Hogsmeade, Circa 1826

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Harry dropped the leash as soon as he entered their room. He talked as he headed towards the bathroom.

“That was amazing! Running into Dumbledore’s and Malfoy’s ancestors like that!” Harry said enthusiastically.

Severus stopped in the middle of the room and watched Harry with amusement. When Harry returned from the bathroom, it was with a dampened cloth. His face was alight with excitement. Severus stood still, his amusement well hidden, as Harry began gently cleaning his face, still chattering away.

“I couldn’t believe it! I mean, I immediately thought of Malfoy when I saw the blonde, but I really didn’t think it was a Malfoy! And Wulfric! Wow! Wulfric sounds familiar, though I’m not sure where I’ve heard the name before. It’s no good,” Harry said as he stepped back from Severus shaking his head. “You’ll have to wash your hair.”

Harry took hold of the leash and lead Severus into the small bathroom. He unclipped the leash and turned to adjust the taps in the shower.

“Undress and I’ll wash you’re hair for you,” he said briskly, not thinking about what he was doing or saying to his Potions Professor.

Severus stood staring at Harry in disbelief. His hesitation caused the band around his throat to tighten slightly. He began slowly unbuttoning his shirt, hoping Harry would come to his senses and permit him to shower alone.

“Well, come on,” Harry said impatiently when he noticed Severus moving rather slowly. “You can’t go around all day with that goop in your hair!” Harry shook his head again and swatted Severus’ hands away and began undressing the older man himself.

“I’m so sorry about that, Severus. I just didn’t know what to do! And then Wulfric sat down and started asking questions! I had no idea what to say! And my name! Gods! I couldn’t think of anything fast enough! But telling him I was doing research seemed like a good idea. I thought maybe he could help look up information on the time travel stuff and he IS helping! That’s so fantastic! We have to wait ‘til next week, but the room’s paid up, so that’s not so bad.”

By the time Harry finally stopped for air, Severus was completely undressed and blushing profusely.

“Master,” Severus said softly as he tried to cover himself with his hands. “I think I can manage to shower by myself.”

“What?” Harry asked, finally looking directly at his ‘slave’. “OH!” Harry said with a blush of his own. “Yes, right, sorry!”

He tried to avert his eyes, but couldn’t help noticing Severus’ body. He was desperately thin, but had an underlying strength that Harry could sense more than see. He had only a few stray dark hairs on his chest and a thin line under his navel leading down to where his hands covered his genitals. Harry saw a long scar that zigzagged across his chest and through his left nipple. As he walked out the door he turned to see many scars covering Severus’ narrow back and tight buttocks. Harry admired Severus’ arse and long slim legs a moment before turning away.

After hearing Severus pull the shower curtain closed, Harry returned to the bathroom and retrieved Severus’ clothes. He muttered a cleaning spell, then folded them and set them next to the sink. He sat on the toilet and began talking again.

“So what do you think? Will there be a book at Hogwarts that will help? And what do you suppose Malfoy was looking for at Godric’s Hollow? Should we go down and take a look ourselves?”

Severus shook his head in amusement at Harry’s unwavering enthusiasm. He was certainly taking to his role very well, almost too well. He sobered up quickly at the thought of this Malfoy. He knew that the Malfoys had been ruthless and dangerous all through history. This one seemed no different than Lucius.

“I’m sure we’ll find something at Hogwarts, but we have to be careful. We should keep our interactions with the locals limited. We don’t know what kind of affects it might have on our time,” Severus called out over the sound of rushing water. “As for Malfoy and Godric’s Hollow, I don’t know. I suggest we avoid him as much as possible, though. He could be trouble.”

“Could be?! Did you see what he was doing to his slave?! He was choking him! With his cock! I couldn’t believe it! And Wulfric! I find it hard to believe that Dumbledore’s ancestors ever kept slaves!” Harry gave a disgusted look.

“You have to remember the times, Master,” Severus said from the shower. “For them, it’s perfectly normal and acceptable to own slaves. In fact, those in the upper classes who didn’t were often ridiculed and treated with suspicion and disrespect. You really should read “Hogwarts: A History”, Master,” Severus said as he turned off the water. He took the towel Harry handed him and started to dry off, his earlier shyness gone.

“If you had read the book, you would know that Wulfric Dumbledore, Albus’ father, was one of the foremost Slave Rights Advocates. He was one of the people most responsible for the abolishment of slavery in the part of Europe.”

“You’re kidding!” Harry cried as he held out the clean clothes for Severus. “Why would he own a slave if he disagreed with slavery?”

“For exactly the reasons I’ve already stated,” Severus said somewhat impatiently, his collar tightening slightly. “To be taken seriously in the business world he had to own a slave. Once he had gained the respect of people, he began a quiet campaign to free the slaves. If I remember correctly, this slave with him today, Coda, stayed with him after he was freed. It’s said that they remained lovers after Wulfric’s wife died.”

“But,” Harry’s face scrunched up in confusion, “Wulfric didn’t sound very concerned with Malfoy’s slave being abused. He seemed more upset about having his appetite ruined.”

“I don’t think he would have been so angry if he was only concerned with his stomach, Master,” Severus reminded him as he finished buttoning his shirt. He picked up the brush and tried pulling though his hair, but the bristles pulled harshly on the knots that had formed when he washed it without conditioner. After wincing a couple of times, Harry took the brush out of his hand.

“Come sit out here and I’ll brush out your hair. I had to do it for Aunt Petunia all the time.”

Severus reluctantly followed Harry into the main room, where he was directed to sit on the floor beside the bed. He gracefully sank to his knees while Harry sat on the bed, his legs on either side of Severus. He couldn’t help noticing again how well Harry was taking to the dominant role. He sat quietly while Harry took his time brushing out his long dark hair and found himself relaxing at the comforting gesture.

Harry was careful about not pulling the knots, but worked them out slowly until the brush could go through the long hair smoothly. He had always enjoyed brushing his aunt’s hair, but found this simple act with Severus to be rather intimate and very peaceful. He smiled as he felt Severus’ tranquil state as well.

Harry decided he rather liked taking care of his Potions Master and almost wished their stay could be longer than a week. He know, however, that it was imperative that they return to their own time as quickly as possible. Who knew what havoc Voldemort was wrecking in their absence.

With a silent sigh, Harry pulled the brush away. “There,” he said softly, giving one last longing-filled touch to the silky strands.

“Thank you,” Severus said just as softly, not wanting to disturb the sweet silence that filled the little room.

“So… Now what?” Harry asked, uncertain as to what they should do to pass the time.

“I think we should take a look around town. Perhaps we could find a book store and find something there on time travel spells. We should also get a change of clothes for us. It would be certainly be bad for you not to look the part of a wealthy slave owner.”

“Not only that, I don’t fancy wearing the same clothes everyday for a week!” Harry shuddered at the thought. Even cleaning spells could only do so much.

“We should come up with some sort of code in case you have to ask my opinion on something,” Severus suggested thoughtfully.

“That’s a great idea! How about just nodding your head? Once for yes, twice for no. It’s simple and no one else would really notice anything.”

“Yes, that should work, I suppose.”

Harry retrieved the leash and money pouch, then led Severus to the door. “We should have more than enough money for clothes and any books we find. Is there anything else we need to get?” Harry asked before opening the door.

“Yes, you should probably get some ‘slave gear’. There should be a slave merchant in town,” Severus replied with slight hesitation. Harry was taking to being a Master fairly well, so far, but they had yet to really test it in public. Showing off certain disciplinary tools, would do Harry’s ‘Master’ image good.

“’Slave gear’?” Harry questioned, looking a little green.

“Yes, things like whips and restraints. You would look the part much better if you had a whip on your belt,” Severus informed him. He barely suppressed a shuddered as he remembered the sting of a whip cutting into his tender flesh. He just prayed Harry would never have need to use it on him.

“Oh, Gods, Severus,” Harry whispered, thinking about the crisscross scars on Severus’ back. For the first time since waking up in the field the day before, Harry was scared, scared of his role and scared for Severus. It was becoming more and more obvious how Severus knew so much about slave/Master relationships. He had himself once been a slave to someone.

Severus could see the fear clearly on Harry’s face. Suddenly, for the first time, he really and truly trusted Harry. His own fears at what Harry might have to do to convince the townsfolk of their roles, melted away. No matter what happened, Harry would never honestly claim ownership over him. Harry would never be anyone’s Master.

“It’s alright, Harry. I trust you,” he said with such honesty that Harry immediately looked into his eyes. Severus saw resolve take the place of fear, and nodded to him. He knew in that moment that Harry understood exactly what he meant and would do whatever he must to help them get back to their own time.

Harry nodded again, then took up Severus’ leash and stepped from the room.

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