'He enjoys corrupting me,'' the teen replied with amusement. '' And he can also send me specific thoughts... pervy images mostly. He has quite the sense of humour.''
Sirius spluttered for a bit, seeming to choke on his own tongue, before he suddenly jumped to his feet, his face contorting in rage. ''Corrupting you? My innocent godson? You will not go back there Harry! I forbid you, I...'' He sat down again, breathing heavily, a strange expression on his face. He looked a bit lost and disturbed at the same time actually. Wary, Harry had gripped his wand tighter and sneakily pointed it at Sirius, just in case. ''I don't have any say about this do I?''
Harry blinked, not having expected that sentence. ''What?'' he asked, surprised.
Sirius sighed and carded a hand through his hair. ''You're too far into this already to back out, I know. And you seem to like being where you are. I'm not saying I like it but it's... your choice.'' He grimaced after the last words, while Harry smiled. ''I still can't fathom why you want to be around those people... Not even talking about war or goals, they have horrible personalities. Just look at Malfoy! Little snot...''
''Depends which one. I dislike Draco, but Lucius and Narcissa are alright.''
''Have you gone mad!'' Sirius complained, almost whining. ''Last time I tried pulling a prank on Lucius, he went running to a teacher instead of fighting back! No prank code, those people...''
Harry roared with laughter, relaxing again. ''Oh you, nothing will ever change you, will it?''
''Nah. If Azkaban couldn't do it, nothing will.'' Sirius grinned.
The both of them chuckled until a comfortable silence settled over the room. '' What sort of pervy images, actually? Sexy lizards and snakes?'' Sirius suddenly asked, sending Harry in a fit of laughter as well.
''Sirius!'' Harry exclaimed, throwing the nearest thing at the man, which happened to be a mouldy tennis ball with teeth marks in it…
''Sevvie!'' Sirius shouted happily, catching the dirty thing.
''Uhm, Sevvie?'' the teen asked, confused.
''It's Remus' old chewing toy... you know, in case he got the urge to bite something. We called it after our favourite Slytherin!''
''Of course you would...'' the other spoke, shaking his head.
''How is he anyways? The git is at your side, isn't he? Haven't seen him in a while. Dumbles has been avoiding the topic of Severus for the longest time now, and whenever we do see the headmaster, there is always more important stuff to talk about.''
''What, like forcing me back to the Order against my will by impersonating Voldemort and making him look bad in my eyes or crap like that?''
Sirius' eyes widened. ''You figured out that plan just from my information in what... two days?''
''Well, thank you for the warning, but we actually knew about it for a longer time… we got the details from somebody else right after the raid as well.''
''Oh, right, I see. Hey, how are you even allowed to tell me all this? I mean, if he's in your head, isn't he there right now as well?'' Sirius asked, suddenly horrified.
''Erhm, sort of. Well, he's busy, and he knows I wanted to talk to you in private so he's just checking on me now and then to see if you haven't petrified me and shipped me off to Dumbles.''
''What, doesn't want to lose his precious triumph card?'' Sirius sulked, lifting his head with a jerk as the room temperature seemed to drop below zero.
''I am not a triumph card.'' Harry hissed. ''Dumbledore might think of me like that, the rest of the Order might, but He will never.''
''Harry, I'm sorry, I... but how can you be sure? I don't want people using you, and you stand besides a man known for using and killing people. I won't convince you to go back to the order, it's clear that you don't want to, and I have to admit that Dumbledore's latest plans involving you have been dodgy at best. But is there no other way? Staying Neutral, out of this war? I can hide you until this is all over...''
''He offered me the same... I said no.''
'Sirius' hands, which he had been wringing nervously, stilled as he frowned, his head cocked slightly to the side. ''Who?''
''Voldemort. He didn't bring me to him to join him Sirius. I did that because I wanted to, after I got to know him, after he told me more about his plans. I was never forced to choose. He brought me with him after saving me from my family.''
''Saved you?'' the man whispered.
''He originally came to kill me, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.''
Sirius guffawed. ''Couldn't do it? Isn't that a tiny bit suspicious? After all this time, after all the people he murdered, he couldn't kill the one he saw as one of his worst enemies? Harry please, be rational. I've heard he can fire the Killing curse without aim. You know how much practise you would need for that? The Unforgivable curses, at least the worse two, are based on hatred and the will to hurt or kill. To cast it aimlessly and succeed... you'd have to be heartless, and certainly wouldn't just feel that you couldn't kill a specific person...''
''You forget I can read his mind. That includes seeing and feeling his memories. I felt what he felt at that moment, and he's nowhere near as heartless as you think he is. I won't call him a good man, because he's not, but he is a man with the potential to be good when he wants to. He has feelings, more powerful than you could imagine, so intense...'' Harry broke up, coughing awkwardly and looking away, hoping he hadn't been a tad too enthusiastic. He recalled the love and lust he'd felt flow freely through the link at times, and had to cross his legs to hide his growing bulge, once again glad for Wizarding robes.
''You seem to be very... close.''
''Yeah well, sharing a mind does that to you.''
''Harry? I am... willing to give you a chance. But I really need for you to block that link. Is that possible? Just to explain you the plan, and after if you decide to go along with it.''
''It is possible, yes,'' Harry answered, feeling a bit uneasy. ''I don't like doing it though...''
''Please.''
Biting his lip and leaning back, Harry thought about it. He searched contact with Marvolo, who reassured him that, if the link would be closed for too long, Marvolo would force it back open. Still not completely comfortable, he reluctantly sealed the link shut from his side, while he felt Marvolo doing the same. It was odd, while they had closed the connection before, there was always at least a tiny hole in it, which told him if Marvolo was at least safe. It felt really empty, to be completely cut off, and it took him some time to recover. Finally, he looked at Sirius and nodded. '' It's done.''
''Right,'' the man began, clapping his hands together. ''Here is the plan. You still have your invisibility cloak I presume?''
''Yes...?''
''Can you get it without anyone noticing?''
Harry thought about it for a moment. He had given it to Marvolo some time ago to study it, but both of them had been so busy that it had been pushed down on the list of priorities. It was most likely still in one of the laboratories, where he had last seen it. ''Flos'' he called out, summoning an elf. It was not one of his favourites, but Tabby was always at Marvolo's beck and call, and as Sirius seemed to want to be discreet, he couldn't risk the elf suddenly disappearing when in Marvolo's view. He ignored Sirius' surprised look as the elf appeared. ''Bring me my invisibility cloak. It is either in laboratory three or two. If you can't find it there, keep looking, but don't ask for help from anyone.'' As the elf went away to fulfill his request, Harry leaned back on the couch, his hands behind his head. ''So, rest of your plan?''
''I will hide under your cloak as you go back to Him. I will stay there for a full day and judge for myself. You're bound to interact with him at some point, yes?''
''Well yeah, but he's bound to be suspicious if I keep the link closed for a whole day.''
''Even so, it's the best plan I got that could convince me. He may be wary, but you seem to have enough... power or trust or whatever it is, to make him believe you if you tell him to let it slip?'' Sirius half-stated, half-asked.''
Harry sighed, not liking to deceive Marvolo, but if it was the only way to show Sirius that the man was really human, then it would be good to go through with it... ''So you're going to just hang around for day, invisible, and stalk me... basically?''
Sirius grinned. ''Basically. Don't you worry though, if you disappear off with a girl in a broom closet, I'll be the last to enter,'' he winked.
The elf appeared with the cloak, sparing Harry an answer, and the teen held it in front of his godfather. ''Right then. Large enough for you, or do you need to turn into a dog?''
''Can't think as well when I'm in my Animagus form. One thing though, how will I get past that manor's wards?''
''It's actually not as well-protected as the Malfoy's house, as new recruits constantly have to go to it. We can't apparate directly in there or anything, and the house-elves are forbidden from helping people get through the wards, but I have a portkey to right before the gates, and as I can enter them, you can slip in while I am walking through as well.''
''That's not exactly well-protected...'' Sirius said, surprised.
''Oh, it is. Unless you somehow tag along with Death Eaters or have a Portkey to it... The manor can't be found on maps and isn't even visible when standing in front of the gates. You can't apparate in, and the floo network is only connected to several specific fireplaces. It's a separate one from the Ministry. And also, if you do manage to get inside... it is hard to not get discovered. First of all, there are the elves, who can see through most magical disguises, and then there's Voldemort himself. Don't worry though, the invisibility cloak is... special. No-one will be able to sense you underneath that."
Sirius looked like he was going to fire another stream of questions, but Harry interrupted the man before he even started by throwing the cloak over Sirius' head. "Good old times!" he heard and excited voice from in front of him, and Harry grinned, wondering how it must feel to his godfather to sneak around under this cloak again.
"Also, while you're not visible anymore, he does have an increased sense of hearing and smell…"
"Ah, thank you for telling me. Don't worry about it, I haven't been through Auror training for nothing… there are both spells and tricks for that. He won't notice I'm there, I can assure you."
"Well then… shall we go?" Harry didn't want to wait a moment longer. He knew how hesitant Marvolo had been to close down the link, so he wanted to return as soon as possible to show that he was alright. He wondered how Sirius thought that this was going to work… Marvolo would most likely be extremely suspicious. Harry knew that the man had no way to suspect that Sirius was hanging around because the invisibility cloak was possibly the only disguise that he could not see through, and Harry hadn't used it in ages, but he would not be able to provide any good reason to keep the link still sealed shut, and Harry doubted that Marvolo would just let it slip for a full day. He would just have to throw it on trust and hope that the man would be satisfied with that explanation for the time being.
A second problem was that, should Marvolo really act like usual around Harry, there was no way to keep their relationship a secret to Sirius, something Harry has wanted to avoid after seeing the disastrous reaction during summer. On the other hand, they did have a solid relationship for months now, and Sirius already knew what side he was on and that he was close to the man. Still, he didn't know how his godfather would take the news, or in how far Sirius would think it distorted his image of Marvolo's personality. Well... he supposed he was about to find out.
XxX
It had already been quite some time that the link had been completely shut, and while usually, a closed link meant that he was able to concentrate better due to the lack of confusing emotions and stray thoughts flowing to his mind, he was hyper-aware of the complete and utter silence now. There was not even the slightest hint of Harry's presence and it made him feel anxious, which in turn made him realise how much he had started to depend on their mind-link. In the beginning, he had thought of it as a useful tool, but it had become a necessity in their lives. He snapped at the people in the room, not even aware of what exactly they had been telling him, and they ran out of it, followed by a burst of magic that he released out of sheer irritation and worry about Harry. He gripped the leather arm rests tightly with his fingers, nails digging into the dark green fabric, nearly piercing it. He concentrated on his magic, hoping to at least feel his lover through that, but to no avail. Getting up, he paced back and forth in front of his desk, hands clasped behind his back and his robes billowing ominously behind him.
Suddenly, he felt something and halted mid-step before readjusting his position, his torso leaning slightly forwards. He let his eyes fall close and his body relaxed as he felt the familiar magic near, having appeared just outside of the gates, judging by the distance. Indeed, a few seconds after, the wards shifted to let someone in, and Marvolo finally returned to his seat again before remembering that he couldn't let Harry know where he currently was. Annoyed, he got up once again to search his fiancé out and demand to know what had happened and why the bloody link was still not opened yet.
He arrived on the top of the stairs the moment a soaked Harry came through the main doors, and he watched the teen, leaning on the balustrade, waiting for the other to notice him. When Harry did, Marvolo tried to read Harry's expression and stance as he started descending the staircase, but they were only a meek alternative for reading his thoughts. Tense, he stopped at the end of the stairs, waiting for the other to come closer, and he accepted the hand that slipped into his own and squeezed it.
"Harry…" he hesitantly said. "Are you alright? Why is it still closed?" If he hadn't been able to identify the teen by his magic, he might think that it wasn't the same person, as strange as he was acting… What did his godfather tell him? He narrowed his eyes, scanning the hall, but there was not a single distortion in the web of magic anywhere, and no additional energies that would indicate the presence of another person. It could, of course, be hidden by magic, but until now he had not seen a single disguise he hadn't discovered since he had made his last Horcrux.
The teenager smiled weakly. "Just trust me, okay? It's only for a day, and I can't tell you why, not yet. But I need this…" he finished the last sentence in a whisper.
"Harry…" Marvolo sighed again, not quite knowing what to make of it. It was clear that the teen was alone, but the link had been closed after the mutt had asked for it, so he somehow still held some influence, and Marvolo hated not knowing what Harry was hiding from him and why.
"Just try to forget it somehow… I'll explain it all later. Tomorrow evening, most likely."
"Very well," he finally agreed, though still worried, hoping that he could trust Harry's judgment. "You'd better have a good reason. It feels horrible," he muttered, and Harry unconsciously grimaced, mirroring his feelings. "I'll let it slip… for now. However, your deadline for explanation is tomorrow afternoon 4 o'clock and not a second later." Harry sighed but nodded mutely, tugging at his hand as he started to climb the stairs.
"So, what have you done today?"
"Paperwork mostly," he answered, huffing. "Incredibly boring, but it sadly has to be done. I'm filing the reports in a better order. I inspected the work of the administers working for me and they made it a total chaos so I fired them and am trying to dig through the mess."
"Fired…" Harry said with a doubting look.
Amused, Marvolo looked at the teen. "Yes, fired, not killed. Their memory leaves room for some improvement at the moment though."
"Can I help you? I don't really have a whole lot to do anymore."
"If you want to. Dinner won't be served till six and I had planned to work on it until then and maybe an hour or two after. Luckily it's only work from a few months… I hired them in October." He opened the door of the study for Harry, letting him go in first and following after, leaving the door ajar so he would be able to hear any potential disturbance in the manor. He suddenly grasped Harry's shoulders though, and turned the confused teen around slowly, adoring how Harry's head cocked slightly to one side.
"What?" Harry asked, only to give a near-silent 'oh' and a smile as Marvolo wrapped his arms around the younger wizard, rubbing his fingertips over the teen's shoulders and neck, hearing the other sigh softly in content. The head leaned heavy against his chest as Harry melted into the embrace.
"Also, I didn't ask you yet… how did your therapy go? I didn't follow all of the conversation."
"Good. She figures drawing might help… I'll just give it a go, I guess."
"Hmm, art therapy. A good choice. I'm glad she knows what she's doing. And the talk with Sirius?"
"Can we maybe talk about that one later?" Harry hesitated. "I'm not quite sure yet… it seems things are going in a positive direction, but he might have a completely different opinion next time I speak to him… So, to get my mind off of things: paperwork. What can I do exactly?"
"You sound so enthusiastic about it." Marvolo drawled, glaring at the hated reports.
Harry laughed. "Well, it's something to keep my mind off of things."
"These are all the reports my followers submitted in the past months. But while they were in a somewhat chronological order, they had not been filed per person or topic. I'm trying to sort that out now, also to see exactly who is currently doing what, and how fast they are making progress."
"But even though that's only of months… you have hundreds of people working under you!" Harry said, horrified."
"Exactly. Why do you think I am not looking forward to it?"
Harry groaned.
XxX
It was hard for him, to see his godson interact with the one man he despised and feared most of all. Sirius tried to make sure to keep just within hearing range, but to not come to close. He had heard rumours of that Voldemort could see the air itself through his magical enhanced abilities and while the invisibility cloak masked everything under it, he was still solid and would thus push the air away when walking. Thankfully there was a bit of a draught, and he made sure to move with the gust of air. The soles of his boots were already spelled silent, and he had even masked his smell completely and had cast a Silencio on himself so even his breath wouldn't make any noise, but he was still anxious. It seemed to him as if he would get caught at every moment, and it was distracting him from his actual purpose. He heard the two of them chatting quietly and went a bit closer, wrinkling his nose in distaste as he saw Harry grab Voldemort's hand. If the gesture didn't seem so familiar he would have been frightened for the teen's life.
He was still mulling over everything Harry had told him, and he had to –reluctantly- admit that his godson had a few points... Especially concerning Dumbledore. There was absolutely no way that Sirius would help the headmaster in any of his plans to force harry back to the Order. Of course, that didn't mean that he liked Harry hanging out with a bunch of murderers either… Why couldn't there just be a happy alternative like getting a Muggle rocky boat or whatever they were called and flying to another planet with it…
He heard the conversation turn to casual as they started to ascend the grand staircase and Sirius was quick to follow, glad that Harry had been able to convince Voldemort to leave the topic of the mind link rest for now. Tomorrow at four would be late enough. He doubted he'd need more than a few hours to analyse Voldemort's behaviour to be honest. He blessed his luck when they entered a room and left the door open instead of shutting it, as he had been too far away to be able to slip in after Harry. And even if he'd stood that close, he might not have been able to avoid bumping into the Dark Lord… He shuddered at the thought, wondering how Harry had been able to hold the man's spindly fingers in his own hand.
It surprised him yet again how much Voldemort appeared to have changed. When they'd attacked Malfoy Manor at the Yule Ball, only a few days ago, he had looked… more human. But Friday evening he seemed to have undergone a change, and it was more obvious now in the light of the room. The eyes no longer held any white, and the face looked even more angular than he previously been the case. He nearly doubled over when Voldemort opened his mouth to speak and Sirius caught sight of something black in it.
Another unpleasant surprise came when he saw Voldemort stopping Harry and… embracing him seconds after. His godson didn't even seem shocked, and Sirius moved to a corner, heart thudding and hands trembling as a lot of Harry's words and the avoidance of the topic of girls suddenly made sense to him. He felt a lot for running up to the two of them and pulling Harry away, but again, he had to admit that he had absolutely no right. While not yet an adult, he knew that Harry was far more mature for his age and was able to make his own choices… His previous chats to the teen had proven that, as well as everything the teen had been put through and survived. Sirius had to admit to himself that he had been unreasonable and outright denigrating towards his godson before, and he felt shame rise in him.
Still, it didn't mean that he liked what he was seeing as Harry returned the hug, pressing his face into Voldemort's narrow chest. Sirius was grateful when they pulled away, and the Auror in him rose to the surface as their conversation switched to business. He pushed his personal feelings away for now, concentrating on what they were saying, surprised about how much Harry was revealing about the Dark organization… Had his godson already forgotten that he was here?
As it didn't look like the others were going anywhere for the coming hours, he carefully sat down on the floor in a more comfortable position, legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees. The cloak was annoying and made his face itch whenever it lightly touched his skin, but he could deal for now.
Harry cracked his back when finishing another stack of papers. They were thankfully going fast, certainly faster than he expected, and it surprised him that they had both been able to work so seriously while being so close. Usually it ended up in sex, but as neither of them could give the other the hints through the link that would normally start it, they kept silent. Then there was also, of course, the fact that Marvolo had to feel as if Harry was hiding something big, and Harry who knew Sirius was most likely in the room with them. Of course, he could not be sure… for all he knew, the man had walked out fuming and disapparated as soon as he had returned Marvolo's hug. Harry had a perverse curiousity though about taking his chances and see how far he could go before Sirius would appear with his white-hot anger. Well, he certainly wouldn't sleep in another room than his usual just because his invisible godfather was stalking him. The uncertainty over whether Sirius was still here or not was killing him though, and he nervously sprang to his feet.
"Need to go to the loo." he muttered in answer to Marvolo's raised eyebrow.
he hurried out of the room, but slowed his pace incredibly when actually out of sight, leisurely walking to the nearest bathroom, which happened to be the one adjoining their bedroom. He opened the door, but didn't enter it and instead turned around, whispering: "Sirius... you there?"
"Yes," came the muffled reply from a few yards away from him, and Harry jumped and his eyes flicked to the door.
"Can you close that?" he said, still whispering, after which the door seemingly closed on its own. "Don't throw off the cloak." he said, "and keep your voice low, I don't want him knowing you're here yet."
"Harry…" he heard Sirius' hesitant voice, now considerably closer to him. "Are you and he involved? I know you said you were close because of the mental link, but you never specified in what way…"
Having expected the question, but having forgotten how bold his godfather could be, he swallowed, searching for an answer before settling with the truth. "Yes, we are… involved. We've been together for a couple of months now. But I do want you to know that it has not clouded my judgment or anything like that towards anything he does."
Sirius was silent for a long time, so long Harry thought he might have moved away, but finally, he got a reply, in the form of a deep sigh, followed by: "Are you sure this is what you want? And are you absolutely certain that he did not use magic to make you feel anything for him? I won't lie, I'm a bit disgusted when I think of him with anyone, least of all you, a boy… what, thrice as young as he is? More?"
"Age never seemed to matter," Harry muttered, looking away, feeling uncomfortable by the judging tone. "And yes, I am absolutely sure Sirius. Again, I feel like I need to point out to you that I can feel everything he feels."
"Well…" he heard his godfather say, still a bit uncertain. "I suppose I have my answer about getting you to stay neutral then… and I also understand now why you went back to fighting before instead of running as I told you to. Do his minions know?"
"His 'minions' are aware yes," Harry replied, a bit amused. "Well most of them anyways. Today I found out that Narcissa apparently didn't know yet. And there are bound to be some others, but in general, it's known. He doesn't exactly hide me away like a dirty secret, if you were afraid of that."
He heard Sirius sigh. "I am relieved to hear that. I would hate for you to be treated any less than you deserve."
"You didn't come here just to judge my current life though. What do you think of him? What do you think of the organisation, or what you've heard of it so far?"
"He's far more... human than I thought. Not mad in the slightest, he seems very stable. And when I hear what his followers are all working on right now… You didn't say much, but you spoke of treaties with other creatures, meetings with Muggles, I heard several laws that his followers implemented, and while it was in an underhand way, I agreed with all of them. I was... wrong. It appears that bloodshed like last Friday is only being resorted to because the Light forced you to fight, not for pleasure."
"Well… I'm sure there are some death eaters who enjoy the violence… We aren't all angels all of a sudden. There are still many here who thrived on the last war as well, but Marvolo manages to keep them in line and they haven't overstepped any boundaries and gone on killing sprees as far as we know."
"Which means that they haven't." A silky voice sounded, and Harry turned to the door abruptly, seeing Marvolo lean against the door post. "Also, if you hadn't wanted me to know you should have kept a lower voice."
"We were already whispering!" Harry threw in.
"Then whisper more quietly."
"How much did you hear?"
"Everything." Harry sighed, and Sirius appeared, shrugging the cloak off. "And I'm disappointed that you would go through such an elaborate scheme without notifying me," the man continued, making Harry shrink back a bit, but suddenly, Sirius stepped in front of him.
"Don't you dare take it out on Harry. It was my idea and solely my responsibility because I wouldn't believe him without seeing evidence." his godfather spoke, gripping his wand, although he kept it pointed at the floor rather than Marvolo's face. The man looked very much like the Dark Lord he was at the moment, and even without the link open Harry could see the irritation and anger shimmering in his eyes.
"Well, I'm glad you saw reason," the man sneered. "Would you care for an official tour of the house now? Or would you rather immediately be shown to the lowest floor, in the dungeons, so you can chat up to the bunch of Weasleys I have there?"
"Weasleys?" Sirius whispered, growing pale. "You locked up kids?"
"Don't be stupid, their children are my followers." Marvolo said. "I kept their parents alive for them because apparently killing ones parents isn't something normal people do."
"Marvolo, calm down," Harry said, suddenly fed up with it. "Yes, I snuck Sirius into our house, well deal with it, it's my house too and he's my godfather and excuse me if I want to try everything to keep him alive."
~It's not about that!~ Marvolo hissed, furious. ~The point is that you apparently didn't trust me with that information!~
~How could I ever have gotten you to act like you normally do? It would have defeated all purpose if you knew he'd was here! I'm... I'm sorry for not telling you, but I could never have gotten him to trust me if he even so much as thought that I gave you a warning…~
Marvolo exhaled his breath and rubbed his hand over his face, looking very weary all of a sudden. ~It could have been a trap… for all you know he could have used you to enter this house and then turned against you.~
Harry gaped at the man. ~That's what this is about? You were... worried?~
~Of course I was worried! How could I not be? You suddenly close the link, leaving me with no way to know if you are alright, and an enemy gains your trust, enough for you to let him enter our house, which doubles as the headquarters for the Dark? And you didn't… you didn't even entrust me with your safety.~
"Marvolo…" Harry spoke, switching back to English again. "Oh Marvolo." He approached the man, who had half turned away, and Harry tenderly embraced him, wincing when trembling arms grabbed him tightly, crushing him against the narrow, bony chest. ~I could have lost you.~ the man whispered, his anger draining, only soft hisses slipping sensually past his lips instead of the angry, spitted hissing from previously.
"But you haven't." the teen replied.
Please open the link again, it's driving me mad." Marvolo rasped, and Harry nodded against the chest, closing his eyes and concentrating on the link, letting all defenses fall. Unconsciously, they simultaneously let out a relieved sigh when familiar feelings, magic and thoughts were shared again instantly, and it was now that Marvolo's worry for him hit him even harder, making him squeeze the other tightly. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, while he felt Marvolo go through his memories of past hours.
"It's alright." the man replied after a few moments. ~I'm just glad that you're okay.~
XxX
Sirius didn't exactly know what to think of the happenings of past hours. Half of the conversation had been in the strange, hissed language he couldn't understand –and it had been quite a shock to him to find out that Harry could speak Parseltongue. He hadn't been aware of it before- and Voldemort seemed to go through different moods faster than a Firebolt at top speed. They were now seated in a small but comfortable living room which held little besides a table, several couches and a wardrobe with some drawers and a number of globes on top of it. Voldemort was staring at a spot on the wall that, to Sirius, didn't hold anymore attraction that any other random spot on it, fingers pressed together under his chin. Harry was pressed to the man's side, a hand placed on a black-clad knee. It didn't even seem intentional. His godson's hand had just automatically shifted to the spot as they'd sat down. It was still a mind-boggling concept to Sirius, but the relationship between the two in front of him seemed to have worked till now.
Well, just leave it to James' son to bring a Dark Lord to his knees…
Ugh no not in that context bad Padfoot, bad images.
Amazingly enough, he had gotten a tour of the house, although they had not visited the dungeons. –Thankfully, because he didn't think he could currently face Molly and Arthur, or any other member of the order.- All of it still hadn't convinced him to join the Dark though, but he had finally figured out that Albus Dumbledore was a manipulative liar, and he certainly wouldn't be working for the Order anymore.
It was very late in the evening now, and Sirius didn't think things could get anymore absurd, until the Dark Lord personally offered him tea. He nodded mutely, mainly out of shock, wondering about how such a sentence could be said in such a threatening, cold tone. He took the cup the house-elf that appeared handed him, only realizing after he'd already placed the cup against his lips that he's forgotten to out his usual load of sugar in it. Sighing inwardly and desperately trying to not look like a fool, he hid his grimace and downed the liquid.
He'd been very surprised about how the day had progressed. Aside from the occasional threat to string him up in a dungeon, Voldemort had been relatively peaceful, or at least as peaceful as one could expect from a man like this. He hadn't been done anything to, and all his limbs were still intact and correctly placed. In fact, he'd gotten the idea that even the aforementioned threat had merely been an ill attempt at humour than thoughts the Dark Lord planned to put into practise.
One thing had been bothering him throughout the day however, and he was currently mustering up the courage to ask for clarification. Both Harry and Voldemort had freely spoken about on-going Death Eater business as if Sirius hadn't been in the room, discussing the reports they had sorted earlier, with Harry asking detailed questions to receive information someone in the Order would have hung themselves for.
He'd been able to confirm that the Dark had contacts with the goblins after all, a feat that Dumbledore had only recently established with the Order, and it wasn't exactly a bond of trust yet. The Dark was not trying to get the creatures actively over to their side though, which might have helped in conducting business with them. He'd also heard reports of Death Eaters he thought long dead, but who appeared to be alive still as if the laws of life and death didn't apply to anyone in Voldemort's good graces. And rather than hushing Harry's requests, Voldemort had explained everything in as much detail as Harry felt was required, completely seeming to disregard Sirius as a threat.
The Auror in him was offended. He'd told them he had no desire to work for the Order anymore, but that didn't mean he was joining the Dark instantly. No matter what he had seen today, he still didn't agree with everything, and he certainly didn't think all the crimes Voldemort and his followers committed should be excused just because they had a better goal now. It didn't bring back the dead and didn't do anything to make up for the grief they had caused before. People could change, yes, but that didn't mean that their past actions could be disregarded only because they didn't do the same thing anymore… or not to such an extent, rather. There were still dungeons, there were still raids and tortured prisoners…
And to Sirius, a goal, any goal, could never justify such cruel means. Today had mainly made him aware that Dumbledore was a lot more manipulative and bad than he had thought. It had not changed his opinion of the Dark very much. It only left him with the dilemma of that there were now two sides he didn't agree with rather than one. Or three, really, if you considered the Ministry a side.
Also, he wasn't only an active threat, but also a passive one. Even if he would choose to keep all this information to himself, that didn't mean that it couldn't be pulled out of him. If Dumbledore were to ever perform Legilimency on him, the headmaster would easily obtain valuable information, as Sirius had never been a star Occlumens. Unless the Dark Lord planned to erase and replace his memories, it was incredibly risky to discuss all these topics with him around.
He was just about to speak up about it when the conversation shifted to Goblins yet again, and his curiousity won it by far from his rational mind. It still bugged him that they discussed it so openly, but it was far too interesting to not listen in on.
"…didn't have much plans for the Goblins before, and thus kind of let him loose in establishing contacts with them and conducting business. I hadn't forgotten all about him of course, but I should have sent Travers to Granger the moment I heard she had plans with those creatures."
"Hermione? What does she have to do with anything?"
"Didn't I mention it? Hmm, I must have been busy, my apologies dear. I have only known for a few days either though."
"You don't have to excuse yourself, I know how busy you've been." Harry answered smiling. "It's annoying that the link had been closed for such a long time though, otherwise I would long have picked something up about it. It doesn't matter. But what does she have to do with Goblins?"
"Apparently she and a certain reporter, Skeeter, are working together somehow."
"Skeeter?" Harry exclaimed in disbelief, and Sirius frowned too, wondering why the hell Hermione would be working together with that foul hag. "Hermione hates Rita! Last year not a single positive word left her mouth about that... that bitch!"
"Somehow I got the idea that Skeeter didn't have much say in their current... arrangement. Did you read the latest issue of the Quibbler? Skeeter made a rather dramatic comeback… and not in the Prophet like expected."
"How do you know her anyways? She couldn't have been a reporter before your first death…"
Voldemort gave Harry an amused look, and even Sirius had to hide a smile behind his hand. "Actually, she's older than you think… A lot older. But even so, the first war wasn't that long ago…"
"No way!" Harry laughed. "Ohh, I'll never let her live that down when I next see her!" He suddenly pulled a face. "Ew, now the whole broom closet business seems even more disturbing than it did before."
"Broom closet?" both men asked sharply, glaring at each other after.
"During one of the interviews for the Triwizard Tournament she apparently thought a small broom closet to be the perfect place for a private interview…" Harry shuddered. "She was rather suggestive too."
"And dead." Voldemort growled. "Very dead. Back to the topic at hand though. Granger seems to have gotten the idea in her head that my return alone wasn't enough to shake the world awake. She's planning on bringing up the issue of goblins possessing wands yet again."
"Did you ever voice your opinion on that towards her then? Or the other way around?"
"I may have looked into her mind. She has good, yet slightly delusional ideals on the matter. But if the strives for utopia, she at least has an extreme starting position, so if it comes to negotiating she won't end up too low. I do wonder why she instantly assumed I would have the same opinion as she did on it, but at least she asked for permission first… And I do know that both Granger and Skeeter will do their utmost best on this. Skeeter is adamant to move onto bigger fish, but I will only give them the information they are preying on if they can show me good results on this."
"Hmm, it would indeed be a good idea to send Travers to visit Hermione then, sooner rather than later. As far as I know, all the information she holds on Goblins comes from books. Light books from the Hogwarts library, no less."
"I shall summon Travers tomorrow." Voldemort answered, his brow creasing slightly.
"Could you summon Yaxley as well? He's infiltrated in Law Enforcement, and there were several things I wanted to ask him, if he has time. We have received zero information on laws and politics at Hogwarts, leaving me completely clueless on these areas. I've heard snippets of laws, mainly only after I accidentally broke them or from you when you think they need to be changed, but I hardly know the law book by heart. Lucius is already teaching me politics, but his lessons are more a guide on how to be a Slytherin than a law course. All the etiquette and how the Wizarding government works is useful and interesting as well, but his lessons hardly leave time for anything else."
"I'll try to see if Avery is free… If not, Rowle also works in the Law Department." Harry nodded and a silence fell over the room, one which only Sirius seemed to find uncomfortable beyond words. He cleared his throat awkwardly, and the others focused on him instantly. "Something you have to add, Black?" the Dark Lord menacingly asked.
"Ask, actually… Isn't it extremely dangerous for you to relay all this information while I am here…? When I leave, Dumbledore will surely want to talk to me and know why I snuck out from under his watch…"
"When you leave…?" Voldemort asked on a tone that made clear how ridiculous he thought those words to be. "You really thought I would let you leave? From the moment I discovered you were here, I contacted my men and ordered them to spread the word of the demise of Sirius Black…"
"What?" Sirius exclaimed, jumping up. "You plan to kill me after all then?" He pulled his wand, pointing it in between Voldemort's glaring eyes. His gaze shifted to the doors, instantly calculating the time it would cost him to reach him, both in his Animagus form and in his normal form.
"I wasn't planning to but if you keep your wand pointed at me I may very well change my mind." The man snarled. "Put. That. Down." Sirius hesitated for a second before lowering his wand slightly. "Good dog." Voldemort sneered. "To explain, as apparently your walnut brain can't follow my reasoning: You are now declared officially dead, which means the Order that you don't want to join anymore will not think much of it when you don't return and will not hunt you down when they notice you have changed your mind about them. I guaranteed your safety, you fool."
Sirius gaped at the man. "But... but why?" he sputtered. "I'm your enemy! You don't even like me!"
"But I do." Harry butted in. "You're my godfather… I can't just throw you back in Dumbledore's clutches anymore."
"You knew of this then?"
"Not when it happened, but shortly after, yes, when we restored the mind-link. And if you don't want to be around us, this manor is basically a maze and has wings that are never used, even though the house-elves keep them clean."
"No matter how big the prison, it's still a prison." Sirius replied bitterly.
"Where would you go then? You were also practically a prisoner when you were in the Order, and the Ministry still thinks you're a criminal. This place is a lot more comfortable than your old house for sure… and a lot safer too."
"Wasn't even at my old house anymore anyways since the raid… you wrecked it, remember? I was at another headquarters, though I must admit it wasn't very much larger or more comfortable."
"Well then…"
"That still doesn't mean you have the right to keep me here without my consent."
"It's either that, or this day gets erased from your mind." Voldemort said. Sirius sighed deeply, muttering to himself. He'd already thought it would come to this…
"I won't join you." He gritted out. "I will never join you in my life. That's my condition to agreeing to stay here."
"As if I could use someone so hard-headed and… Gryffindor." The Dark Lord replied. "It's bad enough that you'll be in my house. Don't dare to try anything funny or you can keep the chimaeras company. Or perhaps I'll just buy a doghouse so you can sleep outside…"
"Very funny."
"Speaking of sleeping, it's late, and you've bothered us long enough with your presence."
"See this as 'code broom closet'," Harry laughed, and Sirius' eyes went wide. While it was clear they had a relationship, he had not exactly thought about the… details regarding that.
"Well…" he started… "Well, at least it's not Skeeter you'll be in the closet with this time."
"Don't you dare tell me how to do my job missy!" the woman yelled, furious, yet looking oddly funny, hair sticking out in strange places and her glasses askew on her nose.
"I will when you do your job better!" Hermione yelled right back, looking equally disheveled, although it gave her a frightening look instead of making her look like a trampled insect. The girl threw another pillow at Rita, not caring for the feathers flying around. "You. Will. Write. What. I. Want." she said, pronouncing each word with a deadly precision.
"I will write what the public deserves." Rita sneered back.
"The public deserves the truth! Hard facts! Not a load of gossip to fill the pages!"
"Agree to disagree?"
"I won't agree to anything until you finish that article and rephrase it so people know what is actually going on." Hermione said, her jaw clenched. She took a few angry steps forward and shoved, with surprising strength, the other to the wall, Rita's red, slightly smeared lipstick only an inch away from her face. "Goblins. Wands. Creature rights. I want it all in there Rita, and you are not going to stop me. If I have to I will write it myself and force that magical signature out of your wrist. We need to make a stance, and it has to be the same stance Voldemort has on it, even though the people don't know yet."
"And you are sure he has the same opinion as you do? You're daft! Giving those... beasts the right to possess wands… magic!"
"We spoke about this… I convinced you every time. And they already have magic, this will just give them the means to use it better and to show they are on equal footing"
"No, I just shut up about it because I couldn't take your twisted ideas anymore, nodded yes and then did whatever the hell I wanted!"
"It seems so. But you know what Voldemort told you. I am allowed to work on these issues. First goblins, then Dumbledore. And as you are so eager to get your hands dirty in Dumbledore's past, you will have to put up with this first. And as he apparently gave me full reign as he did not add restrictions or even gave his opinion on the matter, we shall do as I say."
Rita pushed the girl away with one hand, her red-painted nails shimmering as she then stroked some loose strands of hair out of her face and tucked them behind her ear. "Tell me again why I shouldn't just leave."
"Oh please," Hermione said, clearly annoyed. "Not this again. You could have left a thousand times already and you know it. So, apart from that Voldemort knows that you are working for me, and also knows your 'secret', you apparently just seem to like me," the girl said with a sweet smile. "Because of course, you could get employment everywhere, jobs enough. And I'm sure you could find some very reliable sources who know more about Dumbledore's past on your own."
Rita scowled, took out parchment and quill and pressed the tip of the quill harshly against the yet blank page. "Recite, then." she hissed in between clenched teeth.
Harry sighed as hands trailed his arms, seeming to take all his worries with him. "I feel filthy," he murmured. "The Shrieking shack wasn't exactly clean."
"Going to let me wait even longer?" Marvolo scowled, winding his arms around the teen. "Though to be fair, you do stink love."
"Who said anything about waiting?" Harry twisted away from Marvolo's grip, nearly running to the bath room door, knowing he'd have to be quick, as otherwise he would probably not even get the chance to get the tap water running before he'd be ravished. "Just a second!" he laughed as hands clawed at his robes. Marvolo muttered a spell to undress him, and Harry rolled his eyes. "Merlin, what happened to make you this horny?"
"Your existence happened, brat." The man growled into his ear, sending shivers down the teen's spine. He mewled as a wicked tongue traced the shell of his ear.
"You're not playing fair," he complained.
"Of course not, I'm me."
"Could you at least let me get in the bath and get myself cleaned up a bit first? I don't want for the filth to get rubbed on your skin…"
Instead of answering, Marvolo released him and walked down the steps into the small pool himself, sitting down on one of the steps and gesturing in between his legs. "Come sit, I'll clean you."
Harry sighed, shaking his head, but did as asked anyways. He waded into the pool that was still filling up with water and half-swam to Marvolo until he was curled up in front of the man, able to lean his head against the pointy knees. He traced the calves with his fingers, testing the structure of the skin, smooth and soft interrupted by slightly rougher patches of scales. "I've come to like this." Harry softly admitted. "Your new looks, I mean. I can't see why it bothered me so much before."
Water drenched his hair, and droplets slid down his face as Marvolo threw more water over his head. The teen relaxed, leaning forwards, knowing Marvolo's arms were long enough to easily reach him no matter how much he moved his head away. He curled his arms loosely around his own legs, which he had pulled to his chest, concentrating on the feel of hands rubbing his head and back, soaking him. He shivered slightly as his shoulders were still bare, and the freezing body behind him wasn't exactly doing much to warm him up either, but he bore it in silence, concentrating on the pleasant aspects of being bathed by his love. He yelped when the hands suddenly turned slick and even colder, until he realized that the man must have summoned shampoo or something alike. The hands kept lingering lower and lower though, trailing his back under the surface of the pool and sliding closer to his bottom.
He should have expected it really, he'd felt growing feelings of arousal through the link ever since they'd gone to the bedroom, and Marvolo had reached his point of patience. Instead of protesting again, he shifted, turning around so he could place his knees on the lowest step so he would still be able to keep his head above the surface. Teasingly, he gripped his lover's hard shaft and began to stroke it excruciatingly slowly. Marvolo growled, roughly shoving a finger inside of the other, causing Harry to moan loudly and jerk in surprise. His head collided with the hard chest in front of him and stayed there, pressing against the sternum with every thrust. He spread his legs wider, his breath turning shallow as the finger pressed deeper and curled upwards.
"Marvolo…" he panted, grabbing hold of Marvolo's shoulders, nails digging into the flesh as the digit inside of him was joined by a second one. "Have mercy upon my poor soul and don't torment me too long, okay?"
"We shall see," was the man's reply in that smug voice of it that made it clear that the dark Lord knew exactly who was in complete control, making Harry groan in frustration. A gasp was torn from his throat as two fingertips unexpectedly dug into his prostrate, and he gripped on for dear life, wondering if the white stars in front of his eyes were a sign of him going to faint soon. Surely, if Marvolo would keep this up… The fingers suddenly halted and retreated slightly, though still inside of him. "Please me." he heard the man's sultry voice, and Harry looked up, glaring at the other while trying to control his breathing. Nonetheless, he moved his hands down, raking his nails over Marvolo's chest, taking care to rub his finger pads thoroughly against the nipples until they stiffened, before continuing.
The water was hindering and slowing down his movement, and made it more difficult for him to aim, but he awkwardly managed to grasp the engorged head of his love's cock again, caressing it with care. He loved how soft the skin of it felt beneath his fingers, and he reveled in the rare sounds his ministrations evoked in his love. "If you moved up to the edge I could pleasure you better." Harry grinned, giving the other a daring, playful look.
Without a word, Marvolo rose, and Harry licked his lips subconsciously as he watched Marvolo from a viewpoint he rarely got. The water dripped off Marvolo's erection and balls, and Harry got the strange urge to catch the drops with his tongue, but refrained. "Enjoying yourself?" he heard, and met the other's dark gaze, smirking.
"Very much love. You're looking rather delicious."
"I know." the other stated, and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Your ego will explode one day."
"Expand, maybe, but never explode." the man replied with amusement. "Like the universe."
"Are you honestly comparing yourself to the fucking universe…?" the teen asked, exasperated.
"Language…" Marvolo said, completely disregarding the question in favour of making himself as comfortable as he could on the edge of the pool. Harry crawled towards him, not even trying anymore to do it gracefully. He was past the point of having given up trying to be graceful during sex, as he had noticed that Marvolo didn't care much for that and thought of Harry as sexy no matter what he did anyways.
He placed his hands on the man's thighs, eyeing the erection in between them before carefully leaning down, kissing the tip before starting to swirl his tongue over it. He closed his eyes to concentrate on the task at hand, suddenly feeling a hand on his cheek softly caressing him. Marvolo gently pressed his member more firmly against the teen's lips until Harry opened his mouth widely, tongue flicking out for a second, brushing against the sensitive skin again before engulfing the hot tip with his whole mouth.
Marvolo automatically pushed his hips upwards, grasping Harry's hair and keeping a strong grip on it as he pushed himself further towards the other to slide his penis down the teen's throat. Harry heard him hiss and felt pleasure echoing through the link, knowing that the feeling of his lips and his tongue wetting the length was almost too much for the man, who was trying to concentrate on calming his breathing down.
The teen grunted slightly at the tight grip on his hair, and nearly choked when his lover suddenly thrust in. He attempted to swallow his saliva as he felt Marvolo's cock push against the walls of his throat harshly. Pulling back as much as the hand in his hair would allow him to, he regained some control of what was happening in his mouth. Feeling vengeful, he started to suck hard on the member. Marvolo moaned, and must have realized that all the thrusting wasn't very comfortable for Harry, as he pulled out to let the other breath before slipping past his lover's lips again. The head of the cock was throbbing now, the length grown to its fullest extent with precum dripping from the slit, staining Harry's lips and tongue.
"How does it taste?" the man asked hoarsely.
Harry licked his lips, pulling back momentarily to respond. "It tastes absolutely delicious… my lord."
"Brat." Marvolo muttered, smiling smugly.
Harry took the other into his mouth again, bobbing on it for a while, sucking every so often before pulling back again and licking the sides of it, wetness coating his cheeks from the act. He focused on the head of the length, swirling his tongue around it and swiping over the slit enthusiastically. Judging by the increasing frequency of the groans, the other was close, but as Harry didn't feel very satisfied yet himself, he pulled away abruptly with a last suck. Ignoring the snarl, he got to his feet, feeling the fingers slip out of him, placing his feet on either side of the man before squatting down. He took the erection in his hand to position it correctly before sinking down on it, moaning loudly as it breached his walls. He stilled for a moment, wrapping his arms around the man's torso and pressing their lips together in a hungry need to have the man's tongue against his own.
He hissed as the other shifted, rolling his hips to push in further, placing both of his hands on Harry's waist to press him down. He felt himself being penetrated further until the other was fully inside of him, and he clenched down on the cock a few times before finally daring to move, glad he had lubricated the other thoroughly before with his saliva. Hands shifted to his ass, gripping them firmly as he started to move quickly up and down, his own penis hardening instantly as his prostate was assaulted again and long, thin fingers spread his cheeks with every movement. He plundered his lover's mouth, feeling teeth nip at his lips, knowing they would be bruised and sore afterwards, but in the moment he just didn't care. Their combined pleasure coursing through him was erasing all other thoughts, and in a moment of pure euphoria that bordered on agony, he came, spurting his seed over the other's stomach without his cock even having been touched yet.
He slumped against the man, panting heavily, tears having gathered in the corner of his eyes because of the intensity of the sex. He let his head fall on the other's shoulder and tried not to move while he felt Marvolo's cock softening. Strange, in his pleasure he hadn't even noticed the other had reached his peak as well, but he undeniably had, as seed started leaking out off his hole when the man pulled out slowly.
"I'm still not very clean." Harry muttered, smirking.
"Clean enough, and nothing that can't be fixed with a Scourgify."
"Why do you even have a bathtub... pool... whatever."
"To make love to you in it of course." Marvolo answered, burying his face into Harry's hair, nuzzling it. Harry smiled, hugging the man tightly. He shivered as his body quickly started to lose its warmth, and Marvolo summoned a towel before helping Harry get up and then wrapping him with the soft fabric. He picked the teen up, who was already dozing off slightly, feeling light-headed and drowsy, and carried him to the bed. Harry groaned contently as his back touched the soft mattress, and he instantly curled into the masses of silk sheets. Marvolo smiled and headed back to the bathroom to empty the pool and clean himself before joining his lover in bed. Harry was already half asleep, but still automatically cuddled close to the other, placing his ear over the man's heart, before finally nodding off to the thudding sounds.
The sky passed in a blur of mostly blue and black, but sometimes he was briefly aware of orange and pink hues shooting past his vision as well. He could feel his own heart thudding loudly and his breath, erratic, trying to remain at one tempo but failing. The scales beneath him were hard, but gave him the stability he needed, and whenever it scraped his skin open he was thankful, for the pain kept him awake while his magic was trying to drain him. He had succeeded, but the cost was heavy, and became heavier with each mile they flew and every dragon that joined their group.
His eyes were filled with black now, and he couldn't make out whether it was the black from the sky, from Xaphia's scales or because his eyes had fallen close. He was just so… tired. The invisibility shields he had created worked perfectly, but he had needed to anchor it to himself, and connect it to every dragon near him so they would still be visible to him, and they could fall back on his magic that was constantly feeding the shields around their bodies. But while he had power, it seemed too much for him. How long had they been flying? Days? Shouldn't they have reached their destination yet? How many times he had wished they would…
Muscles flowed beneath him and with heavy whooshing sounds, followed by a loud thud that made his whole body shake, the dragon who carried him hit the ground. Teeth carefully grabbed his robe and pulled him in the air like a ragdoll, only to lay him down on the ground. Charlie moaned in anguish, his body hurting as it bent in another position than the one he'd been lying in for a long, long time. He tried to suck oxygen into his lungs, but his ribcage seemed to burst and then implode with every haul of air. Something heavy nudged him, and he managed to pry his eyes open far enough to see a dark blue, gleaming… thing before his head rolled away against his will and a whole other darkness washed over him.
XxX
Huffing, the dragon nudged the limp body a few times more before giving up, smoke spiraling from the creatures' nostrils. He released a cry in signal for the other dragons to come down, and they listened, dropping to the ground one by one. This was it, the place they should be, the dragon could feel it in his very bones and smell it in the land. His human had lived here for years, or somewhere close to here. The wind still carried the echoes of the past, and Xaphia rolled his eyes and inhaled deeply to consume those echoes, seeing the past as clearly as a centaur could watch the moon rise and sink again behind the never-disappearing line in the distance. Humans... one in particular that appealed to him, and a myriad of creatures roamed and had roamed these lands for ages, mainly huddling together in the valleys and forests, leaving the barren mountain slopes uncivilized and perfect for his own kind. He sniffed up tendrils of a memory he found, of a younger Dragonheart who ventured far past the barriers of his second home to take care of a nest of Ashwinders. Charlie, they called him… A name unfitting for one so strong as his chosen one.
A female approached him, most likely to check up on his Dragonheart, but he hissed for her to stay away, instantly adapting a fighting stance, spikes angrily protruding, cleaving the air as his claws scraped against the stone beneath his paws, tearing it up in a clear warning. His wings flared as she had the audacity to step even closer, after which she finally backed off, and Xaphia jumped on top of his human, hovering over him protectively, paws on either side of his Dragonheart. Lovingly, he bent down, pushing his snout against the warm cheek, snuffing up the red strands of hair. He just hoped his human would wake up soon and see that they finally were where he wanted to be, in the mountains near the stronghold filled with magic and nestlings.
xx GeMerope