Tiger & Dragon
By loverstouch
Disclaimer: All the characters belong to J.K Rowling. The story is based on Rowling's work, but the plot of 'Tiger & Dragon' comes from my own sick brain.
Summary: In the summer after his fifth year Harry is taken from the Dursleys to live with the Malfoys. The next day the Daily Prophet's headline read 'Boy Who Lived Died In Death Eater Attack' …
Rating: R
This is my first "Slash" fanfiction and the first fic I have published at all, so please go easy on me.
The story begins in the summer after Harry's fifth year, which means yes; it is post OoTP, but has nothing to do with HBP.
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I'd like to thank Draeconin for being the beta for my story. I'm really grateful for your help.
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Hope you enjoy it!
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Chapter 14 – bound to the enemy
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The week following Harry Potter's funeral found Tiger Ryan under constant study stress. The first days Lucius and he worked all day on Tiger's Occlumency skills, to be prepared for the worst.
Draco's training had been laid on ice for a while (Lucius had taught him the basics after learning it himself) because of the urgency of Tiger's preparation. And since he didn't want to spend the next few days on his own, he had decided to visit with his mother and godfather for the week.
Lucius' teaching methods were a lot better than Snape's had been. The elder Malfoy had started with basics, even though Tiger had already had Occlumency lessons. But Lucius thought that one had to have an understanding of this sort of magic before they could affectively use it. He had also done a probe of Tiger's mind, without any force, and had told him what he was looking for.
The first time, Tiger had thought that if he knew what he had to defend against, it would be very easy to block Lucius' attempt to enter his mind, but there was still so much force that Tiger needed too much time to throw Lucius out of his head.
The next time Tiger tried, he had the needed respect for the slightest attack, and he managed it in less time than the first. At the end of their first day of training, Tiger had successfully barred Lucius' attempts to read his mind. But before they left the library for dinner, Lucius proved that Tiger had a lot more to learn, by probing him without warning, so they spent the next few days in the library training Tiger's Occlumency skills.
By the end of the week, he had successfully closed his mind whenever Lucius had warned him before he attacked full-force, no matter which feelings he tried to read. But Tiger still had problems keeping his shield up when they weren't training. Sometimes during dinner, Lucius would surprise Tiger, catching him unprepared. If it had been Snape, or even worse, Voldemort, they would have gained enough information to expose him.
The day Draco came back, Lucius had started to attack unannounced only while Tiger was working on his Potions reviews. There had already been an explosion when Tiger dropped too many viridis acutus in his de-warting Potion. So after that he had confined himself to reading through his Potion book.
When Draco entered the library one afternoon, Lucius took the moment of Tiger's distraction to enter his mind. This time he searched for memories about Draco. He was a little shocked when all he found were pictures of Draco where he was being mean to Potter and his friends. The last image he saw before Tiger brutally threw him out was his smirking son the day they 'kidnapped' Harry.
Tiger, who had been on his way to Draco when Lucius attacked him, had fallen to his knees, and was now looking, shaken, to Lucius, who was coming to his feet on the other side of the library where he had landed after Tiger had fought him out of his mind.
They held the eye-contact for a long while, Tiger's face showing shock, anger, but mostly hurt, and Lucius just looked confused.
Tiger opened his mouth to say something, but then he turned around and fled the room, passing a very confused-looking Draco.
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"I thought by now you would see more in me than just the annoying little prat."
Tiger's eyes snapped open when he heard Draco's voice in combination with his approaching footsteps. When he felt a pressure on the bed beside him, he turned his head and looked into a pair of disappointed silver-blue eyes.
"But then again, I couldn't expect you to bury all your ill feelings about me in such a short period of time - although you could have fooled me."
It pained Tiger to see Draco this hurt. He had never wanted him to find out about his doubts: not this way, anyway. He sat up in bed and reached for Draco's hand.
"Draco, I'm sorry, but-"
"No!" The blonde cut him off, jumping up and glaring at the other boy, his voice rising steadily. "Don't you dare apologize for what you feel. Don't you dare try to talk your way out of this."
"Please, just let me explain."
"I don't need an explanation. I saw your thoughts of me. Father showed me."
"But he only saw the beginning before I threw him out."
"But those were your most prominent feelings towards me."
"But not the most important," Tiger pleaded with him.
"Then why is your first thought when I returned of how I've ill-treated you in the past? Why not memories of us laughing together, or when we lay in bed together or even when we fought at the funeral and when I held you in my arms afterwards? Do you feel nothing but hate for me?" He was shouting by now, ignoring the tears of frustration running down his cheek.
"That's not true," Tiger answered in a broken tone. He was standing now too, and reached for Draco again, but when the blond spoke again he flinched back.
"Isn't it?" Draco spit back.
Tiger's soft "No" urged him to continue.
"Then why, pray tell, do you treat me like that? Why do you tease me the way you do, but then back away as if nothing had happened? Why do you open up to me, just to crawl deeper into your shell in the end? Why do you do all that when you still hate me so much?" Draco had just ended his tirade when Tiger exploded.
"I'm afraid, okay? That's what you want to hear, isn't it?" He glared at Draco, the blue sparkles in his green eyes daring the blond to try anything. "I'm afraid you'll be your nasty self once we get back to Hogwarts. I'm afraid I'll have to choose between you and Ron and Hermione when we're back at school. I'm afraid of what will happen if I don't get sorted into Slytherin, and you don't talk to me and hang around with me the way you do now. I'm afraid to get too attached to you, and then lose you again." The last statement was only whispered, and Draco had to lean closer to Tiger to hear it. Both had tears running down their cheeks now, and when Draco leaned in at Tiger's last comment, the black-haired youth threw his arms around him, and sobbed in his chest.
Draco was stunned for a moment. He was torn between the need to console Tiger, and to not let himself get hurt once again by the other boy's mood swings.
When Tiger noticed that Draco hadn't responded to the embrace he let go of him, took a step back, and turned around. "Sorry," he murmured, and went back to the bed. He sat down at the head of it, arms wrapped around his legs, and head resting on his knees.
Draco watched Tiger for a while, debating with himself whether he should follow his heart, wrap the other boy in his arms and cuddle him close to his chest, or to follow his mind and leave, so as not be trapped by Tiger's act again. In the end, he left the room without looking back. Because of that, he never heard Tiger murmur.
"You're too important to lose."
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During the next few days, Tiger tried more than once to talk to Draco, but the blond refused to even listen to him. That led to Tiger's lack of concentration in his lessons with Lucius, who had no patience for the boys' behaviour. (He and Tiger had a conversation about what he had seen in Tiger's mind, and after Tiger had explained his feelings, Lucius understood it all. But that didn't excuse their actions.) It took him only a minimal effort to enter Tiger's mind, and every time he did, he punished Tiger with painful memories.
The afternoon of the second day after Draco's return Tiger was a total wrack after constant attacks from Lucius. But Draco wasn't any better. Lucius had taken up Draco's Occlumency lessons again, and had sent him a few of Tiger's memories to show what the other boy had been through.
The following day, Lucius had enough of their childish behaviour, and forced the two to speak together. He put a binding spell on them so that they couldn't escape each other. Whenever one of them tried to walk more than five feet away from the other there would be a forceful pull, which threw them back together.
Draco had a fit when his father had put the spell on them. First he tried to walk away, but when the pull had forced him into Tiger's lap, he shouted at his father in a way that Tiger remembered from his last visit in Dumbledore's office.
Tiger would have found the show quite funny if it weren't for the fact that he was right in the forefront of the shouting and Draco's pacing around, which he had to copy because of the spell. But aside of that, it was hilarious. Draco was venting about not being a child who needed to be forced to make up with his friend after a silly fight about a toy.
'We're friends,' Tiger thought, with a smile.
About him being a Malfoy, and Malfoys didn't have silly fights: when he acts like that, it is of importance.
'I'm important to him.'
And about being in his house, and that Lucius had no right to treat him like that, or to interfere in his life in such an inappropriate way…
"…especially not in my love life!"
Tiger stopped dead at that moment. It wasn't because of Draco's last words, which were shouted in rage without thinking, but the moment Draco said it, Tiger felt it.
When the words left Draco's mouth, Tiger saw and felt images of Draco's current feelings. He stared at the blonde with a newfound realisation, but before he could react in any way, he was forcefully pulled forward at the same time Draco was pulled back. They crashed together, and fell in a pile of limbs to the floor.
Lucius, who had watched his son's tirade without any kind of reaction, stepped forward and held out his hand for Draco to help him up. Draco reluctantly took the hand, and let his father help him to his feet. They locked eyes for a moment before Draco turned and went back to his chair. But after two steps, he was pulled back again.
Managing to keep standing, Draco turned around to give Tiger an appropriate comment about his slowness, but when he saw Tiger lying on the floor face first, he kept quiet. Lucius stepped up beside Tiger, and helped him up.
"I have a meeting with Voldemort today. I still have to report on the incident at Potter's funeral," the elder Malfoy stated.
Tiger lowered his head, but Lucius didn't react to it.
"After that I will discuss with Dumbledore what we talked about, so I won't be back 'til tomorrow." He watched them sitting down on either side of the couch, Spike lying between them. His eyes stayed on Tiger when he spoke again. The dark-haired boy's gaze was soft and never left Draco, but the blond never noticed. "I expect that you'll have solved your problems by then."
Then he looked at Draco, who met his eyes obediently. "I won't accept your immature behaviour any longer. The spell won't wear of until you two have worked out your differences, so don't even try to fool me by pretending you get on with each other. You can't fool the spell. And be aware, I will find out." With that said, he turned around and left. The library fell quiet.
After ten minutes, Tiger was still staring at Draco, who hadn't moved since Lucius had left. He was staring in front of him, his hands absentmindedly stroking Spike, who had crawled in his lap after the shouting had stopped.
'Why won't you speak to me? How long will you act like this?' Tiger thought to himself. He smiled faintly when Spike bit Draco on the hand, and brought the blond out of his stare.
"You little monster," Draco laughed when he teased Spike with his own tail.
Tiger's smile grew wider at the scene. He laughed when Spike bit Draco's finger instead of his own tail.
Draco's head spun around, and they looked at each other. Both their smiles faded, and were replaced by sad (Tiger) and hurt (Draco) expressions.
'What are you feeling right now?' Tiger thought. 'I wish I knew what goes on in your mind. Why are you looking so hurt? What can I do to make you smile at me again?' He hadn't finished this thought when pictures started to appear in his mind. He saw images of himself smiling at someone whose perspective he had adopted. The next showed him together with Draco standing in front of a mirror, locking eyes through the mirror. The last image he saw was of himself leaning in to kiss the owner of the memory – Draco.
His eyes widened when he realized what he was doing. He was using Legilimency on Draco, and he didn't know how to stop it. He watched Draco's horror-stricken face while he still 'felt' images entering his mind.
It took Draco a while to realise what had just happened. When he saw Tiger's reaction, he panicked and backed away over the side of the couch. But because of their bond, he was pulled back, and landed painfully half on and half off the couch, which broke their mental connection.
Draco came back to his feet and glared down at Tiger. "How dare you?" He tried to take a step back but it felt like an invisible wall was blocking him. "How dare you enter my mind without my permission? Why haven't you told me you can do Legilimency?"
"Draco, please." Tiger stood up and stepped forward, but with every step he took, Draco moved away so that there was still the same distance between them. "Please, Draco; I swear I didn't want it."
"Why did you do it? How could you do it? How dare you?" Draco was shouting by now, and he still tried to back away from Tiger.
"Believe me, I have no idea how I did it. I've never done it before this afternoon, I swear. I didn't even know I was capable of doing it until I felt your feelings, when Lucius put the spell on us."
"Do you mean you've done that to me before?"
They both stopped, and when Tiger's only answer was a slight nod, Draco went on. His voice was now only a whisper. He looked a bit frightened. "What have you seen?"
"I've felt more than seen," Tiger said softly. He took a step forward, and now Draco didn't back away. A second step, and he stood mere inches away from the blond.
"What did you feel?" Draco only mouthed his question. He knew his voice wouldn't work. He looked pleadingly at Tiger, never breaking eye-contact; wishing for an answer, but fearing it as well.
Tiger slowly raised his right hand to Draco's cheek. He let his hand hover so near to it that Draco could feel his heat, but Tiger wasn't really touching him.
"I felt anger, hurt, and betrayal. It pained me to know that it was me who caused those feelings. I didn't know what to do, then. I wanted to run away. I didn't want to feel your pain. I wanted to stay, and take in every single painful feeling you had. I wanted to wrap my arms around you, and hold you close. I wanted to whisper in your ears that I'm sorry, and that I would do everything to make it up to you."
Draco had leaned into the touch, Tiger's words melting his resistance.
"I wanted to place my lips on yours, and take in every single taste of you, to know what a delicate person you are; to know who I've hurt so much." Tiger's thumb stroked softly over Draco's upper lip, catching a single tear which had escaped from silvery, emotion-filled eyes.
At the touch, Draco closed his eyes, diving into the feeling of Tiger's closeness. He opened them again suddenly when he felt the thumb leave his lips, only to be replaced instantly by something very soft. He looked, startled, into green orbs, blue sparkles pleading within. He relaxed instantly, and his eyes closed again. He felt Tiger smile faintly against his lips before arms snaked around his waist. When their lips parted, Draco rested his head on Tiger's shoulder while the other boy whispered in his ear.
"I'm really sorry, Dragon. I just don't know how to cope with all of this. It's too much for me, sometimes. I don't know why I can't give in and just enjoy everything. I think I fear what will happen when I'm force to give it all up again. It will only be more painful if I'm too attached to everything. I don't want to lose this." He put a hand under Draco's chin and raised his head so that they locked eyes. "I don't want to lose you." He gave him another soft kiss before stepping away and walking in the direction of the library door.
Draco, who had been silent all that time, raised a hand to his lips, which still tingled from Tiger's touch. Slowly he turned around to watch Tiger leave, when he suddenly felt a forceful pull, and seconds later found himself on the floor beside a slightly bewildered Tiger.
Tiger looked at Draco for a moment, before he realized what was going on. He lowered his gaze before he spoke. "I can't expect you to trust me again yet, after what I've done to you. I'm sorry." He stood up, and helped Draco to his feet as well.
"I think we both need time to be able to trust each other again." Draco smiled at Tiger and looked down at their still entwined hands, his thumb stroking softly over the back of Tiger's hand. His smile widened, when he looked back up. "And how else could we do it but by being together 24/7?"
Tiger smiled back, and the two spent the rest of the day together, wandering the grounds, playing chess, and they even went flying for a while, performing a nearly synchronous show in the air.
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In the wee hours the next morning, Tiger woke to soft whispers and heavy breathing. When he looked to his right, he found a still sleeping Draco, apparently having an interesting dream. The blond mumbled sweet nothings, and licked his lips sheepishly. Tiger's gaze wandered from his face to his sweaty chest, and lower to the obvious bulge in his boxers. 'Good thing that I insisted on going to bed immediately after he showered, without giving him the opportunity to put on pyjamas,' Tiger thought, and smirked mischievously. After their late flight yesterday, the two had a slightly awkward moment when they went to shower, which had ended, not in a fight, but in Draco not speaking to Tiger.
Flashback
"I really don't see your problem, there, Tiger. I've already seen you naked, and I've no problem with you seeing me without my clothes. I'm not responsible for our current situation, you know, so don't blame me. I just want to take a shower so that I can go to bed. Maybe tomorrow we can talk to Dad and show him that we're getting on well enough so that he will end the spell. But for now, take of your clothes and step into this shower."
It wasn't the fact that Tiger was ashamed, or anything. Draco had a point; he had already seen him naked. 'But that was before I knew that this might lead to something serious. Then, I had total control over the situation and my body, but now I don't think I could resist so easily when he touches me. This shower isn't really that big.' And especially not when his body was already responding from being so close to Draco the whole day. 'Oh, right. Thanks again for lending me your robes after you've spilled pumpkin juice all over my jeans, Draco.' Tiger smiled shyly and looked down at himself, making sure that nothing betrayed his state of arousal.
"Turn around."
"What?" Draco asked, surprised.
"Please turn around, Draco." Tiger had to put everything in his look to bring Draco to obey without questioning.
"I don't know what is going on with you now, but if you insist." Draco reluctantly turned his back to Tiger.
"Thanks." The black-haired boy took off his clothes, and stepped into the shower, closing the door behind him, and placing his pyjamas and towel over the door so that Draco couldn't look through it.
When Draco heard the water of the shower he turned around and began to take off his own clothes, but stopped when he saw the closed shower door.
"Tiger?" He tried to open the door, but he felt Tiger holding it closed from inside. "Tiger, what's wrong with you?"
"Just a minute Draco, please."
"Oh, I can't believe you sometimes!" Draco threw his hands in the air in exasperated defeat, turned around, and wanted to walk away, but remembered in time that he couldn't.
Two minutes later, Tiger stepped out of the shower dressed in his pyjamas, and stepped up to Draco.
"Sorry, but I-"
"Don't think that I will hurry up just because you're a prude who won't share the shower."
"I'm not-"
"Whatever." Draco pushed past him, and entered the shower.
Thirty minutes later, Draco was finally ready, and they went back into Draco's room. The blond wanted to take his pyjamas from the dresser, but before he could reach it, Tiger had already sat down on the bed, and refused to stand up again. So an angry Draco, clad in only his boxers, lay down on the bed and refused to say one more word.
Tiger had tried to explain that he had felt awkward in this situation, and that the other time had been totally different, but Draco hadn't reacted in any way. So Tiger just placed a gentle kiss to the corner of Draco's mouth, whispered a soft 'I'm sorry,' and lay down leaving enough space between them for another person to fit.
Flashback End
Tiger's gaze wandered back up to Draco's face, and smiled when he saw the tip of Draco's tongue between his teeth, just like he did when he was in deep concentration.
'Tell me what you are dreaming about.' Tiger was only slightly surprised when he felt the now familiar sensation of using Legilimency. He didn't know how he did it, but for now that was the last thing on his mind.
He saw pictures of himself and Draco kissing. He assumed that the fact that he could see Draco too was because this wasn't a memory, but a fantasy – he had never done this to Draco, before. In Draco's fantasy they were kissing passionately, tongues fighting for dominance. Draco lay on the bed, and Tiger was propped up on one elbow, stroking the blonde's cheek with his other hand. When their lips parted, Draco let out a soft whimper.
Tiger smiled when he heard Draco whimper. His smile grew into a smirk when he saw the next pictures, and a mischievous plan formed in his mind.
Carefully, he laid a hand on Draco's chest, closely watching Draco's face for any reaction. He didn't wake, but licked his lips in anticipation. Slowly the hand wandered up and down, brushing slightly over one of Draco's nipples. Draco's moan stopped Tiger's movements, but when the blond didn't wake, he copied Draco's dream, and placed soft kisses on his neck and chest until he reached one nipple.
"Tiger."
Tiger froze, and slowly looked up, letting out a deep breath when he found Draco still sleeping. He probed him once again, and hesitated just a moment before he continued with his ministration. While he kissed and licked one nipple, his hand left the other one and wandered down until it reached the waistband of Draco's boxers. Tiger blew on the nipple, causing Draco to shiver. His hand glided over the waistband of the boxers before he slipped it in, touching the blonde's erection.
"Please." Draco's hips bucked up, and Tiger was about to pull away, but obviously the boy was still dreaming. Tiger began to stroke Draco's cock; first slowly and softly, but increasing speed and pressure constantly, all the while trailing kisses on his chest until he reached the neck and began to suck and nip lightly at his pulse point, slowly bringing Draco over the edge.
When Tiger felt Draco reaching climax, he stopped kissing and pulled his hand out of the blonde's boxers. He whispered, "Come for me, my Dragon," in Draco's ear, and lay back down as if nothing had happened.
Draco woke with a start. Breathing hard, he looked down at himself. "Fuck," he cursed quietly. He closed his eyes tightly and turned to the boy next to him. Opening one eye, he peered down at Tiger. When he found the other boy still asleep, he breathed in relief. Carefully he slid to the side of the bed, hoping he could reach the bathroom and clean himself before his companion woke up.
But after only one step, Draco stopped, remembering the spell, and let himself fall, defeated, down onto the bed beside a totally bewildered looking Tiger.
"Morning," the dark haired boy said, yawning. "How long have you been awake?" Rubbing his eyes sleepily, Tiger set up and looked at the blond.
"Just woke up. I have to use the bathroom, but I forgot about the bond. Sorry."
"It's okay." Tiger stood up, turned around, and held out his hand to help Draco to his feet. But before Draco could grab the hand, Tiger lowered it again when his gaze fell to Draco's lap. Draco blushed a deep red, and refused to look at Tiger when he spoke again. "I assume, then, it wasn't a dream after all."
"What?" Now Draco's head snapped up, and he went even redder when he held Tiger's gaze.
"I dreamt you were… you know." Tiger nodded his head to Draco's groin. "I heard you moan and mumble something which I couldn't understand, and then I felt movements on the mattress as if a small weight had jumped on the bed."
Draco hid his head in his hands, and groaned pitifully.
Tiger knelt in front of him, and pulled his hands away, forcing Draco to look at him. "I don't know if I should be honoured or upset. It's nice to know that your dream was about me – whatever I've done to you, it must have been good. But it hurts to know that you can have all that fun without me. I think if you fantasize about my hand down your trousers at all, then there should be something in it for me, as well."
Draco's mouth fell opened and he watched in total shock when Tiger turned around and went into the bathroom.
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A/N – That's it for now. What do you think?