Tender Hooks
By: Replacement for the Stars

Chapter Fifty-three:
Busting

Better to light one small candle
than to curse the darkness.

(O.o)
Year: 1971
Date: December the Twenty-Sixth

Nessie sat on the bed in their quarters, staring into the fire as he thought over what the Bloody Baron had told him the day prior. He did not like the tale the Baron had told him. There were too many similarities between the tale of Tom Riddle and how his Severus had grown up, and he did not like that at all. He did, however, firmly ignore the similarities between the way he had personally grown up—before Severus, of course—and the torture and abuse Riddle had suffered, the constant bullying, the insults and physical violence bestowed upon the boy by the bigger boys in the orphanage. Nessie could not understand; the way the Baron had explained it, Dumbledore was aware of every single thing that went on during Riddle's childhood and had effectively molded the boy into the Dark Lord he was now, and was possibly doing a similar thing to Severus if Nessie had understood the Baron correctly.

If there was any option of Severus leaving Hogwarts, Nessie wanted to take it. He wanted Severus out of there before the next sunrise but he knew that was no option. Severus loved Hogwarts, as did Nessie, but Nessie now knew how dangerous Dumbledore was. The old man held far too much power for his own good and the Baron had kept an eye on the man for long enough to know everything, or close enough to everything, that Dumbledore had done to keep himself in such power—intentionally keep children such as Riddle in abusive environments, ignore the plight of such Slytherins as Severus and encourage the Gryffindors who bullied him. It was unfair but Nessie knew enough to know life would always be unfair.

However, as long as he still had Severus, life would be more fair, no matter what they were put through.

(O.o)
Year: 1971
Date: December the Thirtieth

Over the past few days, all students who had stayed over Christmas/Yule/Winter Break had noticed a surprising phenomenon: Peeves had begun exclusively pranking and irritating the Headmaster, with shocking assistance from the Bloody Baron and the Fat Friar, who turned out to be quite devious at practical jokes, even if Peeves wouldn't let him around when they set off the dungbombs or dropped a jug of spoiled milk on Dumbledore's head because the Friar would start chortling and give them away.

Peeves and Nessie were sitting in an previously empty room deep in the dungeons, surrounded by a great deal of Dumbledore's belongings: small things, things that would not be immediately missed, such as three socks or a pair of elegant-cut pearl robes, or a few spinning trinkets from the man's office, baubles and all of the buttons off one of Dumbledore's favorite robes. They were putting together a plan for Peeves to stay in the Headmaster's office for one hour blocks once the Break was over, invisible of course, and whenever the Headmaster put something into one of his wastebaskets, emptying the wastebasket on his head. Nessie was going to keep an eye on the old man and let Peeves or the Baron know whenever the Headmaster had a guest so they could prank him extra.

Nessie leaned back in the air, hands carded behind his head and his eyes focused on the ceiling as he listened to Peeves's excited list of more ways they could bother the Headmaster. "We st'll n'ed t' f'cus on th'se Gryff'nd'rs, P'tter 'nd Bl'ck 'nd th'm."

Peeves nodded immediately, picking up one of the small piles of wood the poltergeist had hidden all over the school. "I'll throw sticks at them during their History of Magic classes, Nessie Bessie," his tone surprisingly serious and calm. Nessie flicked a glance over the poltergeist and frowned at the neutral look on his face.

"Y'u kn'w wh't th'y do t' my Sevvie?"

"Of course Peeves knows, silly Nessie Bessie!" Peeves cackled and threw a stick at Nessie, who grimaced reflexively when it went straight through him. "Why, my fine feathered friend"—he ignored Nessie's protest that he wasn't feathered by any means—"have you been sticking your head in the fireplace again? We warned you about that!"

"F'repl'ce?" Nessie repeated, a small dip appearing between his eyebrows. "Why w'uld I b' st'cking my he'd in a f'repl'ce?"

"Because that is what silly birds like you do!"

Nessie rolled his eyes and floated up out of the room, Peeves following eagerly behind as they rose up through the lake, Nessie doing his best to ignore the way his body began to tremble and how his mind screamed at him, and then over Hogwarts grounds. Peeves was rather fond of chasing the centaurs around and Nessie liked learning about their culture, so they went there after Peeves threw the rest of the sticks in his pile at the small boy.

They spent an hour with the centaurs before Nessie wanted to go back. He didn't like being out after dark if Severus wasn't there to accompany him or if he wasn't following Lucius around while Severus was in detention or doing homework or studying with Mulciber and Vaisey. He hadn't realized just how much time he actually spent with Severus until the other boy became so busy with school. But that was alright; Nessie knew Severus needed his education and would be miserable living back with his parents in Spinner's End. Even if Nessie asked, which he knew he wouldn't, he was certain Severus would not willingly leave Hogwarts.

Nessie only wanted to partly leave. He knew they were far safer in Hogwarts than they were in Spinner's End, but now with knowledge of what it seemed Dumbledore was going to have Severus suffer through, Nessie didn't want to stay but knew he had to. He went wherever Severus went, after all, and even if he had a choice in the matter, he would stay with the older boy even until death.

And, anyways, Hogwarts had Lucius.

(O.o)
Later

Severus, with Nessie's hand in his, had finally gotten up the courage to ask Lucius what he had meant by calling the first year 'his' on Christmas, and was waiting for the blond Slytherin to return from dinner. Nessie had been rather uncomfortable with Lucius merely declaring that Severus was his; after all, he had spent the past five years or so assuming Severus was his and he was now wondering if he had been wrong, even if Severus had agreed with him. It wasn't his place, he knew, to simply assume Severus was his when Severus was really Lucius's. He could still be Severus's, he hoped, if Severus was really Lucius's.

Peering up at Severus through his fringe, Nessie moved forward to lean his head against his Severus's chest, closing his eyes at the strong heartbeat against his ear. "I l've y'u," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut before he could start crying. He didn't want to lose Severus to Lucius, he didn't! The two of them had been through too much for him to lose Severus now, but if Severus truly didn't want to be his anymore, there truly wasn't anything Nessie could do about it. "Ple'se d'n't l'ave me," he begged, unable to stop himself. "I c'uldn't l've w'th'ut y'u."

"I am not going anywhere," Severus assured him, and moved to continue but Lucius opened the door and lifted his eyebrows at Severus, standing in the doorway. "Lucius…"

"You wished to speak with me, little Severus?"

Severus nodded and, letting Nessie still hold onto him, pushed to his feet and slipped off the bed, moving over to Lucius, who stepped into the room and softly closed the door behind himself. "Yes, I wanted to ask you what you meant by…" Severus swallowed thickly and dropped his chin to his chest, squeezing his eyes shut and feeling Nessie slip away from him. "What did you mean by calling me yours?"

"Oh, Severus," Lucius whispered and strode forward, crushing Severus to his chest. "Is that what has been bothering you?"

Frantically scanning the room for Nessie and holding his hand out for his boy, Severus nodded quickly. Slowly, as Nessie crept closer, Severus could feel Lucius preparing an answer. The moment Nessie grabbed Severus's hand and held it to his chest, Lucius replied, "Because you are mine. I have protected you, I have helped you and I have claimed you."

"Claimed me?" Severus asked Lucius's chest, keeping his gaze firmly on Nessie's pale face.

"Yes."

"But…"

"No buts, Severus. You are mine and will remain as such. Now let us go—"

"I don't think I want to be yours," Severus rasped, trying to step away but Lucius would not let him, keeping his arms wrapped around the boy's shoulders.

"You do not have a choice. Now come with me. You need to do your homework."

"I have already done it," Severus whispered, and to his surprise, Lucius let him go, stepping away and staring down at the small first year. "What do you want from me?"

Lucius smiled and reached forward, pressing the palm of his hand to Severus's cheek, the gaunt first year automatically leaning into his touch. "Everything you have to give, Severus," Lucius breathed, and bent forward to take the boy in his arms, lifting him up so Severus was forced to let Nessie go. "I want for you to be mine."

Severus looked at Nessie, who bit his lip and then slowly nodded, floating up to rest his head on Severus's shoulder. "Y'u c'n be h's, t'o," Nessie said, and Severus frowned at the lost tone in his boy's voice. "J'st as l'ng as I'm st'll y'urs."

Always, Severus mouthed, and turned his head to look up at Lucius. "Very well," he acquiesced, and leaned his head on Lucius's shoulder, unwilling to fight back when Lucius laid him down on the bed and curled them together, and after a moment, Nessie slipped into bed, sighing in pleasure when Severus immediately curled his arms around him.

Invisible, Peeves poked his head through the ceiling and dropped down to float over Lucius. Nessie hadn't said anything about bothering or pranking Lucius…smirking to himself, Peeves ducked under the bed and pulled out the sack of heavy stones he had hidden under there. Quickly and sneakily, he emptied Lucius's pockets and filled them with stones. He winked at Nessie when the small boy turned his head and Nessie smiled weakly at him, rolling his eyes.

Peeves then switched Severus's and Lucius's wands and, making sure Nessie was asleep or at the very least resting his eyes, stuck a few rocks in Severus's pockets as well.