Author's Note: This is up later than I planned on it and for that I apologize. Life is insufferable and gets in the way.

Painful Pleasure


Severus and Harry were pouring through books with no solution. They couldn't figure out what had brought Harry here. They had been poring through books on Time Turners, books on potions about bringing people to a different time or dimension. They even researched Harry's memory loss, or gain. They researched the planting of a memory, and a spell that could give false memory or take them away. They came up empty. Severus could see that Harry was becoming more and more distressed by the day and was saddened that he could do nothing to brighten those once lush green eyes. Instead he watched as Harry hardly slept and hardly ate. He watch as the man worked himself into an exhaustion, only to fall asleep where ever he might have been at that moment. Whether it be on the other end of the sofa, or at the dinning room table. Each time Severus would tut, cast a levitation charm on the man and float him to his room. He would then proceed to get some sleep himself. When he would wake he would find Harry at it again. He was never sure if the other man ate or not, but he would always prepare enough breakfast for two and set it in front of him. Each time Harry would look up from his plate in surprised wonder before he would mumble a "Thanks," and go back to work. One afternoon, after about two weeks of this routine, Severus commented on his studying habits.

"You know, Potter, If you had spent half as much time during school to work as diligently as you are now, you would have passed both OWLs and NEWTs with flying colors."

Harry snorted, "If I hadn't had a madman trying to kill me since I was eleven, or an aunt who let her husband lock away my school books during the summer, I might have had a bit more interest in school wouldn't I?"

Severus looked a bit taken a back at that information, before he schooled his features.

"What, Mr. Potter, is that supposed to mean?"

Harry, realizing what he said, snapped his head up to meet Severus eyes.

"Nothing, never mind."

"I take it your home life was less than satisfactory?"

Harry nodded, "I've had this discussion with you Severus... Or rather my Severus, I know how you will react and I don't want to go through that again. Minerva is not here this time to calm you down and I don't think I can do it as you are."

Severus arched an eyebrow, "Are you implying that I am the one with the memory loss?"

"Of course not, but I know you far better than you might know you I should like to think, and I don't want you to destroy anything. Can we drop the subject please? I can see that my answer is making you angry."

Indeed, Severus could feel his blood boiling and the dishes in the kitchen had started to rattle in his anger.

"Very well," Severus said reluctantly, partly because he could see that Harry would be as unyielding as a rock, and partly because Severus was getting angry, himself, and didn't want to start a fight with the man when he'd just realized that he wanted him to stay.

"Have you found anything new in your, extensive search," Severus asked gesturing to the piles of books he had stacked on the dining room table.

"No, nothing new. I have no idea what is going on. None of these books are helpful, not even the ones on dark magic. How about you," Harry asked gesturing to Severus' own pile.

Severus shook his head, "No progress, maybe we should try Albus' study. He still has a lot of books on this sort of thing."

Harry nodded in agreement, clearing off his and Severus' books with a wave of his wand.

"Lets do it now before your prat of a Malfoy comes back."

Severus nodded his agreement, albeit reluctantly.


Draco sat in Blaise and Hermione's living room sipping his tea. Hermione glared at him from her seat on the duvet and Blaise watch from an armchair. Blaise was tense, waiting for what the Malfoy would do, or say to his wife. Finally after what felt like an eternity, Draco put his glass back on the saucer and cleared his throat.

"I wanted to talk to you about Potter, Granger."

"Actually, it is Zabini now, Malfoy... and what about Potter he and I do not converse any longer."

"I am aware of that. However I am also aware of the fact that you so desperately want him to pay for the death of the weasel..."

"Don't call him that," Hermione interjected but Draco continued like she had said nothing.

"I have an excellent plan that would help you get your revenge."

"...and how would that help you?"

"Why, Potter would not be around to take what is mine," Draco replied with mock sweetness.

Hermione seemed to consider this notion.

"What is it that you want to do?"

Draco grinned at her, revenge glinting in his eyes.

"I want to make him cry. I want to make him beg for mercy, begged to be spared, beg for forgiveness. I want him to plead for his life, I want to watch as the light leaves his eyes and he no longer has the strength to withstand the pain, the suffering. I want to break him."

A sadistic grin spread across Hermione's face when she heard Draco's words and her eyes glinted with something closely related to deranged-ism and belted out a soft laugh.

"What is the plan?"


Harry and Severus combed through Albus' collection. Said man watched as two of his favorite boys combed his library for information. He could see how one grew disappointed at the lack of finding anything and the other seemed to want to console him, only to turn on a sneer, full force, and scowl at the wall. When it became apparent that they would find nothing, even with all the knowledge Albus possessed in his stock, Harry and Severus called it quits.

"Thank you, Albus, for the use of your library."

"No trouble at all, my boys. Anytime you need it."

"Thanks," Harry said quietly and Albus raised an eyebrow.

Severus didn't answer Albus' inquiring look, only stated.

"Well, we must being going, Albus."

"Of course my boys, come back anytime."

Severus acknowledged his missive but Harry said nothing, too lost in thought to be polite. Once they were back in Severus' quarters, Harry slumped onto the couch and cast his head in his hands.

"Don't give up yet Potter."

"I'm not giving up, I'm just so bloody frustrated. For once, I though something in my life would be easy. I should have known better."

Harry sighed again, "I think I need to take a walk."

Severus watched sadly as Harry left the room. Part way, he felt bad for Harry at not finding anything. The other part of him was ecstatic because that meant that Harry wasn't going anywhere. Severus guessed he should feel a little guilty. After all he was in a relationship, but Draco hadn't been around for weeks, so he supposed he shouldn't feel all that guilty. He would stick by what he said. If Draco wanted to come back he would have. With that thought in mind, Severus decided he needed a warm cup of tea.


Harry walked by the lake. He kicked any rock that crossed his path as watched briefly as it skirted across the water. He could he but to compare himself to the rocks and felt a tinge of guilt for displacing them. After all, he felt like they would if they could feel. Set in their ways, only to be roughly kicked across the water. But no the journey did not end there. No. They were also sunken in, six feet under with no way out. No explanation as to why they were moved so roughly from the place they called home for god only knew how long. Swallowing back a lump, Harry turned to the water, briefly considering levitating each rock back out of the water and placing them back on land. Chastising himself for being ridiculous, Harry moved away from the water, mutter of how he was well and truly insane now when a crackle of a spell came whizzing by his head.

Immediately he was on guard. He turned again to face the water, noting no ripple, and wondered where the spell had come from. Shrugging, but not daring to put his wand away Harry, started back to the castle. As soon as he was a few feet from the entrance, another spell came zooming by his head. This time when he whirled around, a man stood there pointing his wand at Harry and smirking in triumph.

"Put your wand down Potter and I shall not hurt you... much."

"Who are you?"

Harry asked clearly not afraid of this person.

"I am the man who will break you."

Harry snorted, thinking that in the seven years... four years that Voldemort had been dead no man had broken him. What made this man thing he was different?

"I highly doubt that, but you are more than welcome to try," Harry said confidently and readied his wand for an attack. He never saw it coming, however, as his back was turned to another person emerging from inside the castle. The last thing Harry heard before darkness engulfed him was a female voice that sounded familiar to him.

"Stupify!"


Draco knocked on the door to Severus' quarters. He was considerable nervous as he had not seen his lover for well over two weeks. When Severus finally opened the door he was caught to a dazzling smile, that quickly turned into a scowl as Severus set his eyes on Draco.

"What," Severus asked curtly and Draco held back a cringe.

"Is that anyway to treat your lover? We have not seen one another for two weeks..."

"A choice that you made if I might add."

Draco glared at him. This was not how he had envisioned this meeting.

"I'm sorry Severus, I over-reacted. I thought that if I gave you space that you would make Potter leave and we wouldn't have to worry about him."

"You were wrong," Severus said simply.

"Clearly. Are you not even going to invite me in?"

"I thought about it."

"Severus," Draco said incredulously. Pleadingly.

Severus sighed and stepped aside, scaring his shoulders and gearing for a battle. Draco noticed this but chose to hold his tongue.

"So how have you been."

"Well considering..."

Draco waited for more, but Severus just brushed by him and sat himself on the sofa.

"Severus, Will you ever forgive me for that distasteful display toward Potter?"

"It is not that distasteful display, as you so elegantly put it, that has me seething at the moment. It is the fact that after you questioned my decision, you threatened, you threw a tantrum, and you stormed out of her like a spoiled child denied an ill regular feeding. You made me question my judgement on a lot of things, and I don't like calling my character into question. Nor do I like calling on my judgement."

Draco listened with a heavy heart.

"As it seems I have decided that you are not what I happen to want at the moment."

"What," Draco nearly screeched.

"You are more than spoiled and arrogant. Harry has a way to describe you. prat i believe he calls you. As of late it doesn't sound affectionate, though I have my own word for you."

Draco scowled and Severus raised an eyebrow in approval.

"And what might that be," he asked through clenched teeth.

"A twat."

Draco stared. he would have laughed had it not been for the seriousness in his eyes.

"This is Potter's fault, isn't it?"

Severus thought of how the boy had shown him how much someone could love him. Whether he meant to show him or not was unclear, maybe in the beginning, but not toward now. But it didn't matter. Severus had wanted Harry to stay after all.

"Yes," he agreed, looking Malfoy in the eyes and daring him to throw a fit.

Draco nearly growled, but instead he held on tight to his anger.

"Is that what you really want Severus?"

Severus nodded, never hesitating before adding, "You are bad for me. I hadn't realized that until Harry got his... whatever this is he is displaying. He showed me that being with you was something I resigned myself to. It was a chore to be with you, it is easy to be around Harry. I welcome his presence, and I despised yours. Do not get me wrong sex was brilliant, but it lacked something I hadn't though about missing."

"So that is it then? You will be with Harry?"

"Maybe, until he leaves. Maybe I will be with him for the rest of my life, though I doubt it will be 'me' he sees. He wants to go back to where he came from and I will help with that."

Even if I don't want him to leave, went unsaid.

"It is unclear whether we will be together romantically or not, but it is alright because it is enough to just be around him. Now, if you don't mind, I shall like to continue what I was doing. Have a nice life Malfoy."

Draco seethed. The anger he felt certainly lived up to his name. Severus turned his back to him, clearly dismissing him, and set about his business. In a blinding fit, Draco had his wand out and pointed at the older man.

"No one leaves me," he screeched and shouted, "Stupify!"

The spell connected to Severus' side, the man having half turned to see what the wretched blond was on about, and sent the man spiraling into oblivion. Later he wold curse himself for letting his guard down around a bloody Malfoy.

Draco grinned when Severus' unconscious body hit the floor. This had not been a part of the plan, but he didn't care. Blaise and Hermione were at his beck and call. With a satisfied smirk, Draco levitated Severus to him, and apperated. Being the lover of the Headmaster certainly did have its benefits and would work out wonderfully.

To be continued


Author's Note: One or two to go yet. Thank you all for being so patient. I appreciate it.