Bonds of Affection

When they entered the location indicated by the Dark Mark, Severus noticed that Harry\'s entire body stiffened, as if in an attempt to suppress a wave of revulsion. The stench of mildew and decay permeated the place; and darkness abounded in every room and hall. The walls, the high ceiling, the floors were rough stones, with stale water trickling down them in rivulets.



Severus led the way, dragging Harry along, holding Harry\'s wrist in an iron grip. Harry followed along as fast as he could, staring straight ahead without expression. They reached the hall where the others were gathered. Severus looked around, seeing Voldemort, Bellatrix, Pettigrew, Lucius – and, to his astonishment, Draco.



Draco noticed the look on his face and smiled thinly, rolling up his sleeve to reveal his Dark Mark.



“Good to see you, godson,” Severus said with a smirk to match Draco\'s.



“Welcome, my servant,” Voldemort said, his yellow eyes fixed on Severus.



“Yes, indeed,” Lucius piped. “Welcome. I must admit, I had my doubts, Severus. I thought you might not have the heart to give up your little duckling.”



Severus laughed unpleasantly. “You think I would choose a mere pet over my Lord\'s favor?” he drawled contemptuously. “You are even more dimwitted than I realized.”



Behind them, Bellatrix giggled harshly, and Pettigrew issued a high-pitched cackling laugh.



Lucius was staring at them both with a benevolent, mild expression that did not mislead Severus – not for a moment.



“Take his wand,” Lucius said.



Severus nodded to Harry and opened his hand. Without hesitation, Harry surrendered his wand to him, and Severus tucked it away into his robe.



“Well, well...” Lucius murmured, bemused. “Our little Harry is quite the catch. Who knew it would be so easy to subdue the proud Gryffindor?”



Harry lowered his eyes and bit his lip.



“Follow me,” Lucius said softly, and left the large room, heading down the hallway. Severus and Harry followed him through the dark hallway, deeper into the castle, and then, into a chamber that contained a small nightstand, a fireplace, and a single, narrow bed, with a metal collar chained to the foot of it.



Harry bowed his head, staring at the collar without blinking.



“You\'ve spoiled him,” Lucius said with amusement. “Once you let your pets sleep in the same bed with you, it\'s hard to break them out of the habit.”



Severus pressed his lips into a disdainful smile. “What does it matter? He has less than three weeks left to live. It\'s not like I am training him for life-time use.”



“True enough,” Lucius said peaceably. He was leering at Harry openly, and Harry glared back at him, not bothering to hide his distaste. “So tell me, Severus – what DOES he do for you?” Lucius inquired. “His body does not seem to be... overused ... either in matters of passion, or in matters of pain...”



Severus shrugged nonchalantly. “Just trying to keep it in good shape – making sure that the Dark Lord gets maximum usage out of it, once Harry\'s soul is wiped out.”



“Of course, of course,” Lucius purred with approval. He reached for Harry\'s face to pat it, but Harry recoiled instantly, almost involuntarily. “Oh my.”



“Sorry,” Severus said snidely, in a way that clearly indicated he was not. “The bond is exclusive. Your hand means nothing to him.”



Lucius smirked, unconcerned. “Well, I should let you know of a few details of your .. accommodations. All communications with outside world are cut off. Nothing can penetrate the perimeter; not even a Patronus. Also, no-one can exit the Castle, now that we are all here – so I hope you brought everything you needed with you.”



“Our Lord\'s presence is all we need,” Severus said with a serious face.



“Good answer, Severus,” Lucius murmured. “Finally... as a standard precaution, no healing spells will work here. The Dark Lord\'s instructions, you understand.”



“Perfectly,” Severus replied in a quiet voice.



Lucius flashed him a broad smile and and strode towards the exit. For a moment, it looked like he was going to leave – but then, stopping in the doorway, Lucius turned around sharply. “Oh. Almost forgot. Silly me. Burn his wand, Severus.”



Severus reached into his robe . Harry watched him with his eyes wide open, as the holly rod was tossed into the fireplace, bursting into flames. Their eyes met and they looked at each other in silence for a moment. A single tear shimmered in the corner of Harry\'s eye, but then, he blinked rapidly, and willed it away.



“I will let you two settle in,” Lucius said with a smirk, and left, shutting the door gently behind him.



Once Lucius departed, Severus stood up. Harry looked to him and opened his mouth, but Severus just gave him a barely visible shake of the head, and Harry did not make a sound. Severus took out his wand and issued several wordless, soundless spells, while Harry watched him intently.



Finally Severus nodded to him. “There were several surveillance spells placed on the room. I\'ve scrambled them. We can speak freely now.”



Harry let out a deep breath. “Won\'t Voldemort get suspicious if he gets silence from the room for too long?”



Severus smiled, a little smugly. “He won\'t get silence. I\'ve included some... sound effects.”



Harry forced out a smile as well. “I almost want to know what kind!”



Severus sat on the bed and Harry flew into his embrace, wrapping his arms around him. For a few minutes, they held each other tightly, without saying a word, clinging to each other unashamedly, absorbing each other\'s warmth in the chill air of the room.



“I\'m scared,” Harry whispered quietly.



“I know,” Severus said softly. “Me too.”



Harry was looking at him with dread. “Something is wrong, isn\'t it?”



“Yes,” Severus confirmed reluctantly. “Nagini is not here. It\'s someplace else.”



“Shit,” Harry blurted out. “Then... if they... if the Order attacks in two days... when they raid this place... it\'ll be no good.”



Severus nodded silently.



“We have to send out a message...” Harry started saying and then stopped. “You sure Lucius was telling the truth... that Patronus won\'t work?”



“It\'s a certainty. It will just set off the wards that are all over the Castle, that\'s all.”



Harry laughed bitterly. “We\'ve really screwed ourselves royally here,” he said. “And it seemed like such a good idea at the time.”



It did, didn\'t it, Severus thought sadly.



Harry sighed deeply. “Tell me.. was it absolutely necessary to burn my wand?” he asked sullenly.



Severus gave him a pitying, contemptuous look. Harry\'s mouth gaped open. “You still have it,” he said with confidence. “What did you burn? Something that...”



“Something that I transfigured to look like your wand,” Severus completed the sentence with not a small measure of satisfaction. “Your wand will be available to you when it\'s time to fight.”



Harry hugged him tighter and rested his face on his shoulder.



“Tell me,” Harry asked. “Will you... will the bond punish you here? For..lying, and...well... all of this...”



“No,” Severus said. “The bond won\'t punish me, for as long as I am in Voldemort\'s household. The Master\'s presence sustains me, and the punishment is delayed...”



“What if you have to leave?” Harry asked, terror creeping into his voice.



“I don\'t think I could this time,” Severus told him. “This time... it\'s too much. It\'s the ultimate betrayal of the Master. If I venture outside of his sphere of influence this time... I\'ll likely die.”



Harry gazed at him, emerald eyes piercing the darkness of the room. “You won\'t die,” he said with confidence, as if uttering a prophecy. “You can\'t. I won\'t let you.”



... to be continued...