25. FLIGHT FORWARD
Harry whimpered, shifting a little. He was not yet conscious, but not fully unconscious either. It was as if someone was holding consciousness just out of reach, dangling it mockingly in front of his outstretched fingers, snatching it back whenever he made a grab for it.
His wrists ached and whenever he moved a stinging pain shot around them, into his fingertips and to his elbows. There was a dull pain inside of him that throbbed almost reassuringly with every heartbeat as if telling him that all was not so bad.
He felt as if someone was watching him, a dark dangerous presence looming over him and he fought to open his eyes, wincing as the light of a wand blinded him momentarily.
"Oh, look, who's finally awake, Black." Draco grinned malevolently. "Took him long enough. Stand up, slave!"
Harry's eyes snapped up to meet that of his master - no! This was not his master, it was only Draco. Draco had no control over him. He had no right for any control over him!
Nonetheless, he was forced to stand up on shaking legs, which was not made any easier by the fact that his hands were bound behind his back with a tight magical rope that sent a sharp sting up his hands when he tugged experimentally on it. He looked defiantly at the blond veela, all his instincts screaming at him to cover in fear and to submit mindlessly. But he wouldn't give Draco the satisfaction.
"Still haven't learned have you, whore?" Draco mocked him, firmly grasping his chin as he stepped closer. "Still not broken. Has my father pampered you up again? Has he told you that you're worth something? That you're good for something more than your master's pleasure? Oh, and you believed it! How gullible you are." He took a deep breath and then leaned closer to Harry's neck, as if drawn by an invisible force. "But oh-so-sweet." The blond veela pressed a soft kiss to the milky skin; Harry whimpered. "Shush, Harry, what is the matter? Don't you feel good?"
"No," Harry whispered, struggling weakly against the veela. "Please, I'd feel much better if you got us out of here. Please, Draco, don't you want me to be happy?"
"Of course," Draco answered immediately, as his lips continued to caress Harry's neck. "You're so sweet."
"Please, Draco, I want out of here," Harry whispered urgently, mindful of the other Death Eaters, who were still holding Sirius, and Sirius himself because he knew that he mustn't push too far or his mate would fly into a jealous rage; he was already impressed with how much self-control Sirius was showing, though he could feel tendrils of shadows wrapping around his body like creepers. "I'm scared."
"I'll protect you, don't you know?" Draco murmured, and his voice sounded a little hurt. "Don't you trust me, Harry? Don't you love me?"
"I..." Draco didn't seem to expect more than that as an answer, smiling happily at Harry. "See, you're safe, my little submissive."
Draco's hands stroked soothingly over Harry's sides as the blond veela crooned in his ear, holding Harry to his body, who was hard pressed to feel uncomfortable. This gentle Draco, he was Harry's, no one else could bring out this side of the blond, crack his masks so completely. But he wouldn't stay, Harry knew, and the cold and cruel Death Eater would be there to replace him.
Sirius' loud, enraged shout and one of the Death Eaters clearing his throat broke the spell, and the young Death Eater regained his composure in the matter of seconds, his hands becoming once again harsh and hurtful and his touch more humiliating than soothing. "Such a good little slut. My Lord can hardly wait to see you, he will so enjoy you, won't he, Black? I'm sure you enjoyed his little sweet body - "
"Don't you dare touch him, Malfoy," Sirius spat, and Harry relaxed a little as the shadows around him grew stronger and thicker to protect and shield him from Draco.
The blond snickered, pressing a hard kiss to Harry's unresponsive lips and grabbed his arse, which emitted a pained and startled squeak from the small elf.
"Oh, I will do much more than touch him, Black," the young Death Eater taunted. "But for now, I'll content myself with his mouth. On your knees, slave!"
Sirius could only watch in horror as Harry dropped to his knees. But before anything more could happen, Draco grabbed his arm and hissed in pain, a mildly annoyed look crossing his handsome features. The two Death Eaters mimicked his actions, and Sirius took the chance to break free from their hold and scramble over to Harry, pulling the shivering boy into his strong arms.
"Doesn't matter." Draco sneered. "I'll have enough time to enjoy your little toy, Black. Enjoy your last minutes with him while I tell the Dark Lord of the good news. Let's go," he prompted the other Death Eaters and, sending Harry one last half-leering, half-pensive glance, he strode away.
The last Death Eater locked the door and they were alone. Sirius gently petted Harry's hair and brushed away the tears that rolled down the pale cheeks and generally did everything he could think of to calm Harry down. He also tried to free Harry's hands, but he was powerless against the strong, magical bonds and whenever he touched them, Harry winced as if an electrical jolt had run through his delicate body.
Sirius remembered the evil look in the younger Malfoy's eyes as he had spoken the spell, and he was sure that the Death Eater had mostly done so to hurt and humiliate Harry a bit more because there was no possibility of them escaping.
His Animagus senses told him that there were two Death Eaters, the same ones that had held him earlier, standing guard not far from their prison door. The cell they were in was small, but more or less clean except for the cobwebs that decorated the corners. There was some dirty, old straw in one corner, but other than that the cold stone floor was barren and Harry pressed closer to the warmth Sirius provided. The veela forcefully suppressed any memory of Azkaban. Harry needed him and Harry needed him in reality and not caught in the past.
"Sirius..." he whispered and it sounded like a prayer, sniffing softly and trying to stop his tears.
"Shh, my love," he carefully kissed Harry's slightly bruised lips, hating the slight taste of Malfoy he thought to perceive on them. "I'll protect you. We'll find a way out of this. I promise."
He felt bad for lying because he knew that the chances of them escaping without outside help were slim to non-existent. And no one knew they were here, Remus most likely had calmed down everyone and convinced them to give them a bit more time. He closed his eyes briefly, feebly trying to find the silver lining.
"Voldemort is here," Harry whispered as if reading his thoughts; Sirius knew that it had been stupid to try to lie to his mate and that it had been about as effective as lying to himself. "I'm scared, Siri. Draco... He wasn't lying. They..."
"Hush." Sirius gathered the crying boy closer. "I know. I'll do anything so that doesn't happen."
"Anything?" Harry questioned, looking up at him through his long black lashes.
"Yes, anything, Harry," Sirius assured him. "I love you."
Harry bit his bottom lip, but then looked up with determination shining in his eyes. "Take me. Take me now. Then they won't be able to bond me to them."
"Harry, you don't really want that. You aren't ready," Sirius argued gently. "I would know if you were."
"But I have to be ready!" Harry exclaimed. "Don't you understand? Voldemort will rape me, and then I'll be bound to him and I'll have to protect that monster, whether I'm ready or not! You said that you're my mate, and I love you. Why don't you want me?"
"You know that this is not it, Harry. Of course I want you, but not like this, never like this. You deserve much more than that. I want you to be sure. It shouldn't be the last escape," Sirius kissed him again. "We'll find another way."
"What other way?" Harry demanded and then sobbed because Sirius had no answer, either.
"Beautiful..." Sirius sighed, kissing Harry once more to buy himself more time. "Can you think of anything you have learned during your training that could help us here? You almost had Malfoy and if I hadn't interrupted..."
But Harry shook his head. "I always had to keep in body contact to manipulate Draco and I don't think I can manipulate more than one person at a time. I never learned that."
Sirius knew why Harry hadn't got any practise in that area. Because Sirius had forbidden it and had been too jealous and because of that they were now being held as prisoners and Harry was in danger of being raped.
"It's not your fault," Harry whispered, pressing a soft kiss to Sirius' cheek. "I shouldn't have been so selfish today. I knew it was only a matter of time until Voldemort would try something and it was foolish to manipulate you."
"No, Harry! You couldn't have known this would happen and I still knew what I was doing. I knew better and still I left the safety of the Hogwarts Grounds," Sirius protested and when Harry made to argue some more he silenced him with a kiss. "Anyway, this is not important right now. Do you have any other powers? I could probably take out several Death Eaters with my ice balls and hide us in shadows."
"I..." Harry furrowed his brow, but then shook his head despondently. "The door is locked with magic otherwise I could have found a small animal to get the key for us, but even that would have taken too long. I could try to manipulate one of the guards but the other would raise the alarm. And healing won't help, either."
"It's okay, tiny," Sirius murmured, tilting Harry's head up. "We'll find a way."
Harry bit his lip, but couldn't stop his tears. "I'm scared. There's no way and you know it as well. I don't understand. Why won't you bond with me? You always said you couldn't wait to and now... Do you want me to be bound to Voldemort?"
"Of course not, love." Sirius sighed. "I understand your reasoning and I understand your fear, but..."
"You don't want to," Harry whispered, curling into himself. "I understand you as well."
Sirius sighed deeply, rubbing Harry's back soothingly as he tried to fully grasp Harry's request. "Harry, look at me. Is this really what you want?"
"Yes," Harry said earnestly, returning his searching look.
"It won't be anywhere near romantic," Sirius told him. "I won't be able to prepare you as well as would be necessary to assure that it'll be completely painless for you. And once I have claimed you there is no backing out anymore, you would be bound to me for eternity. Voldemort might still rape you, I can't promise you that I'll be able to protect you, though I will do my best."
"I know." Harry nodded, doing his best to not lose his nerves.
"This will be far from perfect," Sirius insisted, and Harry nodded again. "Are you sure, Harry? I'll always love you, regardless of how you decide and what happens afterwards."
"Yes, I'm sure," Harry whispered. "I know that it won't be perfect and that it's not... it's not what I wanted it to be, but at least it'll happen with the person I chose and love. I trust you, Sirius, you won't hurt me or humiliate me if you can help it. I love you and that's what counts, right?"
"I love you, too, Harry," Sirius murmured tenderly, once again searching the green eyes for any signs of hesitation. "But - "
Harry put his lips over Sirius', silencing him effectively and only drew back when Sirius' doubts had all been kissed away.
"Alright, so we bond," Sirius declared finally with an air of purpose. "Can you grow your wings? I want you to feel as safe as possible."
Harry nodded, carefully pushing his wings through his skin and robes and making sure that they didn't get caught in his bound hands. He then loosely folded them around him as he watched Sirius pushing down his trousers. Harry gulped, suddenly he wasn't all that sure anymore. How should all of that possibly fit into him? Wouldn't it hurt even more if Voldemort raped him and made him betray Sirius? What if it didn't work because Sirius didn't really want to claim him? What if he destroyed Sirius' life with this?
The tall veela noticed the frightened expression on Harry's face and gently took him in his arms again, wiping away the tears that fell from the large emerald green eyes. "I want to bond to you, Harry. I have wanted to bond with you since the moment I laid eyes on you. Do you know how hard it is to keep in control, to not ravish you when you peacefully sleep next to me? This may not be the right time, but it's definitely what I want. Anything that means that you'll always be mine is very tempting to me. You're very tempting, beautiful. If you want to back out that's okay, but don't back out because of me because I love you and always will. Never forget that."
"Okay." Harry nodded resolutely, taking a deep breath of Sirius' unique scent that had always managed to calm him down before.
"Okay," Sirius repeated, lovingly kissing Harry's lips, and then toed of his shoes, stepping out of his trousers, before finally taking off his socks.
Harry blinked at him, sitting up as well as he could and cocked his head. "Why'd you take off your socks?"
"Because I will not make love to you with my socks on, making it seem like this is a short fuck in between classes and that we'll never speak to each other afterwards again," Sirius declared.
"But..."
"I know we don't have any time to lose and that most likely I won't be able to hold you afterwards until you drift off to sleep," Sirius admitted. "But that doesn't mean that I don't want to."
Harry's face split into a radiant smile, and then he also toed of his shoes, trying to wriggle off his socks. Sirius returned his smile and then quickly helped Harry with his socks and finally also with his trousers and boxers, containing Harry's light tremble with his hands.
"Still sure?"
"Kiss me?" Harry asked, and Sirius immediately leaned down to capture the younger man's lips between his, gently sucking on his bottom lip before darting his tongue out to caress over the velvety softness, asking for entrance and then skipping inside to tip playfully against Harry's tongue, leisurely twirling around it and welcoming every tentative response.
It wasn't a kiss adequate to their less than favourable situation or even an introduction to what was about to happen. It was much too sweet, much too careful, much too shy and much too loving, but neither of them would have wanted it any other way. This was their bonding, this kiss, not the act that would be following it.
When Sirius drew back slightly, and Harry nodded. "I'm sure."
BEGINNING OF LEMON
Harry's legs fell open in silent invitation, and Sirius took a brief moment to admire the lithe beauty before him. Harry blushed despite the situation and shifted anxiously, coming in contact with Sirius' hardening manhood. He gave a startled gasp and Sirius chuckled softly, kissing his nose.
"I'll be as gentle as possible," he promised and Harry gave another jerky nod.
"What should I do?"
"Try to relax and trust me," Sirius murmured. "I'll do the rest."
Harry leaned his head against the older man's chest as Sirius put two fingers into his mouth to wet them with his saliva and then trailed them down in between Harry's arse cheeks, pushing lightly against the tight ring of muscles he found there. He felt Harry stiffening in his arms, but continued when Harry didn't protest, littering kisses over his pale face as he slipped one finger into Harry's tight opening and began to move it around, carefully stretching him. When he thought that he had done all that he could do, he added his second finger, stilling immediately as Harry whimpered.
"Shh, beautiful, I'm sorry you're in pain. It'll pass, I promise, it'll get better," he soothed him, placing a warm kiss on his lips before he started to scissor his fingers. "Tell me if you want to stop, and I promise I will. Am I hurting you?"
"Feels strange," Harry murmured. "Uncomfortable. Am I supposed to like this?"
"Not under these circumstances," Sirius replied and then crooked his fingers, brushing over Harry's prostate and making the small elf jerk and moan. "Though, you're supposed to like this." He chuckled.
"That..." Sirius drew another blissful moan from his mate. "Merlin!"
Harry blushed when he felt himself beginning to enjoy the strange sensations of Sirius' fingers massaging him from the inside and seemingly pushing a magic button that was directly connected to his own erection. He wrapped his wings loosely around Sirius, but couldn't quite stop them from fluttering nervously every once in a while, and even responded to Sirius' kisses albeit a bit distractedly. But when Sirius slipped a third finger into him, easing the way for his erection, he became acutely aware of what was about to happen and that spoilt all the pleasure for him, also because having three digits stuck in his rectum was highly uncomfortable not to say painful. Not even Sirius' kisses or that magic button managed to comfort him, and he buried his face against Sirius' shoulder, trying to ignore everything that was happening. This wasn't happening.
Sirius, realising that Harry was no longer gaining any pleasure from his ministrations, withdrew his fingers and then spit into his hand to slick his erection.
"Okay, Harry?" Sirius carefully brushed one of Harry's inky black strands of hair out of his face and then slowly lowered him to the floor, keeping one arm behind Harry's back so that he wouldn't lie on his bound hands.
"Yes," Harry said with more confidence than he felt. "I'll be fine."
Sirius lovingly brushed his lips over Harry's milky inner thighs before he positioned himself and slowly entered his small mate, wincing mentally when he saw Harry's eyes water in pain and what he thought was humiliation.
He groaned, in pleasure and self-loathing, almost drawing back until Harry's legs tightened around his waist. "Just do it, Siri, please?" Harry asked. "You can make it up to me later." The elf's smile was slightly strained but honest. "I know you will."
Sirius closed his eyes briefly, forcing himself to ignore Harry's discomfort for now and just enjoy the sensation of being joined with his mate because Harry was right: He couldn't risk to be overwhelmed by compassion for his mate now or everything would be for nothing. He needed to find his release, claim Harry with his semen. He had already defiled his little beauty, his beautiful angel, the least he could do now was to do it right, so that Harry couldn't be bound to Voldemort or one of his Death Eaters. Surely, if Harry could be so calm and strong, so could he.
The veela carefully began to move, pushing into the all too pliant body beneath him and kissing away the salty drops that ran over the thin face, caressing over Harry's back and the sharp hipbones as he thrust into him time and time again. He also reached out for Harry's limp cock, intending to give Harry at least a little pleasure, but the small elf only shook his head weakly turned away as best as he could. Sirius understood and he respected that Harry didn't want to soil this experience even more and wanted to reserve at least this small part of him for when they could really make love. If Harry ever allowed him to touch him again after this experience.
But he couldn't think about that now. Harry was so incredibly tight, smooth and warm, his slender thighs resting snugly around Sirius' waist, and it was impossible to keep a clear mind as much as he tried to. He had waited for so long and all his veela senses were triumphing and cheering whenever he buried himself deep inside his mate. No one would be able to take him away again; Harry was his and soon everyone would see that. Merlin help those who dared to challenge that or hurt his mate.
Harry had closed his eyes, trying to blind out everything around him. He supposed it wasn't that bad and the pain was more or less bearable, but he just didn't want his first time to be like this. Sirius movements were steady, gentle, controlled and it felt good to be so close to him and to hear that he was loved, though it was slightly hard to believe it right now.
It was uncomfortable, and he wasn't relaxed. How could he possibly relax in a situation like this? He could still sense not only Sirius, though he was practically surrounded by his aura, but also Draco, Voldemort and the two Death Eaters standing guard in front of their door. The pain of their strained bond had only partially subsided and instead the pain of Sirius' pushing into him had been added to it.
He felt a strange mixture of numbness and light-headedness. Slashes of black sporadically obscured his vision because of which he had chosen to close his eyes. He had always pictured this moment to be the pinnacle of perfection. Romantic and slow and sensual. He had dreamed about how Sirius would prepare a nice surprise for them, roses maybe, though that seemed kind of cliché, but something like that. Maybe they would have had dinner together or they would have taken a walk and then made love under the moonlight. Sirius would have kissed every part of his body and he would have made him forget his nervousness. He would have been so very gentle and patient enough to make him plead for more. Sirius would have murmured sweet little nothings into his ear and made him enjoy every second of it. He had never really thought about the actual act, but he had always been sure that Sirius would hold him afterwards and that he would fall asleep and wake in his embrace. Of course it was utterly sappy, but it was his first time and he was entitled to wish for it to be perfect.
Instead he felt strangely empty as if something was dying inside of him, or at least as if something was being shut away so that he was no longer able to access it. He guessed that it was the bond, but that too he had imagined to feel different. He thought that it would be like one of Sirius' smiles: loving and gentle and safe. Harry had imagined the bond to feel like one of those smiles was permanently wrapped around him, that it would close around him but in a protective manner that would make him feel loved and not constricting like the magical rope around his wrists. There was no warmth and he feebly tried to tell himself that the reason for that was the cold floor he lay on.
"They are coming back," Harry wailed, his voice cracking and shaking.
"I'm sorry." Sirius kissed his temple and accelerated his thrusts, inadvertently causing Harry more pain. "I'm so sorry."
The word "sorry" had never fallen in any of Harry's fantasies.
Sirius carefully let Harry down so that he could take a hold of his hips and quicken his pace. He felt bad and like the worst person alive when he relentlessly pushed into the frail body beneath him, bringing not pleasure but pain. Harry deserved better than this, so much better. Nonetheless, he could feel his orgasm building up inside of him as his breathing got erratic and his movements irregular. So much better.
Harry's bound hands painfully rubbed over the rough stone and Sirius was sure that they would chafe.
Three more thrusts - Sirius' wings split from his back and shadows swirled around him and Harry, intermingled with icy flames, and Sirius' magic manifested in colourful lines that ran over Harry's body in intricate patterns, snaking up his legs, wrapping around his torso and disappearing down his arms - and Sirius tumbled over the edge of his orgasm, ending this surreal and conflicting experience.
END OF LEMON
He murmured another apology as he carefully pulled out and redressed Harry, noting the small trail of blood running down Harry's pale legs. Guilt overwhelmed him and he barely had enough control to pull up his own trousers and put on his socks and shoes before tears began to escape his eyes and sobs shook his body.
He had never wanted it like that, he had never wanted to cause Harry any pain. His veela mate rejoiced and he could feel along their bond for Harry. What he felt worried him. It was a jumble of pain, distress, shame, love, relief, fear, panic and the overpowering need to please. It didn't feel right.
"Harry?" he questioned softly, tilting up the pale face. "Love? Are you at least somewhat okay?"
"Yes." Harry nodded, and there was no hesitation in his voice or in his eyes as he looked up at Sirius.
Nonetheless, this answer did little to reassure the veela, and he once again gathered Harry to his chest. Heavy, purposeful steps brought him out of his reverie soon after, and he firmly yet gently shook Harry's shoulder to get his attention.
"I want you to defend yourself, is that clear, Harry?" he ordered. "I want you to do what you feel is best and you don't have to listen to their orders. Don't put yourself in danger, but don't let them hurt you, either. And I want you to know that I love you. Okay?"
"Okay," Harry replied, and once again Sirius had the feeling that Harry only told him what he wanted to hear, too shocked to form a clear thought; he hoped it was only shock.
While he studied the small elf, said elf shifted closer and kissed away his tears, smiling slightly. "I won't allow them to touch me or hurt you. I'm yours."
Before Sirius could find a reply to this declaration, the door was pushed open again and a smirking blond entered the cell, looking down at them scornfully. "What a touching picture." He sneered. "It's such a shame that I have to break this up, but I'm sure at least one of you won't be alone for long. Stand up, little boy toy."
Sirius' hands squeezed Harry's waist for a second and then lifted him up to help him stand, which Harry did obediently and with unusual calm. Draco's sneer deepened as he grabbed Harry's shoulder painfully and pushed him out of the cell in front of him as his companions dragged Sirius to his feet.
The way they were led was just as cold and dark as their cell had been, only illuminated by guttering torches, and their steps echoed along the stone walls as they were made to climb the stairs. Harry stumbled as Draco pushed him again and fell to the floor, his knees scraping on the steps and the side of his face hitting the hard stone since he had no means to break his fall with his hands still bound behind his back. Draco laughed and Sirius shouted in outrage, growling deeply as Harry slowly got up again. The blond Death Eater got impatient and jerked Harry up.
Finally, they reached the throne room, dark and ominous, with Voldemort sitting on his throne, his spidery fingers tapping impatiently on the armrest and his blood-red eyes fixed on the double doors through which they entered. His shallow face contorted into a malicious grin as he caught sight of his two newest prisoners. How long had he waited to get his hands on Harry bloody Potter, the damned Boy-Who-Wouldn't-Die, the bane of his existence, the only submissive elf in close to a century?
His grin widened. It was a stroke of luck if he ever heard of one. Who would have thought that Potter would be so easy to defeat? His considerable power served to him almost on a silver platter.
He admitted to himself that he liked the thought of Potter as his catamite much better than as another dead body. He had fantasised about it, Potter bearing his Dark Mark, serving him, kneeling in front of him, kissing his robes. It filled him with a kind of vicious glee to think about all the things he would make him do to destroy him bit by bit.
First, he would only use him as a sex slave and once that became boring he would give him as a reward to his most faithful Death Eaters. Maybe the young Malfoy would do well in training his newest follower. The notion of the handsome blond tearing into the smaller elf was quite enjoyable as well. Yes, he would relish in watching as Potter was broken.
But that was not all he had planned for his newest acquisition. Why would he only use him for sex after all? No, he planned to use him completely. How sweet it would be to watch him kill his friends, torture them. He would have him start with that Black over there.
His eyes narrowed as he watched the black-haired Animagus struggle and then let them wander over to Malfoy and his prize.
"Bring him forward, Draco," he ordered coldly, his eyes still focused on his green-eyed nemesis, trying to find any changes in him.
He hadn't grown noticeably since the last time he had seen him and looked small and delicate in the spacious, dark room. His head lowered slightly so it was hard to make out his face as it was partly obscured by his thick black hair, through which small, pointed ears peaked out. Still, he spotted the split lip and bruised cheek with amusement.
"Harry Potter," he greeted, his voice a sibilant hiss as he grasped Harry's chin and tilted it upward. "And so we meet again. I assume Draco informed you of my plans, hasn't he?"
"Yes, my Lord." Draco inclined his head, knowing that the question had been for him to answer.
"You will be rewarded accordingly." Voldemort's cold, bloodless fingers stroked along Harry's cheek, his sharp fingernails leaving bloody trails on the pale, milky skin. "Unless you turn into your father and also fall in love with this pathetic creature?"
"No, my Lord, of...", Draco protested immediately like it was expected of him, but Harry interrupted him in a quiet voice, "Lucius doesn't love me, but since you never felt love you wouldn't know how to tell the difference."
A slap knocked Harry's face to the side. "Shut up, shut up! I'll teach you to make fun of me."
"Leave Harry alone, don't touch him!" Sirius shouted in agitation, but that only resulted in Voldemort silencing him with a spell.
Sirius had to watch helplessly as the Dark Lord spoke the Cruciatus curse on his small mate, who bit his lip and writhed in pain, but didn't cry out and finally slumped in the blond veela's arms as the curse was lifted.
Voldemort rose from his throne, twirling his wand between his fingers as if thinking about how he could inflict the most possible pain on the supposed saviour of the Wizarding world, but then just contemptuously kicked Harry in the stomach. Harry curled up, coughing violently and tried to shield his small form from the following blows. Finally, Voldemort regained his composure and, becoming aware of his Death Eaters watching him, he drew himself up to his impressive height.
"Unbind his hands," he ordered Draco, who obeyed immediately. "And undress him, we have been delayed long enough."
Draco hesitated briefly, but then vanished Harry's clothes, his hands clenching into fists, and he shifted slightly as if he wanted to step protectively in front of Harry. Sirius certainly wished he would, though he found the caring Draco, who fell to Harry's indubitable charm, no less disturbing.
When Harry was completely naked and lay shivering to Voldemort's feet, the snake-like man spread out his arms. "Take off my robes!"
At once, a corpulent-looking Death Eaters scrambled out of the shadows and helped his master out of his robes, neatly folding them over his arms. A skeletal, sickly-white body was revealed, the ribs seeming strangely out of place as if they had been just randomly been put into his body. Sirius felt sick.
"Bring Black closer." Voldemort motioned to him. "It would be a pity if he was to miss the bonding of his loved one, wouldn't it?"
Some Death Eaters laughed, snickered or just nodded in agreement. Sirius would have loved nothing more than to wipe away the self-satisfied smirk that had once again returned to Malfoy's face by stealing Harry from right under their noses.
Harry was pulled up. "Look at me, Potter, I want to see the pain in your eyes when I thrust into your tight virgin hole."
Green eyes locked onto red ones and for a moment time seemed to freeze; Voldemort gulped quite visibly.
"Don't touch him, don't you dare touch him." Sirius' magic had somehow overcome the Silencing Spell, or perhaps Voldemort's concentration had flickered.
"Shut him up and if he doesn't stay quiet kill him," Voldemort ordered, and at last, Harry came to life again.
"You will not hurt Sirius."
His voice was soft, but carried through the hall and reached all of the Death Eaters that still stood in a wide circle around him. He hadn't sounded pleading or scared, but thoroughly convinced of the truth of his words. It wasn't a demand or a request, it was a simple statement.
"Is that so?" for a split, second Voldemort's retort was more surprised than taunting. "We'll see about that..."
His wand swivelled around to point at the Animagus' chest, but before he could intone a painful spell, Harry had stepped forward and taken his wand out of his hand. "No."
Now, the Dark Lord was really confused, but he hadn't worked on his paranoia and his Dark Magic for more than a decade for nothing and so he snatched his wand back, backhanding Harry so hard he lost his balance.
"You said that he would have to obey me, Draco," he snarled at the blond, "I don't appreciate being lied to."
"But no, my Lord," Draco replied defensively. "He has to do what you say. Come here, Potter!"
Harry obediently turned around and took the two steps in his direction until he stood in front of him with his head lowered. A malicious grimace stretched Voldemort's barely human face into the resemblance of a satisfied smile and he grasped Harry's wrist once more before pressing him down.
"Let's try this then shall we?" His ruby eyes flashed dangerously. "Lick my feet."
There was no change in Harry's expression as he slowly lowered his head to the bony feet and slid his tongue over them, making Sirius growl angrily once more.
"I think we have procrastinated long enough," Voldemort stated triumphantly. "Turn around, little catamite. I don't promise to make it pleasurable for both of us, but you won't think of anything but of pleasing me afterwards anyway. You can thank your father for this."
Harry obeyed without hesitating more than a second, and Sirius felt fear creep up in him. Up until then, he had merely been angry, and his anger had kept him from panicking too much, but now as he saw Voldemort approaching his fragile mate it bubbled up in him like one of Snape's vicious potions.
Where was Snape anyway? Lucius' position as a spy had been revealed, undoubtedly by his traitorous scum of a son, and so he had been forced to hide in Hogwarts, but Snape, Snape could be here, couldn't he? Surely, Voldemort wanted everyone to be there for his hour of triumph. He tried to inconspicuously look around and spy the sour man, but all of the Death Eaters, except for Malfoy, were wearing their masks and from his position on the floor it was hard to judge their actual height. He looked back at Harry. Merlin, what should he do? What if it the bond hadn't worked? And even if it had worked, he couldn't live with himself if that monster raped his little angel. He made an attempt to feel along the bond and tried to somehow convey a bit of reassurance, give Harry a bit of comfort, but he was not sure that Harry received those feelings.
He had been so lost in thought that he had almost managed to ignore Voldemort's scraggy fingers gliding over Harry's delicate hips, over his silky skin, but suddenly, an enraged scream rend the air, "Blood? Blood!" Voldemort shouted. "I gave explicit orders that you were not to take him, Malfoy!"
"I didn't, my Lord, I swear, I didn't... I..." Draco stuttered, all the blood draining from his face; for a brief moment, Sirius' heart was filled with malicious glee as the Dark Lord used the Cruciatus Curse on the blond. "Please, I swear, I can't explain it to myself..."
Sirius fleetingly thought that it was pathetic how easily Malfoy's haughty demeanour had been reduced to incoherent pleading, but then he turned his full attention back to his shivering mate. He was almost relieved that Harry was showing at least some emotion, even if it was fear. His absolutely stoic mien had started to worry him. He had feared... no, he wouldn't go there. Harry was okay, or he would be once they got out of there.
Furiously, Voldemort pointed his wand at Sirius after he had blown off some steam on Draco, realising who was to blame for his plans being thwarted. "You will pay for this!"
Sirius had no time to mentally prepare for the pain that would follow the red beam of light that burst from Voldemort's wand. A scream erupted from his throat, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
"No," a second scream joined his and as he managed to pry his eyes open, the dim darkness of the throne room was lit by a clear white light that seemed to play around Harry's slim form, seemed to hug and caress him lovingly as he raised his hands.
The line of Death Eaters wavered, shifted before they collectively took a step closer as if in trance.
"You will not hurt my mate," Harry said softly and his words were like a caress themselves; Sirius felt the grasp on his shoulders loosening.
To Sirius, his little elf looked like an angel, an eerie deity, neither good nor evil but raw power, and it seemed like the Death Eater had a similar impression. Still, Sirius wanted nothing more than to take Harry into his arms and protect his little submissive.
But he was not the only one. Draco got up from the floor and enclosed the elf in his arms and nuzzled his neck. Sirius growled lowly, and Harry stiffened in the veela's arms, but before the shadow veela had time to react one of the other Death Eaters, still masked, pushed the handsome blond aside and took his place.
"He's mine. You're hurting him. How dare you? Are you okay, Harry, honey? You're safe now, I'll protect you," the Death Eater's outraged exclamation turned to a gentle murmur.
"No, he's mine. Get your grubby hands off of him," the next Death Eater interrupted, and soon they were wrestling and hitting and kicking each other as Harry stood unfazed by the commotion.
"Please be still," he asked softly, and they ceased their fighting almost immediately. "Thank you."
Voldemort, who had been crouched on the floor, staring dumbly at the elf, snapped out of his trance, "What is the meaning of this? I demand obedience. Stop grovelling at his feet! Kill him. I will kill him"
"No," several Death Eaters, and Sirius shouted at the same time; the shadow veela finally found the strength to get to his feet and stumble towards his Harry, which earned him more than one furious glare and angry snarls.
Perhaps it was because Voldemort had so little humanity in him left that he was not as affected by Harry's charm as everyone else, but the Dark Lord was able to aim his wand rather steadily at Harry. Sirius glowered at him and swiftly went to shield his small mate with his own body, calling to balls of ice to his hands. A contemptuous smirk lifted the corners of Voldemort's lipless mouth.
"Do you think your veela magic will get past my shields?" Voldemort mocked.
In answer, Sirius threw his icy ammunition at Voldemort in quick succession, but the two balls didn't even come near Voldemort before they exploded and puffed out without leaving so much as a scratch on the Dark Lord. Voldemort laughed, motioning for Sirius to step aside, but the veela merely raised his head high and once more summoned two balls of ice. Even if they were useless, they were the only weapons available to him and he wouldn't go down without a fight.
"Gryffindor bravery?" Voldemort snorted. "It's a synonym for stupidity. What do I care if I kill you too, Black? It will only be a short delay before I get to your mate."
"You will not hurt my mate," Harry repeated, peeking out from under Sirius' arm, despite Sirius' attempt to keep him hidden.
"Oh, won't I?" Voldemort mocked. "Still so naive, Harry Potter, thinking that I would obey you."
He twirled his wand, and for a moment, Sirius almost thought that his life would be spared, but then, with a cruel whisper of two deadly words, green light shot towards him - and froze. Wind had come from nowhere and unrelentingly held against the curse like an invisible wall. Sirius could feel the breeze playing with his hair, caressing his skin. When he looked down at Harry, the fragile submissive had closed his eyes in concentration. Harry's wings burst from his back and timidly wrapped around Sirius as he snuggled into him.
"Close your eyes, please," Harry whispered to him.
He barely had the time to tear his eyes away from the Killing Curse that still hang in midair, halted inches away from his chest, before a vivid slash of lightning crackled through the air and cloaked his vision in impenetrable whiteness and his ears plugged with inhuman screams.
When he cautiously cracked an eye open again, the first thing he saw was a smoking crate to his feet and behind that Voldemort's lifeless red eyes staring at him from out of a white face. Sirius shook his head and quickly looked away, trying to ban the disturbing image into the darkest corner of his mind. A flittering spot of light made him look up. A gasp escaped him at the sight that greeted him. The dark, stone ceiling, that had stretched above him like a dome in an eerie, occult church, was no longer there and instead a clear star-spangled nightsky and the waning moon, half-way hidden behind a foggy cloud looked down on them. Soft rain, little warm droplets, fell on his face, and he briefly wondered how this had come to happen before he found the explanation and immediately swivelled around to his small mate, who had crumpled to the floor - unconscious.
"We need to get out of here before the Death Eaters pull themselves together." The Potion's Master's form broke away from the pile of still dazed Death Eaters. "Take Harry and follow me. Portkeys and Apparation doesn't work in here. Though, since the roof is destroyed, the wards might have been broken as well so if the situation becomes tight we will try to apparate. Can you walk, Black?"
"Yeah." Sirius nodded, scooping Harry up. "They didn't do much to me. Let's go."
Severus swept out of the hall, the bleeding, but fading Dark Mark on his arm opening the double doors. If they were lucky, the Death Eaters wouldn't regain their mind for a while yet and if the mark was gone completely, they wouldn't be able to open the door. But Severus assumed that this would be too much to ask for and turned his mind to more important matters like getting Harry back to Hogwarts and to the Hospital Wing as soon as possible.
Suddenly, Severus doubled over, his mouth open in a silent scream as he clutched his arm.
"Snape? Snape!" Sirius exclaimed, trying to balance Harry with only one arm so that he could reach out to his childhood enemy. "Man, we don't have time for this. Don't die on me now, Snivellus. Dammit, could your timing be any worse?!"
"Black, don't scream in my ear," Severus pressed out, supporting himself on his knees. "There's a vial in my left upper robe pocket."
"And what am I supposed to do with this information?" Sirius asked impatiently, looking down on Harry with worry.
"If you could get over your disgust and loathing for me long enough to get me the vial, without fondling me, I'd be compelled to be slightly grateful," Severus answered acidly. "I need the antidote, Black, preferably before the poison spreads through my blood stream."
"What poison?" Sirius demanded, but reached for the vial and handed it to the Potion's Master, who drank about half of it down and then smeared the rest of it on his Dark Mark.
"Harry made the snakes on our marks come alive and mine was kind enough to bite me. I didn't think it would actually be poisonous, though," Severus explained, regaining his breath and straightening up. "I'm ready."
"You're lucky you're a Potion's Master," Sirius murmured, instinctively reaching out when the other wizard stumbled.
"Luck? Black, really, don't be naive. The Dark Lord has a damned snake as a pet he loves to send after the Death Eaters. It's not because of luck that I carry an antidote against snake venom with me," Severus declared superiorly, fastening his steps again. "Does one of you need a Healing Potion?"
Sirius shook his head. "Harry isn't really hurt, physically. How long will it take, Snape? I can barely feel Harry anymore. Something is wrong."
Severus chanced a worried look at the pale youth and then carefully took him out of the veela's arms. "I know he needs your presence, Black, so no need to argue about that, but we need to hurry and you're weakened while the antidote boosted my energy. You don't have your wand so you won't be able to apparate and take him with you. We'll reach the Apparation border soon. You take my Portkey and I take Harry. Keep close."