Hello again!
First I must send a thousand kisses to Berylia-Chrystalia for sending me a shower of wonderful reviews. You see, I did the newbie mistake and published the first ten chapters of this story within a couple of days, and thereby prevented any reader to react on each chapter. So it was very welcome and I nearly fell of my chair when I saw ELEVEN new reviews waiting to be read!
And all my compliments to Desiree K Troy once again for staying a faithful reader and for caring about my story (and my sometimes faltering language.) Lots of hugs.
So here's for you and to all those still following the story (Yes, I know there's still a lot of you reading, more than I could even dream of, since shows how many 'hits' you get on one chapter) and I'm delighted that you've stayed with me through a year on this one. This is the chapter preceding the final one, so please let me know what you think about it and may your summer be crowded with ice creams and sunny days.
Love redfern
CHAPTER TWENTY: HEAT
You give me fever
Fever in the morning,
fever all through the night
Fever when you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight
Fever, I'm on fire
What a lovely way to burn
-Elvis-
The summer turned out to be one of the hottest in ten years. London was practically steaming as Draco made his way through the rush hour crowd of Diagon Alley. His forehead was damp from the run he had been forced to make. This was his one chance of meeting Neville during the summer and he wasn't going to waste it!
The floo powder he had used had left dirt on his robes and in his face. He tried to wipe it off with great annoyance, while turning into Knockturn alley.
Even if he was under cover with a convenient Polyjuice potion, he still didn't fancy the idea of being seen like a slob on the streets of London.
Finally he had reached the shady small street where the Inn named Dragon's Den layed and he stopped for a second to catch his breath before entering.
His muscles ached due to the extremely hard training he had been forced to go through all summer.
Well, he wasn't going to look like a wimp in front of Neville, that much was for sure!
He straightened up and walked through the door, almost forgetting to tune down his aristocratic gestures.
"Cauldwell." He said to the dodgy receptionist, who started an unengaged search for his key in an old shoebox behind the counter.
Draco made an effort not to drum his fingers demandingly on the desk. After all, the staff had no idea who he was.
Finally the key was handed over and Draco ran up the stairs to his room. There was no need for the usual dignity anyway in disguise.
He locked the door behind him once he was in and instantly placed himself in front of a mirror.
He had really reached privacy in the last moment!
His hair was starting to change into a brighter colour and his pale skin was showing through the burned skin. Finally, the transformation was complete and Draco looked like his own self again.
He sighed and dived into the bed on his back, closing his eyes to listen to the sounds outside on the street.
Neville would be there any minute and Draco wanted to look as relaxed as possible. It was too much tearing on his nerves as it was and there was no use in getting Neville all worked up about it.
Deep inside he really wanted to tell him about everything that had happened these hot summer days, everything from the training to the Death Eater meetings, where he had been forced to watch enemies of the Dark Lord being tortured to death.
And the spells he had learned…
His thoughts wandered further, into a dark corner where something gravely suppressed rested, ready to awake and strike at any moment. His father and the basement…it was not really a part of him, was it?
He had done his very best to separate it from himself, making it distant as if it had happened to somebody else. Only sometimes he could feel it like a disease, a stain impossible to remove, just like the Dark Mark. His father was under his skin and no matter how much time he spent trying to get clean in the shower, Lucius would not let him.
The nightmares kept it real enough, even though daytime meant he could put a blanket over that scary corner of his mind. And the only thing helping him, waking up alone in the middle of the night with his father's voice still in his head, was those cuts on his arm...
No. He did not want to think about that.
Only Neville mattered now and for a little while he would allow himself to forget all about the heavy demands that followed with a Pure Blood family and pretend that he was somebody else.
Somebody who could openly live with a Longbottom without risk or fear.
The humming rising as all the noises outside floated together cradled him into sleep and pictures from Hogwarts came to life. He and Neville in the forest…
The quiet knocks on the door had him startled into the waking world and as he fought to rise and focus his gaze, a strange, but expected, voice came from the hallway.
"It's me."
"Yeah, I'm coming!" Draco shouted and paced to the door, fumbling with the lock and the key in his dizzy state. Finally, the wooden, thin door between them was gone and an unfamiliar boy stood outside, smiling to him in a warm and intimate way, as if they shared a really dirty secret.
And they were.
Draco grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him inside, before locking the door thoroughly.
The boy was still smiling very fondly at him and as soon as Draco was done with the door, he turned to the visitor and flashed one of his most charismatic smiles back.
He leaned against the door and waited. The stranger waited too.
Finally, some auburn curls started to show in the boy's hair and the sharp facial lines shifted into softer ones, the golden freckles appearing on the cheeks as the dark, warm eyes unfolded from the waning potion.
"Hi, Neville."
Draco found he didn't know what to say next. He tried to restraint himself enough to handle some small talk, but all his system screamed for was the body before him that was his.
Neville seemed to have grown taller. Or it was just the rare sight of him standing straight with an unusual and attractive self-confidence. Draco truly wished he knew what had happened during the Gryffindor's summer and even more, he wished he could have shared it.
Neville gave a little laughter, his eyes shining with joy. Draco still couldn't believe that anybody could look so pleased to see him.
"I can't believe it! Finally!" Neville sighed.
"We need to be careful." Draco warned and took a step towards the Gryffindor.
"Yes, I know!"
"We have exactly four hours and then I have to be back!"
"I know! Come on, Draco! Let's use the time! How have you been, what have you been doing and…hmmh…"
Draco had silenced the questions by throwing himself at Neville and made them both land on the bed with their mouths locked together. Neville's arms flew up to embrace him tightly and Draco almost ripped the Gryffindor's robes of in his desperate urge.
Neville became hard within moments, responding to the rough strokes between his legs and as the garments were still stripped off, Draco led them away from the bed and into the small shower room, stumbling all the way from the intense kisses.
Draco pushed Neville sternly into the shower cabin and made him face the wall. He turned the water on and had Neville jumping from the shock.
"It's FREEZING!"
"You'll be warm enough in no time!" Draco growled and grabbed his buttocks harshly.
Neville made a small groan, revealing all the pleasure he took from the treatment. Draco ran his hand through the red hair and grabbed it all of a sudden to pull his lover's hair back.
"Who owns you?" He hissed in his ear.
"Y-you!" Neville gasped, jumping as Draco's other hand separated his buttocks and slammed two fingers inside.
"O-ow!"
"You'll do this for me, won't you, Neville?" Draco whispered in a smooth, silky voice. "I own you after all, don't I?"
Neville gasped and moaned as Draco stabbed into him repeatedly and after only seconds, when they both were soaking wet from the water, Draco removed the fingers and placed his hard sex against the small opening.
"Be brave now." Draco whispered sadistically.
And he started to push inside Neville without preparing him. He did it inch by inch, carefully noting Neville's reactions with every movement.
But Neville only urged him on, despite the pain that was evident in his face.
"Oh, yes Draco, yes, do it, I want it, oh yes…!"
With this confirmation he forced the entire length in and caught Neville's wrists to hold him pinned against the tile while taking him.
Merlin, how he had longed for this!
And Neville was so tight, as if he was a virgin once again. Draco would have to stretch him out again and he went to the task with great enthusiasm, pounding Neville hard against the wall to the beautiful sounds of his raptured screams.
He noticed in the red haze of his lust how Neville snaked his hand in between the tile and his sex and started to please himself.
"Yes, that's it Nevvy, do it for me!"
It didn't take many seconds before they both climaxed and Neville's knees failed him the moment Draco drew out.
He sank down on his knees on the wet floor and Draco followed him, moving close to put his arms around the trembling Gryffindor.
The sat like that for a while, the water still pouring over them, and Draco kissed and stroked every inch he could reach of Neville. Finally, Neville turned around and gave Draco a tired but satisfied smile.
"Just kill the water, will you?"
Draco lazily reached for the tap and did as told. Then he rose and helped Neville to his feet as well.
"The bed?"
"You bet!"
The water had cooled their skin of enough to make the close embrace between the sheets very comfortable. Draco could feel that he had just started with Neville and was merely buiding up for a sequel to the hot scene in the bathroom.
"What have you done all summer?" Neville murmured from Draco's chest. "It's been terrible without you!"
"What have you done?" Draco countered.
Neville sighed.
"I cannot tell you. Sorry."
"I can't tell you either."
"Oh."
They were silent for a few seconds.
Then Draco leant his head down to tongue-kiss Neville's ear and had his reward as his target squirmed and made very indecent sounds.
"You could tell me." Draco suggested with his most seductive voice. "C'mon, it's just me."
He moved his fingers playfully through Neville's hair and received a cynical smile in return.
"If you tell me first."
Draco smirked with superiority.
"You're not in a position to negotiate."
"No?"
"No!"
Draco pushed Neville over on his stomach and moved on top of him, rubbing his sex against the cleft between Neville's buttocks until they were both hard again. Neville sighed with pleasure as Draco touched his swelling organ and helped it grow.
"Tell me, Neville."
"It's not fair!" Neville protested with a shaky sigh. "Your methods are…despisable…"
He seemed to lose track of his words when Draco turned him around and straddled himself right over his face.
"Then you better do something more useful with your mouth."
Neville caught Draco's organ with his tongue as it sank into him and sucked eagerly, moving his own hips up and down in frustration.
"Go on." Draco said. "There will be no satisfaction until you've made me come."
Neville whimpered softly at the words and worked harder, making Draco sigh with contentment and push deeper into the warm, wet mouth.
Right now this rush was all that mattered and soon enough Draco wasn't sure that he would have pulled out even if the Dark lord had crashed into the room.
He rode Neville's mouth harder, until the soft tongue made him release his seed on it. The ecstacy was intense and still the Gryffindor was like a drug in his veins, only making him want to go for more.
He pulled out and stroked Neville's cheeks as he watched him swallow the white, slippery liquid and gasp for breath.
Then their lips met again and Draco closed his hand around Neville's erection and squeezed very lightly, only to see him stir from it.
"I want to watch you come." He ordered. "Get to it."
And just as Draco had counted on, Neville blushed from the embarrasment despite all they had done together and started to please himself with his eyelids shyly dropped.
Draco loved this. He loved to see the reactions he could cause by mere words and small touches, making the righteous little Gryffindor lose all dignity and control and hand it over to him.
And Neville moaned and squirmed wantonly under him, soon forgetting himself in the throws of pleasure.
Draco added a little help to the act by playing with Neville's prostate and biting his nipple until the climax had both their hands covered in warm wetness.
Neville's cheeks glowed as he gasped and Draco kissed his damp forehead repeatedly and dropped down beside him.
They kissed and caressed each other for a long time before drifting off to a light slumber.
All the troubles Draco had that constantly weighed him down seemed to ease up and transform into thin air.
They weren't asleep for very long, but as Draco woke up, he swore that this was the most potent rest he'd had in months. Neville was scratching his back lightly as he returned to the waking world and kissed his nose and eyelids tenderly.
"I don't want to leave! Can't we just run away?"
He looked at Draco pleadingly.
"They'll find me…us." Draco replied bitterly. "This is what we can have for now."
"I'll find a way to fix this." Neville said stubbornly. "Maybe Dumbledore could fix the mark so that it didn't, you know, give off signals and…"
"Dumbledore!" Draco burst out. "He can't find out about it!"
"I think he already knows, Draco!" Neville argued. "He's quite sharp, you know! And the difference between Dumbledore and the others you hang with, is that Dumbledore genuinely cares for you!"
"Not if he knew I had the mark!"
Neville let out a loud impatient sigh.
"Sometimes you really are a dumb blonde!"
"What!"
Draco rose on an elbow, offended and shocked.
"Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald, remember? He helped a lot of his former followers to be incorporated into society again and he protected them when those loyal to Grindelwald made desperate, final attempts to destroy those who left the dark Wizard's cause!"
The Slytherin blinked, almost forgetting to be angry.
"Where have you heard this?" Draco asked, his voice full of suspicion.
Neville disarmed the situation by kissing his forehead with so much tenderness that Draco felt like crying suddenly, even if he suppressed it automatically.
"You have to trust me." Neville whispered.
Draco looked into his eyes for a long time.
"I'd have to be where Potter is." He said finally. "I don't understand the idealistic cause of his followers, not to mention that I hate him!"
Neville shot him a mischievous smile.
"My butt is where he is!"
Draco's eyes widened and as Neville burst into laughter at the face of the livid Slytherin, a fierce brawl started between the sheets, ending with Draco as the victorious part, sitting on Neville and holding his wrists behind his back, while spanking his buttocks red.
"Take that back!"
Neville laughed and moaned from the pain in turns until Draco made him take it back and by then they were both hungry for intimacy again.
Heated kisses escalated into fingers in Neville's sore opening and this time Draco prepared him before entering, knowing that the dry penetration earlier must have hurt like hell.
The act was much slower this time and Draco savoured every second of it, not knowing when his dark and cold existence would have such a break again. He had no idea how he would make it the rest of the summer without Neville. The past month had been absolutely horrible and he could not even think about the remainder now that he had it comfirmed what Neville meant to him.
The thought about their impossible future was too cruel even for Draco to dwell on for too long.
He wasn't alive without Neville. And if they hadn't found each other, well, then he would never have known that he was something else than what his parents had designed.
The subject about the different sides they belonged to wasn't touched again and as their time together ran out all too soon and they both had to swallow the prepared Polyjuice potions, Draco just knew that an abyss was opening under his feet and very soon he would be forced to jump to one side of the rift.
And what it meant, he tried to suppress for all he was worth.
A quick embrace was all they had before Draco had to leave the room under his false identity.
"Draco…" Neville breathed against his robe, before letting him go.
Draco touched his cheek for a second and looked him in the eyes. Then he ran down the stairs quickly, knowing that it would have been impossible to leave if he had stayed a second longer.
It had grown dark by the time Draco returned to the secret hideout where he was trained, the Wiltshire Castle. This worn down old dwelling was only a mile away from Malfoy Manor and The Dark Lord visited it frequently, holding most of his Inner Circle meetings there. The castle was the property of the Malfoy Family and originated from the thirteenth century. Draco found most of the steep stairs and dark rooms very uncomfortable and it did not help that restless spirits from the murdered and tortured victims in the castle's basement had started to roam around the place.
Draco had received Death Eater Nott as a mentor at the beginning of summer, which meant that there was no time at all for personal space if Nott could help it. Draco had been drilled and pushed to the limit in everything from the Darkest Magick from the Carpathian highlands to outright physical destruction, with torture and battle techniques.
The opportunity Draco had been granted to visit London on his own had been hard won, through perfectly feigned fanatism that led Nott to believe that he wished to see Grindelwald's skull as it was on exhibition in a dark cellar below Burgin and Borke's.
He climbed the stairs to his small room in one of the towers, knowing that there would not be a lot of rest before he was called down for the nightly allegiance-swearing to the Dark lord and then supper.
He never got that far.
"Draco!"
The familiar voice behind him had the blood freezing spontaneously in his veins. His heart probably missed a beat as he turned and watched Lucius stand by the foot of the stairs.
A smirk played in Lucius' face, made inhuman by the strange light from the torches. For a wild moment, Draco thought that this was a ghost who had come to haunt him. But his father looked solid enough and waved his hand in an inviting gesture.
"Father." Draco said, his voice sounding hollow and mechanical.
"Come here, Draco."
Draco walked down to Lucius, taking each step with great caution. When they stood in front of each other, the older Malfoy simply drew Draco into a close embrace. Draco was shocked and terrified, his heart working itself up and his body tensing like a piano string.
But Lucius smiled down at him as he released his arms.
"I am very proud of you, Draco. Mr Nott has told me about your engagement in the Cause. And I have a special surprise for you."
Draco took a small step back, not wishing to receive any special surprises at all.
"Let's go." Lucius said and Draco followed obediently in his footsteps, still disbelieving the nightmare.
"When did you arrive here father?" He asked carefully, as they walked down the narrow hall to the courtyard.
"Oh, very recently. I thought about surprising you in London, once I heard you were there, but I just arrived from it and decided to wait here instead."
Draco glanced up at Lucius, his head still filled with questions.
Lucius gave a short, cold laugh.
"I guess you wish to know about my release from Azkaban?"
Draco nodded and swallowed.
"Yes father."
"The dementors has left Azkaban and joined the ranks of the dark Lord. I must say they were a most useful shield to carry on the way out. And they have no doubt fed enough on the way down here from the cold lands to be sated for now."
Draco had a chill down his spine. He knew what 'fed' meant and wondered what poor souls that had dared to block the way of these dark monsters.
The two Malfoys crossed the courtyard and Lucius opened the creaking door to the old dungeons and held it up for Draco.
"Come inside."
Draco stared into the pitch darkness and then shot his gaze over to his father, having a sinister flashback about a certain basement in their own house.
But Lucius waved his wand and a row of torches along the steep stairs were lit.
"Now!" Lucius ordered.
The impatient look on his father's face made Draco gather all his courage and start to climb down the stone steps.
Lucius followed close behind him and as they reached the nether corridor and Draco could hear other people talking in a nearby room, he relaxed a little.
But he knew Lucius was the inofficial master of the domain and could use this as much as he wished.
Finally, they came to halt by a small door that seemed to host at least two other people, judging from the conversation inside. He recognised his mother's voice immediately and drew a sigh in relief.
He opened the door and stepped in and Lucius followed him and shut the door.
Narcissa and another female Death Eater, well known for extreme cruelity in interrogation sessions, stood in front of a prisoner, who was hanging from a chain in the low roof with it's wrists in chackles. It looked badly beaten and bruised, blood trickling from its mouth and nose.
Narcissa looked up at them as they entered the room.
"Draco." She said and smiled, ignoring Lucius completely.
Lucius did the same and turned to Draco instead with an all too friendly voice.
"I apparated from London with a trophy that will please the Dark lord very much." He explained. "This one is an active member of Dumbledore's resistance and it will be a question of very little time before he tells us everything he knows."
Both his parents gazes were upon him in expectation and watchfulness.
But Draco wasn't looking at them anymore.
He stared at the prisoner, who he finally recognised as Neville.
Next: The end chapter!
