This chapter is so late between my going away for the weekend and then dial up woes. I actually tried to post it lastFriday morning. On the bright side though, I have officially had it with dial up and will be able to use my NEW DSL by next Wednesday. Yay cheap DSL promotion!
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Chapter 46Last time
Two hours passed and it seemed as if only a few moments had gone by to those observing. They watched with bated breath as Severus carefully lifted the heavy gold cauldron and poured the distilled potion into the small platinum lined cauldron that Tallis steadied. The potion would only sit in the cauldron for three minutes and then be decanted into vials, ready for consumption. The three minutes were tortuous as Severus, Hermione and Tallis stood still for the first time since they had entered the lab, watching in silence.
After the three minutes had passed Tallis lifted the small cauldron and poured the potion directly into the small vials. No metal could touch the potion after that final step or it would be contaminated. Once each vial had been tightly capped by Hermione and labeled with Severus' tidy scrawl the three brewers took a deep breath once more.
"Can we test it?" Draco asked eagerly.
Severus looked down at him, mischief glinting in his dark eyes. "You can."
"What?" Draco said, suddenly nervous. He knew that the potion couldn't possibly be dangerous or else his godfather would never suggest it but all the same, he didn't want to be the one to try an experimental potion for the first time—much less one that might or might not work to block Veritaserum.
"Come on, Malfoy," Ron taunted lightly, not in a cruel way at all but definitely meant to get under the Slytherin's skin. "Tallis had already tested an earlier version. You too scared to?"
Draco swallowed nervously. He hated to say it but he was nervous. What if it didn't work? He'd be spilling his guts to Ron Weasley of all people! He didn't care if Tallis and his godfather heard him. He didn't care too much if Bill did either. Surprisingly enough, he realized that he wasn't even terribly nervous about Granger hearing anything since he knew that she was much too kind to ever use anything against him. He really didn't want Weasley there though.
Severus stepped in to explain. "We actually do need you to test it, Draco. You are the only one with any magical creature blood and we need to make sure it works."
Hermione looked interested. "What magical creature inheritance do you have?"
Draco glared at his godfather for spilling his secret. "I'm 1/32 Veela. Not enough to have any of their powers or to shift form or anything but enough to alter the effect of some potions."
"Can your dad?" Ron asked, curious.
"No," Draco said. "To have any of the abilities you need to be at least 1/4 blood. I believe my grandmother could but she died before I was born."
"Will you test it?" Severus asked. "As Miss Granger said earlier, I doubt that you would be called to the stand in any trial but I suppose it could happen given that people know that you and Tallis are close. It depends on how seriously they take Dumbledore's accusations."
"I already have the potion and spell protecting me," Draco argued.
"It protects you from telling anyone that I used to be Harry Potter but it won't protect your other secrets," Tallis reminded him. "Do you really want to allow the Ministry to get a hold of you when you are under the influence of Veritaserum?"
Draco turned pale. He might not have engaged in any Death Eater activity but he certainly knew damning information about other family members. He wouldn't mind if they got caught on their own merits but he didn't want to rat them out. "I'll try it," he grudgingly acquiesced.
"Good. We still need someone that doesn't have any creature blood to test this batch too though or else we won't get a clear reading," Hermione said. She turned to Ron. "Why don't you give it a go, Ron? You're the only one of us who hasn't done it yet, aside from the Professor."
Ron glared at her but agreed as well. Tallis and Hermione exchanged a triumphant look. They had wanted to keep both boys on an equal footing so that they wouldn't fight or try to use anything against the other. They were doing an admirable job keeping their bickering to a minimum but they were worried that the chance to have his enemy under Veritaserum might prove to be too much to Ron and he would try to bait the Slytherin. Hermione understood Tallis' worry that his friends would never get along and she vowed to do everything in her power to help the two ornery boys become friends.
"Wait a second," Draco said suddenly. "Why the hell are we working so hard on this in the first place? Isn't that what your spell is for? You don't even need this Tallis."
"The spell doesn't work on me, Draco," Tallis said as he carefully measured out the potion for Ron. "It won't work on anyone who can always throw off the Imperius curse. Luckily for us, I was the only one who we came across who can do that every single time, regardless of the strength of the caster. So I at least am potion free. Drink up," he said, handing both boys a vial of the potion.
Ron and Draco drank a vial of the potion as one, both commenting on the same sensations that Tallis and the others had noted. When they took the Veritaserum though Draco started sweating. "Merlin, this is terrible Sev. Is it always like this?"
"What do you feel, Draco?" Severus asked, concerned. Draco did not look well.
"The whole room is spinning and my mind is racing. Merlin make it stop."
"The effects have to wear off on their own, Draco," Tallis said sympathetically. "It felt like that for me too. Let's see if you can stretch the truth through it. Veritaserum and its effects aren't comfortable for anyone so it might just be the usual effects and they may just be a bit stronger in your case."
Draco nodded, still looking a bit dizzy.
"Alright. What is your full name?" Severus asked.
"Draco Lucius Malfoy."
Hermione's face fell. "I really thought it would work for you," she said sadly.
"It did, Miss Granger," Severus replied absently. "He left out two of his middle names."
She brightened instantly. "Wonderful! Now let's start testing its limits with you. When did you first meet Tallis Snape?"
"This summer before we boarded the train to go back to school."
"Are we going to try to lie about that Severus?" Bill asked, realizing that it might be a good way to give Tallis a bit of history if he could claim being friends with Draco Malfoy since he was a child.
"I don't see how we can," Tallis answered. "Too many people saw us meet each other for the first time on the platform. I sincerely doubt we can convince them that we were old friends."
"I agree." Severus turned back to Draco. "How long have you known about Tallis?"
"Almost as long as I've been alive," he answered quickly.
Hermione smiled. "Good answer. How about Ron, now? How long have you known Tallis Snape?"
"I've known his for a few years. Bill brought him home to dinner one day to meet the family."
The group continued through the requisite boring questions establishing the boundaries of the potion. It didn't work quite as well for Draco as it did for Ron but he could still lie when needed. Tallis and Bill exchanged a long look. "Well, I think we're done here. Guess we'll leave you three together to chat a bit," Tallis announced, grabbing his Father's sleeve and his lover's hand and pulling them from the room. He was bound and determined that the three would at least get along and he hoped that the assistance of the Veritaserum might help. He would never be cruel enough to leave the three together truly dosed with Veritaserum but since the two boys also had the antidote they were able to stretch the truth a bit, thereby eliminating the possibility of revealing too many secrets. Plus, he left Hermione there to mediate. She wouldn't let anything get out of hand.
"Why exactly are we leaving them alone?" Severus asked, looking anxiously back toward the closed lab door. He was worried for his godson, fearing Hermione's abilities to keep her boyfriend in line.
"They need to learn to get along, Dad," Tallis said. "I thought that under a controlled they might be able to do so. If anything gets too out of hand we can go in and separate them. But think about it—they all have had relatively few friends over the years for various reasons. They could all use each other, whether they admit it or not."
"I'm sure the Gryffindors are friends with everyone in the damn Tower," Severus said snidely.
Tallis sighed. "We are really only friends with each other. I guess they are kind of close with Ginny and Neville but Gin doesn't count since she's Ron's little sister and they can't trust Nev to keep his mouth closed and secrets safe. Sometimes he just slips. Truly, their only friends are each other and I. Draco is in the same situation, really. Couldn't he use a few new friends?"
Severus conceded the point. He went to their office to do a bit of grading, leaving Bill and Tallis alone.
"Merlin, I thought we'd never get rid of them," Bill murmured as he pulled Tallis closer to him.
"You aren't turned off by me?" Tallis asked quietly.
"Why would I be?"
"My flashback. Didn't it scare you? Don't you think I'm a freak?" he whispered.
Bill sighed and sat down, pulling his small lover onto his lap as he did so. "Tallis…yes, I was scared for a bit. I was scared that you would hurt yourself. I was maybe even scared that you would hurt me by accident. I was never scared of you though. I know that you would never hurt me on purpose. I have always known that you were far more powerful than I and with that power comes the possibility of losing control once in a while. No one can keep it tightly in check forever. You are not a freak, love. You have never been a freak. You should take pride in your strength and abilities."
Tallis shrugged uncomfortably. "You still like me?"
"Nothing can change that," Bill said, slowly sliding his fingers under the hem of Tallis' shirt, gently stroking the warm skin underneath.
Tallis whimpered softly and wriggled around a bit so that Bill could reach more of him. The strong fingers reached up to tease a dusky nipple, pausing for a moment. "I think we should get one of your nipples pierced," he said, twisting it between his fingers harshly.
Tallis was panting. "You think?"
"Hm…" Bill hummed, moving to the other nipple as his other hand drifted down to undo his trousers.
"May…maybe we sh…should go to another room," Tallis stuttered as Bill took his aching length in his hand, squeezing gently.
Bill abruptly stood up, lifting Tallis in his arms, as he strode toward their room. He tossed him on the bed, moving quickly to put up proximity wards and locking spells on the door. He turned back to the bad, crawling up to lay on top of Tallis, covering his slim body completely. "You have entirely too many clothes on," he whispered, pressing him deeper into the mattress. He grabbed his wand and whispered a spell that made both of their clothes disappear and reappear on the floor in a messy heap.
Both men hissed as their skin finally made contact, Tallis scraping his nails up Bill's back in delight. "Merlin Bill, fuck me."
"As you wish." Bill grabbed the lubricant from the table top and reached down to gently prepare his lover. He had worked very hard to be gentle ever since Poppy had repaired the scarring. He didn't want to harm him.
Tallis whined softly in need. "More, Bill," he hissed, pulling on Bill's hair.
"I have to be careful, love." Despite his words Bill obligingly inserted a third finger making Tallis buck back in delight. After ensuring that his lover was completely ready for him he slowly slid into the tight heat, frantically listing counter curses in his mind to hold his orgasm at bay.
"More," Tallis keened, clamping down on the hot length inside him needily.
"Gods," Bill hissed, withdrawing and slamming back in as hard as he felt safe doing. "Merlin love, you're so tight."
Tallis couldn't find words to respond, merely thrusting up into Bill, moaning happily when he hit his prostate. He gripped his knees and pulled them higher and further apart. "There," he groaned.
Bill thrust in, hitting his spot again and again, pushing Tallis over the edge. His tight hole clamped down on Bill, pulling his orgasm from him. He collapsed on top of Tallis, barely remembering to brace at least some of his weight on his arms to keep from crushing his small lover.
"Merlin I love you," Tallis said, then stiffening in shock. He hadn't meant to say that. He looked hesitantly up at Bill, his deep green eyes betraying his fear.
"I love you too," Bill whispered, bending in to kiss him gently. Tallis melted into his arms, sighing happily.
"I love you," he whispered again. "I love you."
Bill smiled, stroking his lover's face tenderly. "I love you," he whispered once more.
SDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDSDSD
Draco, Ron and Hermione exchanged nervous looks. "Clearly he wants us to all get along," Ron finally said.
"Interfering asshole," Draco muttered.
"Well we should probably at least try to talk," Hermione said.
"You should have to take the potions as well," Draco argued, clearly stalling.
"All right," she agreed amiably, measuring out the potions and swallowing them quickly. She turned back to Draco. "What was your first reaction when you found out that Tallis was who he was?" she asked, finding it difficult to say Harry Potter since she had been dosed so strongly with the earlier potion and spell that he had developed over the summer.
"Shock. Horror."
"Why horror? Because he was a Gryffindor?" Ron sneered.
"No. Because my best friend had been raped by that creature I saw. Because he, of all people, should have been saved immediately from that situation. Because I added to his pain all those years," Draco said reluctantly, finding his answer pulled almost forcefully from him.
Hermione patted his hand gently, offering him the only comfort that she knew he would accept right now.
Ron shuddered as he recalled Vernon. "He was so much worse in person. I was nearly sick just standing in the same room as him."
"You saw him?" Draco asked.
"I went with when the Professor paid them a visit."
"So you saw Sev castrate him?"
Ron nodded viciously. "The bastard tried to give him sex advise for how to best fuck his own son."
Draco paled. "No wonder he did it. I wish I could have been there."
"So do I," Hermione said suddenly, startling the boys. When they saw the fierceness in her eyes they nodded. So often she was left out of things like that because people thought she wouldn't approve but truthfully, she fought like a wildcat when her loved ones were in danger. She had absolutely no morals when it came to punishing those who had harmed Tallis.
"We'll have our revenge," Draco finally said.
"If Tallis lets us," Ron put in. Draco looked up in shock, the question clear on his face. "The Professor won't let us do anything without Tallis' full understanding and permission."
"That's bullshit!" Draco exclaimed.
"It makes perfect sense," Hermione said reasonably. "The most intimate details of his everyday existence with those monsters will be revealed—details that he has never told us or his Father or his lover. Of course it is terrifying. Too much control has been taken away from him for us to ever do this without his consent."
The boys nodded their understanding. They both reluctantly agreed to acquiesce to their friend's wishes.
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Next Chapter: The Halloween Feast! Enter Voldemort.