Hereby part 4 of this story.
Summary: When Harry starts to get sick, the only one who can save him is his worst enemy.
Warnings: Mental issues...
Disclaimer: Not mine.
I want to thank everyone who reviewed. Enjoy this part!
The next couple of weeks were spent in his Animagus form and he was made to follow Voldemort everywhere – even into places like the bathroom which was beyond awkward for him but which seemed to amuse Voldemort if the almost lecherous smirks counted as indication – unless he wanted to be in pain.
He slept on the carpeted, warmed ground next to the Dark Lord's bed, he ate the raw meat he was given next to the grand table Voldemort normally ate from and he was washed at the same time as Voldemort took his bath. That last thing was especially uncomfortable as being washed meant that he had to share the same bath as Voldemort if he wanted to get clean. And even though he looked and acted like a komodo dragon – thanks to his animal instincts – he was still very much human so seeing someone naked was beyond embarrassing. Luckily, the bath was more than large enough and he enjoyed swimming in it. Especially as komodo dragons were great swimmers and divers, even better than he could ever hope to be as a human.
Well, he was a komodo dragon most of the time.
Twice a week Voldemort would turn him back into his normal, human form so he could do that to him – which mostly involves exchanging a lot of blood and saliva and which left Harry with the intense need to bite the man, preferably his tongue which seemed hell-bent on invading his mouth – before he was once again turned back into a komodo dragon. Worst thing was that he still hadn't figured out how to turn back into his human form without Voldemort having to use the Animagus Revelio spell, something which amused Voldemort just slightly less than the fact that he had to follow him when he went to take a bath or when he needed to go to the toilet. Bastard.
The first time Voldemort had turned him back into his human form was after a particularly annoying meeting in which even Harry had wanted to kill someone.
They had still been in the meeting room – just the two of them as Voldemort had sent everyone away with the threat that if they were still there by the time he had drawn his wand people would start to die – and Voldemort had suddenly drawn his wand and pointed it at him! Harry had frozen in shock – who wouldn't after that threat – but all Voldemort had done was turn him back into a human.
He had looked around stupidly for a couple of minutes before he had risen from the warm and comfy pillow he had lain upon. He had started to stretch to get the kinks out of the muscles he had suddenly needed to use – the kind of muscles humans didn't use but komodo dragons apparently did, it was strange that he hadn't felt them before – while wondering if he could finally brush his teeth as the raw meat he had been fed during his stay as Voldemort's new pet dinosaur had left him with a disgusting taste in his mouth. The small pieces of meat which had gotten stuck between his teeth had started to rot inside his mouth – which was really fast for something to start rotting and which was beyond disgusting – but apparently that was normal for komodo dragons. They actually used that and the venom their venom glands contained to hunt as animals either fell down after a couple of hours due to the venom or died because of whatever bacteria had made their home inside his mouth. Bacteria which were poisonous to everything that wasn't the komodo dragon they lived on or in. He wasn't quite sure however if he was quite as safe from the same bacteria when he was human.
He had been so busy with daydreaming about finally having clean teeth that he had failed to notice the fact that Voldemort had made his way over until he stood in front of him.
He had finally noticed him when the man had grabbed hold of his chin and had pressed his non-existent lips against his own. He had frozen in shock which had given the Dark Lord the chance to force open his mouth and push his tongue inside forcefully.
His mouth had been ravished harshly before he even had the chance to fully comprehend what had happened and by the time he had finally realised just what was going on Voldemort had already withdrawn his own tongue, stepped away from him and had once again pointed his wand towards him.
Harry could admit that he was quite annoyed when he had been turned back into his Animagus form.
Until he had realised that he had been once again kissed by that bastard.
That had been the first time since the start of his stay with Voldemort that he had actually attacked – truly attacked – the man as he had, in his anger, let his animal instincts take over.
He had knocked down Voldemort with his tail before he had bitten him in his shoulder, injecting both his venom and whatever poison the bacteria in his mouth –the ones he had been annoyed with – had made directly in the man's arteries. He hoped he died from either the bite or the disgusting bacteria in his mouth. That would teach him!
He had only managed to have his teeth sunken in Voldemort's flesh for a little more than a second before the collar had started to send incredibly painful shocks through his system, his scar had started to burn in such a way that it didn't take long before he had a terrible headache and he had been hit with the Cruciatus Curse.
He had released the Dark Lord almost immediately in favour of twitching and arching and whimpering in pain – which was quite a feat as he had never known that komodo dragons could make such noises or move like that. His tail had been twitching and thumping on the floor until it had once again hit Voldemort.
He had been told afterwards that that had apparently brought Voldemort back to his senses as he had broken of the curse before he had called for a house elf. It had appeared rather quickly but Harry had only been vaguely aware of what had happened around him after a couple of seconds into the curse so he had only become aware of what was going on around him after he had been force fed a disgusting potion.
By that time Voldemort had already been healed and the poisons had already been – sadly enough – removed from his body.
He had slowly risen to his clawed, stabile paws from his inelegant position on the ground until he had stood once again fully secure on the floor. He had shaken the last remnants of pain away after which he had turned cautiously towards Voldemort.
But the snake-like man had completely ignored him in favour of studying the scar he had been left with. He had apparently bitten hard and deep enough that not even magic could heal it without leaving a mark.
Three days later he was once again turned back to his human form before he was once again kissed.
He had struggled quite fiercely as soon as he had realised what was about to happen but Voldemort was stronger than he could ever hope to be while being a human so he had been quickly subdued. Not that that had stopped him from clenching his mouth shut or continuing with struggling.
":Why do you keep doing that?:" he had asked quickly as soon as he and his mouth were once again released and he had wiped his mouth off furiously. Voldemort had stood once again in front of him with his wand raised and he rather had his answer before he was turned back into his Animagus form.
":Because I need to make sure you're healthy,:" Voldemort had drawled as if he should have known the answer, ":but as you will not tell me when you are starting to get sick again I'll have to make sure you can't get sick.:"
Harry had scowled at him but he had been incapable of asking anything else – like some time to brush his damn teeth – before he had been turned back into his komodo dragon form.
Sadly enough, the man still hadn't died because of whatever bacteria lived in his mouth.
oOo
The third, fourth and fifth time he had been kissed he had struggled just as fiercely as he had struggled the second time.
During the sixth and seventh time he had still struggled but not as fiercely as he was aware that it would a) not help one jot, b) it would just tire him out, c) Voldemort found it amusing when he struggled, d) Voldemort just loved to show him just who was the most powerful of the two in whichever way he could and e) the man seemed to like it when he struggled. So he decided that since he couldn't actually win he might as well fight in ways he might win.
So during the eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh time he just stood there dispassionately as Voldemort did whatever he wanted to do to his mouth.
It was also during that time that he noticed slight differences in the way Voldemort treated him. The man had started to directly feed him the meat he was given instead of having it dropped in front of him. He had also started to pet him when he was resting next to Voldemort as the man was reading some kind of book or report.
And last but not least: he had been given more freedom. He was no longer forced to follow the man everywhere – though it had taken some time before he had noticed that – and he was able to wander further away from the man without feeling the pain. The collar remained around his neck however and he still was hit with sharp pain if he moved too far away from the dark wizard but all together: he had far more freedom than before.
It was because of those changes that he had hesitantly wrapped his own arms around the wizard during the thirteenth time he was kissed. Voldemort had stiffened slightly – possibly in surprise, probably because of some other reason – before he had awarded him by starting to comb the hand that had held his head in place through his hair.
He would never admit it but he had made the softest sound of pleasure at the feeling of that hand carding through his hair. No one had ever done that to him before and it had felt nice.
He had rested his head against the Dark Lord's leg after a lot of hesitating two days later during one of the meetings.
One of his followers had given him a report about something and Harry had been resting on his pillow like he was wont to do these days. After all, there was not a lot he could do when he was forced to be a ten feet long lizard who was not allowed to move away from a certain Dark Lord.
He had always been a very affectionate young man, something which could be traced back to how he had been raised by the Dursleys who had never touched him unless absolutely necessary.
At least, he was affectionate as long as he was beyond one hundred percent sure that the person he was affectionate with would not hurt him while touching him – something he was aware of and something he hated as he knew that he could get hurt seriously because of it. He loved the hugs he was given by Hermione and Mrs Weasley and actively sought them out from either them or anyone else whom he cared for and who was willing to receive them.
Somehow the fact that Voldemort hadn't hurt him in over six weeks had convinced him unconsciously – because rationally he knew that Voldemort would hurt him as soon as he wanted to – that Voldemort wouldn't hurt him. His instincts told him that the man was safe and as his mind was ruled by his instincts most of the time as he was in his Animagus form it meant that he would start to search out touch from the Dark Lord eventually.
He had wanted – no needed – to be touched by a kind hand, one which wouldn't hurt him. And the only one around who was safe enough – according to the irrational part of his brain – was Voldemort.
So he had raised himself slightly from where he had lain on the pillow and he had leaned his head lightly against Voldemort's leg. He had felt Voldemort stiffen slightly before he had been rewarded by a questioning eyebrow. He had just carefully nuzzled his head against the leg, mindful of the sharp and hard scales his head was covered with.
Voldemort had relaxed after that and he had turned his attention back on the still talking minion. The hand not holding his wand, however, had risen from where it had lain on the man's lap and had settled on his head to scratch him lightly.
He had been turned back to his human form after the meeting.
":Why did you do it?:" Voldemort had asked him as soon as Harry had stopped stretching.
Harry had blushed a bright red and he had averted his gaze but he had refrained from answering until Voldemort had almost pressed his body against his and had forced him to meet his eyes be gripping his chin and forcing his head upwards.
":Either you tell me…,:" Voldemort had threatened, though the grip on his chin was gentle.
":I need touch to feel safe,:" Harry had finally told him softly.
":Why?:" Voldemort had asked him completely baffled and he had released his chin and taken a step back.
Harry had once again lowered his head, ":you know how I was raised, right?:"
":A yes, your… lovely family members,:" Voldemort had hissed sardonically, ":one of the many reasons why you should agree with me that muggles shouldn't know about our world.:"
This time it had been Harry who had stared in confusion at the man.
":They never touched you, did they?:" Voldemort had stated in such a way that it was clear that he understood, ":at least very rarely and never in a positive way.:"
He had just nodded and that had been the end of it, though Harry would admit that the smirk Voldemort had suddenly worn had scared him.
Their relationship – if whatever they had could be called a relationship – had changed slightly after that. Voldemort had made sure that he touched him as often as he could but never to hurt him and Harry had started to actively search out the contact after the fifteenth time he had been kissed.
He could readily admit after the eighteenth kiss that he both enjoyed the kiss and the contact he was given.
That eighteenth kiss had been a milestone of a sort.
He was once again human and not forced to spend all his time as a komodo dragon – he had finally time to brush his teeth! He was surprised that he had yet to have cavities with the amount of bacteria that probably lived on the rotting meat in his mouth – and he was allowed to roam free once again, though he was still forced to wear the collar and the locket. He had even been given access to more rooms than he had had access to before he had been forced to spend almost all his time as a mockery of a dinosaur. He still missed his friends and he was still as much of a prisoner as before but somehow it didn't seem as bad.
Voldemort made sure to spend more time with him and if he couldn't spend time with him he made sure that Nagini – whom he hadn't seen for months – was near him. So he was rarely lonely.
And Voldemort wasn't that bad now that he wasn't trying to kill him. He patiently tried to explain the theory of the subjects he didn't understand to him and he even let him practice the spells with Harry's own wand. He had missed his wand so much so it felt like a fresh breath of air now that he was allowed to touch it again.
When he didn't have the time to explain things to him he let him stay near him in his office so he could read the books he had been given. He even went as far as to have a comfortable couch he could lay down on moved into his office so Harry could lounge on it.
But it was the touches that Harry enjoyed the most.
Voldemort made sure to pet him or scratch him on his head when he was in his Animagus form. During the kiss one arm would be thrown gently but possessively around his waist while the other would card through his hair. The kiss itself was still rough, possessive and made to dominate him but it was far more gentle and even pleasurable. And while he still wanted to kiss girls more than he wanted to kiss boys he had come to enjoy the kisses.
But Voldemort touched him even when he was in his normal human form. A hand would be placed on the small of his back when he was guided somewhere, a hand would find its way onto his shoulder when Voldemort explained things to him, Voldemort would take his hand when he wanted to show him how to perform a spell instead of him just demonstrating it and he was allowed to hug him if he wanted to – not that he hugged him often, his snake-like form still disquieted him.
The first time Harry had hugged Voldemort was when he had been given back his wand for the first time. He had been so happy to see it again the he had spontaneously thrown his arms around the man – something he normally did with any of his friends if he was happy or pleasantly surprised. The Dark Lord had frozen in shock and Harry, who had finally realised just what he had done, had drawn back. But before he had been able to draw back completely Voldemort had wrapped his own arms around him. This time it had been Harry who had frozen. It had been completely awkward.
The second time had been when he had found out that all of his friends were still alive and still healthy. It had been just as spontaneous as the first hug. The only difference was that Voldemort hadn't stiffened, or he had but Harry hadn't noticed it as the man had wrapped his arms around him almost immediately. It hadn't been as awkward as the first hug and it had been almost nice.
There hadn't been a third time. Yet.
oOo
It was because of the new-found more touchy relationship – which was still not quite the right word to describe whatever it was they had – that Harry found himself laying with his head in Voldemort's lap and with the rest of his long body on top of the large lounge during a meeting of the Inner Circle halfway into October. He was once again in his Animagus form and his eyes were closed slightly in bliss as he was petted. His tongue flicked out every once in a while to make sure nothing changed in his surroundings but that was it. The lounge was warm and comfortable, the hand petting him was heavenly and the soft hissing of the snake laying on top of him made him sleepy.
It wasn't overly strange to see Nagini lay down on top of him while he was in his Animagus form. According to her he was even warmer than the humans around them or the rocks she normally used to warm herself and the horcruxes inside of them were attracted to each other. Besides, she wasn't overly heavy and the weight on his back was just as nice as the hand petting him.
He wasn't paying attention to the meeting. He never did unless someone he cared about was mentioned. Then he started to pay attention.
But their names were rarely mentioned as Voldemort made sure that he either did not hear about it when they were hurt or he made sure they didn't get hurt. He only knew that they were alright because of the memories Voldemort showed him every once in a while and because of the fact that the man swore a magical oath that they were just fine.
It was halfway through the meeting that Harry's tongue felt a change in his direct surrounding. It was almost at the same time that Voldemort's head snapped up from where he had been reading some report.
"The wards have been breached," he told the members of his Inner Circle and he carefully coaxed Harry to move his head from his lap.
"Rudolphus, Sigfried ward the door, but don't make the wards too difficult to breach. Lucius, Bella guard the door, make sure they can ward it before we are attacked. Rabastan, ward the windows. The rest of you: prepare to fight them of. Make sure you protect both reptiles!" he ordered sharply as he waved his wand in complicated twirls.
The Death Eaters jumped into position as soon as their names were called.
"Wizzy," Voldemort barked as soon as he was done with whatever magic he had been doing.
The house elf appeared almost immediately, "yes master?"
"The manor is under attack," Voldemort told him, "remember the trinkets I showed you? Get them to me if you would. After you have done that make sure that the house elves are somewhere safe and make sure they all remain unharmed."
The house elf nodded enthusiastically before it popped away.
It didn't take long before he returned with some very familiar trinkets. He handed them to Voldemort and popped away again. Harry raised his head from where he had lowered it on the sofa to get a good look at them but Voldemort had already moved away from his line of sight.
":Nagini,:" he hissed softly as he walked towards the large reptile, ":you know what to do!:"
The snake rose from her spot on top of his back and reared up so she could look at the man.
She opened her mouth and Harry – who had finally moved to stand so he could finally see what was important about those trinkets – watched in shock and disgust as Voldemort placed the aforementioned trinkets – which he still hadn't seen – Inside her mouth. She closed her mouth again and swallowed.
Voldemort nodded in satisfaction before he turned to Harry.
":Bite them if they are about to attack you,:" he told him sternly.
Harry's tongue shot out and he hissed angrily at him, though he knew Voldemort wouldn't understand what he had said.
Voldemort turned away from him and towards the Death Eaters.
"Take them out as much as possible without outright killing them," he ordered sharply, "I want to know how they know about this place and why they have decided to attack now. You're only to kill if you have no other choice."
"Yes, my Lord," was the reply from all of the Death Eaters present.
"Good," Voldemort said curtly as he turned back to the door.
They waited patiently – or rather impatiently – for several long minutes until sounds of fighting could be heard.
"Remember what I told you," Voldemort said with an almost bloodthirsty smirk which bared too much teeth.
It didn't take long before the wards came down and the attackers entered the room. There were two of them and they went down immediately, courtesy of two stunners.
They were followed almost immediately by more attackers and it wasn't long after they had appeared that the battle truly started.
I hope you guys enjoyed this part.
Reviewes are, like always, very much appreciated!
~Marwana