fearfully up at Albus who was staring at him with a genuinely mild expression.

“…but I…I mean it started out that way….but now I….I’ve always…” Harry struggled to get out everything he wanted to say quickly but only managed a bunch of unorganized garbled sentences that made no sense. Albus smiled and shook his head in quiet amusement.

“There is no need to explain yourself Harry, as much as Draco and Snape manipulated you, I know that if you did not want this then you would not have let them get away with it.” Harry felt a deep crimson blush of guilt rush to his cheeks as he lowered his gaze back to the rug he was still sat on. “Love can make us do many things we are not proud of, but so long as there is only good intentions most indiscretions can be forgiven.” Harry smiled coyly up at Albus who having smiled in knowing reply replaced his mirth with seriousness again. “However good your intentions were, it does not make this situation any less serious….” Albus paused and Harry felt a chill run up his spine at the air of foreboding that hung suddenly between them. “Severus has been discovered by Voldemort as a traitor.” Harry felt ill as the blood drained from his face and left him feeling suddenly numb inside. The day he had been dreading had come, and with very little warning as to prepare him.

“How.” The words spilled from his quivering lips before he could stop them, his eyes already swimming with tears.

“Voldemort it seems grew restless with Severus’ apparent excuses for not having delivered you to him, when he was in such a perfect position.” Albus paused again and took a deep breath in before continuing. “Severus is a powerful wizard but his spirit still resides in the fragile cradle of his body. He did well to hang out as long as he did under such torture. Severus knew he was being broken, and in order to save you and conceal his true connection with you, he let his mental walls slide revealing his traitorous deeds and successfully drawing the dark lords attention away from the more important work of the order and from you.” Harry closed his eyes and shook his head as remembered Severus’ pale, face staring up at him from the stones of the courtyard. “We are lucky that a routine patrol of Auror’s broke up the chaos of Voldemort’s gathering, giving Severus just enough time to escape.”

“What will happen now?” Harry whispered still shaking like a leaf and feeling decidedly ill that he was not closer to Severus so he could take care of him.

“Voldemort is trying to kill Severus through the dark mark.” Harry stood up immediately from the floor when he heard the news and immediately became angry, as he realized that Albus had not told him earlier of Snape’s bad condition.

“What! What are you doing to stop it, I need to be with him!” Harry shouted angrily as he glared at Dumbledore who was just reaching into his cloak.

“Calm down Harry, at the moment there is nothing that can be done. We are at this time more concerned about you.” Harry opened his mouth to argue fiercely but was cut off abruptly but Dumbledore’s commanding voice once more. “Which brings me back to where this discussion began Harry. I need you to answer this question honestly. Has Severus performed the ritual branding of his mark upon you, or are you still a free man Harry?” Harry swallowed heavily and was about to lie again when guilt caught his tongue and made him fall silent as he shook his head in truthful reply. Dumbledore let out a deep sigh of relief and stood up from his armchair.

“Good, then there is no risk that you will be affected by Voldemort’s curse which currently has hold of Severus’ body.” Harry sighed silently in defeat as Albus began pacing back and forth past the fireplace.

“I know he was going to do it though, he just wanted me to be sure.” Harry trailed off as Albus paused mid stride and frowned deeply at the boy who was pulling threads from his jumper.

“Perhaps, but either way the plan Severus made has been rendered useless.” Again Albus paused this time pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation as the half moon glasses threatened to fall off the end of his nose. “Without Severus’ information we have no advantage in this war. We are sitting targets yet again…” Before Albus could continue there was a sharp knocking on the door of his office. “Come.” Albus’ voice resonated around the cavernous office, and the creak of the door as it opened made Harry grind his teeth.

“Headmaster, I believe the second of our casualties of the evening has arrived.” Professor McGonagall stepped into the room and having glanced from Albus to Harry and then back at the headmaster, shook her head sadly. Stepping aside Harry finally saw what the professor had been concealing. Draco Malfoy stood sheepishly in McGonagall’s shadow. The usually arrogant, headstrong boy stood nervous and pale behind the witch. He looked tired and in pain but the most disturbing thing about the blonde, was the way he clutched at his forearm.

“You fool of a boy.” Albus whispered as Draco let go of his forearm, revealing the freshly burnt skin in the mark of Tom Riddle. “You see now Draco, why as a promised child you were safe? Severus was the only thing standing between you and the dark mark!” Harry had never seen Draco Malfoy cry, but as Albus shouted at him tears threatened to fall from the blonde’s tired eyes.

“Where is he?” Draco choked out his bottom lip trembling as he tried to remain strong.

“Nowhere that you are able to go Draco.” Draco nodded glumly and stared at his feet as Albus sighed heavily and shook his head. “The both of you are in considerable danger. The both of you will go and pack your things, a safe house is the only option until we know more of what the dark lord is planning. Go!” With a determined finger Albus pointed to the door and with a careful nod both boys scampered for the exit.

Standing side by side on the revolving staircase neither boy spoke until they came to the junction of the corridor that would lead them in separate directions towards their respective houses. Both boys paused neither looking at the other as they shuffled on their feet.

“I’m sorry I got you into this mess Potter, I didn’t think…” Harry cut Draco off abruptly.

“That’s the problem with you Draco, you don’t think of anyone but yourself.” Harry spat, sounding far more sympathetic than he did angry. Draco nodded guiltily and took several quiet footsteps down the corridor towards the Slytherin dorms. Harry’s voice made him pause. “Do you want help packing your things?” Harry watched as Draco glanced over his shoulder, his right arm clutched to his chest again in obvious pain. Quietly Draco nodded, and with a sigh Harry followed Draco down into the dungeons.

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TBC>>>>>>