A/N- This chapter takes a slight change for the more serious. Hope you enjoy it and review. Speaking of …I'm trying to decide if the lack of reviews is a good thing or a bad thing. Was nice to see one more review listed however.
Harry stood in the middle of the drawing room and looked around in amazement. How on EARTH did they manage to accumulate so many bags in one shopping trip! The hazards of being a wizard and the ability to shrink down one's purchases. He sighed. The kicker was that they wouldn't even be able to use most of the stuff. Electronics and magic just didn't combine well.
Harry wondered if he would ever learn to say no to his boyfriend. Every time he convinced himself that he would say no next time Draco asked him for something, he looked into those silver eyes and completely lost track of what he was talking about, even thinking about. And it was that weakness that now left him standing in the drawing room with so many bags that he couldn't even move.
Even Hermione had abandoned him. He gave an exaggerated sigh and began sorting the bags. Pulling items out of the bags he set up a bag for each of them, dropping the items into each person's bag. When the bag was full, a wave of the wand later and it was banished to the appropriate room. No surprise, Draco seemed to have four bags to each one everyone else had. Remus and Snape had tried to not get much, but between the rest of them, they watched what the two had been eyeing and just added it to the purchases. If they had left them and their stubborn pride, they may have had a single bag. None of them would allow that. So they just bought it anyhow, let them wonder later. And yell. It would be too late. Harry figured he could just tell them if they didn't want it, they could take it back and return it. He snickered slightly at the thought of Snape willingly and on his own going into the mall. And attempting to return purchased items.
He had just reached the last of the bags when the door opened. His jaw dropped as he saw his blond haired boyfriend and scowling former Professor (who was holding a tea tray!) entering the room. Harry raised an eyebrow at the two.
"Have a seat Mr. Potter," said Snape with a wave towards the couch. More than a little hesitantly, Harry perched on the edge of the couch, wondering what this was all about. Snape set the tea tray on the coffee table and began pouring.
"Sugar? Cream?" he asked Harry.
'That's it!' thought Harry. 'He offers me lemon drops and I'm testing for polyjuice! Or Imperious…'
Eyes wide, mute with surprise Harry just nodded and took the offered cup. He stiffened slightly with surprise when Draco slide behind him wrapping his legs around Harry's waist. Something was up and Harry wasn't sure if he should wait until they got to the point, or just run now.
The three made idle conversation, talking about the shopping trip, the movie, Fred and George's shop and all variety of mundane topics, until Harry was almost done with his cup of tea. That was when they sprung their little trap on him.
"So, Harry my love," whispered Draco from behind him. "Those Muggle relatives of yours…How did they feel about you?"
"They thought I was a freak. I was worthless, good for nothing and would turn out like my parents, unemployed drunk…" Harry slapped his hand over his mouth. His eyes widened in horror. Veritaserum! He shot a glare at Snape and made to run from the room. His boyfriend's legs tightened around him and his arms wrapped around Harry's torso, pinning his arms to his sides. One hand slid up Harry's arm to pull the hand gently away from Harry's mouth.
He felt Draco press a kiss gently to the side of Harry's neck, but he didn't relax. Betrayal flowed through Harry and he struggled against his boyfriend.
"Let me go! Please," he pleaded softly.
"No Mr. Potter. And if you don't relax on your own, then I will give you a choice. I can tie you to the seat, or you can take this," he pulled a Calming Draught out of his robes and set it on the table. "The veritaserum will last for the next hour. It might be easier on you if you took the potion." Harry simply glared at him, refusing the offer.
Snape shrugged and moved on to the next question. "Did they ever hit you?"
"No. Yes. I mean," Harry tried biting his lip. His throat felt tight. He didn't want to talk. Not about this. But the words were being dragged out of him. "It wasn't often. Only when I did something 'freaky' and then it wasn't like a beating, just a slap or when Uncle Vernon would throw me in my cupboard."
Harry gave a sigh of defeat. He knew there was no way he was leaving the room until they let him. Slowly he reached forward and took the potion in his hand. Without looking at either Snape or Draco he downed the potion.
"Your cupboard?" Draco queried.
Quickly Snape stepped in to clarify the vague question, "Explain what you mean by your cupboard."
"Yes. It was my bedroom until I was eleven. It was a supply cupboard under the staircase." Harry closed his eyes. He didn't want to see the looks on the other two's faces as his deepest secrets poured out of him. He felt the calming draught relaxing him and he leaned into Draco's arms, in spite of the anger he felt towards him.
Draco shifted slightly to get both of them more comfortable. He decided after the last slip up to let Severus direct the questions. His pained eyes met his godfather's to see the shock in them.
"What happened when you were eleven to get you out of the cupboard?" asked Snape softly.
"The first of my Hogwarts letters arrived. It was addressed to me as 'Harry Potter, Cupboard under the Stairs, 4 Privet Drive' and they were afraid they were being watched. They thought if they moved me to Dudley's second bedroom, the school would leave them and me alone," Harry quit fighting the answered. He disconnected his mind from what he was saying and just let the answers flow.
"First of the letters? How many did you receive?" the questions were flowing as quickly as the answers now.
"Hundreds. They refused to let me have them. They burned them all. Rented a hotel and finally fled to an island lighthouse where Hagrid showed up to pick me up."
Harry felt Draco lightly stroking his hair and he leaned in to the comforting touch. He still kept his eyes closed.
"About how big was this cupboard you lived in?" Snape asked. He wanted to know more about this flight from the Hogwarts letters, but he would get to that.
"A little smaller than Draco's second closet," Harry answered. He felt the slight gasp from his boyfriend. The second closet (really third, they had had one each) had been added on when Draco insisted that he couldn't possibly be expected to live with such a limited amount of space.
"How did you fit all your stuff and a bed in there?" Snape asked. There was a hint of confusion and concern.
"What stuff?" Harry snorted. "I didn't have 'stuff'. I had a small cot and my few clothes. They were folded onto the shelves. And I had a small handful of toys that I kept in a tin under the bed."
"So they did give you toys?" Snape asked.
"No." Harry didn't elaborate. He was starting to get annoyed again, in spite of the calming potion.
"But you had some toys?" Harry simply nodded. "Where did you get them?"
Harry sighed. "They were toys that Dudley had broken and Aunt Petunia had thrown out. I snuck them out of the trash and smuggled them into my cupboard."
Draco asked the next question softly, "Do you still have the tin of toys?" Somehow he knew what the answer was going to be.
"Yes," Harry's response was a whisper.
"What about Christmas and birthdays? Did you get any presents then?" Snape asked.
Harry bit his lip. He didn't know how to answer the question. He felt the struggle within him. Snape sensed the internal struggle and reviewed his question.
"Don't try to answer that. I will rephrase the question. Did you ever receive any gifts from your aunt and uncle?" He tried to figure out where exactly he had gone wrong on the question.
Harry nodded.
"When?" Snape thought he might know where he had gone wrong. Now he needed confirmation.
"Every Christmas," Harry gave a slight smile. Snape knew it wasn't a happy thoughts smile, more one of bitterness.
"What were the best three Christmas gifts you received from them?" He asked.
"Well, one year they gave me a fifty pence piece," he paused "Muggle currency, about half a knut," he explained. "Another year they gave me a sticker that I put on my tin. And one year I got a new toothbrush. I think Dudley had gotten it from his dentist, but it was the first time I ever got anything new."
"Did you ever get anything from your relatives for your birthday?" Snape asked.
Harry shook his head. The next question was asked by Draco. The blond was still lightly stroking his boyfriend's hair and face, his other arm wrapped around Harry's waist.
"Harry, how old were you when you knew when your birthday was?" he hadn't thought about the question, but some instinct told him to ask.
"Six. Mrs. Figgs was babysitting me. She offered me some cookies and they were actually fresh and she told me she had baked them that morning for my birthday." Harry smiled slightly at the memory. The first real smile since they had started interrogating him.
"When we were at school, your clothes were always hideously huge. Why is that?" Draco asked, hoping the question wasn't too vague.
"They were Dudley's hand-me-downs. I didn't get my own clothes. Just the ones he outgrew," he heard Draco snort.
"He outgrew those?" the question was disbelieving.
Harry snickered. "Yes. He was rather large. Last time I saw him he practically had to walk sideways to fit through the doorway."
"Why then were you so skinny," asked Snape. He watched as the amused look dropped from Harry's face and was replaced by the detached coldness he had been sporting.
"Because they didn't feel that freaks should get food. The good food shouldn't be wasted on ungrateful brats. If there was any leftovers, I could have that," Harry was felt tears starting. He was getting tired of the questions. His chest felt like it was going to implode.
"And what did you eat if there weren't leftovers?" Snape asked hesitantly. He could tell that Harry was reaching the end of his tolerance and he wanted to get at least a couple more questions out.
"If there weren't any leftovers, then I would just have to wait. Freaks like me didn't need to eat all the time anyhow," he felt a tear slip down his face. Again he could hear his uncle's voice in his head. The words he heard his whole life. Draco brush a finger across the track.
"Last question Mr. Potter and then I will leave. But rest assured, we WILL be continuing this again. Until I have all the answers I need," Harry opened his eyes for the first time since they had started the questioning. He saw a steely hardness that he recognized from his school years. He hadn't seen it in years. Slowly he nodded.
"Do you believe that you are a freak?" Snape phrased the question very carefully.
Harry bit hard on his lip. Tears left small streaks on his face. He shrugged his shoulders and slowly lifted one hand to the scar on his forehead. "Aren't I?" he asked. "I mean, I am the only person to ever survive the Killing Curse. I'm gay, I killed Voldemort at 19, I never had a single 'normal' year at school. What does that make me? Certainly not ordinary." His voice was filled with bitterness.
Snape slowly stood and walked around the coffee table until he was in front of Draco and Harry. He knelt down in front of Harry and forced the young man's head up until he was looking into his eyes.
"No Mr. Potter, not ordinary. Extraordinary. But by no means a freak," His eyes met Draco's pain filled ones as he slowly stood up. He had to consider what he had learned that day. And how much of it he could share with his werewolf.
The door closed behind Snape and Harry turned in his boyfriend's arms. He buried his face in Draco's chest and felt the comforting arms surrounding him. The tears soaked Draco's shirt and he struggled to compose himself.
"I'm sorry love," Draco whispered. "Do you still love me?" Harry could hear the worry in Draco's voice.
"Yes. Not that you deserve it. Sneaky, slimy Slytherian," he muttered. He heard Draco chuckle.
"You needed to talk. We knew you wouldn't and so we did the only thing we could love," Draco tipped Harry's face up to gaze into his eyes. Slowly he bent his head and kissed Harry tenderly.
Harry tried to hold on to his anger at his boyfriend but couldn't. He needed the comfort of his kiss and his touch too much. The kiss grew in its intensity and Draco pulled back slightly, his breathing harsh.
Harry saw the mischievous look in Draco's eyes and his own widened slightly.
"Well, love, as long as you are still under the effects of the veritaserum…" Harry saw the smirk on his boyfriend's face and started to get nervous.
"What is your biggest fantasy?" Draco asked. Harry blushed. His mouth opened and he felt the words pouring out of his mouth.
"I'm tied up and you are teasing and tormenting me for what feels like hours with me completely at your mercy but you don't show any and when you finally take me it feels like I am never going to stop coming because it is all perfect and I am going to get even with you for this you prat!" Harry felt his face burning and buried it in his boyfriend's neck. He heard Draco snickering.
"Hmmm, I think I like that fantasy," Draco's voice had dropped to a harsh whisper. Harry could feel his 'interest' pressing against his leg. The blond pressed him back against the couch and was kissing and nibbling his way down Harry's neck. Harry bit back a moan, his head fell back giving better access. His legs moved to wrap around Draco's waist.
A knock at the door interrupted them. Draco pulled away slightly as the door opened to show Snape standing there. The professor rolled his eyes and walked in.
"I just thought you might like this before you go to sleep tonight," He set a small bottle of Dreamless Sleep on the table. "And please take this to your room so I don't have to walk in on this again. And I am quite certain Remus would just as soon not see it either."
Harry felt himself blushing again. Draco just lift his head and smirked at his godfather. "Speaking of Remus, a couple drops of Veritaserum and you might be surprised at the fantasies you could find out about." Harry was surprised to see the faint tinge of red on Snape's face as he turned and strode out the door.
"I can't believe you said that Draco!" he slapped his boyfriend lightly on the ass and pushed him off. The flaxen haired man laughed and grabbed Harry's hand dragging him towards the stairs to their bedroom.
"I think the slap on the ass deserves to be …punished," he smirked and Harry's eyes lit up. The two raced up the stairs forgetting all about the Dreamless Sleep potion.