Deathsong Balladeer

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Sev, and Lucius are not mine. I\'m not making any money off of this.

WARNING: Severe disturbing situations. Severe torture, sexual abuse, non consensual sex, implied incest, and just a whole lot of fucked up shit. You have been warned. If you have a weak stomach, please don\'t read. If you read anyway, please don\'t come crying and complaining to me, I did just warn you. And this is *not* reverse psychology. I mean it!

Dedication: To Kitten. Still plumbing the dark depths, and the \'thing\' shows up. It\'s not pretty...

Author\'s Note: Um....this is probably the worst thing I\'ve ever written. When I said disturbing, I meant disturbing. This is the worst one, I can safely say. Wait...what\'s this? Written from Harry\'s POV? Yes! Well, the first bit anyway. And we have Psycho Lucius. Lucius Malfoy purely demented and deranged. If you like Friendly Lucius, DO NOT READ!!!!!!!

Um, yeah, okay, so I finally figured out what the famous \'thing\' is. (For those of you who have no clue, don\'t worry about it to much) It makes an appearance here. Didn\'t use much of what Brendan and I brainstormed last night.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Devil’s Lament

The first thing Harry Potter noticed when he woke up was that he was in a strange bed. The second thing he noticed was that he was not alone. This in itself wasn\'t too odd. Sometimes, when he had bad dreams, he\'d climb into Ron\'s bed. But this was not Ron\'s bed. This bed had a fur coverlet, and smelled of herbs and rain.

The events of the previous night came crashing back to Harry. The pain. The pain hit him first, and he shuddered from the memory of it. Stinging, burning, cutting...and it had been *inside*. Under his skin, under his flesh...unthinking, he cuddled closer to his still-sleeping bed partner.

//Snape. Severus.// Harry sighed, forcing the thoughts of pain from his mind. It was over now, thank God. He didn\'t think he could take it again. No wonder Dumbledore had said it was his decision. He should have said no. But he didn\'t understand...even after Snape had tried to explain it. Not until the first sizzling line of pain had run up the inside of his leg, searing him from the inside out. Again, Harry shuddered. He lifted himself up on one arm, to look down at the man lying beside him.

//He looks so different asleep. Small.// Harry felt a rush of strange emotions. He wasn\'t *entirely* sure what his feelings regarding Snape were. A part of him still hated the man, always would. But he also felt badly for him, and scared for him. And a part of him felt something akin to companionship. //He\'s never been loved. What can that be like? I wonder if he loved that person?//

Harry frowned slightly, studying the relaxed lines of Severus\' face. He looked so....innocent, in sleep. Eyes closed, lips slightly parted, hair fanned out around his face. He looked...beautiful.

//You shouldn\'t think of him like that.// Harry told himself. One of the major reasons he had allowed Snape to...well, do what he did the other night, was because he *didn\'t* like him all that much. Dumbledore had been kind, but honest, when warning Harry what may happen to him. Lucius Malfoy\'s name had come up.

//I could have asked Ron, and I\'m pretty sure he would have. But....then, when they...if they...I\'d be thinking about Ron. And then afterwards, it\'d be...bad. I don\'t want to associate Ron, or anyone I care about, with *that*. But Snape...well, that\'s okay.//

But now it wasn\'t quite okay. Snape wasn\'t the man Harry had thought. Oh, he was a nasty, sarcastic git all right, but there were reasons. And he wasn\'t all bad. He had been gentle, when he....Harry sighed, lying back down. he rolled over onto his back, hands folded behind his head. It could have been much worse. He had a feeling sex had never been anything good for Snape, and after hearing about his first time, he was certain of it.

//Is that how it would have been for me, if they got a hold of me?// He knew the answer was probably yes. So all in all, it was better things had happened the way they did. And it had been....nice. It had hurt, but the hurt had gone away by the next morning. He hadn\'t told anyone what had happened. And it had little to do with the fact that it involved Snape. It had been something private.

//At least it\'s Saturday. But I better get going...// He slipped out of bed, and felt Snape stirring.

\"Hmm....oh. You.\"

\"Good morning to you too.\" Harry mumbled, stretching as he sat on the edge of the bed. He wasn\'t entirely sure what to say. It was different, at night. There was an atmosphere about the room. It was dark, with only the fire for light. Now, it was lit with some unseen source. There were no windows, it was in the dungeon. But it was light, and Snape awake didn\'t look remotely innocent or soft. He looked vexed and annoyed.

\"I have things I need to do.\" Snape growled, getting out of bed in one fluid motion. Harry was amazed that he was so graceful. Of course, Harry had also been amazed at the softness of his skin, and the lean definition of his muscles. He hadn\'t let himself go soft, in his old age.

//He\'s only...what? 36? 37? He\'s not that old.// Harry ignored the fact that *not that old* happened to be twenty years older then himself.

\"So do I.\" Harry snapped right back. \"I\'ve got practice later.\"

\"And I don\'t care.\" Snape\'s back was to Harry, and he was rummaging through a tall wardrobe. He glanced over his shoulder, black eyes narrowing as they fell on Harry. \"Don\'t make bit bit of this.\"

Harry tilted his head. He hadn\'t thought about that. He had actually enjoyed waking up next to Snape, odd as the thought was to him. The reason he had asked to stay was because he hadn\'t thought he\'d be able to make it back to his dorm. But it had been nice. There had been a certain sort of closeness there.

//Careful Harry.// He cautioned himself. He made no move to get up. He simply watched Snape, pulling his robes out of the wardrobe and laying them over the back of a chair. There was a tenseness about the other man, a rigidity of his shoulders and spine. Impulsively, Harry slid off the bed and made his way over to Snape, wrapping his arms around his waist from behind.

\"What in hell are you doing?\" Snape asked, but he sounded more exasperated then upset. Harry just rested his head against his back, wondering at his own actions. //What do you think you can do? Help him? Change him?//

//I can love him.//

He had burning desire to let Snape know that life wasn\'t what it had been for him. He had tried, the night before. But Snape had blown it off, dismissing Harry\'s timid offer.

\"Just...saying goodbye.\" Harry said, squeezing. \"I\'ll see you tonight.\"

\"Mr. Potter, I thought we established there would be no more....sessions.\"

\"Not for that.\" Harry let go, stretching again. He picked his sweater up from where he had discarded it the night before. He could feel Snape\'s eyes on him, and could just imagine the stunned look on the older man\'s face. He would be back, if just to talk. He wasn\'t going to give up on Snape, not after knowing. He shrugged his shirt back on, and slipped out the door before Snape could say anything more.

***

//What on earth is the boy playing at?// Snape leaned back in his chair, tapping his finger to his lips in thought. The day had passed rather uneventfully, Snape had spent most of it grading essays. And avoiding one Mr. Harry Potter. The boy irked him. And aroused him, and entranced him, and he hated himself for it. There were far more beautiful specimens out there. Why was he lusting over Potter?

//Why did he *hug* me? Is he deranged? And he expects to come tonight...and do what? Does he think we\'re lovers now? If so, he\'s sadly mistaken. Dumbledore would never allow it...//

Snape gritted his teeth. //It isn\'t a matter of it being allowed! You don\'t *want* it. How soft and foolish you\'ve become, simply because someone is nice to you...// He had to push Potter out of his mind. But it was getting harder and harder to think of him as Potter. He was Harry now. And he supposed they were lovers.

//Fine mess you\'ve gotten yourself into. You\'ve never been one for making wise choices. You\'ll simply have to live with it.// Live with it. Harry would grow tired of him, and move on, and things would go back to normal. Or not. Class would be the worst. Everything would be the worst. //I will treat him no different. I have never believed in playing favorites. Except of course with Draco, but that is something entirely different. I\'ve no desire to bring his father down upon me. And I must stay in the Dark Lord\'s good graces...//

A knock at the door.

//So, the boy does have manners.// Snape sighed, massaging his temples. No, he had put up his locks again. He was still in his robes, and he waved a hand to let the magic guards on the door down.

\"Come in.\" He said, not bothering to stand up. //He\'d better be dressed. I must get that creak seen to. It\'s actually rather annoying. I can arrange a far more pleasant alert.//

\"As beautiful as ever, Severus.\"

Every muscle in Snape\'s body tightened, and his breath simply stopped. He knew the soft, silky voice as well as he knew his own. The slight husk of it, almost gravelly, but far too pure to be considered hoarse. What was *he* doing here? Was Snape hallucinating? That wouldn\'t be surprising. He forced his hands to unclench, and to glance nonchalantly over his shoulder.

\"Lucius.\" He said the name quietly. \"Ahem. What brings you here?\" eyebrow raised in amiable curiosity. He wanted to run. But he was frozen in his seat. Lucius looked the same as he had. Tall, broad through the shoulder, eyes grey and smoky, hawkish features, thin lips...he looked carved of ice, an angelic mockery. So pale and pure looking, in light grey robes. Snape had once thought him the most beautiful thing to walk the earth. Now he found him terrifying...

\"I needed to see Draco. His grandmother passed away, and I deemed it fit to tell him in person. He was close to Narcissa\'s mother.\"

\"I am sorry.\" Snape said, nodding. \"is he all right?\"

\"Fine. He took it well, as he should.\" Lucius walked further into the room, uninvited, and sunk down into the other chair. \"I hated the old bat.\"

\"Ah.\" Snape just kept nodding, not sure what to say. He wanted Lucius gone. Something about having the man in his own rooms made him uncomfortable.

\"And I figured while I was here, I should pay my old friend a visit...\" Lucius smiled, but there was no joy in it. It was a death skull\'imacimace, the mere curling of lips back from teeth. It sent shiver\'s down Snape\'s spine, and he knew all to well what would happen next.

\"Of course.\" He said, years of discipline allowing him to remain calm. Better to get it over with.

\"How have you been?\" Lucius asked, crossing his legs and leaning back.

\"Well enough, I suppose.\" Snape shrugged. Maybe...maybe he\'d be lucky. \"Nothing much changes here.\"

\"I cannot comprehend that you are teaching.\" Lucius gave a delicate little shudder. \"I\'d strangle the lot of the little brats, were it me.\"

\"Mmmm.\" Was all Snape said. Perhaps, if he was a lacking conversationalist, Lucius would go away. But he knew that was not the case.

//You loved him, once.// It was not a happy thought. //Yes, but that was a long time ago. Now you know better.// Once Lucius Malfoy had been an angel, a gift from God himself. Now he was a missionary from Satan, the devil\'s houndmaster. A twisted creature whose veins ran with ice, not blood.

\"You seem sad.\" Lucius said, rising elegantly. \"I hate seeing you sad, Sev...\"

\"Simply tired.\" Snape forced a small smile. \"It has been a long day.\"

\"Of course...you\'re tense. Come.\" He held out his hand, eyes twinkling in a grotesque mockery of humor and innocence. \"We\'ll work out some of that tension...\"

\"You\'ve not changed.\" Snape said, every bit of his body screaming not to take that hand, to plead fatigue or a headache, or something. But he stretched out his arm, rising as his hand closed over Lucius\'. His skin was cold. It was cold in the dungeon, and he hadn\'t been in Snape\'s rooms long enough to warm up.

\"And I hope you haven\'t either...\"

Snape knew the dangerous glitter in Lucius\' eyes well. The other man hungered for blood, and would not rest until his hunger had been sated. He shivered out of fear, but by the widening grin on Lucius\' face, he could tell the other man took it for pleasure.

The creak of the door alerted Snape to the entrance of another person in the room. Snape dropped Lucius\' hand, taking a step away from the blonde man. His eyes, dark and cautious, widened when he saw the slight form of Harry Potter, hesitating in the doorway.

\"Potter!\" Snape snapped, thinking quickly. \"If you\'re that upset about your essay grade, we can discuss it tomorrow!\"

\"Well! My my...\" Lucius\' eyes had turned to Harry as well. \"Harry Potter. Oh, if there\'s something you two need to discuss, don\'t let me intrude...\"

\"It\'s nothing, Mr. Malfoy. Potter, as you can see I am in a conference...\" He had to get Harry out of here. He didn\'t like the way Lucius was looking at the boy.

\"Tsk, tsk. No need for such formality, Sev. No, no. Please, we\'re just catching up on old times. I\'m sure your grade can be straightened up quickly...\" Lucius sat back down, languidly reclining like a cat. //I hate it when he calls me that.// Snape watched Harry\'s eyes flick from himself to Lucius, and back again. He could see the gears turning in Harry\'s mind. //Just walk away Harry, just leave now...//

\"There is nothing to discuss. Mr. Potter....please leave...\" Snape\'s lips were set in a thin line, and he glared at Harry. //Get out of here. I\'m sure you worked things out for yourself by now, so just turn around and leave.//

\"Er...maybe I should come back tomorrow.\" Harry took a step back, but Lucius waved his hand.

\"No need. Come, sit down. My son has told me quite a bit about you...\" Lucius\' lip were still pulled back in a parody of a smile, and he waved Harry closer. \"Triwizard champion...you must be quite proud.\"

\"Er...yes, sir.\" Harry stammered. At least the boy was dressed. Green sweater and faded jeans, messy hair, frightened eyes...//You\'ve walked into a pit of snakes, Harrnd Ind I\'m not sure what I can do to get you out.//

\"You know, you favor your father quite a bit. The resemblance is astounding.\" Lucius shook his head, eyes glittering. This was not a good sign. Snape had suspected Lucius was...fond of James Potter, in school. The hungry way he was eyeing Harry only added to the suspicion. \"Of course, I\'m sure you\'ve heard that before. Don\'t be so shy...\"

\"Lucius...\" Snape said, warningly. Harry took another hesitant step forward, and Snape swore he was trembling.

\"Lock the door Severus...\" Lucius said quietly. his voice had gone deadly soft, and Snape froze.

\"Lucius! I must advise against this...\" Snape\'s eyes flashed to Harry, trying to assure the boy he would do what he could. //Damn Lucius Malfoy! Bad enough what he does to his own son...he cannot do this. He cannot be that stupid...//

\"Why?\" Lucius raised an eyebrow, and his wand was out, locking the door magically. Harry jumped as it swung shut with a bang, and his face had drained of all color.

\"Because the boy will run straight to Dumbledore as soon as he can walk. Unless of course he\'s dead, which I know you will not do.\" Snape fought to keep his voice steady. Lucius would see reason.

\"Not if we alter his memory afterwards.\" How calm he sounded....

//Shit.// Snape had no argument to that. He sighed, attempting to sound bored. \"I\'ve no taste for young boys Lucius, you know that.\"

\"Fine. You can watch. You\'ll have your pleasure later, I promise.\" Lucius let out a small, high laugh. Snape swallowed, and looked over at Harry. He met the boy\'s eyes, trying to let him know, to tell him how hard it was. He was in a difficult position. He did not want that bastard Malfoy getting his hands on Harry. But if he fought too hard, it would look suspicious. And the last thing Snape needed was Voldemort suspicious of him.

//I\'m so sorry....I don\'t know what to say to make him stop...// Lucius it seemed, had been distracted by the various bottles on the mantle. Snape sighed, holding his hands out in a gesture of apology and defeat. Harry just swallowed, and nodded slightly. He mouthed words that Snape knew he could not have seen....Harry couldn\'t have just told him it was all right...

\"Now, boy, you will learn your place.\" Lucius said, turning back to Harry, his grey silk robes billowing about him. He was holding a near empty bottle of some alcohol, and he tossed the liquid on the flames, making them pop and rise with a hiss and a scream. He broke the bottle on the mantle, glass cracking and shattering. Harry\'s eyes were wide, but there was that defiance there. Snape almost had to smile. //Brave Gryffindor...he won\'t be able to break you. I\'ll kill him if he does...//

Harry stood, shoulders thrown back, head held high. Lucius leaned against the mantle, silhouetted by the flames. His silver blonde hair was kissed with red, and his eyes were diamonds...hard and unyielding. He was a demon, a creature spawned from hell itself. Mephistopheles, fallen from grace. He shook back his hair, and raised his hand again, beckoning.

\"Come here boy.\"

His voice was silk on iron, soft and sharp. It was a voice that demanded obedience and Snape watched as Harry slowly walked forward, placing each foot deliberately before him. //Why? Why? Dear Lord, why do this? He\'s a boy...he has been through enough.// But they were trapped. There was no way out of it, and they both knew it. Would that it were not so...

\"My my....you\'re quite beautiful.\" Lucius placed one long finger under Harry\'s chin, tilting his head this way and that. \"Almost as beautiful as my son...\" Suddenly, Lucius hand darted up, catching Harry swiftly across the cheek with a crack. The boy did not cry out, but Snape watched his eyes blaze at the slap. It knocked his glasses to the ground, and Lucius grabbed his chin again, holding it tightly. He was still holding the broken bottle. He brought it down to caress Harry\'s cheek, the jagged edge biting into the pale flesh. Blood welled up, anapenape found himself disgusted by it. Harry closed his eyes, and Lucius slapped him again.

\"You will look at me boy.\" he hissed, licking his lips in a serpentine gesture. \"Come Severus...join me. Please?\" He turned wide eyes to Snape, titling his head in a pleading manner. \"Undress him for me...you must admit he\'s beautiful. I want to share him with you...\"

\"Lucius...\" Snape took a deep breath. he could not bring himself to participate. He still wanted to slap Lucius\' hand away, to throw him from the rooms, and take Harry into his arms, assuring him it would be all right...//You cannot. You must endure. He understands. He has accepted this.//

\"Now, Severus!\" Lucius\' voice had gone from wheedling to angry. Snape rose, not wanting Harry to be the brunt of Malfoy\'s anger. He ran a hand through his hair, brushing it back from his face.

\"Humph. I\'ve really no desire to share you with the brat.\" Snape said, pouting slightly. \"I\'d rather keep you for myself. It\'s been so long....but if you insist...\"

\"I do.\" Lucius touched the tip of his tongue to his lips, grinning maliciously. He hadn\'t taken the bait. Snape sauntered over to Lucius, ignoring Harry. The blood was dripping down the side of his face, his jaw, his neck...it painted a vicious line across his pale skin. It was thin and bright, and looked black in the treacherous light of the fire.

\"I\'ve missed you, Lucius.\" Snape said, softly. He placed his hands on Lucius\' shoulders, coming between the man and boy. He felt dirty...he didn\'t want to be touching Malfoy like this. Not anymore. Somewhere along the line, Lucius had changed. Or Snape had.

\"H...a...and I you...\" Lucius said. Snape lowered his eyelids, pressing himself against Lucius. He wasn\'t hard in the least, but Lucius was. //Sick bastard...turned on by pain...// \"You can\'t have md med me that much...\"

\"Hmmm...\" Snape nuzzled Lucius neck, lips curling away from the lemon scented flesh.

\"Sit.\" Lucius instructed, shoving Snape aside. He turned his attention back to Harry, and Snape was horrified to see a knife in his hand. He had abandoned the bottle, it seemed. Snape stumbled, gripping at the fireplace to hold himself upright. His legs no longer wanted to work, and he sank to the floor in a daze. Lucius was cutting Harry\'s shirt off, dragging the knifed across his chest through the fabric. It came away with a soft rip, and Lucius pushed the fabric off of the boy\'s shoulders. \"Mmm...I\'m going to enjoy this. Do you think he\'ll scream, Sev? Draco doesn\'t scream anymore. You always screamed so beautifully. You\'d scream yourself raw, sometimes...\"

Snape felt empty inside. He couldn\'t help, and he couldn\'t look away. His eyes were glued to the grotesque scene unfolding before him. Lucius\' hands on Harry....touching flesh that Snape had claimed as his own. He shouldn\'t be allowed to touch Harry like that...now he was undoing his belt, and cutting the strips of denim away from hips and thigh. Snape kept his eyes on Harry\'s, trying to offer him strength.

\"My ...h...he\'s so smooth and pale.\" Lucius traced a line down the center of Harry\'s chest, the tip of the knife grazing the flesh just lightly. Blood welled up, crimson and thin. Lucius bent, dragging his tongue up the shallow cut. Snape gritted his teeth, hands clenching and unclenching as he fought the urge to launch himself on the other man. \"He tastes so good...\" Lucius mumbled, dragging the knife down the same path, cutting deeper. Harry did not cry out...of course not. What was this, after what he felt the night before? Lucius brought the knife to his lips, tongue snaking out to trail along the edge. He stroked the edge of the blade with his tongue, shuddering at the blood he found there.

The knife returned to Harry\'s flesh, drawing a sinuous pattern over the first cut, shallow and light. But the blood rose up, stark and bright and darkly beautiful. It trailed down Harry\'s torso, and Snape was aware of the sound of it hitting the floor. Drop after drop smacking onto the stone, distracting and overwhelming.

\"He\'s not making any noise!\" Lucius whined, slicing the knife deeply across Harry\'s uninjured cheek. At that Harry gasped, and pulled away. Ls has hand went out, gripping his shoulder hard. Even from where he sat on the floor, Snape could see Lucius\' fingers digging painfully. Blood blossomed from the deep gash on his cheek, running down to his neck, his shoulder, to mingle with the blood on his chest and stomach. Lucius drew the knife across Harry\'s other shoulder, a quick movement that brought forth a deep, short cut. Harry squirmed. It was instinctual. Snape had had to train himself not to flinch. That only urged Lucius on...

\"Don\'t be afraid...\" Lucius whispered, licking Harry\'s shoulder. \"It will feel so good...\" He dropped to his knees, running his tongue along the curve of Harry\'s hip, before biting the swell of muscle. Hard, from Harry\'s yelp. Lucius continued his ministrations on Harry\'s hip, and soon Snape saw a thin trail of blood trickling down, hitting the floor with a sickening splat. Lucius sat back on his heels, shrugging off his robe.

\"Don\'t want to get it dirty...\" he said, grinning wickedly at Snape. Lucius was wearing nothing beneath. Snape turned his eyes away from the smooth expanse of Lucius\' back. He knew there would be scars there, if he looked closely. Not as deep or numerous as the scars on Snape\'s own back...the knife blade flashed in the firelight, cutting at Harry\'s other hip, slicing deeply. The blood coursed out of the wound, a small wave of it falling to the floor. There was a pool of it now, surrounding Harry\'s feHe wHe was still wearing his sneakers....

Lucius rose, arching his back like a cat. He flicked his wrist, drops of blood flying off of the blade to land on the mantle and wall. He grabbed Harry\'s hand, and the boy pulled away, but Lucius tightened his grip. Harry was shaking, and there were tears in his eyes. Lucius dragged the knife along the inside of his arm, then his fingers followed, dipping into the wound. Harry cried out, shoulders shaking. Snape had to choke back a cry of protest, and he felt bile rising up in the back of his throat. he wanted to be ill...

\"Turn around, boy...\" Lucius whispered. Harry was shaking, eyes partially glazed. He turned, slowly andteadteadily. The blood was falling faster, and his foot slipped in it. Lucius grabbed his arm, holding him upright.

\"So delicious...\" Lucius ran a finger down Harry\'s bare back, studying the smooth flesh. Snape remembered how warm and soft it had been under his own hands...Lucius could not destroy it! \"Are you enjoying this, my love?\"

\"Mmmm.\" Snape mumbled. He forced himself to nod. //You are a monster.// \"Though I suggest you let him rest a moment...he los lost quite a bit of blood.\" If Lucius continued as he was, Harry would pass out.

\"Oh, fine. Sit, boy. But whatever shall I do to amuse myself in the meantime?\" He turned to Snape, tossing his head. //Good, I have his attention. if I can only keep it...//
\"I\'m sure we\'ll find something.\" He said, dryly. he stood up, his own legs weak. He forced himself not to look at Harry, sitting bleeding and shaking. He closed his eyes, and pressed his fingers against a nerve on his wrist. He immediately felt the reaction, as blood changed course and flowed downwards. Lucius had to think he was enjoying it...

\"So soft...\" Lucius mumbled, going to his knees before Snape. His hand had snaked up under the thick black robes, to flutter over his self induced erection. His robes were pulled away, and Lucius\' teeth were on his length, scraping mercilessly. And then there was the knife blade, sliding across the underside of his shaft. It didn\'t hurt, not really. It was more annoying then anything....the death collar. He had used the death collar the night before. But Lucius didn\'t know that...he forced a groan out of his throat.

This was...nothing. It was vaguely unpleasant, and dirty. Sickening, really. Lucius was generous with his teeth and nails, clawing at Snape\'s hips and thighs. Raking across the skin, again and again to open up deep furrows, coaxing out rivulets of blood. Snape wanted it to be over. But it kept Harry safe, for the moment. He endured it, hands clenching into tight fists, his own nails cutting into his palms. He could take no more. This was....wrong. He moved his hips, forcing Lucius teeth to scrape over a spot at the top of his shaft, causing him to finish. Lucius pulled away in disgust, making a face.

\"Warn me, Sev.\" He hissed, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He made a face, and Snape was sickened to see there was blood on his lips, dripping down his chin. Snape\'s blood. He turned away, pulling his robes closed. Perhaps....perhaps Lucius had forgotten Harry. The boy had been quiet, his crying turning to a soft whimpering, and then to silence.

\"I think he\'s had enough time to rest.\" Lucius said. Harry was staring straight ahead, eyes blank. He was curled into a ball on the chair, legs draw up tightly. Lucius ran a hand down the pale calf, fingers caressing smooth muscle. He then twisted the limb, roughly. Harry gasped, trying to draw further in on himself. Lucius pulled him off of the chair, dow the the floor. He rolled him onto his stomach, and placed his foot on the center of his back. Snape braced himself, hand gripping the back of the chair to keep himself up. Lucius took up the knife again, dragging it in a smooth line down Harry\'s spine. The boy jerked, twitching as he cried out. Snape shuddered, knowing full well what that felt like. Lucius had cut deeply, as well. And then from that long line he made other cuts, fanning out in quick strokes. Harry was whimpering again, and Lucius set the knife of side.

\"I\'m growing bored with this...\" He sighed, reaching for his discarded robes. He fished about in the pocket, pulling out a long metal rod, with sharp bits of something all along it.

\"What in the name of all that is holy is that?\" Snape breathed, sucking in a deep breath.

\"Oh, just a little something I picked up...\" Lucius waved it about, before bringing it down sharply on Harry\'s back. He let out a yelp, and buried his head in his arms. He was crying softly, and Snape could see angry red welts where the rod had hit him, and small cuts... \"He doesn\'t scream. It\'s a pity. I like it so much better when they scream...I\'ll make him scream. I\'ll tear them out of his throat by hand if I have to.\"

Snape knew he shouldn\'t watch. He knew he should tear his eyes away, block out his ears, but he could not. //You must watch...so you can heal.//

Lucius knelt by Harry\'s prone form, his hands squeezing the boy\'s buttocks, before sliding his fingers between.

\"Damn...not a virgin...\" Lucius frowned. \"Oh well...still tight. You\'ll scream for me yet...\"

//He\'s mad.//

Lucius slid three more fingers in, and twisted his hand sharply, and Harry yelped again. Snape knew he *wouldn\'t* scream. He wouldn\'t give Lucius what he wanted. The blond man frowned, twisting his hand again, savagely. Harry\'s cry was strangled and hoarse. Snape swallowed against the wave of bile that rose up in his throat, threatening to choke him. Lucius withdrew his fingers, an annoyed expression on his face. He grabbed the knife, slicing a deep cut across Harry\'s buttocks, before sliding the hilt inside of him, roughly. Harry squealed as the thick metal entered him, and Snape could see him straining away from it. Lucius drove the hilt of the knife into him, ruthlessly pumping it in and out of his tender body.

\"Stupid boy!\" Lucius slapped him hard across the r sco scowling. He tossed the knife aside, his fingers slick with blood. Suddenly, a sickly grin spread over his features. He ran his fingers carefully over the jagged rod, and flicked sultry eyes at Snape.

\"This should make him scream...\"

\"God no...\" The words were barely a whisper, but Snape couldn\'t stop them. He could feel his own eyes stinging, and he wanted to reach out for Harry, to hold his hand, and tell him it would all be all right. He could not watch. His eyes closed, slowly, lids lowering to present blessed blackness. //Coward...you can\'t even watch...you can\'t even offer him that. You\'ll still be able to hear him. You\'ll hear his scream...//

But Harry never screamed. He whimpered, he sobbed, he groaned, but he never screamed. Lucius cursed, and Snape could *hear* the boy\'s flesh tearing, hear Lucius\' nails on his back, the blood...always the blood. Dripping and splattering and smacking against the stone. And then there was soft sobbing, and Lucius grunting, and something akin to a scream...but not quite. A ragged cry, hoarse and guttural and cutting straight through to Snape\'s soul. He couldn\'t open his eyes. He knew what was going on...he could hear by the dull sound of body slapping against body, and the sickening moans....and Harry\'s mewling cries...he knew Lucius was saying something, but he didn\'t want to know what. Lucius cried out, a curse, and then...

And then it was over.

\"You\'ll want to clean up this mess, Severus.\" Lucius said, as calm as if he were commenting on the weather. Snape just nodded, eyes still closed. \"The boy\'s not *that* badly damaged. I\'ll leave you to perform the memory charm on him. It was good seeing you, Sev. We\'ll have to do this again sometime...just us.\"

The splash of water. The rustling of garments. The sound of feet on stone. The creak of the door. And the soft whimpering...

Snape finally dared to open his eyes. His expression was blank as he regarded Harry, lying face down on the stone floor of the dungeon. He could hardly see the boy for the blood. It covered him, fresh and old. Jagged scrapes along his back, his legs, his arms...and he was still bleeding. Without a word, Snape rose, his legs threatening to give way under him. He retrieved a basin of warm water, salve, and a stack of cloths from the bathroom. He took up his wand, uttering a small charm to clean the blood from the floor. he knelt next to Harry, choking back the urge to be sick.

\"Shhh...\" He whispered, eyes surveying the damage. //Not badly damaged....you could have killed him, you fool. You sick bastard...I swear you\'ll pay for this...// Never had Snape been so disgusted and...angry. He dipped a cloth into the water, wringing it out before gently applying it to Harry\'s back. The boy jerked away from his touch, and Snape withdrew as though burned. \"You\'re a mess.\" He said, voice stern but soft. \"Let me clean you up...\"

\"Hurts....\" Harry gasped, sobbing. //Dear God, please let him be all right in the mind...//

\"I know Harry. I will do what I can for it.\" Snape placed the cloth again on Harry\'s back, rubbing gently. Harry winced, and Snape shook his head. Fresh blood was sticking to dried and cracked blood, coating the wounds that covered his back. Snape was as gentle as he could be, wiping it away, leaving the flesh pink and raw. The water was dark red by now, and there was still so much to do.

\"It won\'t hurt for much longer.\" Snape assured Harry. //The memory charm will take care of that. Dear God...I\'ve never seen so much blood in my life.// He cleaned the water, and wetted another cloth. This he applied to where the most of the blood was. Only then did Harry scream, a sound that brought stinging to Snape\'s eyes. He pressed gently, trying to staunch the bleeding. His other hand deftly rubbed salve into the wounds, cool and soothing.

\"It\'s all right.\" The bleeding had stopped. Snape moved on to Harry\'s legs, his arms, before turning him over. Lying on his back, Harry refused to meet Snape\'s eyes. He turned his face away as the Potions master wiped the blood from his chest, stomach and hips. The blood on his face was dried, and in the flickering firelight he looked as death. Pale and silent and still...

\"Lie still.\" Snape instructed, rising. He looked a site betteleanleaned. //A restorative draught...and a pain killer.../// Snape busied his mind with finding both, and bringing them to Harry. \"Now sit up, if you can...\" Snape eased his arm behind Harry\'s shoulders, wincing at the boy\'s startled cry. he helped him to sit, blanching at the look of pain on his face. Tears were leaking out of his eyes, mingling with the blood on his face. He raised a goblet to Harry\'s lips, and he drank. The concoction would help him greatly.

\"...thank you...\" There was a tone in Harry\'s voice Snape had heard only once. A quiet anger, mixed with humiliation and defiance. Snape had hear it when he had insulted Harry\'s father, but this time it was different. He sighed, and stood, to retrieve his wand. It would be better, this way. Harry drew his legs up to his chin, hugging them tightly. he was shaking, and crying. A bit of blood still oozed out of some of his cuts, black and thick. The cut across his cheek was still trickling the stuff...

\"It will be better in a moment...\" Snape said softly, raising his wand. Harry\'s eyes flashed upwards, brilliant emeralds.

\"No.\" It was iron. A single word, but with no room for argument.

\"Harry...\" Snape faltered. \"Please...\"

\"No. I want to remember...I have to remember...\" He shuddered, and Snape fell to his knees, lips pursed tightly together.

\"It would be better...\"

\"It wouldn\'t be better!\" Harry yelled. \"It happened....and I have to remember it. I have to know...what we\'re fighting against...things like that. What happened to you, when you were my age...what happened to Cedric...and what just happened to me. I have to know...\" He was shuddering, and sobbing, and screaming all at once. \"I need to have this.\"

\"I am...so sorry...\"

\"Don\'t be. It wasn\'t your fault. You tried to stop him. You couldn\'t, not really....it...it probably would have happened anyway.\" Harry hunched his shoulders, twitching slightly. \"I...I feel bad for Draco. No wonder he\'s the way he is. I would be too, if...\" Harry shuddered again, and Snape reached out a hand to him. he wasn\'t sure what comfort he could offer, if any. \"Can I...can I stay here again, tonight?\" Snape was appalled at the doubt and fear in Harry\'s voice.

\"Of course.\" Snape said. He patted Harry\'s knee stiffly, finding no words to offer him.

\"I\'ll be okay.\" Harry said. \"I don\'t remember my parents dying. And I didn\'t really see what happened to Cedric...it never really touched me before. I didn\'t deserve the way people felt about me, cause everything had happened to someone else. Someone...close to me. Now I do.\"

//Wise beyond his years...// Snape nodded, swallowing thickly. //Would that they were all so strong. I believe he can withstand anything that they throw at him. I would have broken, under that strain.//

\"Come.\" Snape held out his hand, helping Harry to stand. He stumbled, and Snape caught him easily. \"You need rest.\" Snape led Harry over to the bed, easing him into a sitting position. He retrieved a soft and faded dressing gown, the lightest thing he could find, and wrapped it around the boy\'s shoulders. It shouldn\'t aggravate the wounds any. Harry pulled the robe tightly about him, eyes still damp. Snape wiped them away with his fingers, his thumb sliding under Harry\'s eyes. \"You are far stronger then any of us could have hoped, Harry.\" He whispered.

\"No I\'m not.\" Harry said. \"But it\'s okay. I\'m strong enough.\" He held out his arms, such a childlike gesture...Snape hugged him, gently, not wanting to hurt him. //You care about him. Yes. But it\'s all right.//

\"Sleep now.\" He whispered, easing Harry down onto the bed. He pulled the covers up over him, before undressing himself and sliding into bed. \"You\'ll feel better in the morning.\"

\"I know. G\'night Sev...\" On Harry\'s lips, the pet name didn\'t sound so bad. It was said tenderly, not condescending. Snape kissed Harry\'s forehead, smiling slightly as the boy closed his eyes. It would be better, in the morning. Everything was different in the light of day. He would have to tell Dumbledore something...what, he\'d figure out later. But he would tell him not to worry about Harry\'s endurance. That was certainly not in question.

\"Goodnight Harry.\"

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