Title: Exchange
Author: Mistress Silver
Pairings(s): Harry/Draco/Lucius (No threesomes, leave me alone!)
Warning: The following piece is rated R (for later chapters – AND incest). It contains SLASH, which is homosexual relationships, so if you are offended by that or are not of legal age in your area then please click the back button on your browser and find yourself something else. Constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated but flames will be mocked and ignored.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, characters, names and all related indicia are property of J.K. Rowling – only Angelica is mine. I am just borrowing them all for a bit and am not making a cent off this. I'm sure Rowling won't mind, if anything she will be (should be) flattered that people like her books enough to write pieces of their own about them.
A/N: Once again, ENORMOUS apologies for taking so long to update. I got a job after school now, so I barely have any free time to breathe. And whatever free time I do have, I take to catch up on much needed sleep. But, finally, I managed to squeeze out this chapter. I hope you enjoy it, pathetic of a compensation as it is, and yes I will be continuing this fic. Hugs and kisses! ;
CHAPTER 6 – FrustrationsDraco woke up cold and disoriented. He looked around, blinking through a haze of sleep, trying to figure out where he was. Then remembered, stretched, and rose. He opened the small door and peeked out into the dark hallway. Not a soul. Quietly he exited and closed the door behind him. The snake immediately slithered back where it belonged. Somewhere in the distance a clock chimed five o'clock. Knowing that he had some time before dinner, Draco made his way out towards the lake. The sun was still fairly high in the sky and a soft breeze rustled through the trees. He walked towards the lake, down the narrow, dusty path, and realized that somebody was already there. He froze, thinking it was his father, but then relaxed seeing that the person had dark hair. He walked closer and then stopped again once he realized that it was Potter, and that was equally unwelcomed. He instantly turned around and began walking away but Harry already spotted him.
"Draco!"
Draco kept walking, pretending he didn't hear anything, but Harry caught up to him and grabbed his arm.
"Draco, we need to talk."
"There's nothing to talk about," Draco snapped trying to free his arm but Harry held him fast.
"Yes there is, will you stop acting like a git for one second and just listen to me!"
Draco let out and aggravated sigh and turned to him. Now that he had his attention, Harry suddenly seemed less certain of himself.
"I had another run-in with your father a while ago…I thought you should know…"
Draco narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about…"
Harry cleared his throat. "He made a couple of annoying remarks and I put him in his place."
Draco looked like he was about to explode. "Meaning…?" he hissed through gritted teeth.
"Basically he made snide remarks about me snogging you so I made some back about him shagging you," Harry blurted out and bit his lower lip.
Draco turned white and his pupils shrank. "You…did…what…???"
Harry briefly wished he hadn't left his wand upstairs. Draco began breathing through his nose, his nostrils flaring like an enraged bull, and his fingers clenched and unclenched spasmodically. His left eye began to twitch violently and suddenly his lips formed a twisted smile.
"I'm gonna kill you."
Before Harry had time to react Draco was on top of him, trying to strangle him, and they were rolling in a heap down the hill until they hit the lake with a thunderous splash. Luckily the water was only about knee-deep, as they both would have drowned one another.
"Kill you! I'll kill you!" Draco kept screaming as he pressed on Harry's throat and Harry clawed at his fingers desperately, gasping for air. The fact that his head kept being submerged in and out of the water certainly did not help the situation.
"Draco!" he choked out.
"What!" Draco spat.
"Let…go…!"
"Why should I!" Draco cried, pressing deeper into Harry's throat as he fought for air. "Why the fuck should I, hmm? You know what my father will do to me after that, you know, so why'd you do it, hmm? Are you as sick as he is? Do you get some kind of twisted pleasure out of a guy being abused by his father!? Do you spy through my balcony and spank the monkey while he fucks my brains out!? Do you!? Hmm!? Do you!?"
"Draco!" Harry gasped.
"WHAT!"
"Let…GO…!" Harry wheezed.
Draco gave him a look of disgust and, shoving him into the water, rose to his feet. Harry sat upright, coughing, taking hungry gulps of air and rubbing his throat. Draco got out of the water and plopped on the grass, burying his wet hair in his hands.
"Merlin I hate you…" he muttered.
Harry looked at him and took off his glasses to wipe them dry. He didn't realize that his shirt was just as wet as they were and that he wasn't making any progress. "Incidentally," he said in a slightly breathless voice. "That wasn't it at all. I just wanted to defend you. I wasn't thinking of the consequences when I said all that."
"That's your problem, Potter," Draco said not looking up. "You don't think, and other people have to pay for it."
"If it's any consolation," Harry said putting his glasses back on and frowning, realizing he had only made them worse. "I'm truly sorry."
"It isn't," Draco said and lay back on the grass, staring at the drifting clouds. Harry looked at him a moment. Then got to his feet and sloshed out of the water. He kicked off his shoes, pulled off his shirt, trousers and socks, and began wringing the water out of them.
"Now is not the best time to be trying to seduce me, Potter."
Harry looked up to see Draco staring at him and blushed slightly. "I'm not trying to seduce you. If I hadn't taken off all these wet clothes I might've caught a cold. Same goes to you, by the way."
"Stop trying to get me naked."
"I'm not!" Harry huffed and went back to wringing out his shirt, muttering "One track mind…" under his breath.
"Stop muttering over there, if anything you should be on your knees begging my forgiveness."
Harry frowned. "I already said I was sorry, I'm not going to beg."
"You bloody well will!" Draco said, sitting up. "It's a small price to pay for what I'm going to have to put up with from now on!"
"You're not going to have to put up with anything," said Harry calmly squeezing out his socks.
"Come again?" Draco said raising an eyebrow.
"You heard me," Harry said folding his shirt. "You're not going to have to put up with anything. I'll look after you."
Draco let out a snorted laugh, though the idea intrigued him. "Oh come off it, Potter. What chances do you have against my father?"
Harry gave him a look. "If I can take on Voldemort, I can certainly handle a pedophile."
"Please," Draco scoffed. "Just like you to use your fame to make yourself look better – "
"Look," Harry snapped, throwing his clothes on the ground. "If you don't want my help then by all means, go and get ass-raped, but if you do then shut up and let me try my best, understand!?"
Draco subsided, staring at him in disbelief.
"All right then," Harry muttered and picked up his things. "Let's go before you catch your death in those wet clothes."
"Thank you for dinner, sir, it was delicious as usual," Harry said and got up from the table. Draco quietly rose too.
"Not at all, Mr. Potter," Lucius said looking at Draco intently.
They started from the table and for a moment it looked as if Lucius was about to stop them when suddenly a soft, female voice resounded through the dining hall.
"I'm home everyone!"
Harry and Draco turned around and Lucius rose from his seat to greet Narcissa Malfoy.
Lucius put on a painted smile. "Ah. Welcome home, dear." He gave her a small peck on the cheek. She gave him a cool smile and a polite nod. Then turned to Draco and her smile became genuine.
"Draco, love!"
"Mother," Draco smiled and obliged into her embrace.
"I've missed you so," Narcissa said kissing his head.
Harry watched them, glad to see that there was at least someone in the family who treated Draco normally. Lucius watched the two for a while and then met Harry's eyes. Harry stared at him unblinkingly, his face trumpeting defiance. Lucius scowled and left the room.
Harry came into Draco's room and sat opposite him in one of the large, plush armchairs. Draco acknowledged his presence with a small nod, not looking up, his brows knitted together in frustration as he struggled to undo a knot in the string that wove around a gift that Narcissa had brought for him.
"Here, let me try," Harry said and took the gift. Draco reclined in the armchair, giving him a smile of thanks.
"Well, looks like you won't really be needing me then," Harry said working at the knot.
Draco blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Well your mother's home now, you won't need me to protect you from Lucius."
"Why not?" Draco said quickly.
"Well your mother can do it, can't she?" Harry asked not looking up from his work. " He won't try anything while she's around."
Draco didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "Yes he will…"
Harry looked up. "Well if he does your mother will know, and if not then you can always tell her."
Draco avoided his eyes. "No…I can't…"
Harry stopped untying the knot. "Why not?"
Draco kept quiet.
"Draco," Harry pressed. "Why can't you tell your mother?"
"Because," Draco said and swallowed a lump in his throat. "Father said that if I told her he'd kill her and me…"
Harry stared at him for a moment. Then got up and threw the gift on the armchair.
"That's it," he said making his way to the door. "First thing tomorrow I'm writing to the Ministry of Magic about this."
"No!" Draco cried out in horror. He ran to the door before Harry could reach it, slammed it, and stood in front of it his arms outstretched.
"Draco, move, you have got to tell someone about this!"
"No," Draco shook his head. "You don't understand! They won't do anything to my father at the Ministry because they all fear him. My father is richer than Cornelius Fudge himself. He gives a lot of money to him for Ministry funding. They respect him beyond all others. That and they know he is a former Death Eater and most likely capable of anything. If they found out about this they would be too afraid to do anything. And even if one of them stepped forward my father would either have them killed or bribe them into silence. Don't you see? There is no way out of this except to bear it until I finish school and move out on my own."
Harry looked at him quietly, chewing on his lower lip in doubt. Draco grabbed his hand and held it clasped in his, looking at him pleadingly.
"Harry…Harry, please…please…don't say anything and simply help me…"
Harry searched his eyes and finally nodded. Draco sighed in relief. Then dropped his hand, realizing what he was doing.
"Fine, then," Harry said and opened the door. "I'll have one of the house elves bring some of my things in here."
Draco looked puzzled. "What for?"
"You want me to look after you don't you? Then I have to have some of my things brought in here – I'm spending the nights with you from now on," Harry said and exited the room, leaving Draco staring after him with his mouth open.