Note: In the previous chapter, I put Pyer as Augustus' surname, but after reading the fifth book again, I realized that there was a character named Augustus Pye. Anyway, I thought it'd be good to put him in the story, so Pyer is now Pye. Sorry for the inconvenience guys :)
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Chapter 3 - A Step Back In Time
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The ride was short and painfully quiet. Harry, who had been in many disconcerting situations in the past few years, had to admit that the energy in the air was not a pleasant one. Gregory and Vincent, in the presence of the blonde, became very protective and would, once in a while, glare back at Harry in the rearview mirror. Harry ignored them. He was used to hateful glances, and he knew that the thugs wouldn't do anything rash, since Harry was the only one who could keep them from being arrested due to their criminal records.
Harry was a very successful financial firm's owner living in London, and naturally his business wasn't exactly free of crime. He had Muggle police trailing him everywhere he went, waiting for him to slip up. If it wasn't because for his magic, Harry would probably be on the run right about now. It wasn't a satisfying job, but it made Harry feel like himself. He couldn't quite explain it, but living this sort of life, the risks and competition, it was exhilarating.
It also pissed off the wizarding world, which was an added bonus.
Quite frankly, he was sick of magic and everything that'd got to do with it. He was sick of people trying to run his life. He thought that they'd be nice enough to leave him to his own path. But no, he thought caustically, they all had to invade his privacy and turn him into a puppet of their own will.
Well, Harry had had enough. He wasn't going to be anyone's pet, and so he slipped into the Muggle world, building his way up to the top with luck, ambition, and a will to be free. And in order to maintain that, he had to give up the one thing that he'd once believed in: justice.
Justice doesn't exist. What exists is human's attempt to play God, and it's from that basis, 'good will' will bring anarchy and a greed for power. They don't understand is that God doesn't judge his creations, Harry, he doesn't brand them with the name 'good' or 'evil', and that makes all the difference in this world that we live in.
Yes, yes it does, Harry thought, his hands curling into fists. Justice didn't exist in the world he lived in, nor did good and evil. There were only humans, and their mistakes.
Fuck it all.
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Harry's cell phone rang, startling him out of his thoughts.
"What?" Harry said agitatedly, flipping the phone open. Sitting inches away from Harry, Draco looked up curiously.
"As amiable as always, Mr. Potter," Severus' sardonic voice replied smoothly. "I'm calling to let you know what I've found out," he continued before Harry could reply.
Harry was immediately attentive. "Go on."
"I am looking at my file here on Augustus Pye, and according to it, when he was eleven years old he attended Durmstrange. However, he followed up on the art of healing and worked at St. Mungo's briefly as an intern, then he disappeared for about half a year, shortly after his parents died. After that time lapse he returned and created his own science institute, the place you're making your way to, as a matter of fact."
Harry's brows furrowed in thought. Pye... the name rang a bell somewhere. Harry was certain he'd heard it before.
And then it clicked. Augustus Pye was that young man he'd seen in his fifth year, when visiting Arthur Weasley at St. Mungo's. He had seemed like an idiot back then, using stitches on a magical induced injury. Who knew he would have so much influence now in the Muggle world.
"Thanks, Severus," Harry said, and was about to hang up when the other man's voice rang out once again.
"Actually, there's something else I think you should know."
"What?" Harry snapped impatiently. Why must Severus unnecessarily lengthen every conversation he had with him? The only answer that came to mind was that he enjoyed aggravating Harry.
Draco, meanwhile, gave a little jump at Harry's harsh tone, which did not go unnoticed by Crabbe, who, in his anger, slammed his foot on the brake.
"Argh! Fuck! What the hell, Crabbe?" Harry yelled, his head hitting the back of the driver's seat due to the impact.
"Sorry, boss," Crabbe said, very pleased with himself, until he realized that Draco had also injured his head. "Draco!" he said worriedly, momentarily distracted and therefore pressed hard on the accelerator. This caused them all to jerk backward as the car sped up.
"Pull over, goddamn it, Crabbe, pull over!" Harry commanded, torn between screaming at his subordinate and checking to see if Draco was okay. When they had parked safely next to a sidewalk, Harry told Goyle to take the wheel and gave Crabbe a glare that spoke volumes of exactly how he felt about the situation. In any other circumstance, Crabbe would have been worried for his life, but now he was too absorbed in asking Draco how he was to care.
"I'm okay," Draco assured them, feeling very self-conscious. Harry didn't have a chance to reply to this statement before he heard a buzzing from his cell phone, and remembered that Severus was still on the other line.
"Sorry," Harry said in annoyance. "These idiots are just demonstrating just exactly why they're idiots. Not you, Draco." Harry attempted a smile at the blonde, but somehow, his mouth curved downward instead of the other way around. Draco smiled back at him, albeit meekly.
Adorable, Harry thought, feeling a bit dazed.
"As I was saying, Potter," Severus interrupted his thought sharply. "Please listen when you're spoken to."
"I'm listening."
"Augustus Pye's parents didn't die because of natural causes. They were murdered. The Aurors confirmed that it was the Avada Kedavra that did it, but they couldn't find the culprits. Pye wasn't killed along with them, and it was rumored that he knew the murderers, but there's nothing to verify that, especially when he vanished without a trace after their death."
Harry pondered this. Avada Kedavra was one of the few favorites of the Death Eaters, so could it be that the murders were linked to them somehow?
"Severus, I'm wondering, did this happen in my sixth year at Hogwarts? And... didn't all the Death Eaters break out of Azkaban by that time? Do you think...?"
"Lucius had a hand in their deaths?" Severus finished. "That's a possibility. It would certainly explain why Draco is being targeted. But don't read too much into this, Harry. What I have here are just assumptions. You won't know until you meet him."
"That's true," Harry agreed, his mind already working fast to figure out what to do with what Severus had just told him. "Thanks. I'll contact you after my meeting with Pye."
"Don't do anything brash" was all the older man said before he hung up.
Harry smiled coldly, eyes narrowing with a dangerous look. I can't promise you that, Severus. Harry glanced at Draco as the blonde spoke with Crabbe. Not if Draco's involved.
And quite suddenly, Harry realized that in less than twenty-four hours, Draco had somehow torn down all of his defenses, leaving his heart bare for only him to see.
Well, I'll be damned, Harry thought, but strangely enough, he felt no malice upon such knowledge.
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Pye's Science Institute of Bio-Chemistry and Technology...
Harry was, despite his irritation, very astounded at the tall building. An idiot who had become the president of the very successful company was nothing short of miraculous. He really couldn't wait to meet the man face to face.
Crabbe held the door opened for them, and Harry allowed Draco to enter first, having this strange notion that Crabbe really wanted to let go of the door so it'd slam into his face. In barely one hour upon meeting Draco, one of his most trustworthy men was already defying him more times than he could count. This thought disturbed him somewhat.
"Mr. Potter?"
An abnormally large man, about the size of Goyle, materialized in front of Harry, wearing a black suit and black sunglasses.
Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Draco shrink away from the man, but ignored it and answered, "That's me."
"Mr. Pye is waiting for you. Would you please come with me," he said, sweeping out a hand not toward the elevator, but down a corridor past the reception desk.
Draco seemed reluctant to go on, and Harry noticed that he was looking toward the door as if deciding to run for it. A disconcerting thought occurred to him. So this is not the first time Draco'd been here.
Gently Harry grasped the blonde's hand, and gave him a look that he hoped was reassuring. It probably was, because Draco turned away from the door and followed him.
They reached the end of the hall soon enough, and Harry narrowed his eyes at the security system. How foolish of Pye to think mere Muggle security could possibly protect this place.
"Not only Muggle security, boss," Goyle murmured behind him, as if knowing what he was thinking.
Harry shifted slightly, indicating that he was listening. "There's a trickle of magic surrounding us. It's possible that they're using some sort of identification spell, so that we won't be going anywhere around this place without them knowing just exactly who we are."
Harry nodded. "And some sort of protective ward, no doubt." Harry gave a small pause, and then said very quietly, "Unwind the current of magic, just in case we need to make an emergency exit." Goyle didn't even look at Harry, who knew immediately that the brute was already picking away the threads of magic wrapping around them.
The platinum door slid apart, allowing them entrance.
Harry swept inside without needing to be invited, pulling Draco along with him. The magic was faint, almost unnoticeable. Normal wizards wouldn't be able to detect it, but Goyle was a specialized type of wizard, with an incredibly rare ability to feel even the barest hints of magic in the air. It was useful, of course, especially when Harry had business with magical folks who tried to pass off as Muggles. It was silly and possibly stupid of them, thinking that he was foolish enough to fall for their tricks. People underestimated him, and it had always turned around to bite them in the a--
"We're here."
Harry came to a stop in front of a artfully designed, willow made door and raised an eyebrow. How cliché.
The unknown man knocked, and opened the door. Harry stepped inside, but stopped when he felt a slight tug from Draco.
Draco's eyes resembled those of a frightened, trapped animal, and Harry squeezed his hand comfortingly. The blonde, after a second of hesitation, let Harry lead him in.
The room was, expectedly, very business like. If Harry had imagined it to be filled with cauldrons and potions, he was wrong. There was a bookshelf along the wall, a door near a quiet fireplace, a wide window (which somehow was showing a view of the street below), and a very handsome, polished black desk and chair.
When Harry's eyes settled on the leather seat, he knew right away the man sitting on it was Pye. Even if he had lost that callow expression and that goofy smile, his sharp blue eyes weren't a feature easily forgotten.
Crabbe and Goyle stepped inside the room as their escort went out and shut the door. Harry saw Crabbe's vigilant eyes taking in the architecture of the office, and was pleased that the man was at least doing his job.
"Mr. Potter, I presume." The words were spoken slowly, calculated, in a voice full of arrogant command. Harry had a sudden urge to laugh, but held it down as he faced Pye eye to eye.
"Augustus Pye," Harry acknowledged coldly, noticing that the man's eyes flickered briefly over to Draco, letting him know just exactly what Pye was after.
Deliberately Harry put a hand on Draco's shoulder and pulled him close, watching Pye closely. The man showed no sign of interest, but Harry could feel the tension in the room thicken. "This is Draco Malfoy," Harry said knowingly, "You must have heard of him."
Draco tried to back away when Pye's eyes fell on him, but Harry held on firmly, reassuringly.
"Yes, I've heard of him," Pye said, and with one last lingering look at Draco, turned to Harry. "In fact, he is my property."
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Crabbe made a violent movement toward Pye, but stayed where he was when Harry gave him a disgusted look, as if saying Know your place.
"Pardon my man," Harry said, not looking in the least apologetic. "He is rather impulsive at times."
Pye's smile was cruel and hollow as he beckoned to the chair in front of him. "No worry," he said, a hint of laughter in his voice. Harry narrowed his eyes. "Please do sit down."
Harry's hand fell away from Draco's shoulder as he took his seat. Immediately Crabbe and Goyle moved closer so that they were stranding in protective range of Draco.
"I understand that you have something to discuss, Mr. Pye," Harry said frankly. There was no reason to worry about Draco now. He was more than safely protected. "And as much as I would love to sit away leisurely, I'm afraid that there are many important matters that require my attention."
Pye's eyes darkened noticeably, but they smoldered away like flames dying in a cold night. A nasty smile spread across his face. "Of course, Mr. Potter, I would not want to hold you back for any reasons, so let us cut to the chase." A disconcerting feeling settled in Harry's stomach, yet he pushed away and concentrated on Pye. "As I have said, you have something that belongs to me, and I'm afraid that I must have it back."
Harry was irritated at the way Pye referred to Draco. He sounded as if Draco was an object of possession, as if Draco belonged to him by inherent right. The thought was met with agreements as Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles menacingly at Pye, managing to startle Draco, the one person they least wanted to frighten.
"Forgive me for not understanding," Hary said curtly, "but if you are referring to Draco Malfoy, then I believe you are very much mistaken."
Pye gave a humorless chuckle, managing to sound both mocking and patronizing. "Oh no, Mr. Potter, it's you that are mistaken. You see, for the past five years, Draco has been my property." Pye opened his desk drawer and retrieved a folder. "This is proof of that."
Not taking his eyes off Pye, Harry took the proffered folder and flipped it open.
Draco's face stood out on the very front page, the one, Harry noted with surprise, from their seventh year scrapbook. Draco looked tired, yet his face was plastered with a smirk and arrogance so familiar of the Malfoys. He suppressed himself from turning around and looking at the blonde as he was now, knowing that the drastic difference would only serve to unnerve him.
With an air of detachment Harry turned to the next page and read it through. The information that he absorbed, though, did not shed any light, but only further confused him. The parchment was the legal confirmation that "Mr. Draconis Orpheus Lucius Black Malfoy, in accordance with his family members, Mr. Lucius Orpheus Malfoy and Mrs. Narcissa Aphrodite Black Malfoy, is legally recognized as an official subject of research as of ... signifying that he is, under no conditions, explicit or implied, to leave the Science Institution of Bio-Chemistry and Technology, which, under the nation's laws and ... with full legitimacy owned and administrated by Mr. Augustus Julius Pye. Furthermore, Mr. Draco Malfoy will consent to the Code of Conducts (15) and will not, under any circumstances, openly defy, repudiate, or inhibit experiments and researches executed by the institution ... If, by any reason, the infringement of these rules is discerned by the President and rightful owner of the institute, Mr. Pye Augustus, immediate suspension or possible expulsion from ... Conversely, if Mr. Draco Malfoy expressively wishes to be removed from the ordeal, he must, first, be at the closing stages of the experiment and must have full approval of Mr. Augustus Pye and the national court..."
And then it carried on until the third page, in which it asked for the signatures of those involved in the agreement, and, to Harry's boundless surprise and confusion, Draco's name, neatly scrawled on the bottom of the page, was seen, unmistakable and, quite frankly, unbelievable.
Harry scanned through the rest of the 'proof', feeling disgusted at the terms and agreements and appalled that the government had allowed this science institute to get away with such... unethical acts.
But who am I to judge, Harry thought ironically and closed the folder, throwing it carelessly toward Pye and saying one simple word, "Bullshit."
Pye cocked his head as if puzzled, and Harry sneered. "Do you actually think that this piece of crap is going to justify anything? I can have you arrested for unlawful experiments and imprisoning underage boys."
Pye laughed. An actual, incredulous laugh. "Unlawful? Underage? You have a peculiar sense of humor, Mr. Potter. What I'm showing you here is no fraud. The signatures of government officials are all here, personally signed and approved. If you must, you can call and confirm."
Harry narrowed his eyes. "Let's not beat around the bush, Pye." There was no reason to keep up a polite facade. They both knew what they were here for. "I don't particularly care about the government nor your questionable institute, and most certainly not the law." Harry paused, allowing time for his last words to sink in. "We both know who we truly are, and what we are capable of. I personally know what I'm capable of, if pushed hard enough. Perhaps you have heard of my reputation, and if not, then I advise you not to test my limits."
Pye pulled an expression of mock outrage. "How can you accuse me of testing your limits, Mr. Potter? What I am doing is lawful enough. I simply ask for the return of my possession. I'm afraid it is you who are pushing your limits by, bluntly put, kidnapping one of my test subjects."
"He came to me willingly enough," Harry said, and, as if making his point, pulled Draco closer by his waist. The blonde came into Harry's warmth, surprised. He didn't protest, however, when Harry looked up at him with a possessive smile on his lips and a warning in his eyes.
In a deliberate movement, so that Pye could see just exactly what he was doing, Harry's hand trailed down until it rested firmly on the curve of Draco's ass.
Naturally, Draco was startled, and his first reflex was to pull away, but the warning in Harry's eyes flashed in his mind, and with a blushing face he remained where he was.
Meanwhile, Harry was satisfied to see Pye's eyes burned with fury as they stared fixedly at Harry's hand, with both his own closing tightly into fists. It was obvious that Pye held some deep feelings for Draco, and Harry wasn't going to let this knowledge go to waste.
"If I am not mistaken, the contract says that Draco is allowed to leave if he wishes," Harry said smoothly, urging Draco closer with a press of his palm. "Draco, do you want to stay with this man?"
Draco, his embarrassment momentarily forgotten, turned to Pye and looked away with a firm shake of his head.
Harry's eyes locked with Pye's. "That is certainly enlightening. So if you will, release Draco --"
"I'm afraid that will not be happening," Pye cut Harry off roughly. "The experiment the institute is carrying on has not come to a conclusion, and Draco is obliged to continue as a subject."
"Draco will not continue to be your guinea pig --" Harry said hotly, but Pye did not let him finish.
"Furthermore, if Draco is to pull out now, I'm afraid there will be... unwelcome consequences," Pye said ominously, pleased when Harry's expression turned to one of suspicion and puzzlement.
"If you are bullshiting me, Pye..."
"Oh no, Mr. Potter, how can I do such a thing?" Pye's eyes widened innocently, but that vicious smile was enough to stamp out his pretense. "Draco is a part of a very extensive and important research for the progress of human kind. As it was, he tends to suffer... some side effects. Here in the institute we have sufficient medicine to neutralize those subsidiary results. However, if I let him go, I cannot guarantee his complete safety."
Harry, despite thinking that Pye was just playing with his mind, was unwilling to risk the possibility. However, he pushed on, not wanting Pye to gain the upper ground. "If you think I care about that, then you are fooling yourself. Draco will be fine with me. Believe me, Pye, I will do everything in and out of my power to keep Draco." A thought struck Harry. "If it is money you want, then name the price. I will buy him, if it comes to that."
"But is that what Draco wants?" Pye challenged. "Draco has shown his aversion to stay here, but he did not express his will to stay with you."
Harry looked at Pye long and hard. "It does not matter. Whether he is willing or not, I will have him. If that is all, I'll take my leave." Harry stood up and put his arm around Draco's shoulders.
"Draco is emotionally and mentally unstable." Pye stood up abruptly. Harry paused in his steps. "The chemicals in his body act against his natural hormones, and unless he receives proper care, Draco will not last long."
Harry spun around, unable to contain his anger any longer. What had Pye, in these years keeping Draco here, done to him? What sort of perverse experiments had he forced Draco to be a part of? Hell, what sort of perverse activities had he done to Draco?
"Mr. Pye," Harry said, very quietly, and the ink bottle on the table shattered to pieces, spraying black ink all over the polished desk and floor. "I would like to know very much, what you have put Draco through in the years that you've imprisoned him here?" The pens standing in their holder snapped into pieces, and the ornate, ancient looking vase next to the window fell to the floor in a pile of dust.
Pye, to his credit, was unfazed by Harry's fury. "Experiment No.000733, fully approved by the government, is designed to stop a human's aging process. Draco, as a subject of this research, has been exposed to chemical substances that hold the possibilities of success. But he became a guinea pig at sixteen, when his body is still developing. As such, his growth hormone as well as others has become erratic, causing unpredictable and uncontrollable side-effects."
Harry had a feeling that there was something Pye was not telling him. "And what are these... side-effects?"
Pye smiled slowly. "Memory loss, claustrophobia, weak mentality, and..." He looked positively delightful at what he was about to reveal "... sexual dissatisfaction, and yet," he added, "unwanted sexual acts will only result in a completely broken mind, seeing how frail his mind is."
Harry glanced at Draco, who looked very lost and puzzled at this apparently newfound information.
"And what have you done all these times to keep him sane, Pye?" Harry asked, feeling something awful inside him rising to the surface. "Did you tie him up in a cell? Did you give him a Sleeping Draught every day? Or," There was a madness burning in his eyes, "did you fuck him?"
The smile on Pye's face never wavered. His fingers ached as he imagined that face broken and splattered with blood.
"How crude," Pye said mildly. "I would never commit such an act to such an innocent boy." He turned to Draco, his eyes full of vicious longing and horrible secrets. Draco stepped back, a sudden, fleeting image of someone laughing and hurting filling his mind, before it disappeared and left him very frightened.
Harry could feel Draco shake violently, and gripped his shoulder hard. He'd had enough.
"Just name the price, Pye. I will have Draco, and that's final."
Pye's eyes were blank, a hollow emptiness that Harry only knew too well.
It was the look of a man who had gone too far to back down. The look of darkness.
"Price?" Pye repeated, and, smiling broadly he indicated to a door on the right of his room. "Shall we play a game, Mr. Potter?"
"What game?" Harry snapped. Draco was cold to the touch, and Harry felt that any more time spent here wouldn't do much to ease the blonde's condition.
"A game of knowledge and luck, of sort," Pye replied nonchalantly. "A hundred million dollars at stake, and Draco, too, of course. Winner... takes all."
A game of knowledge. The alarm inside his head went off loudly. Somehow, he had a suspicious feeling that this was going to involve foul play.
"Fine. Let's do it then."
The smile became more prominent on Pye's face as he opened the door and mockingly ushered them inside.
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To Be Continued
Chapter 4 - The Nature of Fate
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A/N: Here's chapter three, fresh from the oven… or not +.+ I had this done awhile ago, but because my computer was messed up I couldn't do anything about it.
So, many, MANY thanks to Curious Dreamweaver. She's such a fantastic beta, mucho amor ;)
And thank you, the wonderful readers who just keep egging me on ;P So you go ahead and make me feel guilty some more if the next chapter isn't done quickly enough
'Till next time!
