Seventh
"Draco, how would you like to stay here for the rest of the summer?" Harry asked the blond at breakfast the next morning. The Malfoy heir had looked like he'd had a restless night, the skin under his eyes bruised from lack of sleep. Silver eyes widened at the offer, and a beaming smile graced the blond's pale face.
"I would love to, Harry," he gushed, before hesitating. "But, what about my father? I don't want to see anything happen to him while I'm safely hidden away here."
"Owl your father with the location of the Order of the Phoenix," Harry said, smirking. "That should make Voldemort happy enough."
"But…but I don't know the location of the Order of the Phoenix." Harry's smirk grew wider.
"I do." The brunet handed Draco a slip of paper, written in the headmaster's hand, with an address on it. "Dumbledore is the secret-keeper for the Order. He carelessly had some of those slips of parchment sitting on his desk when I went to talk to him about Riddle. I cast a confundus charm on him and stole one of the slips." Draco's grey eyes filled with pride as he realized that he'd had a secret that would gain his father an extended reprieve from the punishment. This might actually make up for that diary fiasco.
"Thank you, Harry. I'll go write the letter now. I'll have you look it over before I send it, so that it won't give away anything of great importance about my location."
"Excellent. Then you and I can discuss the types of information I will give to the Dark Lord, without bringing about suspicions that I'm playing both sides." When Draco looked confused, Harry elaborated. "The information I get from you and the others is for my benefit alone. It is information that I will use to avenge my parents and godparents. The information I give to the Dark Lord will keep Dumbledore from trying to control me. He will be too busy trying to ferret out the spy, as well as doing damage control to his side of things." They finished breakfast, chatting about this and that, until Draco excused himself to go write his father.
"Sebastian, I'd like you to assign a butler to see to Draco's needs while he is here," Harry told the demon. "I'm sure that there's someone suitable here."
"Indeed, young Master. I will assign Claude as his personal butler for the duration of his stay."
Draco's house elf had delivered the last of his things. The creature was ordered to never reveal the blond's location, thereby ensuring that Harry's Manor would never be found by anyone not invited. The blond was currently directing his own butler in how to hang his clothing. Harry stepped into Draco's bedroom just as he was barking out an order to the manservant. Harry scowled just as Draco had turned, and the blond flushed scarlet.
"Is that how you talk to your house elves?" the brunet asked sharply. Draco hung his head for a moment before he lifted it, anger sparking his eyes.
"Yes. As a matter of fact, it is. It is the way we Malfoys speak to all beneath our station." Harry's scowl grew, his anger bubbling.
"This is my home. You are here under my good graces. You will not treat my staff like the dirt beneath your boots. I expect you to treat them with the consideration and respect that you'd treat me. After all, they are an extension of me."
"But they're servants, Harry. They expect to be treated this way." Harry lost control of his magic, his anger so hot. Draco stepped back defensively, eyes wide as the brunet was engulfed in a dark wave of power. Sebastian placed his hand on the teen's shoulder, and the magic was drawn back in, Harry's anger once again under control.
"If I hear of you mistreating, abusing, or badmouthing any of my staff, you will be evicted from my Manor. This is not your father's home; this is not the Dark Lord's lair. This is a home where you can be safe and protected, but only if you treat everyone with courtesy and respect." Turning, Harry stormed from the room, not seeing the look of gratitude in Claude's eyes as his employer stood up for him. Draco looked at his feet, thinking about what Harry had just said. Turning, he looked Claude straight in the eye.
"I apologize for my boorish behavior, Claude," he said softly, regret in his eyes. "Harry was right. I shouldn't treat you the same way the Dark Lord treats my father." The blond stepped forward, hand extended. "Shall we start fresh?"
"Thank you, young Master, for standing up for Claude. He's a new demon, and my apprentice. I have him here for the time being so that he may learn to interact normally with humans before he can go out and secure contracts for himself." They were walking through the hallways, on the way to the brunet's study. Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise at the revelation.
"He won't harm Draco, will he? I won't have the staff injuring any of the guests."
"No, young Lord, he will not. He understands how things operate in this Manor."
"Excellent. Did Chester discover the spell that was cast on the gift the Dark Lord sent me?" Sebastian smiled and pulled out a small box.
"Yes he did. He was also able to disable it. He says it was a fairly powerful compulsion charm, with a lust factor woven in." Harry shuddered violently at the thought of being compelled to be intimate with someone.
"I wonder why he added the lust component?" Sebastian smiled at the naïveté of his master.
"You are a very lovely young man," the demon said softly, enjoying the blush that flared to life on Harry's face. The older man reached out a hand, feathering his fingertips across the teen's hot cheek and chuckling under his breath. "It is not hard to understand why someone would want to be with you." The butler opened the box and held it out to Harry.
Inside was what looked like an engagement ring. It was made of silver, with a blue diamond in the center, surrounded by emeralds. It was a very beautiful piece, but Harry shivered uncontrollably at the symbolism of the ring. "He can't possibly think I'd take him up on his offer. I'm fourteen, for Merlin's sake!" Sebastian guided his master into a drawing room, closing the door before coming to stand before Harry.
"Would that be the only reason you'd refuse a bonding with this Dark Lord? Because of your age?" Harry grimaced at the thought of bonding, then looked into copper eyes.
"Gods, no. The man is foul and foul-tempered. He's arrogant, with a god complex a mile wide. He would only see me as a trophy, a conquest he had made in his bid to rule the world. And besides, he's just not my type." Sebastian let himself smile with hidden relief.
"Very good, young Master. Now, I believe we have some errands to run. Do you wish to bring along your friend?"
"No, better not. I need to speak to the Weasleys for a bit and see if I can get any more information on Dumbledore or his movements. Then, I need to go to Gringotts and arrange things for after I pass away. I have a pretty good idea on how I want to distribute my wealth. I also need to get to the wizards library beneath the Centre for the Magic Arts museum in Euston, London, so I can look up the dark magic that Riddle used to split his soul. Finally, I need to look into some tutors to teach me to fight. I need to work on hand to hand skills because I'm sure that, at some point, I will be fighting without my wand."
"Excellent, sir. However, I believe I may be able to solve your problem regarding the fight training."
"Oh?"
"Yes, sir. I believe that I would make an adequate tutor for you. I am well-versed with several Japanese fighting styles, and I am quite wicked with sword and staff. I would be pleased to train you, if you'll permit me."
"Thank you, Sebastian," Harry answered, blushing and smiling. "I would be honored."
Draco sat on blanket spread beneath a nearby tree, watching with awe as Sebastian put Harry through his paces. In the five weeks he'd spent at Harry's Manor, he'd blossomed, growing out of the arrogant, self-centered git he'd been and into a fine gentleman. Claude had become enamored with the blond, and they spent many hours just talking about anything and everything. Harry and Draco had talked, and it was decided that Draco would spend his summers with Harry until the Dark Lord had been eliminated. It was only fitting, as Draco would receive the Manor and grounds, should the blond survive the coming war.
It was a fascinating and deadly ballet the youngest Malfoy watched now, Claude standing just behind him, as Harry and Sebastian thrust and parried each others' attacks. Harry was holding his own, being such a quick study, and the butler was hard-pressed to get a hit in. Finally, with a feint to the left that Harry fell for, the demon was able to put a substantial gash in Harry's shoulder. Hissing, the brunet dropped his blade, stepping back when he found the point of the demon's blade pressing into his Adam's apple.
"Parley," Harry murmured, furious at his failure. The demon dropped the point of his sword, placing it over the brunet's heart and pressing in lightly. Harry quickly backed up, stumbling over the uneven terrain and falling to the ground, huffing out a gasp as the air was knocked from him. Sebastian quickly followed, dropping the blade to the grass and crawling over the prostrate teen. They had fallen behind a large stand of shrubs, and were out of sight of the spectators for the moment. "S-Sebastian," Harry whimpered as the demon leant closer, his nose running alongside Harry's in a sweet caress.
"Do you wish me to stop, young Master?" the butler whispered seductively, copper eyes glinting red for a moment. Harry shook his head mutely, his nose rubbing against the man's cheek as Sebastian leaned closer to capture the teen's lips in a toe-curling kiss. Harry let out a muffled groan as his hands curled into the shoulders of the waistcoat the demon had stripped down to. The temperatures were mild and cool, but both men had been working up a sweat during training, and had taken off their outer jackets. The demon leaned in closer, deepening the kiss and relishing the small mewls and moans that Harry gave voice to.
Strong hands framed the teen's face, thumbs stroking along defined cheekbones as Sebastian ravished Harry's mouth. The kiss felt like it could go on forever, but finally, the demon pulled back, smiling at the disappointed groan coming from the boy beneath him. Standing, Sebastian held out a hand to Harry and helped him from the ground, gently brushing the dirt and debris from the teen's clothes. The demon's hand lingered for a moment on Harry's backside, making him blush furiously and squirm at the light contact. Taking his place at Harry's left shoulder after retrieving the dropped blades, the pair made their way to Draco's spot, to see Claude pulling away from the blushing blond. He snapped to attention when he caught movement from the corner of his eye, and he dropped his gaze to the ground, awaiting whatever censure he was sure he'd receive.
"Sebastian and I will speak with you about this later, Claude," Harry said softly. The butler nodded his head quickly before bending down to help Draco to his feet. The group trouped into the mansion, teens in front and butlers behind. They walked to their respective bedrooms, to freshen up for lunch, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Come in, Claude," Harry called as the butler tapped at the study door. Sebastian was in his usual place, at Harry's left, as the other butler stepped into the room and closed the door. He walked up to the desk, stopping in front of it and standing tensely at attention. "What are your intentions toward Draco?" the brunet asked bluntly.
"I'm quite taken with him," the apprentice demon answered slowly. "I would like to stay with him, if it is possible."
"You are a new demon," Sebastian said quietly, looking at his apprentice. "You are still learning the ways of demons. You do realize that, once you are released from your apprenticeship, you will have to consume souls to survive. It is the way we live."
"Yes, sir, I do understand that. However, I would still like to stay with Master Draco. I am sure that there is a way that I can do that and still follow my nature." Sebastian thought about it for a moment, recalling some of the ancient ways that had fallen into disuse over the centuries.
"You may bond with him, as a familiar to a wizard would," the elder demon finally said. "You would still serve him, as he would continue to be your master. This will afford you the ability to feed as you must, while still maintaining the closeness you seem to want with the human. I will get you the ancient rituals, so that you may study them. You must be very careful when performing the ritual; one mistake could cost you everything."
"I understand, and I thank you," Claude said, bowing his head.
"Now that we've worked out a suitable compromise, I need you to keep watch over Draco while at school as well. If you have an animal form that you can assume, that would be most helpful. Go to Draco now, and talk to him about it." Nodding, Claude left, and Harry rose, exiting the study as well. When he got to his bedroom, he sat on the bed, Sebastian instantly kneeling at his feet to undress him. "I've discovered the magic used to anchor the Dark Lord to the world." Copper eyes rose, interest in them.
"It is a dark spell that must be incanted at the moment the wizard commits a murder. It is the act of murder that splinters the soul, and the spell drives that shard into an object that has been enspelled itself. Once placed, the wizard becomes, for all intents and purposes, immortal. His physical body may perish, but the horcrux will continue to anchor him to the earthly plane, allowing him to craft another vessel to house whatever soul piece was released at the use of a horcrux."
"All we need to do is find all of these horcruxes and destroy them," Sebastian murmured, his fingers working on the fastenings of Harry's boots.
"Well, I believe that two have already been disposed of," Harry said thoughtfully. When the demon looked back up at Harry curiously, the brunet continued. "The first horcrux I've met personally, in the form of that diary. That was what the shade was; a piece of Voldemort's soul. I destroyed it with basilisk venom."
"A shame we cannot get a supply of that venom," Sebastian murmured, pulling the socks from Harry's feet and massaging the arches and insteps. The teen sighed contentedly as he started to relax.
"We don't need it," he said softly. "The link you'd destroyed through my curse scar? That was another horcrux. I had been carrying around a piece of that monster's soul since I was a baby." Harry shuddered dramatically at the thought. "You can destroy the horcruxes, using the same power as you did on me."