"I cannot believe I have let you talk me into this," Marvalo said as his eyes flickered closed.
"Just relax, this is supposed to be relaxing," Harry said, his voice soft as the mixture in his arms was whisked thoroughly.
Taking a brush, he began massaging the face mask gently onto Marvalos's face. He has begged and pleaded with Marvalo to have him do face masks with him. Marvalo had said no at first, but Harry's convincing skills were amazing, and it wasn't like the man could say no to him anyway.
The face mask was one that Draco had bought for him from somewhere in Hogsmead. And Harry was bored. He had finished his studies in record time and had made his way to Marvalos' house to annoy him with the face mask in tow.
At first, he had just planned to do it by himself, but after Marvalo had asked him several questions about it, in the end, he convinced the man to do it with him.
Once the mask was on Marvalos' face, he began to do it on his own, taking care not to get it near his mouth.
He loved the times when it was just him and Marvalo spending the day together. He knew a lot of work piled up on Marvalos's desk the next day, so he tried not to do it often.
Harry spent most of Marvalos' busy days helping his father keep up with the accounts again. He seemed to be doing much better and was back on his feet, but he still got tired from time to time, which was when Harry took over.
He managed the external business affairs and things that they needed to travel for, along with making sure any contractors they had hired were doing a good job. Since his father couldn't at the moment, and it wasn't like Harry could go out. The media had been relentless since the article. While Harry sorted through the investment updates and put money towards any upcoming company that seemed to be thriving at home.
His father had wanted to shift investments completely towards him, but Harry had refused, stating it was too much work. He had enough on his plate with the oncoming Black inheritance once Sirius was back from his newest mission.
They sat there in silence, as Harry hummed a tune under his breath. Marvalos's hand gripped his as his thumb ran over the palm of his hand in a repeated motion. It was telling that he found it calming as he relaxed into his seat further, and Harry felt at peace.
As he sat with Marvalo, his mind wandered, thinking about the hectic weeks. He had known that it would get worse once he was 17, a legal adult, but he was glad to finally have a place to relax. He had never been happy at Hogwarts in the first place; it was a school filled with people who hated him for having a family. He didn't understand how it was their business anyway. Then they hated him for hating his old family, the people who had abandoned him, and now they probably hated him for the person he had chosen to love.
Love.
He hadn't thought about it since that day, but he really did love Marvalo. He didn't mind that the man was a Dark Lord; in fact, that fact made him all the more attractive in Harry's eyes.
The Malfoys got the best, and surely no one was better than the most powerful Dark Lord of the century. The age difference didn't bother him as much as it should; after all, wizards lived far longer than muggles, and if rumors were to be believed, then Marvalo would live forever.
He hadn't liked Marvalo for years, thinking him evil and powerful. Which he was to be fair, but the man had paid no attention to him, cementing the fact in his young mind that the man was evil. How dare he not pay attention to Harry?
He could see now that back then he had been nobody to Marvalo, but as he had grown, he had become worthy of notice.
He liked to think that he was ambitious, but he didn't even stand a shadow on Marvalos's own. One which he was very close to achieving, in fact. The ministry was barely resisting a takeover at this point.
But it wasn't like Harry had been instantly agreeable to the relationship they shared. In fact, he had struggled to see why anyone would like him enough to marry him in the first place. All his hermit dreams were washed down the drain with one glance at Marvalo. But he couldn't understand why Marvalo had chased after him specifically. He hadn't even got an heirship to his name yet. He was prickly and hated interacting with people outside of his very exclusive social circle, and he knew his anger was frightening.
Yet, out of everyone lined up at his beck and call, Marvalo had picked him. And that made him the best in Harry's books. No matter what his side job was.
He hadn't made it easy for Marvalo, yet he had stayed. He knew others would have been killed for such disrespectful behavior, but the Dark Lord had given only a grimace. And best of all, he had given him a choice. A choice where he could stop anything he didn't want at a given moment.
Something he had never thought he would have if in a courtship, which he thought was also unlikely given his nature.
Marvalo had known that he could have easily used his sway and leverage, but he hadn't, and slowly, because of this, he had truly fallen for the man.
He had taken quickly to the relationship, and it was funny how both of them had been so alike yet so similar.
But yes, he loved Marvalo. He loved the crinkle of his eyes when he smiled; the way he held onto Harry; the way he filled the margins of his books with witty jokes and useful information for Harry; and he especially loved the way Marvalo looked at him. It was as if he was the most precious gem in the world.
So yes, he loved Marvalo. And he thinks Marvalo might just love him a little bit too.
Lunch with Sirius was a rare affair. Sirius was mostly busy with missions and rarely found time to eat, let alone see Harry. Today was special, he supposed.
He missed his Godfather. He missed the rumbling of his motorcycle and the light smell of whisky that seemed to cling to his leather jacket. Most of all, he missed his company.
He and Sirius had always been alike, their tempers like fire and their taste for danger making them similar.
Their hatred for the Potters only helped matters further.
Harry hated the Potters, but hate was a diluted word to him, for what he felt towards the family was so much more because they had abandoned him in the muggle world and hadn't checked on him for 9 years. Then, when they had found out he was with the wizards, ones from a different political faction, they put on a sob show and begged for him back. He had listened to their stories. He had needed to know why. Perhaps they had a valid reason? No, In the end, there hadn't been The evening had ended when he had slapped James Potter and walked out of dinner, and he had never seen them again.
Sirius hated the Potters because they had given away his godson and then forced him to love the other child as if nothing was wrong and a member of their family had just been sent away. They had reminded him so much of the family he had spent his life running from. They had seemed to transform into the very people they claimed to hate, seemingly overnight. At first, he thought it was a shock response and that they would bring Harry back sooner or later. He thought that they would go back to the James and Lily that he had known and loved.
That hope had quickly shown out to be futile. He had resented them at first but stayed for Charles. After all, it wasn't the child's fault. It wasn't the child's fault when the parents were stupid hardheads who refused to see reason after all. After a few weeks of waiting and taking the backlash of the bond, he knew it meant his godson was in pain. He had tried hard to resist the urge to leave and turn the earth over looking for his godson, but in the end, he hadn't been able to handle the pain of the Godfather bond any longer and had turned to the dark side for help.
With his cousin, he had found, Jamie, or Harry, as he was now called. The bond had settled instantly, and that was when he knew his godson was safe, and he had hated the Potters from that day on. Not only for taking his godson from him but for never checking on him. Because if they had, they would have known he was not where they had left him.
Turning to the dark hadn't been difficult after that for him. All that was holding him to the light were his friends, and they seemed as good as gone anyway. The Potters never questioned why he never came back, and Sirius never did say.
He walked into the well-lit muggle restaurant, sat at a previously reserved table that he had booked, and waited for the telling loud rumbling of the motorcycle that would signal his godfather's arrival.
A few minutes later, he could hear the telltale sound of Sirius arriving as he sat up straighter and waited.
A man just touching 5'6 with shiny black hair and his signature leather jacket, Sirius looked as he had always remembered.
"Siri," Harry said as he pulled him into a hug. He had missed this man and his slightly singed hair.
"Hey, squirt," Sirius said as he pulled Harry closer. They both pulled apart and walked to the table, pulling their chairs out.
"It's been a while, kid, I heard you're in a courtship now, from that rag of a newspaper no less," Sirius said, looking over the menu.
"Well, it wasn't to be public for a good long while yet, Siri, and I just signed the contract recently," Harry said in response as he looked around for a waiter, gesturing for them to come to take his order.
The conversation took a pause as they both quickly ordered and gave their thanks.
"You do realize you're in courtship with the Dark Lord Harry?" Sirius said, his face devoid of humor.
"Yes I do, and who is really having a difficult time, Sirius?" "Surely you don't think I've made this easy for him," Harry said smugly, as Sirius's eyebrows rose in disbelief.
"No way har!" Sirius choked out as he glanced downward to avoid laughing.
"Yes, and did you know he put a clause in the contract saying we couldn't have sex before marriage?" Harry joked.
"Okay, first of all, har, I didn't need to hear it like that for fucks sake," Sirius said, almost spitting out his water.
Harry said with a roll of his eyes, "You are such a prude, honestly."
"I am not," Sirus said defensively. "I just don't want to hear details of my godson's sex life with the fucking Dark Lord. Need I remind you that I fucking work for him. How am I supposed to look him in the eyes after that man? "
"Yeah, yeah," Harry said dismissively. He would definitely tell Marvalo this story, possibly while he was drinking tea, so he would spit it out. That would be hilarious.
"But I bet it didn't end well for him," Sirius said after a few minutes of silence. He looked way too happy at that conclusion.
"Surprisingly it did, he said he wanted me to have a choice", Harry said his face erupting in a smile.
"A choice on when- um..", then Sirius made some vague hand motions, "you know"
"Yeah, a choice," Harry said with a snort.
"Good, that means he's not being a total arse." "That's good," Sirius said with a strained smile.
"Well he's not being an arse but he sure loves mine!", Harry said his eyes shining as he watched Sirius go progressively redder.
"HARRY!" Sirius choked out.
This lunch was getting more entertaining by the second.