Severus Snape sat patiently as Tom explained to him the situation he had discovered the night before. “What I’m thinking is, we have to work on this carefully at the moment. The boy shouldn’t know his potential until he’s fully accepted me as his master. I’m going to make him accept me soon, and you..” he paused, arching an eyebrow, “are going to be in charge of all his charms work. I expect him to know every offensive curse within the week.”

Snape held his blank stare very well. He excelled in that. Inside, he wanted to scream and throw things at the walls, or at Voldemort. One whole week to teach a boy who not only hated him dearly at this moment, but had the potential to cut him down with a simple thought in his twisted mind. “Of course, my lord. It will be done.”

Tom smiled briefly, before his normal, angry glare returned. “Myself, and Lucius, will be in charge of Draco and Sirius. I hear Draco used the killing curse successfully on his first attempt, I’m quite impressed. The boy has great potential. I’ve requested Lucius to pull him from Hogwarts and stay on here as a Death Eater. Just imagine the power we will wield, Severus. Setting aside anyone else, the six of us alone could conquer the wizarding world within weeks.”

Severus cocked an eyebrow, knowing his master wasn’t only playing a fantasy in his mind. “You’ve got a plan for this I’m guessing?”

Tom stood up, looking down at the potions master through narrowed eyes. “I always have a plan, Severus. Now, let’s begin the training.”

__________________________________________________________________________________

Sirius sat back, watching Tom interrogate Vernon Dursley about his life as he lay on the floor like a huge lump of quivering jelly. Wondering how a man that looked so utterly out of shape could have the stamina of a bull boggled his mind. For nearly three days he sat there watching Voldemort and Lucius beat the man with every ounce of their physical strength, torture him with strange muggle devices as his blood spilled over his torn clothing, and hex him until his hair turned to ash on the stone tiles.

Draco and Lucius were having the time of their lives, cheering and hissing after each curse was cast. His own repulsion of the beatings dimmed after the first two days. Focusing on blood covered teeth laying on the ground didn’t give the same reaction to his insides any longer. He felt dead inside, but somehow more alive than he could remember before entering Azkaban.

Tom chose his words carefully when he questioned the former guardian of his kitten. He made him give intricate details of each event of violence that ever occurred involving Harry. The number of events themselves weren’t as many as he would have thought, but the goings on of some of them even turned his own stomach. Perhaps he was getting soft when it came to his little heaven. It didn’t matter, he accepted that weakness with open arms, and dared anyone to use it against him. In fact, he planned on it.

Growing quite tired of the game, he relinquished his duty of torture and rested comfortably on a small sofa next to Sirius. Lucius began showing his son the proper uses of Imperius Curse, allowing the boy to cast it several times before working.

Tom rubbed the swelling pain from his knuckles as he spoke to the animagus. “I want you to finish him. I think you’re ready for this. I’m been very lenient with you because I know it was a difficult adjustment, but I think now is the time to prove yourself to us. Do you think you‘re up to the task?”

Sirius kept his gaze on Vernon, watching him bounce his head off the stone wall blindly as Draco giggled under his hands. “Yes, my lord, I can do this.” he replied quietly. Judgment day had come, he knew it would. He just wasn’t sure if he actually could.

Tom smiled, patting the man in his thigh before signaling the elder Malfoy to begin the end. Nodding, Lucius ran to the back of the room, gathering items up and running back to the fray, dropping clothing on the floor. “Put these on.” he said coldly. Draco picked them up, examining the articles. It consisted of a very large black robe, a long and very frizzy red wig and a pointed witches hat. He shoved the items in Vernon’s face. “You heard him, put these on, you bastard.” As Vernon dressed, Sirius sat stone-faced watching the elder Malfoy run to the back of the room again, lighting several candles lining the wall.

There was a huge stake standing erect, nearly reaching the ceiling. At the foot of the stake lay a large pile of kindling. “I thought this up myself,” Lucius began, grinning madly, “he’s so afraid of wizards and witches he has to torture them, right?” He waited for the three men to nod before continuing. “Anyways, I say we treat him just like they treated us in the colonial ages. We burn him at the stake!”

Tom stood dumbstruck for a while as Lucius ran around, fiddling with the kindling, measuring chains and casting a wart spell on Vernon. He wanted to knock out a some more teeth, but he thought the few that were missing left a better effect. Finally, his masterpiece was complete. Vernon stood bound in chains from head to toe, creating the image of the ugliest witch any of them had ever seen.

Sirius stood up, walking over to the man. He stared into his beady eyes with hate and curiosity, wondering if he could do what he had been ordered to do.

Tom watched, holding his breath, as Sirius stood at the feet of the man, fingering his wand, twitching occasionally. “Do it.” he called out loudly.

Sirius, hearing his orders, lifted his wand to the kindling, speaking the word without emotion. “Incendio.”

__________________________________________________________________________________

The bedroom door creaked slightly as Draco attempted to open it as slowly as possible. He peered into the dark room, eyeing Harry still asleep with his face pressed into his pillow. He carefully crept over to the bed, climbing atop the mass of sheets and thick duvets, until he collapsed next to the slumbering boy. He ran his fingers over the wild mane of black hair, gently turning his head to the side. “Wake up, love.” he whispered over him. “Wake up now.”

Harry opened one eye, looking up at the other boy. “No, too sleepy...” he whispered, rolling over to his side.

Draco gently lifted the sheet from his upper body, seeing the pink skin peeking out from under his nightshirt that had bunched up to his waist. He slowly ran his fingers over it, up and down, causing the boy to twitch and contort his body to escape the disturbance.

“Snape just let me go to bed like an hour ago, go ask him.” Harry croaked out. The blond chuckled then, and began to tickle him a bit more violently over his back. Harry reared up, getting to his knees. “I swear you are the devil!” he squeaked, slapping out at his attacker in a windmill motion.

Draco dropped his hands to his sides, allowing Harry to tackle him onto his back. “That wasn’t very nice of you.” he said, looking down with a strange smile on his lips. He reached down, grabbing the Slytherin’s shirt, pulling him up to a sitting position under him. He whispered something sinister sounding in parseltongue before pulling him closer and pressing his lips down on the trapped boy’s mouth.

Draco broke the kiss quickly, shocked and surprised by the strange attitude shift. This wasn’t morning Harry. “What did you say? It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.” Harry smiled, releasing the shirt in his grip, hopping off the bed.

“I said ‘kiss me’, that’s all. I’m supposed to practice parseltongue all day today without looking at snakes when I try. You’re not a snake... are you?” He turned his back to the other boy before he could respond and walked into the toilet.

Draco jumped down, following Harry closely, ignoring the ‘snake’ remark. “Say something else. It was really sexy.” he said, watching the boy toss his nightshirt on the floor.

Harry climbed into the shower, watching the jets of water splash down over his skin. It was so much easier now to look at anything and imagine it being a serpent. Snape was adamant that he master the gift quickly, as some of the more powerful breaking and offensive dark magic could only be used by parselmouths.

Draco leaned up against the shower, listening to the raven-haired boy whisper in parseltongue at the water, he hardly noticed Tom entering the room then. He held his finger up to his lips, signaling the blond not to alert his presence to smaller boy yet. He nodded back quickly as his lord pulled him into his arms.

Harry reached out of the shower door, waving his hand around into the open room. “Draco, can you hand me a towel, please?” When he got no response, he asked again a bit more loudly. “Are you still here? Can you hand me a towel, please?”

Just then he felt a large, warm hand wrap over his wrist, pulling him slowly from the shower. Tom pulled him into his grasp with his right arm, while holding Draco’s waist with his left. Looking down at the two younger men he could think of nothing other taking them both at that very moment. “Both of you get in my bed.” he said sternly.

Harry hesitated for a moment as Draco walked away casually into the bedroom. He was quite comfortable with the blond in any situation, but with Tom he still felt a bit of trepidation, always ending with the older man leaving the room in frustration, or the bedroom incident a few weeks before.

The Dark Lord growled under his breath, lifting the boy up as he stood in place, dropping him down next to the other as he finished undressing. “Make him more comfortable.” he demanded, walking to the large recliner by the bed and falling into it.

Nodding to the Dark Lord, he turned his attention to the dripping wet angel sitting next to him, trying to pull a sheet around himself as quickly as possible. “C’mere, love. It’s just me.” he whispered into the boy’s ear as he pulled him to his knees in front of him. He held his back, feeling the damp skin, the muscles tensing up as his fingers ran along his the soft curve of his spine. “I love you, Harry. Just think about me if it’ll help, that’s what I did.”

Harry looked up then, meeting Draco’s eyes with his own, his trembling slowing under the touch, the fear lessening on his features.

Leaning into Draco’s ear, he pressed his lips over it, slowly taking his hands, running them over his bare shoulder, holding him closer. “I love you, too.” he whispered back so softly, it sent shivers over the Slytherin’s flesh in almost uncontrolled spasms. Laying his head down over silver hair, he held the other boy in his arms, feeling his body trembling under his cheek.

Draco let his head fall forward slightly, allowing a small moan to escape from his throat. Harry nuzzled his neck, tiny kisses showering the skin he touched.

“Want you.. wish we were alone.” Draco whispered, breathing through the wild mane of black hair his chin rested over. The kisses stopped for a moment, lips paused on his collarbone.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut briefly, feeling the Slytherin’s heart beating on his skin. He tasted the spot, needing to feel it beat under his tongue. The hands on the small of his back tensed, feeling the closeness, wanting the kisses, needing the touch on him. He licked it again, moving slowly over his throat. He paused again as he felt the pulse again on Draco’s throat beating under his jaw. “I do too,” he whispered on the skin, “I‘m so afraid.”

“I won‘t let go.” he replied. “Do you trust me?”

“I know you won‘t let go.”

*

Tom sat quietly watching the two of them on his bed with strange curiosity. Moving so slowly as they kneeled before one another, pressing their bodies close together, whispering words he could barely make out. He watched them look into each other’s eyes before they closed when their open mouths made contact. Seeing their tongues very slowly tasting the other as their eyelashes laid flat against their cheeks in dusting fans of black. There was no anger, no blood, no screaming. They took their time, moving their hands over their bodies, feeling, rubbing in circles, enjoying the touch.

This was something he could never recall doing with anyone in the past. He remembered sweat and fingernails, cries for mercy, dilated pupils. He never imagined something so beautiful could actually be real. He wanted to climb over them both, force them to make him feel the way they looked together. That should be his. Unclasping his robes with strong fingers, he knew he wanted it.

The stiffness in Harry’s muscles returned as he listened to Tom undress.

Draco reached down, pulling him up into his lap, sliding him over his thighs, as he sat on his heels. He hugged him close to his chest, cradling his head into his neck. “Shh. Just think about me, love. Trust me.”

Harry locked his arms around his lover’s back, not wanting to let go. “I can’t do this, I can’t.” he whispered, shaking his head softly.

“Yes, you can. Let it happen, just let go tonight. I won’t let him hurt you.”

Tom sat on the foot of the bed now, reaching out, touching his kitten’s thigh with his fingertips. He could feel the muscles flexing under the skin, then relax slowly as Draco whispered nonstop into his ear. He watched the smaller boy nod his head several times as he rested his chin on the other boy’s shoulder. He wanted to know what was being said, but decided against asking, since it seemed to be working quite well.

“Think about the time in the bath.”

“Okay.”

He raised up on the bed then, kneeling behind Harry, caressing his back firmly, staring directly at Draco. He reached up, placing two fingers over his lips, easing them apart, telling the boy to suck them. Flinching inwardly, he knew what was going to happen. He took the fingers into his mouth, running his tongue gingerly over them, making them wet, dripping with his warm saliva. He kept his eyes locked with his master’s, half-lidded and seductive as he sucked, hoping maybe in some way he’d take him instead.

Tom bared his teeth as he watched, his erection twitching under the strain he felt, but his eyes lowered then, down to Harry. Small pools of saliva formed in the corners of his mouth as he looked down at the boy, causing Draco’s heart to sink.

Removing his fingers, he moved his hand down, and began to prepare the boy in front of him. Draco held him tight as he struggled in his arms and whimpered into the hollow of his neck. He pressed his head down, his fingertips pressed over his lips, and soothe his fears, cooing and whispering words he needed to hear into his hair. “Just let go, love. Remember what we did. Think about me, trust me.”

Harry leaned back into Tom’s embrace, trembling uncontrollably. Looking up at Draco, he nodded slightly before closing his eyes for the last time. He let himself go, feeling his master take control, hoping Draco wouldn't let go of his hands.

The touch was stronger, rougher than Draco’s, but the care was hinted in it as soft kisses showered the nape of Harry’s neck. He grasped Draco’s hands harder, feeling the pain, crying out, keeping his eyes closed tight.

Tom screamed out, grinding his teeth, staring down at his boy. Collapsing to his side, he ran his fingers over the small of Harry’s back softly. Sitting up, he wrapped a satin sheet over the boy’s torso, lifting him into his arms.

Draco held his breath as Tom held his lover. He wanted to take him out of there, take him to his room.

The crimson eyes were looking up at him now, a hand reaching out, resting on his shoulder, pulling him into him. Draco closed his own as their lips touched, relaxing into it, feeling Harry wrapped in satin against his chest.

Breaking the kiss, Voldemort lowered his gaze back to the boy in his arms. “Go to bed, Draco. He stays with me tonight.”