Third Place - Angst

Green eyes opened and were not quite sure what they were looking at. Harry realized his glasses were somewhere other than on his face and everything had a fuzzy edge to it. He saw a yellow-topped body lying next to him and a blurry arm was draped over him from behind. It was all quite fascinating and he wanted to make those fuzzies move and make him feel perfect again. But first, he really needed to use the toilet.

Moving slowly so as not to disturb the other two occupants, Harry slipped down to the foot of the bed and off onto the floor. The light from the slender windows at the very top of the vaulted ceiling was enough to see by. As he passed by the side where Snape was Harry caught a glimpse of refracted light. When he investigated this, he was correct in his assumption that the light had been glinting off his glasses. Popping them onto their proper place Harry turned back to the bed and took in the view. The bedclothes were scattered everywhere and the naked bodies were only partially covered. Both bodies were pale but nothing at all sickly. Finely defined muscles ran from shoulder to ankle. A taut buttock here and a well shaped thigh there and strong hands laid where Harry had just vacated. It was a beautiful sight and if it were not for the pressing needs of his bladder, he would have happily climbed back in and become a happy Harry sandwich.

Looking around the cozy bedroom Harry noticed a partially open door on the far side of the room. Through its opening Harry could just make out black tile and headed straight for it. Again, Harry's assumption was correct when he found the bathroom. He washed his hands after relieving himself and quietly opened the door. As he crossed the threshold his elbow bumped a book that had been lying askew on the top of a shelf and it landed on the floor with a sharp crack. Harry looked back up at the bed and was met with glinting black eyes staring at him over Draco's hip. Harry was happy to see that one of them was awake now and they could get on with the business of making things feel right and wonderful. He took a step forward.

"Stop."

Harry halted at the command and watched as Snape raised himself up. The professor looked about himself, at the bed, at Draco and then at Harry. His face was slowly changing to features of pure fury. Silver splashed across his cheekbones and Harry swallowed heavily.

"Don't you move," Snape snarled, his lip actually curling. Draco began to stir at the sound of Snape's voice but never got the chance to do anything other than open his eyes.

Snape fisted his hand in Draco's tousled hair and dragged him from the bed. Draco cried out as his body fell hard to the floor and reached up to the fist to try to relieve the pressure on his head. Snape dragged him, legs kicking desperately, to the closed bedroom door on the complete opposite side of the room from Harry. The enraged man then used his hair to haul him up to a standing position. Draco was left hanging with only his toes touching the ground, his face portraying the pain he was in.

"Get out," Snape seethed. "You are to leave now and never darken my doorstep again. I renounce my relationship to you as godfather and will be quite happy to have nothing to do with you after the term is done."

"You wanted it!" Draco yelled. "You wanted it and I just helped you get it!"

Snape slammed Draco's head into the door. Harry could hear the thud as no doubt the entire dungeons could as well. Draco cried out again and Harry winced in sympathy at the obvious pain the blonde was in.

"I never wanted it!" Snape was almost frothing at the mouth. "You callow piece of offal! I have worked hard all my life," Snape slammed Draco's head with those three words, "to attain dignity and respectability. I have risked my life to accomplish my goals. Now, I have engaged in fornication with two of my students. One of which," again Draco's head hit the door, "is the blessed Savior of the World! I will be vilified by every newspaper this side of the Atlantic!"

"They can't touch you! We are protected by that Act! We can do whatever we please!" Draco was desperately trying to free himself from the enraged dominants grip. Tears of pain were slowly leaking out from under his squeezed shut eyes.

Snape leaned forward until he was nose to nose with Draco. When he spoke, it was with such quiet violence that Harry instinctively brought his shoulders up to his ears in a protective gesture. "You, Draco, are a spoiled, ignorant, waste of flesh that should have been snuffed at the first breath of life. The fact that your parents mollycoddled you to this point is beyond my comprehension. Did it never occur to you, fool, that that act is there to protect us not grant us carte blanche? Do you not think that that act can and will be retracted at the first sign of danger from us? Did you never think why werewolves and giants and centaurs are not given free range?"

Snape brought his free hand up to Draco's throat and Harry could see the blonde's eyes open in fear as it tightened. "You, Draco, are insufferably stupid to believe that that act can control people's thoughts as well as their actions. Do you think that just because I can safely engage in sex with the two of you that people will believe it is a just and proper thing? No, they will sneer and pout and I will become a pariah of the first order. I will also quite possibly lose my post. There is nothing that states that I can break the rules and ethics of my position as a teacher. You, Draco, may well have cost me my reputation and my livelihood all for the sake of your prick!"

Draco was scrabbling at the hand at his throat, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Harry was terrified that he was going to witness a teacher murder a student.

"You're hurting him!" Harry called out as he went to take a step forward. He wasn't sure what he was going to do but he couldn't just stand by and watch someone die before his eyes. Furious black eyes pierced him where he stood.

"Don't you move a step closer. You will not inebriate me with your scent again." Snape's voice could have cut glass. "And as for hurting him, it will be my pleasure." Snape used his grip on Draco to throw him across the room. Draco hit the other wall, crashing into a bookcase. He fell to the floor as books rained down. Snape calmly stepped over and picked his robe up from an armchair in the corner. He slipped it on, covering his nudity and stalked to where Draco was sitting up. When the potion master came within half a meter of him, Draco looked up angrily. Then Harry witnessed something remarkable. Draco lowered his gaze and slowly moved forward on his knees until he could tentatively rest his cheek on the older man's thigh. He slowly rubbed back and forth. Snape smirked and kneed him hard in the chest. Again, Draco tried to move forward to offer up his apologies and again he was refuted until he went down flat on his belly, tipping his head to the side and presented his tender throat. Snape snarled.

"You are pathetic! Get out!" Snape whirled away and the two young men heard the fireplace come alive and a shouted direction given. And then there was silence.

Harry tentatively moved forward and approached the still prostrate Draco. He nudged a book out of the way and knelt down. Draco suddenly sat up, causing a small avalanche of parchment rolls, and Harry could see that he was breathing deeply. In anger or fear Harry did not know.

"Draco?" Harry called quietly. Silver eyes flashed to his. Anger. Pure fury was burning in those eyes. But Harry was sure that he also saw a twinge of fading fear as well. "Draco, you alright? Do you need to see Madam-," Harry flinched instinctually when the hand came at him. He waited for the blow, but it didn't come and he slowly opened his eyes. A fist was a bare two inches from his face. Harry's eyes tracked past the fist, up the arm and to the face. As soon as he met the silver gaze Draco jumped him.

Harry's head hit the stone floor but before he could even register the pain he was being roughly pushed and pulled and finally he was face down. Harry didn't want this. This wasn't need, it was anger and Harry didn't want it. He struggled and Draco pushed hard on his arms. Finally, Harry became docile and laid still. He felt Draco cover him and begin to open him to the assault.

"Draco, please, not like this," Harry pleaded quietly. All movement stilled and Harry felt Draco's harsh breathing in his ear. Suddenly, the weight lifted from him and Draco sat again in the pile of books. Harry cautiously climbed to his knees and turned to face Draco.

"Go." Draco's voice was harsh and low. "Get dressed and go. Now." Harry's brow furrowed in concern and nodded. He collected up his clothing from about the room and quickly got them on. When he had finished repairing and straightening his robe he turned back to Draco. The blonde had not moved, he still sat naked in a pile of books and parchment.

"Draco? Do you want me to-," A book was thrown at him and Harry ducked.

"Go, you stupid fucking Gryffindor. Get out!" Draco yelled.

Harry took one last look at the angry and upset Supero and made his way into the parlor and out of the chamber.

Indago - Chapter 36

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