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.
I'd like to thank Draeconin for being the beta for my story. I'm really grateful for your help.
Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 26 – Revealing the Past
The next few days went uneventfully. Snape still couldn't remember what really happened in his rooms, and Tiger's daily detentions were by now a routine event, consisting of making potions, marking homework, and talking about the 'ignorant brats' lack of potion knowledge.
The young Slytherin had brewed a new cauldron of capitis sanare potion after he had the opportunity to nick some more of Snape's arboris root from his personal store. As the two of them prepared the potion for Madam Pomfrey, he faked an incident in which he ruined his potion and had to start anew. He hadn't used the arboris root in his first brew, but told Snape he had. So he got a second root, and hid the first in his bag.
There was a panicked moment when Snape said something about missing arboris root last year, and Tiger could almost see that the Potions Master was trying to remember something, but fortunately the memory didn't return.
This encounter had given Tiger a small headache, so he'd nicked two vials of the potion at the end of their session to last until he had the opportunity to brew the potion for himself.
He knew this stuff wasn't good for him, but he couldn't help taking it. So one night when he knew Snape wasn't in the castle – because he'd cancelled the detention, and Draco had told him Severus was meeting with Narcissa in his Mansion - he went into the Potions classroom and prepared the potion.
After he finished and the potion had cooled, he bottled it into vials and put them in his wooden box, where he always kept them. He hadn't had enough to refill all the vials with triple doses, so he distributed the concoction evenly and filled the rest of the vials with water - which wouldn't harm the potion or lessen its intensity, but let Tiger believe he got his usual portion of three doses.
He tricked himself in believing this by speaking a spell over the vials that would convince him that there was his usual amount of capitis sanare potion, even if his body told him otherwise. By doing that, he hoped he would someday be able to live without this stuff, because he feared a repeat of what had happened with Snape.
It was true his outburst hadn't been entirely because his head of house had discovered his addiction, but now he was afraid that should Draco or anyone find out about it, they would abandon him. And that was a thought he couldn't bear.
He knew it would be hard, but he also knew he had to do it alone. He couldn't ask for help; he was too ashamed of his weakness. He had sworn to himself the day he had brewed the potion for himself the first time that he wouldn't get addicted to it; that it was just because of the visions Voldemort sent him. He swore that the moment he mastered Occlumency, he would stop taking it. But then Sirius had died, and the pain just wouldn't stop anymore; he hadn't any intention to work on his Occlumency, and he just wanted to feel nothing - only the numbness an overdose of the potion would provide.
That all changed the day the Malfoys 'rescued' him from the Dursleys and pulled him out of his traumatic state. The moment they offered him a new life, he wanted to leave everything behind him.
And at first he'd thought he'd achieved that goal, because the moment Tiger Ryan was born, all the problems Harry Potter had were gone. But the day after his and Draco's potion accident it all came crashing down on him. The after-effects of the overdosed cheering potion had given Tiger his first real headache since he was with the Malfoys. It was so intense that he couldn't stop himself, and he got the capitis sanare potion from one of the first aid boxes that were in the house.
He had discovered the potion within the box as they attended to Lucius' injuries after his encounter with Voldemort. Only the thought that now that Harry Potter was dead he didn't need the potion anymore, helped him resist the urge to collect every single vial, and hide them in his room.
That day he brewed himself a new cauldron-full of the potion, and after finding the wooden box in a room full of unused supplies, he'd filled twenty vials with the potion; three doses per each vial. That was the moment he noticed he was addicted, and that was the moment he knew that no one could ever know about it.
The 'relationship' between Tiger and Draco developed slowly but steadily after the bludger incident. Whenever they were seen together they were holding hands, or wrapped in each other's arms. But not once were they found kissing; not even a little peck when they had to separate for classes.
The evenings they spent together with the other Slytherins in the common room. Draco waited for Tiger to come back from his detention, and damned himself that he had made Severus give Tiger the detention in the first place. Their bet was obviously still on, but for now Draco laid low in trying to make Tiger wear robes again, and just waited for a good opportunity to strike.
Lately Tiger didn't spent as much time with Snape as usual, so he and Draco still had a few hours together every evening. Tiger would come in at around nine o'clock and sit on the couch beside Draco. The blond would lay his head down in Tiger's lap, and Tiger would absentmindedly stroke his neck the whole evening through, until it was time to go to bed. There they would snuggle close together and kiss for a while, before falling asleep in each other's arms.
The opportunity for Draco to trick Tiger into wearing robes occurred on the last weekend in September, when Professor Dumbledore announced that the head Boy and Girl planned to hold a costume ball on Halloween. The Head Boy and Girl were responsible for coordinating such events, together with the professors. Usually there was only a feast on Halloween Eve, but this year's Head Girl was an American, and she wanted to show the school how they celebrated this holiday at home.
He didn't know yet what Tiger would wear, but now he knew he wouldn't lose this bet after all. He hadn't thought it possible after Tiger had accepted the detentions from Snape and the daily point-loss, but after the announcement today he did have new hopes that he would win the bet in the end. After all, the first part of his plan had already worked.
He had spoken to Jamie Conner – this year's Head Girl, a Hufflepuff – after one of the prefects meetings, and had asked about her accent. When she told him she was born in America, he remembered his father once talking about the different festivities in the USA; and a plan began to form in his mind.
He asked her about Halloween, and after she told him about how they celebrate it at home, he put on his 'poor little boy' mask on, and complained in a small voice that he had never experienced such a feast, and neither had most of the other students. To top his act off, he also mentioned that it was Tiger's first year away from 'home', and that he would probably miss the traditional American Halloween feast terribly.
Draco knew that did the trick, because he saw Jamie's eyes sadden at the mention of Tiger's grief. He supposed she had a bit of a crush on his – his – boyfriend ('The bitch,' he thought,) and would do anything for him.
'Note to self; use her for future favours concerning Tiger.'
After the meeting, Draco had a big smile on his face for the rest of the evening, but refused to tell Tiger what he was happy about. When he saw the same smile on the blond's face after Professor Dumbledore's announcement, he knew that he had something to do with it, and after quick consideration, he thought he knew what Draco was trying to achieve.
'Nice idea, Dragon, but you won't win: not if I can help it,' Tiger thought, as he smiled back at the blond.
On the first of October, the official Quidditch team lists were published, which caused a lot of excitement in the whole school. Some players who had been on their team for years, were now only reserve players, or sometimes even totally banned. A quick scan of the list showed that the latter only counted for people like Crabbe and Goyle who only got on the team because of their strength. The ones that were on the teams and really wanted to play but weren't good enough were now reserve players.
Tiger groaned when he saw the Slytherin list. Nott was on the team, together with Patrick Parker, who hit the Bludger that caused Tiger a visit to the hospital wing. Blaise, Draco, and Tiger had all made it onto the team. Tiger read the other names and nodded to himself. 'Derrick and Simon played well together with Blaise at the try outs. This will be a really good team, this year.'
He scanned the other teams, and was only mildly surprised that Ginny Weasley wasn't Gryffindor's Seeker anymore. Not because she wasn't good, but because he knew she wanted to play Chaser. And she had achieved her goal, along with Katie Bell – who was Gryffindor's captain – and Lindsay Summer, one of Ginny's classmates. Ron was still Keeper. And Max O'Brian and Frank Peterson will make good Beaters, if their Quidditch talent was only a fraction of that of their idols'.
Max and Frank were third years, and had already proven that they were the successors of Fred and George Weasley in mischief making. They are nearly as often in trouble as the twins had been, and they, too, had the habit of ending each other's sentences. Tiger had met them a lot in the last weeks, while he served his detention.
At least once a week they had to serve detention with Snape. He had always thought the Weasley twins were nerve-wracking, but with the Malfoy twins at Hogwarts too, the prank rate in school rose to a height that came near Marauder's standards.
"Oh, my god, I'm on the team." Tiger came out of his musing when he heard an excited voice beside him.
"Alex!" he said, surprised.
"Oh, hello, Tiger. Have you seen? I'm Gryffindor's new Seeker! Look!" Alexandra Finnigan pointed enthusiastically to her name behind the word 'Seeker' on the Gryffindor list.
Tiger smiled down at the second year. They had become friends at the beginning of the school year after Snape had started to give Alex advanced Potions lessons, after Tiger had shown him the summer homework she had done, which had been sixth year material. Alex was often in the dungeons with Snape and Tiger while the young Slytherin served his detention. Lately she was even allowed to grade the first year's homework. "Congratulation, Alex. I hadn't known you tried out."
"Actually, I hadn't." At Tiger's confused look, she explained. "You know I was sick the whole of last week and couldn't try out. But I had already played a few times with the old members of the team, and a few others this year. They said I was really good. I always got the Snitch first, even if I flew against Ginny. They wanted me to play Seeker, so they talked to Professor McGonagall and Madam Hooch, and I got a chance to play against the other potential Seekers. They said I was the best," she finished, a little flushed.
"You are the best," a new voice came from behind them.
"Seamus!" Alex said joyfully, "I'm on the team!" She threw herself at her brother, who lifted her into the air and whirled her around, laughing.
"I'm really proud. I just hope I won't get into a conflict with myself when I announce the play-by-play for the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match next month." Seamus was the new commentator, since Lee Jordan had graduated last year.
"Why would you? You're a Gryffindor."
"Yes, but the Slytherin Seeker is the sexiest thing I've ever seen." He smiled at Tiger seductively, who blushed and tried to avoid his eyes.
"Hallo, Seamus," he mumbled, embarrassed.
"Hello, sexy," Seamus purred.
"And hello to me, too." Yet another voice announced the arrival of Draco. The blond walked closer to Tiger and wrapped a possessive arm around his waist. "Fuck off, Finnigan."
"Aren't we charming, today," Seamus commented.
Draco just glared at him.
"Well, see you in class, Tiger," the Irishman said, with a smile.
Then looking at Draco, he said, "Malfoy," and nodded politely to the blond.
"Let's go, Miss Seeker. I'll pay for your breakfast today."
"But it's always free!" Alex laughed, and let herself be lead into the Great Hall.
"We're on the team; Blaise, too. And you're captain," Tiger said, as he turned to Draco.
"That's great." the blond said stiffly.
"Oh, come on." Tiger shoved him playfully, then he leant closer and whispered in Draco's ear. "You know I'm yours; now, and forever."
Draco shivered as he felt Tiger's breath against his ear.
"Let's go! I'm starving." Tiger grabbed Draco's hand, and together they walked into the Great Hall.
"Who else is on the team?" Draco asked, as he sat down beside Tiger.
"Derrick and Simon as Chasers, and Patrick and Nott as Beaters." Tiger shot a glare in the direction of the last mentioned boy, but it wasn't noticed as Draco started ranting.
"I can't believe Severus really put Parker on the team! He almost killed you."
"Don't be overdramatic, Draco. He's a good Beater, and that can only be good for the team." He laid a hand on Draco's thigh, and the blond calmed instantly.
"I still don't like him," Draco pouted, so that only Tiger could see.
"We don't have to like everyone on the team…" Tiger gave Nott another glare, and this time the other boy noticed him - and with an arrogant smirk, he raised his goblet and saluted Tiger. "…but we have to tolerate them," he finished, and went back to eating his breakfast.
For the rest of the day Tiger's mood was down, and so as not snap at Draco (or no more than he'd already done), he spent the evening after his detention in Remus' quarters reading Sirius' journal.
Remus had to grade some essays, so Tiger was reading alone. He lay on the couch on his back, the book floating wandlessly above his head. He had been reading for a while, when he came to a part that surprised him.
… we knew Moony wouldn't be up to a big party this year because of the full moon the night after his birthday. But that was perfect for us, because the biggest present we had for him was that we had finally finished our Animagus training. I think we couldn't have waited much longer or Remus would have gotten totally mad, because he'd thought we didn't want him as our friend anymore. We had so many secrets that everyone thought there was something wrong between the four of us.
But in the end the surprise was successful. That was the first transformation Remus didn't end up in the hospital wing with injuries afterward.
Granted, there had been moments when I thought we wouldn't survive the night. After we made our way through the tunnel to the Shrieking Shack, we weren't all that sure anymore whether we had done the right thing. How would the wolf react to us? But there was only one answer to that. So we enter the Shack carefully, and searched for the room where Moony had been locked up every month since he'd started Hogwarts.
I unlocked the door, and we transformed into our Animagus forms. I entered first, only to come face to face with a very angry werewolf. Believe me, Harry, I've never had as much fear as in that moment. Do you know how many teeth a werewolf has? Too many.
I really didn't know what to do. The only thing that came to mind was a scene I once saw in a book about 'normal' wolves; how the alpha accepts a new wolf into his pack. I ducked my head and exposed my neck to Moony, and waited to see what would happen. The werewolf stepped closer and sniffed me for a long time before, at last, he bit my neck.
I thought I would wet myself at that moment, but luckily I was too frightened to remember how.
After that, everything happened in a blur. Before I'd even registered that Moony had accepted me into his pack, were we jumping around each other like little cubs. I can't really remember when Prongs and Wormtail joined us, but eventually we were all three accepted into Moony's pack.
I will never forget the day of our first transformation; 3rd of October of our fifth year – Remus' fifteenth birthday.
"Your birthday is in two days," Tiger said, after he'd finished reading the entry.
"What?" Remus asked, surprised. He looked up from his work but could only see the floating book over the back of the sofa.
"Your birthday is in two days," Tiger repeated, and looked at Remus over the back of the couch.
"Yes, it is. How do you know?"
"Sirius wrote about the first time they spent the full moon with you."
"It was the happiest birthday of my life." Remus smiled.
"Aren't you ready yet? We could read together for a while longer."
"I've still one essay to grade, and Hermione's," Remus said, as if it would explain everything. "Anyway, it's quite late. You should go back to your common room."
"Please, just one more entry. Just until you finish with the essay. Please?" Tiger gave him his best puppy dog eyes.
"You're worse than Sirius," Remus laughed. Tiger smiled at being compared to his godfather, and went back reading.
"I haven't said yes, Tiger," Remus commented, mock sternly.
"Because you just can't say no to me." Tiger gave him a winning smile, and lay back down.
We were all so excited about our transformation, later on Remus' birthday, that we never noticed that he hadn't gone back to sleep after breakfast, like he said he would, but that he'd met his not-so-secret lover.
We knew the two had been together since Christmas the year before. Remus had stayed at Hogwarts that year because of the full moon. James, Peter and I had gone home after Remus had threatened to hex us if we stayed just for him. Full moon had been the night before Christmas Eve, so Remus would have been totally exhausted and only slept the whole day. Therefore he wouldn't have noticed if we were there or not.
He was one of only six students who stayed over Christmas, and the only Gryffindor.
The two had met in the hospital wing on Christmas Eve and had talk for the first time ever. Remus later told me it took them the rest of the holiday to even kiss for the first time. I couldn't believe it. I knew he could charm every girl with his smile; even better than I could. But then I didn't know who this mysterious girl was. He just didn't want to tell us.
Over the next months we noticed that he went around alone a lot, but we hadn't commented on it because that gave us time to learn to become Animagi. But then one night James and I were on our way to the kitchen when we noticed a familiar name on the Marauder's Map just a few classrooms away. We knew Moony was out with his love, so at first we didn't want to interrupt. But then we read the second name beside his, and we feared our friend was in trouble.
We pulled our wands and walked over to the classroom. We opened the door and entered, unnoticed because we were under Prong's invisibility cloak. We were prepared for the worst, but what greeted us was the last thing on my mind. I remember it as if it was yesterday.
"I never thought I could ever be so happy in my whole life," Remus said, as he pressed his naked and sweaty body against that of his lover.
"You are the most wonderful person in this world, Remus. You deserve every bit of happiness you get, and a lot more." Fingers wandered over Remus' chest, tracing up and down his many scars. "You're so beautiful, Remus Lupin." A kiss to the scar on his left shoulder, where the werewolf had bitten him. "So indescribably beautiful." Another kiss to the scar on his collarbone which had been Moony's personal Christmas present for Remus that year.
Remus didn't think of the wolf as being a part of himself. He was Remus, and the wolf was 'Moony'. Before the rest of the Marauders joined Remus on the full moons, the wolf (Moony) injured himself every month. Since the full moon was the day before Christmas Eve, Remus saw his newest addition to his many scars as Moony's Christmas present. At that time Remus' curse was nothing but a curse. Later when his friends joined him, it was at least somewhat tolerable.
"I'm just a-" Remus protested, but was cut of by a stern voice.
"You're nothing 'just'. You're everything to me: Everything, and more." A pale finger caught a single tear on Remus' cheek. Both hands lay flat against Remus' cheeks, and the thumbs stroked softly over his closed eyes. A kiss was planted on his lips, and then words were whispered against those lips. "I love you, Remus Lupin. I will ever love you, cub."
"I love you, too, Lucius."
Before that day I thought Lucius Malfoy was a cold hearted bastard, but when I saw all that love between the two of them, I knew our Remy had found true happiness for the first time in his life.
I could never forgive Narcissa for taking him away from Remus. I knew it was an arranged marriage, and if Remus hadn't been so damn stubborn he'd probably still be together with Lucius. The day the marriage plans were announced I practically saw Remus' heart break. He has never been the same since then.
"Finally!"
Surprised, Tiger sat up and looked over to Remus. "I swear, one day I will stop giving your class homework just so I don't have to read Hermione's essays," Remus laughed. "She always has to write the most detailed essays, doesn't she?"
Tiger smiled, stilled touched by what he'd just read. "Yes," he said, and stood up. Stretching his limbs and yawning dramatically, with his back to Remus, Tiger made his way to the door. "I'm off, then. Good night."
"What, no protests?" Remus wondered.
"Not tonight. I'm really tired." Tiger smiled at Remus from at the door. "See you tomorrow." He waved, and left for the Slytherin dungeons.
When Tiger entered the common room it was nearly deserted. Only one lone figure lay sleeping on the couch, a book lying forgotten on the floor beside it.
Smiling, Tiger walked over and picked the book up, placing it on the table. Then he scooped the sleeping blond into his arms and carried him to bed.
"Tiger?" a sleepy voice asked.
"Yes."
"Missed you."
"I was with Remus. I'm sorry I snapped at you today." He placed the blond on his bed and began to undress him. "I had to go away, or I'd have accidentally? said something to hurt you."
"Have a nice evening?" Draco asked, still half asleep.
"Remember the Journal I told you about?" Tiger asked, while he undressed himself.
"Sirius'?" All of a sudden the blond was wide awake. Tiger hadn't spoken about the contents of the journal before.
"Mm-hm." Tiger nodded. He crawled under the covers and closed the curtains with a swish of his wand, locking and sound proofing it.
Draco cuddled close to him and started to trace little circles around his belly button. "Read something interesting?"
"Very," Tiger replied, while his hands stroked through the blond's hair. "Remus' birthday is in two days."
"That isn't interesting," Draco complained.
"No, but the fact that I know who Remus' true love is, is interesting."
"Tell me, tell me, tell me." Draco bounced up and down on the bed before he landed on Tiger, straddling the boy. "Tell me!"
"What do you know about your parents' school years? Their love lives, especially." The dark haired boy grinned mischievously.
"They weren't in love with each other. Their marriage was arranged, but they were really good friends. Mum was in love with Severus when she had to marry Dad."
"And your dad?"
"I don't know. He told me that there had been a special someone once, but it didn't last because of his marriage."
"Any names?" Tiger asked mysteriously.
"No," Draco said sadly. Then his eyes widened in disbelief… "No way."
"Yes." Tiger smiled.
"No way. Dad and Professor Lupin? No way."
"You wouldn't believe how much they loved each other. I read what Sirius wrote about them, and I was really touched."
"Do you believe they still have feelings for each other?" Draco asked thoughtfully.
"I think Remus is still hurt, but where there is hurt, there are still feelings. What about Lucius?"
"He's had his fair share of bed-partners, but there was nothing serious."
"But does he still have feelings for Remus?"
"I don't know."
"There is only one way to know for sure." Tiger smiled mysteriously. He pulled the blond's head down and whispered in his ear. Draco's smile grew with every word.
After their plan was made they cuddled close together, and fell asleep soon after.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x
A/N – That's it for now. What do you think?