Fic Title: Pulling Him Up
Chapter Title: A Little Surprise (29 of ?)
Author: Firesword
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters belong to JK Rowling and so on. I just own the little bits of plot.
Rating: M (For Fluffiness, not so much on offensive language, and definitely for the bits of intimacy.)
Ff Author's Notes : Started working on chapter on Sunday, 19.07.09. 3.52pm. I had actually written this on foolscap on 22.11.06. I adopted a cat in '07 and she really, really likes to lie and scratch on writing pads. Several pages of this chapters had been turned to scraps, so I had to improvise. Chapter turned out different from what I had penned nearly three years ago.
Warnings: HP/DM/SS. Slash. OOC. A reminder to readers that this fic had started off before the release of Book 6, so it's post-OotP, and because I didn't have the heart to finish Book 7, most of this fic is ... fiction. Fluff without plot?
oOooOo
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: A LITTLE SURPRISE
oOooOo
It took them about a week to clear and clean the house, with Ravial helping out periodically during mealtimes. Harry managed to find out a little about the 'vampire' from the man himself, but not quite enough to satisfy his growing interest. Ravial was a striking, charming man with a likable personality, but Harry did not doubt that he had some, unknown inner shadows. There were times when Ravial's eyes held a pensive look when he thought no one was looking, even though he had a smile on his face. It sparked an almost unbearable curiosity and he was glad that he was not the only one who found it so.
It was on a late Sunday evening, that Draco confessed to them that he had been on the verge of asking Ravial questions that might be considered rude.
"You two..." Severus shook his head reprovingly.
"I can't help it!" Draco huffed and sat down beside Harry on the floor, absently grabbing the huge, white cushion before him. He started squeezing it.
"The man is an enigma, Severus," Harry said in an almost helpless tone. "Can't help but be curious."
"It's like an itch that won't go away," Draco muttered darkly in agreement.
Severus sighed.
"Come on, Severus, tell us something about him. You say he's a vampire ... but he is a bit ... strange." Harry finally decided on the word.
"Before you tell us, come here," Draco said then motioned to the older wizard. He patted at Harry's thigh, all the while staring at Severus seriously.
Harry suddenly blushed. He did not know if he was correct in his observation, but after being with Draco for the past several months, he noticed that Draco was slowly becoming very comfortable with physical contact. Now, most of the time, he would initiate. One half was worried that Draco might be doing this to get over the several incidents that had happened to him, and the other half was worried about what might happened to his sanity and control if Draco did not stop trailing his fingers back and forth across his thigh. Harry's smile was a little strained when Severus complied to Draco's request. It was hard meeting Severus' gaze as the man rested his head against Harry's left thigh while Draco feathered the other, at the same time cuddling close to Harry.
Severus shifted slightly until he was comfortable and clasped his hands over his stomach. "I do not claim that I know all about Ravial. He is a friend of the Headmaster, and we had met during the dark times, to exchange and pass along information, true and false. And as you have mentioned, Harry, he is a strange vampire. He feeds on the life force, not the life blood of a human."
"What?" Draco exclaimed in disbelief. "Doesn't that make him dangerous?"
Severus shrugged. "He feeds under strict control. Otherwise, he would have long been hunted and killed by the vampire elders."
"But how is that even possible?" Harry asked with a slight frown. "Is he some sort of ... experiment? Prototype?"
The older wizard shrugged again. "It is merely speculation on my part. I do know that his mother is a vampire, but his father is rumored to be one of the Sidhe. And please, do not broach this subject to him. He has not made any indication that he is or is not, of the lineage."
"The Sidhe?" Draco pursed his lips. "Sounds like a fairytale to me."
"Like I said, it is only speculation on my part."
"It's unnerving." Harry caressed Severus' dark hair thoughtfully. "You know, I caught him looking melancholy several times. Could be my imagination, but is he troubled about being 'damned'?"
"I have that feeling too," Draco said with a nod of his head.
It was surprising to see Severus looking suddenly worried. "He is an unusual vampire. One, he is still able to go out in daylight without the help of potions or magic. He does not have to keep himself from simply being nocturnal. Two, if he has the blood of the Fair Ones, his normal lifespan is prolonged, compared to the lifespan of a vampire. Three, he has yet to find a suitable, permanent partner ... to feed on. Wait, listen to my explanation before you go into hysterics."
Harry stopped himself from making comments and stared down curiously at Severus.
The older wizard continued. "He changes his partners regularly, for fear of absorbing too much of their life energy that it damages them. It is somewhat difficult ... if the person he chooses happens to be the 'all-sacrificing-take-it-all' type. Despite his rakish looks, his ... I suppose you may want to call it infidelity ... wearies him."
"If, one way or another, that he finds the ... correct mate, then what?"
"It depends. If he finds somewhat with the right 'resonance' in magic, it might help him gain mortality, and live a normal life with his mate so to speak. Merlin only knows it has been decades since I tried to find a remedy to that. I suppose finding someone with better, common sense will be an easier task."
"Strange," Draco murmured. "There are people who wants longevity yet he seeks to shorten it."
"He must be lonely," Harry observed. "I mean ... I think I understand how he feels, a little maybe."
"It does not help that he knows he is the first and the only one of his kind."
"Hmmmm."
The three fell into a comfortable silence. Severus closed his eyes. Harry continued to stroke his hair gently. Draco appeared content to simply nestle against Harry.
Then Draco broke the silence. "Severus, what are our plans for tomorrow?"
A black eye opened, and Severus' lips curved upward slightly. "I will think of something."
Draco's eyebrow shot up. "Well, if that is the case, how about we go to bed?"
"We might as well," Harry agreed. "It is quite late."
Draco rose to his feet and helped Severus up. Then they trooped up to the second floor and Harry being the last, extinguished the candles and torches illuminating the first floor. As they walked down the corridor, Harry absently reached for a small, square cushion that had been placed on an old but comfortable wicket chair, and carried that with him to their bedroom.
Severus' bedroom had been the first room to undergo major transformation. They had taken the false wall separating the master bedroom and the guest room, therefore expanding the space. A miniature library and a study area stood at one corner of the room, and much more empty space, save the queen-sized bed that took over a quarter of the room. Harry strolled in, and half-smiled as he watched Severus stretch his body a little on the bed. Then he cast Draco a curious look. Severus seemed to notice as well.
"What is it, Draco?" Severus asked when Draco seemed to hesitate.
Harry sat on the edge of the bed, absently taking hold of Severus' right foot while looking up at Draco, who was still standing by the bed. Why is he blushing? He wondered as Draco's cheeks slowly turned pink.
"Severus, Harry," Draco paused. He had an almost diffident look on his face but he shook his head a little, and then stared seriously at the two of them. "The two of you have been dancing about the issue."
Harry's mind turned blank.
"And what issue is that?"
Draco gave a long, heavy sigh. "Will you two stop treating me like newly-spun glass?"
Oh no. Thoughts whirled in Harry's mind. He's not talking about what I'm thinking right?
A look of frustration flickered on Draco's face and he clambered up the bed, kissing Harry quite passionately. Harry's mind went blank for the second time that night when Draco pulled away.
oOoooOo
It was hard for him to stop himself from shaking his head at his two, dark-haired lovers.
"I am not a naive young boy. I'm already of age. And I'm not a student anymore." Draco glared at Severus when he made a noise. "I love you both." He sighed again. "You do not intend on keeping our relationship strictly platonic, right?"
"But –"
"No buts." His pale gray eyes looked hard at Harry then and the wizard seemed to freeze in place. "And you, I know you want me." He saw the slight twitch of Harry's shoulders. Years of observation of the emerald-eyed individual told him that it was a sign that the other was feeling guilty. "Stop that." Annoyance tinged Draco's voice. "It's not wrong for you to feel that ... isn't that what the two of you had been trying to tell me all this time?" Then his manner turned pleading as he addressed Severus. "I know the difference between rape, sex and love-making. I understand that. So please, Severus."
Pale, slender fingers rose to caress Severus' left cheek. Draco felt the tension in them and saw the turmoil within the depths of dark, brown eyes. By feelings alone, he could tell that Severus' was dueling with morality at that point.
"I love you," he said softly. He raised himself up slightly and gave Severus several short kisses, then gave him a deep one when the older man started to relax. Giddy with happiness, he instinctively straddled over Severus' thighs but at the same time, he tried to curb his eagerness a little. Neither Severus nor Harry asked him questions, and he was fine with that.
As he was disrobed by gentle hands and kissed all over by tender lips, he noticed that the candles were slowly starting to dim, little by little. He pulled back slightly and blinked several times to shake off the dazed feeling he was experiencing. He turned away from Severus, this time to give his attention to Harry. Fortunately for him, Severus did not stop participating – his other lover continued to stroke his hair lovingly and trail kisses over his right shoulder. It was not his imagination, but the room was slowly plunging to darkness. He was slowly unbuttoning Harry's shirt when all of the lights vanished.
"Severus," he called in a slightly grumbling tone, "I can't see what I'm doing."
The hands on his waist tensed and the lips on his back stopped kissing.
"I know you are embarrassed, but can we have a bit of light?" He pleaded. Severus did not answer. He squeezed Severus' hand comfortingly. "I want to be ... aware of what's happening to me ... to us ... for our first time."
"But Ravial..."
"- is a vampire," Harry murmured. "If he has any sense, he won't disturb us. And why do you think he's coming here this late?"
Draco felt the air tingle around him and a candle popped over their heads. He saw Harry's eyes narrow slightly in concentration as he focused his will on the candle. Then Severus muttered something behind him and then the windows were shuttered and the heavy curtains screened those totally. Draco smiled upon seeing the look of mischief on Harry's face. Then he heard Severus clearly, calling him an impudent Slytherin and his other lover a Gryffindor devil. If it was possible, Harry's look of mischief intensified, and Draco felt himself responding in kind. He slowly turned back, to Severus, and at the same time, Harry with his half-unbuttoned shirt, leaned forward, trailing his fingers over Severus' pale chest. There was an unmistakable blush on Severus' face.
"We are yours, Severus," Draco said softly and watched as Severus' eyes closed upon meeting Harry's lips.
"And you are ours," Harry whispered across the older man's cheek.
oOoooOo
It was late, or perhaps, it was early in the hours of morning. He moved quietly in the darkness, merging and emerging from tree to tree. For some reason, Ravial was cheerful after giving the short letter to the Muggle-born witch. They had chatted for a bit and he had taken several spells from her in a rather good-natured manner, just so he could prove he was what he was and that he was someone that Severus Snape had sent. He had been standing on the front porch of the house belonging to the Grangers' with the young lady's parents watching him curiously, and Hermione reading the short letter that Severus had sent. Then Hermione Granger had given an almost ear-piercing squeal, run up to him, hugged him and pulled him for a short kiss. Ravial chuckled silently as he remembered her wide sunny smile, her eyes twinkling with mirth.
"Lord Ravial." It was a whisper, thin and frail, from within the body of an old yew.
"Yes, Thelva."
"Your father wishes to speak with you."
The cheerfulness within him vanished in an instant. He paused. "Very well. I will go to him, once I am done with my errand."
He sighed, then let himself out of the tree he was hiding in. Then he slowly walked toward the direction of Severus Snape's house. He stopped to see three dark figures converging on the house. One of them, he saw, had a wand raised. Ravial gently pressed his hand into a bark of the tree, and called forth the shadows guarding the woods. He sent one to inform Kingsley Shacklebolt, who would be ready to 'deport' the three into a jail for questioning.
Due to his strange heritage, he was able to measure the strength of the unknown wizards' powers and nearly sighed with relief to find them rather ... unsophisticated. Then, carefully selecting the toughest shadows, he set them to disarming the wizards. He heard their startled oaths as their wands were taken away by the shadows. One of them scrambled after it, but only to grab a handful of dirt as the wraith took it to the ground.
"Someone is out there!" One of them whispered urgently.
"Snape?"
"No! This is different!" One looked around wildly.
Ravial's hand flickered and a blast of dark energy struck the man who had spoken soundly in the chest. Two similar blasts followed, and the three fell to the ground simultaneously, all unconscious. Ravial sighed, shaking his head at them. His eyes darted over to the left and he felt movement from within the house. Although there were no lights to warn him, he could easily detect that it was the Potions Master. A few seconds later, the back door to the house opened with a soft creak. A black figure stopped at the threshold for several minutes before moving forward, to one of the unconscious men. The vampire followed suit, crossing the few feet of distance before joining Severus into examining the suspicious wizards.
"Ainslei." Severus jerked his chin at one wizard whose face was buried into the earth. He sighed. "Thank you."
"It is of no matter. I was on the way to see you." Ravial looked at him carefully – even in the pale moonlight, he noticed something different about the man standing beside him.
A short, sharp crack pierced the air and Kingsley Shacklebolt together with Nymphadora Tonks appeared almost simultaneously.
"So, which type of buggers are these?" Tonks questioned Severus and Ravial, her tone almost cheerful.
"The Dark Lord sympathizers most likely."
A faint look of distaste flickered over Tonks' face. "Ah ... that type." Then she continued. "Well, it's best if we remove them from the premises. Don't want Harry to go mad with worry," Tonks said matter-of-factly.
If Severus was surprised that Tonks knew about Harry's whereabouts, he did not show it.
"Well, shall we?" Shacklebolt looked at Tonks, who gave him a slight shrug. The Aurors bent over to grab hold of the arms of the unconscious wizards and they Disapparated within a minute, leaving Ravial and Severus standing alone.
Ravial turned back to the house and felt other presences coming toward the back door. "Seems like the racket have woken your lovers," he said softly to Severus. He glanced sideways at the wizard, noted the calm expression and the unmistakable scents of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. So ... they have gotten to that. He felt his lips curve upward, and it immediately stretched into a grin when Severus scowled at him. "They are good for you." Severus glared at him for another minute before a look of resignation replaced it. He patted the wizard's shoulder. "I know you know this, but do not go into peace-time mode yet. Some people are not taking the Dark Lord's permanent demise all too well, and as you have experienced at the White Raven, a new set of problems had presented itself to our wizarding world and the Muggle world."
"Severus? Ravial?" Harry called out and then he appeared through the doorway, his posture alert. "What just happened?" He had a frown on his face.
"It certainly looks like we have to set stronger wards around the house, Severus," said a lighter voice, and then Draco joined Harry.
"We will get to it in the morning," Severus said quietly.
"Get some rest you three. Severus, I am going to let the shadows roam and guard the house. I'll come to dismiss them in the evening."
"The wards will be up by then." Severus nodded.
"Well, I'll leave you now. Oh, Severus, I've done what you had asked before." Ravial waved at the three of them and approached the old yew tree again, this time to go to his father's.
oOoooOo
Severus walked back toward Harry and Draco, and noticed that they had turned pale quite suddenly. Puzzled, he turned to look at the direction that they were staring. He saw Ravial move toward a tree and disappeared completely into it.
"Did I just see him enter a tree?" Harry demanded. His state of disbelief pulled a chuckle from Severus.
"It is how he travels from a place to the other, when he is alone." He placed his hands on his lovers' shoulders and steered them back into the house.
"I thought ... never mind." Draco's eyebrows creased in thought.
Severus raised his and as they went back up the stairs, "You thought he was going to turn into a bat and fly off?"
Draco blushed and Severus shook his head at the Slytherin. He caught Harry's glance and raked his fingers through the messy strands of hair. "Three who had been nearly Initiated as Death Eaters. Ravial caught them and the Aurors have taken them away for questioning." He stopped, then pulled Harry's chin and kissed him on his forehead. He stared into the pair of emerald eyes while he stroked the side of Harry's face. "This is the aftermath of the war. It is not something that can go away in a matter of days. Do not worry too much about it."
"Hmmmm." Harry ran his fingers through his hair while his eyes checked the time displayed on the silent grandfather clock. It was nearly four in the morning.
Severus did not feel sleepy after all the excitement, so he was more or less content lying down by Harry's side and watching the two sleep. Draco had fallen asleep within minutes of getting into bed and Severus could hardly blame him. He half-smiled and felt the heat rise up to his face as he recalled what happened last night. He shook his head slightly and became aware that Harry was awake, although his eyes were closed.
"Are you not going to sleep?" Severus whispered in his ear and could feel that Harry was startled a little.
"Not feeling sleepy, Severus," Harry answered quietly.
Severus levered himself up slightly and felt Harry jump again when Severus kissed his sideburn. Harry grinned.
"I probably shouldn't mention this, but I like you this way better." He laughed softly when Severus swore but still gave him a kiss – a rather playful one – on the chin. "Yup." He grinned as his eyes met with Severus'. "You know, after just now, I'm more curious about Ravial than ever. First, he somehow made an attack on the unsuspected that is ... I suppose you will call it 'silent'. Then he orders the 'shadows' to guard. And then he disappears into a tree, as a mode of transportation. Somewhat uncharacteristic of a vampire."
Severus sighed in resignation. "You never let up, do you?" He mock-glared at Harry, although he doubted that Harry could see it clearly.
"Not if I can help it," Harry said almost impudently.
He looked at his lover in silence for several minutes.
"Severus? What are you thinking about?"
He could feel Harry's bewilderment when he raised his hand and cupped the side of his face. "You." His thumb traced the outline of Harry's cheekbone slowly. "You have never spoken about what had happened when the Dark Lord was finally vanquished. I worry about you, Harry." His lover was silent but responded to his touches by kissing his thumb and the wrist of his hand. "I worry. Your tendency to put our needs first and letting yours take a back seat worries me. Sometimes, I feel that you are forcing yourself to do things so that you do not have to think about what has happened." Severus could feel Harry wince slightly and the guilt was apparent on his face.
"I ... I cannot deny that," Harry said finally. "But whatever I am doing with the two of you is not something that I'm forcing myself to do," he said that with heat and conviction. "To tell you the truth, Severus, I expected attacks. Even if Voldemort is dead, I know that there are people out there who still believes in his cause. But ... Severus, I'm afraid." Then in a somewhat inaudible voice. "I'm afraid for you and Draco. I know I'm probably being selfish but if something were to happen ... then I..."
Severus pressed closer, hoping that the warmth would be of comfort to Harry. "There is no point worrying about things that will or will not happen in the future. We just have to take one step at a time, Harry. One step at a time."
"But..."
Harry fell silent as Severus continued to caress his face. There was no need of any light source as his eyes were already accustomed to the darkness. He stared down at Harry and let his fingers gentle brush the cheeks, eyes, chin, and then the lightning-bolt scar. "You had been marked," he murmured. "The fear has not left you, has it?"
"No, Severus," Harry answered quietly. "Despite the fact that I am a wizard, I have long realized that I am human too. The Weasleys, Hermione, Professor Dumbledore, Draco, you ... are family to me. I've never had this when I was a child before." Harry had closed his eyes and his expression was one of agony that it had made Severus kiss his forehead almost automatically. "I'm really afraid ... I'm not certain if I would still be able to smile and go on with life if I lose any of you."
"I am here, with you, Harry. So is Draco."
"Yes, you can count on that, Harry," Draco's voice suddenly joined them. He sounded sleepy but Severus felt that he, apparently, had been listening for quite some time. "And I remember telling you this a while back," Draco burrowed his face into Harry's chest so that his voice came out muffled, "don't keep things to yourself. We are your lovers now, so sharing responsibilities is natural."
"Uhmmm, Draco, that didn't really fit," Harry commented. Draco merely gave a non-committal response.
Severus chuckled lightly. "Draco is merely saying that your days of bearing the burden alone is over." He kissed Harry again and settled back. "Get some rest and we will face another day together."
"Corny."
"What was that, Draco?" Severus asked dangerously, feeling himself blush. He mentally kicked himself and asked the heavens again why he was in this situation.
Harry's frame quivered as he tried to control from bursting out into laughter. "I don't have issues with him ... being corny. When we're alone of course. Can you imagine him talking like this outside?" Fortunately, Draco's laughter was muffled by Harry's chest.
He knew that he should keep his lips shut, lest further cloying remarks made its way out. "Get some sleep," he grated. "We will be going out later."
"Oh? Really?"
"Where?"
"Enough! Sleep!"
-oOoooOo-
To be continued on Chapter Thirty
