A/N: Sorry this is a bit late. I needed just a little more time this week due to my son's bronchitis. If you like it, or not, review. If you like. Or not…. : )
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FROM CHAPTER 6
Downstairs, in the study, the ensouled image of Wulfric Dumbledore raised a goblet of wine in toast to the handsome, dignified figure who joined him in his painting. Raising his glass in response, Wulfric's guest smiled slightly as his blood-red eyes examined the new magical bonds stretching between the occupants of the manor.
Tomorrow ought to be an interesting day, indeed.
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DINNER IN POTTER MANNER: THE SIRIUS SIDE
Reluctantly seated next to Gabriel Zabini on one of the long couches in the study, Sirius stubbornly kept his eyes fixed on the plate in his lap, aimlessly stirring the food, and pretended to listen as Wulfric Dumbledore related much of the events of the past several years to a fascinated Lucius Malfoy. Glancing upward through long, dark hair, the handsome Lord of Black took a few moments to covertly observe the interactions between the two men seated across from him, and found himself happy for the silver-eyed wizard and Sirius's own personal miracle, his godson Harry Potter.
Harry. That young man was the sole reason Sirius was alive today. It was only the thought of Harry, left alone and vulnerable in the manipulative grasp of Dumbledore, that had fueled Sirius' survival. It had taken him less than a day in Azkaban before he pieced most of the recent events together and correctly identified the real villain of the show as Bloody Albus-fucking-Dumbledore. Of course, at the time, he'd had no idea of the true machinations of the treacherous old bastard; he had only deduced the fact of Dumbledore's puppeteering from the time the Marauders first entered Hogwarts to the time he maneuvered Sirius into false murder charges and Azkaban without trial.
Frankly, that had been quite enough to chew on for the decade plus of his incarceration. That, and his torment over the unknown fate of his godson, Harry.
He learned an interesting fact about Dementors during that time. It seemed that Dementors fed on the positive emotions of their victims, but were utterly repulsed by righteous anger and justified rage. They did their fair share of damage to Sirius, no mistaking that, but he did his own share of damage to them, too. After about eight years, they seemed to have conceded the battle, acknowledging that the prisoner in cell 21 on the Northward-facing side of the Kedavra-Corridor of Azkaban would not surrender his rage, ever. They retreated, passing by but never stopping again to torment Sirius. They even seemed to have a grudging respect for him and his stubborn will to survive. Somewhere past the decade-mark, his food rations improved somewhat, he began to receive clean water in his allotment bucket, he found a second blanket on his "cot", and the iron slab across his window to the sea inexplicably began to rust and weaken. Sometime after Fudge's last annual visit, in which Sirius stole the newspaper that had the Weasley Clan featured on the cover with a certain rodent, Sirius felt his fury and his sanity re-introduce themselves, and suddenly he was clear-minded and supremely focused. On that day, the iron slab at the window fell to his floor, nearly breaking his muzzle as he sat on the dirty stone below, and allowed the weak sunlight to bathe him in renewed hope. He heard the rising whimpers and moans of other prisoners in the Corridor, and knew that the Dementor guards were patrolling again. For the first time in years, one of the emaciated creatures paused at his doorway, and as he turned to face it, he was astonished to see a skeletal hand extending through the small pass-through of the iron door and drop something before it retreated. Rising to all fours and padding across to cautiously inspect the item by the door, he heard the scratching cant of the Dementor as it uttered a single phrase that he still sometimes heard in his dreams: "Full moon. Low tide." He sniffed suspiciously at the small, swirling orb of dark colors and odd magic, sneezing at the odd tingle it emitted. Changing back into his human form, Sirius had reached a thin, shaking hand and touched the Dementor's gift. The instant his finger touched the orb, magic poured from the tiny thing and flooded his system, reawakening and healing the starved magical passageways that ran throughout every magickal creature. He remembered crouching in the dirt as his magick burned again, feeling tears running down his face. He placed a shaking hand on the iron door as he felt the Dementor's regard upon him, and as the mystifying creature began to retreat, it said one more thing that still puzzled Sirius.
It said, "Black Blood Riddles."
That same night, a partly-renewed Sirius Black slipped his thin frame through the portal of his cell and plunged fifty-seven meters into the icy Northern Sea. Just before he hit the water, he used a small burst of the gifted magic to soften the impact and warm his body. Still, the shock was … profound. Gaining the surface, the gasping wizard called forth his animagi form, and began a long, frozen swim through the icy sea, following the current to the mainland, accompanied by the light of a full moon and the long gaze of his Dementor accomplices. He learned later that news of his escape was reported by a human guard, nearly eight days after he actually dove into freedom to save his godson.
…..
Gabriel Zabini was a very, very smart man. The already formidable family fortunes of the Zabini House had doubled upon Gabriel's rise to its Lordship. Politically, the family was better-positioned than arguably any other House, having allies and even friends in every quarter. He was a likable wizard. He was shockingly handsome. Virile. Popular with witches and wizards alike. His bed remained empty only when he wanted it so. In his younger days, that had been very rarely. Lately, however, his bed had remained without company, as the Lord of the House of Zabini finally accepted that the calling of his magick and the ache within his soul could not be assuaged by a procession of bedpartners who were not his own, true mate. He had almost resigned himself to the likelihood of a life alone, and was considering naming his nephew, Blaise, as heir to the house.
The past couple of years had done much to pull him from the malaise he felt gathering within him. Being introduced to a pissed-off fifteen-year-old Harry Potter by a goblin and a talking hat had done wonders for his growing ennui! Suddenly, Gabriel had a mystery, and a mission, and an eye-opening couple of years spent investigating, training, maneuvering – all with the goal that was now being realized in this Session of the Hall of Government. He had not lied to Lucius; he had spent the past couple of months specifically training Harry in the Rules of Becoming Conduct for a High Lord participating in a Session. Gabriel had worked tirelessly on behalf of the young Lord Potter and of the British Wizarding World. He had entered the Hall of Government today prepared for almost anything.
Almost.
He was a betting man, and yet he would never have bet on the likelihood of having his yearned-for true mate appear from thin air standing next to a smirking Harry Potter. He wasn't sure if he owed young Potter a dozen roses or a kick in the trousers. Probably both.
That young man was a remarkable person, indeed. He was glad, now, considering that his truemate was Harry's godfather, that he had only flirted with Harrison and had resisted the urge to lure him to bed. He wished Lucius all the luck in the world in dealing with him; Harry was not a restful person to know. 'Probably just what Lucius needs,' he mused thoughtfully.
Gabriel had been certain that Harrison and Lucius would not long remain apart; he had even bet Charles Ogden on the number of hours between re-introduction and overtly-expressed interest. Wincing slightly, he recalled that he owed Ogden more chocolates for that; shrewd old politician that he is. One late night last year, Harrison had somewhat drunkenly confessed that he was very attracted to Gabriel's best friend, one Lucius Malfoy. Gabriel knew his best friend's tastes – the two had even spent a single, memorable week exploring each other quite thoroughly before settling into their present friendship – and was certain that a twenty-five-year-old Harrison Potter was going to send Lucius reeling. He also knew that there was some history between the two from Harry's younger years at Hogwart's; Lucius had laughed for weeks about 'the Dobby incident." It would be interesting to be around when Harrison finally learned that Lucius had carefully orchestrated that situation in order to provide young Harrison with the assistance and unusual abilities of one of his better house elves. Dobby's hero-worship of the Boy-Who-Lived had helped that greatly; otherwise, nothing could have convinced the loyal little bugger to pretend to turn on his own family in that manner. But Lucius had been adamant, already furious at the rumors about the boy's childhood and the muggles with whom he was housed. Dobby had watched over the young Harry Potter since then. It had been he who pulled the young wizard from the path of the Knight Bus the day he inflated his bitch of an aunt. Well, supposed aunt. It had been Dobby who healed young Harry's hurts in his sleep, and who had followed the young wizard through the damn TriWizard Tournament, even into the graveyard.
Fucking Albus Percy and his rat progeny! Gabriel spent a moment in amused contemplation of what the newspapers would say when the truth of that night was revealed. It was going to be riotous, of that he was sure. After all, not everyone would easily accept the fact that the "Leader of the Light", even soiled as he would now be, was a would-be necromancer, attempting to resurrect his beloved Grindelwald through the blood of Harry Potter and the bone of the father of his greatest enemy. Harder still for them to learn the truth of Voldemort. Not to mention of Thomas Riddle!
Gabriel's attention was caught by a covert movement of his dark-haired mate. He smiled faintly as he watched Sirius watch Harrison and Lucius through the veil of his own, black hair. Honestly, Gabriel was somewhat surprised that Sirius had apparently accepted Lucius' presence with equanimity; after all, to hear Severus tell it, Sirius was a slavering, loud, pro-Gryffindor/anti-Slytherin joke of a man. Gabriel scowled and felt a growl within his chest; he was going to have a little – heart-to-heart – with Severus Snape sometime soon. Very soon, if the snarky professor launched into another of his patented rants on Harry, Sirius, Remus or the late James. He made a mental note to get Sirius' version of the incident at the Shrieking Shack; he suspected Percy had something to do with that, as well. Gabriel shook his head ruefully. He had never heard Harrison even whisper about Sirius, and simply presumed that there had been no interaction of any kind between the two.
So much for brash Gryffindors! It seemed two of the sneakiest people Gabriel knew were renowned as being consummate Lions, and yet, here were Sirius and Harrison, having pulled off the longest, most covert, absolutely brilliant subterfuge he had ever heard of!
Gabriel frowned suddenly as he realized that Sirius had not yet actually eaten more than a bite or two from his plate; rather, he was carefully moving food around in the appearance of eating. Leaning forward abruptly, Gabriel reached a long arm over and removed the plate from his startled mate's lap, before pulling the resisting younger wizard firmly to his side on the couch. Wrapping his muscular arm around the slim shoulders, he tucked Sirius into his side and tapped a long, admonishing finger on the tempting mouth that had just opened indignantly to protest his treatment. Meeting the angry gray glare with calm, midnight eyes, Gabriel held a forkful of perfectly-prepared roast beef to the tightly-compressed lips of his resistant mate and said uncompromisingly, "Eat."
As Sirius tried to move his head aside, refusing to open his lips as Gabriel would most certainly have inserted the bite whether he wanted it or not, he felt a long-fingered hand lift from his shoulder and grasp the back of his head with delightful ….err… aggravating strength. He glanced pleadingly over at Harry and Lucius, to find them lost in each other's company and carefully ignoring the unbelievably arrogant behavior of the Zabini lord. The roast beef touched his lips as Gabriel's hand kept Sirius' head firmly in place, the bigger male easily withstanding Sirius' scrabbling hands and attempts to get away. Just as Sirius began to dig his fingernails into the larger man's wrist, the hand in his hair tightened warningly into an almost-punishing grip and the handsome jaw clenched briefly. Startled, Sirius met the black eyes that were suddenly mere inches from his own and found himself fighting not to flinch when Gabriel said with smooth confidence, "You will eat, or I will make you eat. This bond tells me more than simply your emotional wellbeing, my mate."
Wondering wildly what that meant, and just how much the powerful man who had suddenly declared Sirius to be his own personal property actually knew about him, Sirius resisted for another few seconds before succumbing to the implacable Lord and reluctantly opening his mouth to accept the bite of meat. Gabriel did not release his head until he had chewed and swallowed, scowling at the bigger man the entire time. Reaching for his wand, the Black lord froze at the deep growl coming at him from the throat of the man holding him, who once again suddenly seemed to switch from suave Italian aristocrat to powerful, intimidating Alpha. Cautiously returning his hands to his lap, Sirius glared at the bronzed man before him when Gabriel's grip turned from uncompromising to soothing, refusing to acknowledge the burst of warmth he felt at the approving look in the dark eyes. Carefully retreating one slow inch at a time, Sirius huffed in exasperated irritation as another forkful of food was presented to him. He scowled when his attempt to seize the fork was easily avoided, and glared furiously at the food held insistently in front of his mouth. He had the feeling Gabriel would hold that damn fork forever if he didn't cooperate. With a furious sigh of exasperation, he again opened his mouth and accepted the food, pointedly refusing to meet the dark eyes focused so intently upon him. Covertly glancing at Harry and Lucius, he spared a moment to appreciate their tact as they carefully did not notice the interactions between him and the far-too-handsome son of a bitch forcefeeding him. Chewing as long as he could, he concentrated on subtle evasion of the overwhelming male next to him, hissing like an angry cat when his slow retreat was overrided by a strong arm pulling him back into the territory he had just escaped. He opened his mouth to unleash a vituperative stream of abuse, only to find himself angrily chewing and swallowing yet another forkful of food. And that was how Sirius Black, despite his best efforts, reluctantly consumed an entire dinner the night of his re-emergence into Wizarding Society.
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Wulfric was deeply amused. He had entered the portrait in the Study with the intention of debriefing his grandson and surrogate grandson on the first salvo at the Hall of Government this day. Being confronted with not one, but two romantic pairings, was entirely unexpected. His eyes softened as he observed young Harrison in the arms of none other than Lucius Malfoy. He had always liked young Lucius, actually. His interactions with Riddle had given him ample room to observe the man's followers, and Lucius Malfoy had impressed him with his sheer quality. He was very much the son of Abraxas Malfoy, another wizard Wulfric had cause to admire. Frowning briefly, Wulfric hoped that Lucius' own son, Draco, managed to grow up and begin to emulate his grandfather and his father. And Lucius was truly a man worth emulating. The wizard lived and breathed the Malfoy House motto, 'Family First', and he included his dear friends as family. Sometimes he even reached beyond friends and family, quietly seeing to the needs of wizarding children or displaced nobles while careful to preserve the carefully-engineered reputation of arrogant, snobbish pureblood. If Lucius Malfoy decided that his grandson Harrison was family, then Wulfric truly had no more need to worry about the boy. Lucius would see him safe, always. Wulfric smiled faintly, feeling the affirmative pulse of magick through the portraiting portals that indicated the entrance of his dear friend and companion. Riddle would be greatly pleased at the evening's developments.
Seeing the way his fiercely independent grandson Harry leaned into the comfort of the strong arms around him, and the tender manner in which Lucius held the young man, would have been enough for Wulfric to make a determination on how he felt about this joining. However, Wulfric was not a Dumbledore – 'a true Dumbledore', he amended sourly – for nothing. He could see the auras and magical ropes swirling around the four men in the room, and had no reason to condemn either pairing.
As he spoke to a fascinated Lucius, he quietly observed the interactions of his surrogate-grandson Sirius and Gabriel Zabini. He had personally known Gabriel for two years now – a little longer if one considered the effects of time turners and portrait magic, but that was the way headaches formed. He held Gabriel in the highest regard, and felt deep affinity for the powerful Wizard. In truth, Gabriel was very much like Wulfric himself. He had deep respect for the bronzed Italian who had taken up his grandson's cause with such a will. Gabriel Zabini was a remarkable man and a powerful wizard. It had troubled Wulfric to see the seeking tendrils in the man's aura, and to know the pain the Lord lived with every moment of every day. Wulfric had been around a long, long time now, and knew everything there was to know about his family's special magic. There was nothing that remained secret to him regarding magickal signatures, and he had known from the first moment of meeting that Gabriel Zabini was the bearer of a torturous, unresolved soulmate bond. Wulfric had kept his eyes open ever since, stalking through paintings and portraits in thousands of locations in the Wizarding World, seeking to find Zabini's match and help resolve the man's suffering.
He was astonished to discover, on entering the Study, that Zabini's aura had wrapped around and fully embraced his own beloved surrogate grandson, Sirius Black. Wulfric had known Sirius for over twenty-five years now, although he had not seen him during the years in Azkaban. Not once had Wulfric had a hint that Sirius Black was Gabriel Zabini's mate. Fascinated, the old lord studied the magickal tendrils and folds as they surrounded the two lords, and he came to a startling conclusion. Gabriel Zabini's aura had somehow – cleansed? purged? – the aura of Sirius Black, changing it from a deep grape, so dark it looked black, to a clean, royal purple. The fine mind worked busily on the problem as Wulfric split his attention and continued to explain events to Lucius Malfoy. During a pause in the conversation, as Harrison accepted a glass of the deep purple 1852 vintage from Lucius, Wulfric's attention was caught by the swirling colors in the wineglass. As light reflected upon the liquid, the color swirled and lightened… as light reflected …
Turning to look closely at Sirius and Gabriel, Wulfric suddenly understood. Sirius' magick had been partly borrowed. His aura had not been entirely his own. Apparently, whatever creature occupied that distant branch on the Zabini family tree, it had the ability to find, secure, diagnose and heal its counterpart. When Gabriel found Sirius, his magick had cleansed the younger lord of the remnants of the Dementor's gift. Wulfric studied Sirius carefully, and realized that the younger man was lighter, somehow. He seemed softer, younger – whole. And, looking at Gabriel, Wulfric was delighted to note that there were no more lonely tendrils reaching entreatingly into the aethyr. Gabriel Zabini's aura was wrapped firmly, protectively, around a blushing, bewildered Sirius Black – and was not letting go.
Wulfric watched with amusement as Gabriel fed an unwilling, resistant Sirius, recognizing the behavior of a dominant creature caring for its mate. Now, if Gabriel's nature truly follows the patterns of dominant magickal creatures, the next phase of this courtship should involve … ahh! And there it is!
Chuckling to himself, Wulfric settled back to watch as Gabriel Zabini turned from provider to predator in front of – and upon - a shocked Sirius Black.
This was going to be fun.
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RETREAT!
Grumpily chewing and swallowing the final bite forced upon him by an increasingly intent Gabriel, Sirius huffed exasperatedly as he was once more tugged to sit snugly against the much larger man. He watched as the now-empty plate was set on the side table, refusing to meet the focused, midnight gaze. He chose instead to watch as Harry accepted a glass of the 1852 from Lucius. Sirius loved that vintage; it was richly-bodied yet crisp, and he frankly adored the color. Hell, he would wear the color if he found a robe that had it. His gaze wandered over to the portrait of Wulfric, who was suddenly looking at him and Gabriel as if they were a magickal experiment with faulty results. Sirius barely had time to register the wizard's perplexed look before it morphed into a look of dawning understanding. Watching curiously, Sirius saw Wulfric's expression change to a kind of darkly-amused anticipation, and barely had time to wonder why he felt a shiver of anxiety when he was literally blindsided by a sudden image forced down the new bond between Gabriel and him.
Gasping in shock, Sirius felt the strong arm tighten around him as he was suddenly confronted by the overwhelming vision of himself, completely naked, being bent face first over his favorite chair by a rampantly-aroused Gabriel Zabini. The vision was so real that Sirius could almost feel the pull on his hair as Gabriel gripped it to pull his head back, and he knew damn well he had never once felt the fabric of that chair against his naked thighs – especially the front of his naked thighs! - so why the HELL could he feel it now?
Leaping from the couch in panicked reaction, Sirius whipped around to stare wide-eyed and gasping at Gabriel, stepping back instinctively as he saw the last vestige of civilized Lord leave the tall, powerfully-built Italian. Struggling for breath, momentarily frozen, Sirius realized that this very large, very muscular, very virile male who was slowly rising from the couch, power and grace in every line of his body, was not Gabriel. Not really. No, this was a hunter, a predator, a terrifying magickal creature who wanted his mate. This was the dominant male who had shown himself on and off throughout the past few hours.
This was the Zabini Alpha Predator. And his gaze was locked on Sirius Black, his trembling, terrified prey.
Sirius ran.
Cursing himself vehemently under his breath, Sirius ducked into the doorway of the Far-room and frantically tried once again to access his magick. It was the first thing he had thought of as he fled the stalking male who was tracking him through the manor. Swearing as the door slammed shut with a bang, clearly announcing his location, he pushed against the barrier to his magick desperately and swore again as it remained locked. 'Fuck!' he swore to himself. It was the bond. The damn, cursed bond he had not asked for, had not given permission for and was currently at the mercy of. And at the other end of the Merlin-damned thing was the suddenly-terrifying Gabriel Zabini.
He did not need the sound of deliberate footsteps pacing toward the Far-room door to know that his mate had found him. The bond itself did that quite well; pulsing in triumph as the muscular wizard approached the door.
Darting forward, Sirius frantically grabbed at the container of floo powder and shrieked in alarm as the door behind him exploded inward. Rather than try to take a handful, Sirius tossed the entire container on the fire and leaped forward into the floo, only to be hooked and spun about in the same move that had prevented him solo access to his chair in the Study earlier. Flailing wildly, Sirius was pulled forcefully into the powerful grip of his growling mate.
Panicking, Sirius fought. He kicked and punched, bit and scratched, throwing himself against the restraining arms, breath bursting from his lungs in sobbing, frightened gasps. All he knew, at this moment, was that he had to get away from the overwhelming predator who had him in its grasp.
Slowly, inexorably, Sirius lost the fight. Not once did Gabriel harm him, but neither did he relent. This was non-negotiable; Sirius was his mate and he would submit. Lifting the smaller man with ease, Gabriel pulled Sirius against his chest in a brides' hold, easily securing the kicking legs with one strong arm and pinning the flailing arms with the other. He let Sirius struggle for a while, pushing himself into exhaustion, as Gabriel held him tightly against his powerful chest. He had to admire the smaller wizard; he fought like a wild thing, battling long beyond the point at which most people would have lost to exhaustion. Even when his little mate stopped fighting, he did not surrender. Panting, trembling and terrified, Sirius continued to glare, openly defying Gabriel as the larger male controlled and confined him.
The Zabini Alpha felt a swelling of pride in his mate. This man was worthy of his devotion. The spirit that refused to succumb to Azkaban showed clearly in the defiant gray eyes that challenged him. Leaning down to run his face and chin soothingly over the wild, black hair, Gabriel purred deep in his chest in approval and calmly walked back through the Manor, easily following his little mate's scent and aura trail through the large, elegant structure to the younger man's private rooms. He ignored Sirius' renewed attempts at escape, and simply willed the door to open before them and shut behind them. Wordlessly locking the door and casting a powerful silencing charm, he looked briefly around the room, currently lit only by the flickering flames in the elegant fireplace, and headed inexorably toward the large bed tucked against the far wall. He rumbled a throaty reassurance at his frightened mate and leaned down to gently deposit his precious burden atop the soft, golden covering.
Deep within his mind, Gabriel felt compassion for Sirius. There were few families like the Zabinis, and stories of fated-mates had mostly occupied the realm of myths and fantasies in the Wizarding World. Most wizards and witches viewed such rumors the same way muggles viewed fairy tales – charming, but not real. The Zabinis knew otherwise. As he rose to his full height and looked down at the beautiful, frightened man on the bed, Gabriel knew what his mate was going through. There were extensive histories in the Zabini library, personal journals of mates who had out-of-nowhere found themselves bound to a Zabini Alpha who was a complete stranger to them, to be suddenly the focus of intense caregiving by their new mate before being brought to the mating bed regardless of their sensibilities by an aggressive, dominant male. Faced with this situation, almost every one of the Zabini mates had reacted as Sirius did tonight. He would possibly have relented, looking down upon the panting, perfect man now crouched before him on the bed, if he did not already know how every single one of those bondings turned out. Because there was no Zabini Lord who was not Dominant. And there was no Zabini mate who was not Submissive.
Studying the glaring eyes of his mate as the younger man prepared to launch himself away from Gabriel, the larger male smirked and amended his last statement. There was no Zabini mate who was not Submissive to the Zabini Lord….eventually.
Chuckling in delight, he reached out long arms and easily caught Sirius as he leaped from the bed, swinging him down to press flat on the mattress as his little mate howled and cursed in frightened rage. Forcing the struggling arms over the wildly-tossing black hair, he pushed them into the bed and cast a small body bind, pinning Sirius' arms in place. As the gray eyes widened in horror, Gabriel cast the same charm upon the long legs, before slowly rising to his feet to admire the result of his efforts. Truly, there was much to admire.
Beautiful gray eyes lined with black, curling lashes nearly glowed back at him in anger. Lightly golden skin seemed luminous against the darker gold of the bedspread. A small, straight nose perfectly fit the slightly-fey look Sirius wore, and beautiful, tempting lips parted in harsh pants to show straight, white teeth. Long, silken black hair splayed over the bedspread and curled against the long, graceful throat. Still clad, a fact which made Gabriel scowl slightly, Sirius had the graceful, toned, slim body of a dancer, a thought Gabriel knew would incense his little mate should it be voiced. Pinned to the bed, arms locked over his head and legs somewhat apart, Sirius looked to Gabriel like sex waiting to happen.
With that thought in mind, Gabriel raised his hands and began to strip. Playtime was over.
Pinned to his bed, Gabriel standing above him like a conquering hero (which, in a way, he probably was), Sirius found himself locked in a furious battle of wills – with himself. One part of him, the part that had pulled him through a life that would have defeated most people, railed in fury and fear at his present situation. 'This could not happen!' that part of him screamed. But the other part of him, the one that he had rarely acknowledged, the one that wanted to be protected and loved and accepted, watched Gabriel Zabini with shining eyes. 'This is a worthy mate,' that part of him whispered.
As Gabriel's clothes fell away and he was faced with the overwhelming masculinity that was a naked, fully-aroused Gabriel Zabini, it was that second part of Sirius that won the battle. It was the Zabini Mate who submitted with a sigh as Gabriel gently removed Sirius' boots, who cooperated by lifting his head as his shirt was pulled up his waist and over his still-pinned arms. But, when Gabriel Zabini straddled Sirius' leather-clad thighs and leaned over to gaze at his lithe, beautiful mate, it was neither the Azkaban survivor nor the Zabini Mate who gazed back and surrendered.
It was Sirius, who looked upon his aroused mate, who felt the love and desire and protectiveness humming through their bond, and who sent his own willing surrender and desire and love back. Not to Lord Zabini. Not to the Zabini Alpha. He returned it to Gabriel.
Because, with Gabriel, Sirius was healed and whole.
And with Sirius, Gabriel was healed and whole.
Finally.
As he recognized the surrender in the soft, gray eyes, Gabriel's heart clenched. This, then, was the joy he had read of so many times in the family journals. It was indescribable.
Sweeping heated, black eyes down the nearly nude form he straddled, Gabriel watched Sirius' eyes narrow at his slow, sly smile. Leaning over his bound, beautiful mate, Gabriel placed his mouth near a delicate ear and chuckled deeply. He chuckled again as he felt his mate's body stirring in response between his thighs, and as he pressed his groin down into Sirius' awakening erection, he purred lazily, "I won't be releasing you for a while, il mio piccolo lupo. You will be enjoying those bonds for a bit longer." He licked a long, lazy stripe down the elegant throat, and lifted his face to watch the darkening eyes with satisfaction as Sirius hardened beneath him.
Running his nose caressingly down Sirius's face, gathering the scent and sense of the tempting man beneath him, Gabriel watched for a moment from a distance of mere inches before descending with a growl to take that panting mouth in a deep, ravenous kiss. He had no need for finesse, as Sirius' mouth opened willingly beneath him and welcomed Gabriel's tongue with his own. Breath was dismissed as unimportant as Gabriel conquered and Sirius battled in a teasing, passionate duel. Tongues twined and caressed each other, exploring each other's mouths and sharing gasps and whispered words with equal need.
Straining against his pinned arms, Sirius whined desperately and pleaded with Gabriel to release him. His cock hardened impossibly at Gabriel's deep chuckle and admonishing bite on a tightening nipple. Gazing at the ceiling with wide eyes, Sirius could barely form a coherent thought as the sinful, full lips and talented tongue of his mate – yes, HIS MATE – tortured and tormented his nipples until they were tightly pebbled, reddened points of pure sensation amidst the shivering skin of his toned chest. He flinched as the agile tongue quested over his body, dipping into his navel, exploring the curves of his arms and the indentations of his ribs, documenting and anointing each scar that marred him, soothing and exciting him as Gabriel willed. Gasping in relief, Sirius felt Gabriel release his wrists, and he immediately dropped his arms to wrap them around the broad back of his mate.
He did not realize that his legs, too, were free until the leather trousers were roughly stripped from his body and Gabriel's hot breath ghosted over his erection before Sirius uttered a startled shout as his hard cock was encased in a hot, wet mouth. Nearly jackknifing at the pure sensation slashing through him in waves, Sirius locked his shocked gaze on Gabriel and moaned at the sight of those full lips wrapped around his cock, sucking and licking and tormenting him. Pulling himself to a sitting position, legs wide apart, Sirius wrapped his arms around Gabriel's back as the older wizard settled between his thighs and hummed and growled around the engorged manhood that twitched and leaked upon his delighted tongue. Gabriel did not stop until he felt Sirius' oncoming release, when he abruptly pulled the hard cock from his mouth with a vulgar pop and pushed Sirius back upon the bed. Trying to pull Gabriel down upon him, Sirius got a sharp nip on the nipple for his efforts before the muscular arms flipped him to his stomach. A strong, calloused hand forced his buttocks apart and spells were whispered harshly upon his quivering hole. Shocked at the intense arousal created by the layering of powerful cleansing, stretching and lubrication charms, Sirius simply obeyed as he was pulled demandingly to his knees. He barely understood that Gabriel was behind him before he was mounted and entered, his body welcoming Gabriel's huge, turgid cock pushing fully into him as a powerful chest was laid upon his back and the muscular arms wrapped around him and held him in position.
This was mating, powerful and primal. Locked in place by his domineering mate, Sirius could only pant and mewl as strong, sharp teeth fastened where shoulder met neck and powerful hips pistoned behind him, forcing his mate's erect member deep into his hole as the heavy testicles slapped an obscene rhythm against his buttocks. Gabriel easily controlled his smaller mate, holding the slim hips in place as the alpha's engorged cock repeatedly pounded into the sensitive bundle of nerves deep within Sirius' ass.
Pleasure tightened and twisted within them, pulling muscles taut and forcing sweat from their pores as the two mates labored together. When Sirius' climax seized him, his spasming hole rapidly brought about Gabriel's completion. As the Zabini Alpha felt his mate's hole clasp and flutter around him, he forced Sirius flat to the mattress and thrust twice more into his quivering body before locking his teeth upon that beautiful shoulder and roaring his release into the golden skin. He did not remove his teeth until the last spasms of pleasure had shuddered through them both and he had sucked the sweet blood to the skin beneath his bite. Drawing back to look at his mark, he felt deep pride and satisfaction of the proof of his mating, of his dominance, of his love.
Dropping a gentle kiss upon his mark, aware that it would be somewhat painful, he could not find it within himself to regret the savagery with which he had declared Sirius as his own. Slowly and carefully pulling himself from within his mate, he ran soothing hands upon the quivering muscles and pulled the smaller man into his arms. Gabriel knew that Sirius would be feeling utterly overwhelmed at this moment, and he allowed his submissive the time to recover his breath and his thoughts somewhat.
Summoning a basin of warm water and a soft flannel cloth, Gabriel tenderly bathed the lithe form of his beloved. Feeling the questioning flavor on Sirius' end of their bond, he smiled softly as he met the gray eyes and simply said, "It is more personal than a cleaning charm. A better way to say that I love you and will care for you." He smiled down at the beautiful features and welcomed his mate's tears. This had been an intensely emotional days; tears were necessary. Banishing the basin, he cleaned the bed and pulled back the golden bedcoverings, tucking Sirius onto the cool sheets and sliding in beside him. As he pulled the slim form into his arms, he pressed gentle kisses onto each tear as it fell. Feeling Sirius slowly relax into sleep, Gabriel quietly offered a prayer of gratitude to the Lady Gaia and joined his mate in slumber.
As the two new beloved slept in each other's arms, they journeyed together into the aethyr. Uncertain whether this was dream or spirit quest, they looked with awe upon the golden and silver bonds that roped around them and tied them together. In the distance, they could just barely perceive the glowing shapes of two other lovers, united in love with their own tendrils of magick wrapped about them.
As he surrendered into full sleep, Gabriel had a brief moment to wonder if what he saw was real, because he thought he had observed a slim, glowing rope extending between the pair in the distance and themselves. Feeling Sirius's gentle breaths upon his chest, he decided it was a matter for another day.
For now, all that mattered was in his arms.
oooooooooooooooooooo
FAMILY
Raising his glass in acknowledgment to his longtime friend and companion, Lord Thomas Marvolo Riddle studied the magicks running throughout the Manor. It had been quite a surprise to see Lucius Malfoy bond this night with Harrison Potter. A happy surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. He wished them both the very best, even as his busy mind sorted through the possibilities.
As another powerful glow manifested within the Manor, the dignified wizard could not keep a reluctant smile from crossing his handsome face. How odd to know that a child of his blood was bonding to the Zabini Lord.
As he studied the new bonding threads, he noted the connection between the now-mated pairs and nodded in confirmation. Meeting Wulfric's affectionate gaze, his crimson eyes warmed in response. Joining his longtime companion, the two settled into comfortable conversation as they watched over their family together.