Title: Always Been There
Author: Lady Remus
Pairings: Harry/Draco, Harry/Remus, Remus/Sirius (implied), Ron/Hermione (not a major factor but the pairing is still there)
Length: Unknown as yet (length will be put in once all 6 chapters are up)
Summary: Harry is having problems with his husband, Draco, and he goes to Remus for comfort. Harry's life gets more complicated. SOME SPOILERS FOR OOTP AND HBP THROUGHOUT THE STORY (although not many!).
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: violence, homosexual activity, male pregnancy
Disclaimer: The original characters come from the mind of J K Rowling. I don't own them and I'm certainly not making any profit from this.
Beta: cherylbites (LJ)
Notes: The story originally started with a different scene. However, after planning a second conflict in the story, I needed something bigger than the first conflict to "wake Harry up". I therefore put the original conflict later in the story and I started the story with a different fight.
Review: Yes, please.
Chapter 1Harry looked at the clock on the wall the minute he walked into his home. He smiled when he saw that it was seven o' clock. It had been twelve hours since he drank the potion and he had been looking forward to this moment all day. He had barely been able to concentrate on his duties in the Ministry because he was so excited about what would happen tonight. He hoped it would bring him and his husband, Draco, closer.
He walked into the living room and the smile was immediately wiped from his face when he saw Draco sitting in the armchair with one leg slung over the other. The look on Draco's face was all too familiar to Harry: dark, serious and very menacing. Harry tried to conceal his fear, but his stomach suddenly became sore with nerves; he knew it was going to be a bad night, and it had been a waste of time taking the potion. There was going to be no happiness tonight.
Still staring at Harry with his cold gaze, Draco said, "Where the hell have you been?"
Trying to be calm, Harry answered, "I have been to work, Draco. You know I go there, nearly every day."
The coldness remained. "You are late, Harry. In fact, you have been late every day for the past week."
Harry sighed. "And you know why."
"No. I don't."
"You know I've been working on the latest assignment at the Ministry. This assignment is bloody important. If it's successful it'll mean that another group of Dark wizards could be thwarted."
"No. That's only what you've told me. You've been cheating on me, haven't you?"
"What!" Harry was in shock. "No!"
"Who is he, Harry?"
He's mad, Harry thought. He's gone completely mad.
"I don't know who you're talking about!"
Draco stood up in anger, "WHO IS HE, HARRY?"
"I swear to you, Draco, I am not sleeping with anyone but you."
Draco moved towards Harry in fury and took hold of his husband's wrists. He stared at him and Harry could see the rage in his eyes and smell the alcohol on his breath.
"Don't fucking lie to me, you whore."
And then the first punch came across Harry's face. Draco let go of Harry's wrist and he toppled to the ground. Then all Harry could feel was a series of hard punches and gut-wrenching kicks that seemed to last a lifetime. As Draco punched and kicked, he demand, "Who is he? Who is it that you're fucking?", to which Harry would protest, "No-one, Draco. NO-ONE! I SWEAR!"
But the protests fell on deaf ears. Draco was filled with rage and kept on assaulting his husband.
Eventually, he stopped. Harry did not dare to move and remained curled up on the floor. He heard Draco say "Don't you dare move, slut," and leave the room. He heard his husband walk up the stairs and their bedroom door close.
Harry's brain screamed, Get up! Get up and get out of here!
But where can I go?
Who cares! Just get out of here before he hurts you more. Do you really think he's going to stop at that? You know what he's like!
Shaking from the attack, Harry got up and slowly but bravely moved out of the living room and down the hallway. Automatically picking up his broom from where it was propped against the wall, he opened the door quietly and went out into the rain. As soon as he had shut the front door, he ran off under the darkening sky. With his broom in hand, he sped down the street, not caring that he was splashing through numerous puddles of water.
When he eventually turned at the corner of the street, he squatted and began to cry. He held onto his broom, his precious broom that his godfather, Sirius, had given to him ten years earlier, and cried his heart out. He gazed at the wedding ring wrapped around his finger, its silver metal glinting in the rain and its many diamonds sparkling. He could not believe that the man who had placed this beautiful ring on his finger nearly three years ago was the same man who had just accused him of infidelity and attacked him. He didn't know how long he squatted there lost in self-pity; by the time he rose, his crying and the rain had made his glasses lenses steam up.
Where can I go? Harry thought. I guess I could go back home to Godric's Hollow, but I don't want to be there on my own. I can't go to Ron and Hermione; they have their own lives to lead. But I need to be with someone... who?
He started to walk down the street, regardless of the rain, and wondered who could he turn to for comfort. He had no idea how long he walked and he did not care. To the few people on the street, he must have looked like a pathetic sight, but he was indifferent; he just wanted to keep on walking. He bowed his head so he didn't have to see the glances of pity he received at his wet and bruised state.
"Harry?"
Harry looked up at the sound of his name and saw Remus Lupin staring back at him. He waited as Remus walked towards him with concern and rested his hands on the younger man's shoulders.
"Harry, what are you doing out here in this weather? You look like a drowned rat!"
Harry could not find a reply but he could feel his lips quivering and fresh tears filling his eyes. It was then that Remus saw the bruises that were beginning to show on the young man's face.
Remus wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders. "Come on. I'll make you a cup of tea and get you into some dry clothes."
Harry nodded and walked beside Remus.
When they were inside Remus' house, Harry began to shiver in the ice-cold atmosphere. Remus walked into the living room and waved a wand in front of his fireplace. A fire immediately appeared and within a few seconds, the room began to warm up. Remus left the room, leaving Harry still in goosebumps. He looked at the clock on the mantelpiece; it was eight o' clock.
Have I been in the rain for so long? he wondered. Has it really been an hour since Draco beat the shit out of me? How time flies when you're having fun.
Remus then returned with a pile of his own clothes.
"Here," he said gently. "Take those clothes off and you can borrow these until yours are dry. I'm just going to make us a cup of tea."
Harry nodded and quietly said, "Thank you."
Remus smiled at him and Harry could not help but smile back. He always liked it when Remus smiled; it made his otherwise worn and tired-looking face light up. He found it to be heart-warming and very infectious. Harry was still smiling as Remus left the room.
As Remus went into the kitchen, he wondered what had caused Harry to be out in this weather. He had a feeling that it was because of Draco Malfoy but he didn't want to jump to conclusions.
Something very serious has happened, he thought. The bruises tell all. Draco, you bastard! I hope this isn't your doing...
Gripping two cups, he walked carefully back into the living room, trying not to spill any of the tea on the carpet. He gazed at Harry, who was sitting on the white rug by the fire with his knees pulled up to his chest, and almost cried when he saw that Harry was again in tears as he gazed at his wedding ring.
Remus walked quietly up to Harry and sat down beside him. He handed a cup to Harry, who took it without looking at Remus; he gulped down the tea while trying not to cry. There was a silence as Remus watched Harry, not knowing what he could do to ease his pain. He secretly smiled as he saw Harry clad in his worn and tattered clothes. Seeing that Harry was barefoot, he decided to remove his own socks, which were wet from the rain that had seeped into his shoes.
Eventually, Harry placed his cup of tea gently by the fireplace and simply stared into the fire. Remus reached out a hand and tenderly touched Harry's shoulder.
"Are you okay?" Remus asked.
Harry looked at him and shook his head.
Remus sighed, "What happened, Harry?"
Harry closed his eyes for a moment and said bitterly, "What do you think?"
"I can see what happened. I mean, how did it happen?"
"I came home late from work, you know, because of this important Auror assignment, and he made allegations that I was cheating on him and then when I told him the truth, said I hadn't, he started to beat me."
He began to cry again and Remus immediately wrapped himself around Harry in a hug. He stroked Harry's hair and gently rocked him as if he were a child. He felt Harry's arms hold him tightly and urgently.
He whispered, "Poor Harry. I think we're going to need something stronger than tea."
Remus stood up and went over to his drinks cabinet to take out a bottle of gin and two glasses; sitting down beside Harry again, he placed himself closer to the young man than before. He poured half a measure of gin into each glass, then handed one to Harry. As Remus sipped his own drink, he watched Harry drink his in one gulp. Harry reached for the bottle and began to pour some more gin into his glass.
Remus took the bottle from him. "No. Harry. It's meant to calm you down, that's all."
Harry insisted, "But I need it. I want to forget the pain. You know, Remus, Draco and I have had our fair share of arguments recently but I thought we were past that. Hell, I can stand the arguments but not this. He's never hit me before or accused me of cheating on him. Why now? WHY NOW! How can he possibly love me and yet hit me?" He dropped his empty glass to the floor and sobbed uncontrollably into his hands.
Remus wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders, restraining the tears that were threatening to fill his eyes. He could feel a moist patch growing on his shoulder, but that hardly mattered. He just wished he could make everything better for Harry.
Harry shook his head, the soft fabric of Remus' jumper rubbing against his soft cheek. "I must be an awful husband."
"Oh, Harry, don't say that."
Harry persevered: "I must be! Why else would he do this to me?"
Remus stroked Harry's hair and gently took the young man's chin in his hand so that he could look into Harry's eyes. He took hold of Harry's face with both hands and stared at him.
He whispered, "There is nothing wrong with you. It's him. He doesn't deserve you."
Harry simply stared at him, tears falling down his face. As he gazed into Remus' soulful eyes, he was suddenly nervous. He had no idea why but it felt nice to be so close to Remus. In all the time that they had known each other, Harry knew that there had never been a moment like this before. This was the first time that he had felt nervous in the presence of the werewolf, and yet it also felt nice to have his face gently cupped in Remus' hands. In fact, in that moment, it felt more than nice: it felt right.
Harry asked softly, "Can I stay here? I don't want to go back to him tonight."
Remus smiled. "Of course you can. You're always welcome here. I'll look after you."
Harry beamed at him lovingly and Remus' heart instantly melted at the sight. He stroked Harry's cheek and the young man closed his eyes as he sighed with delight at the touch. It had been a long time since he had been touched so tenderly by anyone, let alone by Draco.
"That's better," Remus whispered.
With his eyes still closed, Harry felt his spectacles being removed from his face; Remus' lips brushed against his cheeks, kissing the damp trail that his tears had left behind. When Remus' lips landed on his own, the young man opened his eyes in shock. However, it passed quickly, and Harry became lost in the moment. He caressed Remus' cheek with his thumb, enjoying the warmth that was building up inside him; he moaned with pleasure when Remus inserted his tongue into his mouth. He let Remus take control of him and when Remus pulled the young man towards him, Harry felt delight as the bulge in Remus' trousers pressed against his own hard cock.
Suddenly, Remus broke the kiss and pulled away. Although Harry's eyesight was blurry, he could see that Remus was embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, Harry. That shouldn't have happened."
Remus began to stand up but, on impulse, Harry took hold of his hand. The werewolf looked at Harry's hand – the one that bore his wedding ring – and then he looked at Harry.
Harry cleared his throat and said boldly, "I'm not sorry."
He moved towards Remus and began to unzip the werewolf's trousers.
Remus said nervously, "Harry…"
Harry looked at the older man and smiled when he saw the confused expression on Remus' face. He took hold of the bottom of Remus' jumper and began to pull it up his chest.
"No," Remus said, "I'll do it."
Harry released his hold and waited as Remus removed his own sweater, then reached out for Harry's. Harry obediently lifted his arms and Remus pulled the jumper over the young man's head before throwing it to the floor. Harry smiled and lay back slowly onto the rug. Remus followed him, and within a few seconds he was on top of the younger man and they were kissing again, more urgently than before.
Remus parted the kiss and began to move his lips down Harry's neck. When he heard the younger man moan, he stopped and realised what he was doing.
Stop it now, Remus, his brain cried out He's a married man.
"Remus?" Harry gasped, dragging the werewolf away from his thoughts. "Why have you stopped?"
Remus did not reply. He glided his skin over the hot soft skin of the young man below him. The aroma surrounding Harry was becoming stronger; the smell of an arousal that only heightened Remus' own. But there was another smell, stranger than the other: an aroma that he had not smelt since Sirius had been alive; the smell of compatibility, the smell of his mate. As the werewolf took control of the young man's mouth again, Remus melted and the voice of reason was gone for the evening.
TBC