One.

Sirius came around slowly. He could tell by the throbbing in his head that he'd been hit by a fairly strong stunning spell, which didn't make any sense because when his eyes finally focused he could see his own sitting room, furnished solely with one lone sofa. He'd leased the place over the Easter holidays but there hadn't been time to furnish anything. He had been waiting for the end of school for that, waiting for Remus to have his final goodbyes with his parents and move in with him and then they would fix the place up together.

A few weeks in a mostly empty flat hadn't seemed so long to wait, but last night he had gotten lonely. James was off on holiday with his parents. Peter was busy with his family. So, Sirius had gone out for a drink at the local pub, getting to know the neighborhood, and then he had come back to the flat...and what then?

When he tried to reach up and rub at his temples, he discovered that his wrists were bound behind his back to the slats of one of the four straight-backed chairs that usually stood around the rickety kitchen table. Right now it was positioned in the middle of the room and his ankles were secured just as tightly to the legs of the chair.

He was still too groggy to panic, but he rolled his neck to take in as much of the flat as he could. It was empty as far as he could tell, and quiet. Wriggling his fingers behind his back he tested the bindings and felt for the wood of his wand, futilely hoping it would still be sticking out of his back pocket.

"Looking for this?"

Sirius jerked in the chair so violently it scooted a few inches across the floor. He craned his neck, and saw Lucius Malfoy dangling Sirius' own wand between his fingers.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Language, cousin," Lucius tutted. "I know you were brought up better than that no matter how much you try to disprove it."

"You're not my fucking cousin," Sirius sneered, jerking again at the ropes that held his wrists and ankles.

Lucius only smiled as he pulled out his own wand, and the whip-thin lash of a stinging hex bloomed red across Sirius' cheek.

"Rule number one. If you ever hope to get this back..." He flourished Sirius' wand in front of him and then made it disappear into a deep pocket of his robes. "You'll learn to speak to me with proper respect."

"Untie me and I'll give you 'proper respect'." Sirius bared his teeth in a feral grin.

"I think not." Lucius studied Sirius with a thoughtful frown, then summoned a chair identical to the one to which Sirius was bound. "You don't mind if I make myself at home in your...charming accommodations?"

Upper lip curling in distaste, Lucius lowered himself into the chair. He leaned back regally and watched Sirius, laying his wand out across his knees. "Now. Where were we?"

"I was just about to invite you to go fuck yourself," Sirius said in his politest tones.

Another stinging hex whipped his head to the side. Sirius shook the hair out of his eyes and glared. "What do you want?"

"I only want to talk to you." Lucius' smooth voice made Sirius seethe. "There really is no need for you to take this antagonistic stance."

"Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that you broke into my flat, stunned me, and tied me up."

Lucius smiled. "Would you have accepted my invitation to dinner?"

He spread his hands when Sirius only snarled. "You see. We do what we must."

"Just say what you have to say, then, and get out."

"Now now. We are almost family, and I haven't seen you since Christmas two years ago when you made your misguided attempt to flee your birthright and your responsibilities. I plan on staying as long as it takes for us to get reacquainted."

"I heard Mother blasted me off the family tree, you know. You wouldn't want to get on Walburga's bad side by consorting with me, now would you, Lucius?"

"Your concern for me is touching, but I'm sure your dear mother would entirely approve of my intentions."

"Your intentions?" Sirius smiled sardonically. "Are you going to propose marriage? Thought you and Cissy were already planning a wedding. Anyway, save you the trouble-you aren't my type."

Sirius felt a flush of vindictive pleasure as Lucius' jaw almost imperceptibly clenched, but he smiled coldly and leaned forward.

"Oh, but I've heard quite differently about your type."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius lifted his chin, trying to ignore the twist of fear in his gut.

"That there is more than one reason why you defy your family. That it's more than just a ridiculous rebellion against your pureblood upbringing. Rumor has it, dear cousin-to-be, that your tastes do indeed run to men."

Sirius couldn't stop himself from going pale, but he scoffed. "You're barking. I left my family because they're nutters and because I'd had enough of their so-called blood purity politics shoved down my throat."

Lucius ignored that to give Sirius a sympathetic look. "I understand your fear. What would your family say? What your friends say if they found out?"

"There's nothing to find out," Sirius spat.

"No?" Lucius leaned back and twirled his wand idly. "No furtive fumblings at Hogwarts. No late night visits in Gryffindor Tower behind closed curtains and silencing charms?"

"You're...you're sick." Sirius could feel himself trembling, but he poured all his anger into his eyes and kept his chin high.

"I've heard that you and your little group of friends are quite close. Even before I left Hogwarts there was speculation about you. You and Potter."

Sirius could laugh, then, with a sense of relief. "Me and James? You believe everything you hear, then? James and I are like brothers. He's a better brother to me than Regulus ever was. He's my real family."

"I only said there had been speculation." Lucius' eyes sharpened as he went in for the kill. "What I believe now is that it's the tattered little half-blood you desire. What is his name? Oh yes, Remus Lupin."

Sirius stared back angrily, his breath coming a little faster. "You don't know anything."

"I have it on good authority that you-"

"Good authority? Who?" Suddenly, Sirius' eyes widened and the sick feeling in his stomach hit him harder. "Snape. That greasy bastard, if you-"

Sirius was suddenly writhing in his bonds, all words choked in his throat by the excruciating pain. It stopped as quickly as it had begun.

"Rule number two. When you refer to my friends you will also speak of them with proper respect, or you will hold your tongue."

"I don't fucking respect Snivellus, and I never wi-"

The Crucio lasted several seconds longer this time and Sirius couldn't stop shaking for several minutes.

Lucius waited patiently until Sirius raised his head and stared at him defiantly, but silent.

"Better."

"I'm going to kill you."

Lucius laughed. "Just the proper spirit we're looking for. I knew there was hope for you yet."

"We're? Oh. Oh, fuck, you're really trying to recruit me?" Sirius threw back his head and barked laughter.

Watching him with a placid smile, Lucius waited until Sirius had stopped laughing. "I know that your foolish headmaster has most likely already made his bid to recruit you to his side. I simply want the same chance."

"Malfoy, what about me that I've done or said or thought in the past seven years makes you think I would ever join your Dark Arts, pure-blood cult run by a sodding murderous lunatic?"

This time Sirius had tears rolling down his face before the Crucio let up and he could only talk in stutters as Lucius wiped his face with a cold wet wash cloth he'd found in Sirius' bathroom.

"Shh." Lucius had soothed him. "It will take time for you to understand, but I will help you learn what is appropriate and what is not."

When Lucius lifted a glass of water to his lips Sirius didn't want to drink, but Lucius kept it pressed there until he swallowed the tiniest sip. The cool liquid was a blessing to his parched and raw throat, and he couldn't help but take another greedy swallow.

It began like that. Lucius sat across from him, speaking in his even, cultured voice while Sirius refuted his arguments endlessly, suffering the consequences if he fell below Lucius' standard of civil discourse.

By the time night fell, Sirius was aching from being bound in one position so long. His stomach was rumbling with hunger, and he was beginning to feel an urgent need to piss.

"I think we've had enough for today," Lucius said, rising to his feet and smoothing his robes around him. "Have a pleasant sleep, Sirius." He turned to walk away.

"You're just leaving me here like this?" Sirius blurted.

Lucius turned back, raising a brow in mocking question. "You had something else in mind?"

"Yeah, like maybe you untying me?"

"Give me an incentive to not leave you tied up in a chair all night, Sirius. Because, otherwise, I'm sure it would do you quite good."

"I'm not joining your side just because you let me up to go to the loo and stretch my legs."

"Still defiant?" Lucius stepped closer to Sirius and cupped his hand under his chin. "Ah, well. But I was expecting a challenge in any case." He smiled as Sirius wrenched his face away. "Let's start with you saying, 'Goodnight, Lucius. Thank you for my first lesson.' Then I might consider untying you and letting you sleep in your bed."

Sirius spat.

"I'll see you in the morning."

Lucius Apparated out of the flat with a loud crack.

Two.

Sirius was in agony by morning. He'd barely slept at all. His eyes were dull and blood-shot when Lucius appeared in the flat.

"Good morning, Sirius. I hope you had a pleasant rest."

When Sirius said nothing, Lucius pulled out his wand and tapped it lightly against his palm. "Would you like to be untied now?"

Watching him warily, Sirius nodded.

"Then wish me a proper good morning."

For a moment, Sirius' eyes glinted and he glared up wearily, but then he opened his mouth, hesitating only a moment before he said, "Good morning, Lucius."

A flick of Lucius' wand and Sirius was crumpling to the floor, all pins and needles, and biting back pained cries. Any thought of rushing Lucius was now utterly ludicrous. After several minutes he was able finally to push to his feet, and Lucius allowed him to stagger to the bathroom and relieve himself in a long, painfully exquisite stream. He splashed water on his face, drank from the tap, and had begun prying at the small bathroom window when Lucius appeared in the doorway behind him wearing an expression of amusement.

"I've warded all the windows and doors. You won't be able to get out until I let you." He turned and walked into the other room. "Come."

Seething and resentful, Sirius followed, his hands curling into fists at his sides. Lucius bound him to the chair, and it began again. Lucius tried to break him down with words and when Sirius had obviously stopped listening, he secured him face down over the chair, his palms flat against the seat and caned him. Then it was back to sitting on the fresh, red stripes that burned deep and made Sirius shift and curse in his seat.

He hadn't really understood how bad it could be until the third time Lucius bound him over the back of the chair.

"I've not broken any of your rules," Sirius said, doing his best to let his anger push down his fearful anticipation of the coming pain.

"Ah, but I make the rules, therefore I can change them anytime I please." Lucius pressed a hand to the back of Sirius' neck and kneaded the muscles there gently. "Sometimes I do this to punish you, or it might be because I feel we're not making progress."

Lucius whispered a word and Sirius gasped as he felt the cool air of the flat on his bare skin.

"Sometimes," Lucius continued softly. "I just want to hurt you."

The first stripe on the bare flesh of his arse made Sirius cry out. He had thought it hurt when the blows were still softened by the fabric of his jeans, but that felt like almost nothing compared to this. Lucius laid another and another across his arse in quick succession and Sirius' chest hitched as he choked out a sob. More stripes were laid across his thighs and when the cane returned to his arse and laid open the already welted skin, tears spilled across his face as his sobs got more desperate. He couldn't stop himself from begging Lucius to stop, and he was almost astonished when Lucius did.

This time Lucius didn't put him back in the chair, but led him into the bedroom and made Sirius lie face down on the bed while he rubbed a soothing balm carefully into each of the welts. He hated the feel of Lucius' fingers on him, and the careful ministrations hurt as much as they soothed, but Sirius stayed as still as he could and muffled his moans into the pillow.

When Lucius had cleaned him up, he sat on the bed next to Sirius and stroked his hair until he stopped shaking. "All better now, isn't it? It won't be like this forever. I can help you if you let me."

Despite how vulnerable he was at the moment, Sirius couldn't choke back an answer. "I'll never be or do what you want."

Lucius didn't falter. "You've only been misguided. It's no wonder. The unfortunate sorting. Your family. Well, as much as I respect them, Walburga is a bit...touched these days."

Sirius snorted. "She's a raving nutter."

"She didn't know how to show you she loved you. She made mistakes, I know. You should have been told, shown, how much you're valued."

"That's a laugh. No one valued me in the most ancient and noble house of lunatics."

"I see your value."

"Right." Sirius laughed, bitter and incredulous. "Do you really think I'm going to fall for this?"

"I see it. I saw it back when you first began Hogwarts, and I've kept up with your accomplishments since. Whether or not you realize or will admit the power your blood gives you, you can't deny your gifts. Exceptional magical talent, natural brilliance, and you are a brave little Gryffindor. I'll give you that much. You're also exceptionally attractive. You could make an alliance with anyone. Have the world at your feet."

"I don't want to make an alliance."

"Ah yes, and that's part of the problem, isn't it? You don't want to get trapped in a marriage of your parents' making. You want to choose for yourself."

"I don't want any part of anything they have to do with."

"But you see, it doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. You don't have to marry at all. Not now. Take all the lovers you want as long you're discreet. Take your little half-blood friend."

Sirius shrank away from Lucius' hand and sat up, curling up around his knees, despite the way it stretched his abused skin. "Shut up! Shut up about him!"

"Are you so naive that you think it doesn't happen? In our circle, many more people than you might think have...diverse tastes."

Sirius sucked in a breath, his eyes widening fearfully. "If you touch me, I will kill you. I swear."

"I'm not going to touch you like that, Sirius." Lucius tilted his head, amusement glinting in his eyes at Sirius' sudden self-consciousness. "Well, not unless you ask."

"Don't hold your breath."

Lucius' soft laughter rang out, but he only gestured for Sirius to lie down. "Get in bed and go to sleep. You'll need your strength for tomorrow."

Though the words made him go cold, Sirius was relieved to cover his nakedness by slipping beneath the covers. Arranging himself carefully, he rolled onto his side and watched Lucius warily. "How long are you going to keep doing this?"

"As long as it takes."

The strain of the past two days and his lack of sleep must have overcome his qualms about falling asleep under Lucius' watchful eyes because Sirius slept deeply despite his discomfort. In the morning, he woke to find himself still unbound and naked in the bed. He didn't waste any time trying all the doors and windows, but they were as well warded as Lucius had said and he could nothing about it without his wand. He was desperate to feel it's comforting weight in his hand again.

The mirror, he thought with a sudden, exhilarated lurch in his stomach. He scrambled over to his trunk and reached for the lock. A shock threw him back a good few feet, and he swore violently as he finally noticed the shimmer of wards Lucius had placed over it. It took several minutes for the tingling numbness in his fingers to wear off.

Defeated for the moment, he went to use the bathroom and to dig out a new pair of jeans and a shirt. He searched for anything that might help him, but the flat was devoid of anything useful, including food. His stomach was churning painfully, and he wondered if Lucius had plans to starve him if he didn't fall into line. He didn't have long to wonder because the familiar crack of Apparation sounded from the kitchen.

A house elf was setting a place at the table and Lucius stood behind him, looking immaculately well-groomed and serene. He nodded a greeting as Sirius entered the kitchen. "Good morning, Sirius."

Sirius hesitated for a moment before gritting out a polite greeting, and fighting down twin spikes of shame and anger as Lucius smiled approvingly.

"You must be hungry. Please do sit and have your breakfast."

Without waiting to be told twice, Sirius slid into the chair, his mouth watering as he inhaled the aroma of the hot soup.

"Not typical breakfast fare, I'm afraid, but I thought it best to start light."

Sirius wasn't complaining. He ate quickly, but neatly, letting the warm liquid fill the hollow ache in his belly. When he was done, Sirius placed his spoon to the side and leaned back.

"What do we say?" Lucius prompted.

It was too early in the day to be overly defiant over something like this, and his arse was still almost unbearably tender, so Sirius only shot Lucius a sardonic look. "Thank you, Lucius," he said with patently insincere politeness.

Lucius' lips curled, and he snapped his fingers at the house elf who was just now puttering back from the sitting room. "Clean up, then leave."

Ignoring the elf's over-eager bowing and scraping, Lucius stepped up to Sirius and let his fingertips graze his cheekbone. "I do love your spirit. I don't want to break it completely. " His fingers slid around his jaw and tightened. "But if you force me to it...I promise that I am up to the task."

This time he snapped his fingers at Sirius, motioning him to follow. Sirius did, glaring daggers into his back and wondering if he could wrestle his wand away before Lucius could get off a spell. The crack as the house elf Apparated away made up his mind, and Sirius launched himself at Lucius. They tumbled to the floor and Sirius actually got a grip on Lucius' wand hand when a Protego knocked him halfway across the room.

Lucius was on his feet in a flash, pointing his wand at Sirius and looking furious, long hair tangled over his shoulders, not so perfect now. Sirius braced for the onslaught of pain as Lucius' lips parted, but it never came.

"Crucio is an effective tool, but I think you would benefit from a different kind of lesson."

Flick. Sirius' clothes were gone again. Flick. His hands were bound behind his back, and Sirius struggled to his knees, chest rising and falling rapidly as he glared up at Lucius.

"I hate you," he spat as viciously as he could.

"Hate is a useful emotion. We're making progress, as childish as your declaration is." Lucius' mocking laughter made Sirius go hot with embarrassed anger. "Come here. Now." The word whipped out with a snap that made Sirius flinch, but he stayed where he was. It took three long bouts of Crucio before he was willing to crawl over to Lucius, drink the unknown contents of a vial he produced from his robe pockets, and lay himself over Lucius' lap.

Lucius summoned Sirius' own hairbrush and began to spank the already red and welted skin with a slow but relentless rhythm. "If you insist on behaving like a petulant child, I'll treat you as one."

Sirius squirmed, enraged and humiliated, futilely trying to evade the blows and wondering what kind of poison Lucius had fed him. It didn't take long to find out, and when he did the humiliation sunk deeper. Mixed up in the pain was a spreading, hazy pleasure that centered in his groin and rolled in waves to every extremity of his body. His cock filled and hardened, and he could do nothing to stop himself from writhing against Lucius' thighs with desperate little whimpers and arching up to meet the blows without restraint.

"Lovely," Lucius murmured. "Do you understand now? I can make you do anything I want. It can always get worse."

Sirius moaned, fingernails digging into his palms. "Please..." he gasped, eyes wet from the sting of the blows and his shame. "Make it...make it stop."

"Oh, but I don't think you've learned your lesson."

Sirius could sense the mocking twist of Lucius' features, but he couldn't think of anything but the heat and need and attention his cock was demanding and the white hot burn of his arse as Lucius continued to strike him with the brush. If it didn't stop he was going to come all over Lucius' robes and he wasn't sure he could live with himself if that happened.

"Please. Please, Lucius, I'm...I'm sorry." The words stuttered out of his mouth with a little sob, and like magic, the spanking stopped. He still couldn't stop himself from thrusting into Lucius' lap and when Lucius' bare hand stroked over the curve of his arse, Sirius did come with an intense shudder that left him weak and slack, his stomach churning with humiliation.

Almost gently, Lucius pushed Sirius back so that he was kneeling beside the chair. A Scourgify vanished the mess as Sirius stared blindly at the floor trying to get his breathing under control. With rising horror, he realized the potions effects had only been temporarily assuaged.

He wanted to cover himself as his cock began to swell again, but his hands were still bound behind his back and Sirius whimpered, his cheeks flaming red. "Please give me the antidote," he said hoarsely but without much hope.

"I'm afraid this particular potion doesn't have one. You'll just have to ride out the effects." Lucius stood. "Now, get back in the chair."

Three.

The potion became a regular part of the routine, and Sirius lost count of the days as they went through the cycle of words and pain and pleasure again and again. At night, Lucius would draw an almost too hot bath of water that would make Sirius hiss when he stepped in, but would feel so good to his aching muscles, bruises, and tender skin. Lucius insisted that he lie there quietly while he washed him with a cloth and massaged his scalp until he was clean and sleepy, then he would push him into bed and lie next to him, holding Sirius and stroking his hair back from his face until he fell into a deep and weary sleep.

Sirius had no intention of ever joining Lucius' side, and he sometimes thought Lucius knew this full well. But he couldn't bring himself to try and understand all of his motivations, and he couldn't rally himself to struggle against every new degradation and painful game Lucius introduced.

He knew this couldn't go on forever. His friends were coming soon. They expected to hear from him. Although, Sirius had the uneasy suspicion that Lucius was intercepting any owls sent to him and probably forging replies. Still, unless Lucius planned to kill him eventually, and why wait if that was the case, it had to end sometime. At least, that was the thought Sirius held onto when he had time enough to think at all.

His thinking was muddy these days anyway. Not that he would ever buy the brand of blood nonsense Lucius was selling, but he felt slow and thick-witted. He wasn't ever given much to eat or allowed to sleep too long, and it was taking its toll.

If he could escape into being Padfoot for just a while, he thought it might clear his head, but it was too risky because he never knew when Lucius was going to turn up. The last time Lucius was away, Sirius hated himself for waking in the middle of the night, missing the warmth and comfort of another body and unable to fall back asleep. He still didn't understand how much worse it could get.

That morning, he woke up and ate his small breakfast and went to sit in the chair in the middle of the room the way he had been instructed. He was naked. Lucius didn't allow him clothes anymore, and he had no energy for a show of defiance that day. He heard the front door open behind him, and a jolt of adrenaline shot through him at the unexpected sound. Lucius never used the door. He was ready to jump up and spin around when Lucius' voice stopped him. "Ah, you're awake. Excellent. I hope you slept well."

"Yes, Lucius," Sirius lied. His heart was slowly returning to its regular beat, disappointment that it was not Remus or James or even Peter who had finally come.

"I've got a special surprise for you today." Lucius moved into the room behind Sirius and placed his hands on his shoulders. "I think you're going to enjoy it." He pressed a familiar vial to Sirius' lips. "Drink."

Chest tight, Sirius swallowed it down, licking his lips to rid them of the residue. It was sickly sweet and made the bile rise in his throat. Without warning, his chair spun on its legs and Sirius looked up. What he saw made him moan. "No..."

Remus stood there, obviously drugged, utterly oblivious to what was happening and where he was.

"Lucius..." Sirius swallowed, his throat dry and tight. "Please don't...don't hurt him. I'll...I'll..."

Before Sirius could finish, Lucius silenced him with a spell and another bound him to the chair again. "This time I think I want you silent. I don't think you'll truly learn this lesson until you fully understand the consequences of your refusals to see reason."

Sirius could only watch, sick with horror, as Lucius stripped Remus' clothing away and bent him over the edge of the kitchen table where he stayed, pliant and passive.

His own cock was hard, his balls aching already, and it felt like a betrayal even though it was the potion making him this way. Not entirely, a dark corner of his mind whispered. You've always wanted to see him this way. He twisted his head from side to side in denial. Not like this.

"If you look away," Lucius said softly. "I'll Crucio your werewolf friend until his eyes bleed."

Sirius gasped silently and Lucius smiled, his eyes narrowing with delighted cruelty. "Oh, you would be surprised at the things I know, dear Sirius."

His hands twisted in Remus' hair, forcing his face toward Sirius.

"He could be a valuable ally to our side, given his nature. Perhaps we'll pay another visit to Mr. Lupin sometime soon. If he survives this one, of course."

Sirius' eyes begged Lucius, but he only returned a feral smile and whispered a spell that made Sirius go rigid in panic.

"I wouldn't dirty my hands on such filth, but I think you do deserve a good show. A reward for being such a patient listener and excellent learner."

His chest hitched wildly as Lucius pushed his fingers inside Remus. "Oh, he is wonderfully tight. I believe he might actually be a virgin."

Sirius thrashed in the chair, fighting the bonds with all the strength he had, and Lucius only laughed.

"So eager to join in? Do you want to be the one to fuck him, then, or shall I?"

His tears fell silently as Sirius took in Remus' uncomprehending, empty expression, sickened by the lack of sharp intelligence they usually held and shaking with frustration by his inability to do anything to stop what was happening. And still his cock was throbbing insistently between his legs, jutting up swollen and red, and the lust-soaked part of his brain wanted to fuck Remus. It wanted to rut against him, without holding back, until they both screamed.

Straightening up, Lucius cleaned his hand, wiping it first on the cheek of Remus' arse then casting a Scourgify and smiling in a way that made Sirius' blood run cold. His wand touched the small of Remus' back and then he was pushing off the table and falling to his hands and knees on the floor, crawling toward Sirius in a forced display of seductive heat.

His mouth sank over Sirius' cock without preamble, and he sucked with a wet, hard glide impossible to resist. All it took was the head of Sirius' cock nudging Remus' throat, and Sirius was coming with a hot burst of pleasure that made his vision go white around the edges. Suddenly, the silencing charm was gone and the sound of his groan as he spilled down Remus' throat rang in his ears like a condemnation.

"Please, please," he begged in between ragged, hysterical gulps of air. "Anything...let him go. I'll do anything. I swear, Lucius."

Lucius smiled. "Convince me."

"I'll...I'll suck you. I'll beg you to fuck me," The words fell out of Sirius' mouth in a rush. "I want it. I do. I'll...I'll make you believe it."

"Mm. Do you think you could?" Lucius sounded merely curious, tilting his head to the side and regarding Sirius with mild amusement, his hand stroking through Remus' hair as he knelt obediently at his side.

Sirius nodded wildly. "I do want it. I've been wanting it, but...but I was ashamed, and...please, Lucius. Fuck me. Right now. You know I need it. I'm so fucking ready for it, and...and I'm a virgin, too. You'd like that wouldn't you? Being the first to fuck me?"

Lucius narrowed his eyes for a moment as if savoring the ideas Sirius presented. "You do paint a lovely picture."

"Even without the potion. I swear, Lucius, I'll be willing. Good. So good for you. Please."

"Well," Lucius drawled, letting his eyes roam over Sirius' body in deliberate assessment. "I'm sure you're aware that wasn't precisely what I wanted to hear, but...it's certainly a start."

For the first time in Sirius' presence, Lucius removed his outer robe, laying it neatly aside on one of the kitchen chairs as Sirius' stomach plummeted with a mixture of overwhelming relief and fear. Underneath the robe Lucius wore immaculately pressed trousers and a fine, white shirt.

"Shall we all retire to the bedroom, then?" His teeth flashed as he brandished his wand, vanishing the ropes tying Sirius to the chair. "I'm sure we'll all be so much more comfortable."

"But," Sirius flicked his tongue out to wet his lips. "You said you'd let him go."

"And I will, after you've convinced me how very much you've been craving my cock. He can be a witness to the momentous occasion."

Sirius shuddered and Lucius laughed, mocking and impatient now. "Don't worry. We'll obliviate his pretty little head afterward."

Resigned, Sirius walked into the bedroom, averting his gaze as Remus crawled up onto the foot of the bed and knelt quietly.

"On your back, I think." Lucius said, voice silky as he began to flick open the buttons of his shirt. "I want to see every expression on your face for our first time."

Sirius kept the revulsion from his face as he laid himself out, even as the potion worked inside him and he spread his legs wider under Lucius' gloating eyes. Lucius had begun to shrug out of his shirt when he stiffened, a slight gasp escaping his lips as he made an aborted reach for his left forearm. Sirius' expression flickered in confusion.

Lucius snarled and stepped back from the bed, rapidly doing up the buttons of his shirt. "Dobby," he snapped, and the house elf appeared in the room immediately. The crack made Sirius jump.

"S-Sir?" The house elf stuttered.

"Clean up the garbage." He flicked his hand at Remus who sat blank-faced and still at the edge of the bed. "Return to the Manor when you've taken care of it."

The house elf bowed and scuttled to the end of the bed.

"Wait!" Lucius' sharp order brought the elf up short. "Fetch my cloak first."

The elf shuffled out quickly, and Lucius looked down at Sirius. "I'm afraid this must wait until another time."

"What are you going to do with Remus?"

"He'll be returned to his home. Obliviated, of course. Just remember, I can get to the werewolf anytime I want, and I can always bring him back here."

Sirius nodded, still confused but trembling with a sense of relief that both he and Remus had made it out of this, for now at least, relatively unscathed.

Lucius winced again and opened his mouth to shout when his elf appeared at his side, holding up the cloak to his master. Without another word, Lucius swirled it around his shoulders and Apparated. Sirius was left staring at the house elf who began shuffling toward Remus again.

"You're taking Remus home, right?" Sirius met the elf's large, watery eyes with his own desperate look.

"I'm taking him home," the elf answered, tilting his head toward the silent boy and raising his eyebrows in emphasis. "Yes, Sir. Just as Master ordered. Dobby does what Master says."

Sirius' forehead crinkled. "Right. Well, thank you. Please take care of him, all right? Make sure he gets home safely, will you?"

"Dobby will. He'll make sure this boy gets home now." Dobby bobbed nervously and reached out to take the unprotesting Remus by the arm. "Dobby thinks Sir ought to know that when he was fetching Master's robe, just exactly as Master asked, Dobby saw something on the floor under the kitchen table. Master doesn't like a mess, you know. So Dobby thought Sir might want to know."

Sirius' mouth fell open and he gaped at the elf with increasing confusion. "Oh, yes, thanks. I'll...have a look."

Growing more agitated by the minute, the elf tightened his grip on Remus and nodded once more to Sirius. "Dobby must go now. Good bye, Sir."

"Goodbye, Dobby."

Sirius sat alone in the bed for a moment and only the insistent aching in his groin distracted him from the whirlwind and confusion of the last few moments. With a groan, he fell back to the bed and fisted himself to completion, spilling over his fingers and wiping them on the bed impatiently. He didn't want to waste the few minutes he had until the potion began to work on him again, so he went into the kitchen.

When he saw what was underneath the table, a dizzying surge of adrenaline made him fall to his knees. He grabbed his wand and held onto it like a lifeline as the tingling buzz of magic spread down his fingers and throughout his body. Deep, shuddering contractions shook him and he struggled to breathe properly. Eventually, he picked up the empty vial that still lay under the table.

It wasn't what Lucius had been feeding him. The color was different, warm and honeyed, and Sirius lifted it to his nose and sniffed. His eyes widened impossibly as his heart leapt into his throat. He knew this odor. Knew it well, because how many times had he and James and Remus and Peter used it to carry off their silly pranks? Polyjuice. Sirius knelt there and wept, wishing he could spare a thought for whomever it had been, but only sinking into a bone deep gratitude that it hadn't been Remus.

Five minutes later, Sirius and his trunk had disappeared from the flat. He never went back to it again, and when he'd found a new place, and his friends had laughed at his story of his Muggle neighbor who had kept inviting him to tea and trying to set him up with her unmarried, spinster daughters, Sirius closed the door tight on the memories of what had happened there. With Remus' help, he set the wards on their new flat. He helped Peter and James with theirs, insisting that they couldn't be too careful these days, and that Dumbledore and Moody would back him up on that.

The day Remus came to him with a mixture of shyness and bravery that made Sirius ache with fierce protectiveness and admiration and told him that he loved him, Sirius accepted him gratefully and reciprocated with everything he had. But later, when the war got worse, and the rumors about the werewolves were everywhere, and Remus would be gone for days on end, and Peter was whispering in his ear, Sirius never stopped loving Remus, but he remembered what Lucius had said.