The Friday Boy

CHAPTER 39

“Get up, you’re making the place look untidy.” Harry was awoken by a firm shake of his shoulder. He’d been sitting on the couch all evening staring into the orange flames of the fire until finally he’d fallen asleep. Wincing a little at the crick in his neck Harry sat up, and stared at Snape from over the top of the couch. Snape was a mess, covered in head to foot in an ominous sticky red substance, that made the air in the cold dungeon smell of a familiar metallic tang. “It’s not mine, so don’t look at me like that.” Snape snapped before Harry had a chance to voice his concerns. Harry dutifully bit his tongue as he watched Snape strip off the soiled robes, dropping each piece with some disgust onto the floor, until all he stood up in was his black fitted trousers. “I brought you a present.” Snape flicked his wand at his hand and with a sizzling pop a crusty, slightly charred book appeared in Snape’s hand. The book looked as if it had just been thrown into a fire pit, and was still smoking in grayish tendrils as Snape offered it to Harry. Harry stared at the book tentatively unwilling to reach out for the item Snape was offering with his bloodied hand. Sensing his lovers apprehension Snape rolled his eyes and tutted loudly before throwing the book at Harry forcefully. “Well take it boy, do you distrust me so much as to believe I’d hand you something sinister? I thought allowing me to bugger your arse had moved us past such suspicion.” Harry winced again at Snape’s sharp tongue; the man was in a foul mood no doubt due to Voldemort and spurred on by a nasty hangover. Harry knew better than to argue with Snape when he was like this, it was best to stay out of his way and speak only when spoken to. “Speaking of buggering is there any particular reason my cock felt as if it had been run through a ringer when I got up this afternoon or can I put it down to frisky house elves?” Harry bit his lip and shrugged his shoulders casually, not having really expected Snape to be in such a mood when they’d discuss what Harry had done.

“You were dreaming, I let you root against me until you came all over my back.” Harry muttered calmly deciding it best not to divulge what he’d done earlier in the day. Harry watched as Snape sniffed indignantly before shaking his head as he came around to sit in his favorite worn armchair by the fire.

“I never used to have dirty dreams until you started swaning around this castle, so if I made a mess it’s your own fault.” Putting the book gingerly aside on the coffee table Harry rose from the couch, intent on getting them both a drink. As Harry stood up however a shooting pain shot through his stomach, gasping audibly Harry clutched at his stomach as the pain disappeared as sharply as it had begun. “You shouldn’t have waited up, it’s probably cramp from being draped across that awful couch.” Harry silently rolled his eyes knowing that Snape would never be a sympathetic man even in his best mood. “I should have got rid of it but it matches the chair.” Snape grumbled as Harry offered him a cup of tea, deciding against a brandy.

“So what’s the book about?” Harry inquired quietly as he disappeared momentarily into the lab to return with a warm wet towel for Snape to wash his hands, which were still disturbingly caked with blood.

“It’s a diary.” Snape carefully began wiping his hands as he watched Harry bend over to pick up the book he’d previously discarded. Again Harry winced as the pain in his stomach returned, robbing him of breath and making him gasp. Harry had had stomachache all evening but he supposed it was indigestion from having a terrible dinner with Albus and Minerva. Rubbing his stomach with one hand Harry carefully sat down with the ‘diary’ that had thankfully stopped smoking. Snape eyed Harry’s hand rubbing his stomach but said nothing as he continued his previous train of thought. “You need to read it before next Friday, and memorize the 12 rules.” Harry frowned in curiosity at Snape as he laid the book in his lap and opened the first page. The first two words that caught Harry’s attention made his blood run cold, and he snapped his head up at Snape in horror. “Don’t assume Potter, it’s not the same kind of diary Lucius let loose on this place four years ago.” Harry didn’t look very convinced as he ran his fingertips gingerly over Tom Riddle’s name scrawled across the front page. “It’s a guide, every death eater at some stage has read it and the twelve rules within it dictate most of our behavior in the dark lords presence.” Harry flicked cautiously through a few of the pages, noting acutely that they seemed to scold his fingertips.

“Why do I need to read this by next Friday?” Harry inquired pointedly his concern rising as Snape sipped casually at his tea.

“You wanted to be one of my Friday Boy’s Potter, it’s time you stepped up to your responsibilities.” Snape put aside his teacup, finally becoming irritated with Harry’s incessant rubbing of his stomach. “Will you stop with that infernal fidgeting and get some pain potion, you’re like Black after Lupin’s forgot to flea bath him.” Harry nodded and put the diary back on the table before disappearing into Snape’s lab for a pain potion. Having swallowed the potion from Snape’s store Harry returned to the lounge. “As I was saying, there was another reason for my Friday boy’s other than fabricated memories. Lucius regularly holds parties, parties where your invite arrives with one of these.” Harry watched in confusion as Snape reached across to his lamp table, where there was a red envelope and what appeared to be a vial of shimmering gold paint. “It’s Clandamite, illegal in the ministry’s eyes but available to those with connections like Lucius has. It’s a drug designed to give the drinker extended sexual pleasure and general enhanced sensitivity.” Harry stared at the vial rolling in Snape’s hand with something akin to fear, silently wondering what the hell was coming next. “It’s required that you bring a ‘participant’, up until now I’ve used my Friday Boy’s but since I no longer have that luxury you’re going to have to step up to the challenge. Which means memorizing those rules so that you won’t make mistakes and draw attention to us.”

“How come you haven’t taken me to one of these parties before?” Harry whispered as he fingered the tattered burnt diary.

“Because Lucius has been under some pressure from the Ministry this past year, he’s put his parties on hold until now. I had hoped he’d crossed me off his list but it seems I’m too much fun not to invite.” Snape growled bitterly before rising to his feet and stretching awkwardly. “I’m going for a bath, go get into bed.” Harry watched as Snape got up and sauntered off into the bedroom leaving Harry staring at the diary on the cluttered coffee table, his hand still absently rubbing his stomach.

TBC>>>>>>>>>>>