[TW: Disciplinary spanking and non-consensual consent] This is not a slash fic per say, but it does have spanking as the main focal point. I strongly advise that you read the disclaimer in my bio prior to reading this fiction to see if this story might be a good read for you.
Author's notes: regarding the setting for this fic, please see the introductory notes at the beginning of chapter 1.
Chapter 24: Pride's Deep Bruise
After surviving the war and instructing at Hogwarts for over a decade prior, Severus Snape had witnessed countless baffling moments between students. Some egregious, others inappropriate, but nothing in all his life had ever perplexed him quite as instantly as the sight of Draco Malfoy bent over Harry Potter's outstretched lap on a collapsed tree in his yard.
Snape stood perfectly still by the window, baffled by the scene taking place in the distance. The sounds of streaming water pouring out from the copper sink spigot filled the kitchen area, but his dirty knife remained dry as his attention lingered bright spring sun illuminated the pair of boys under the oak tree on the weathered log. Snape's brows drew in a pensive line as he watched Draco crane his head to say something to Harry.
Not a moment later, Draco pulled his right fist back. Snape narrowed his dark eyes into dangerous slits as he watched the all too familiar scenario unfold. Harry jerked violently as the hard blow landed to the right of his calf, his leg collapsing in from the pain. Not a second later and Draco was shoved forcefully off his lap as the pair collided in a heap of swinging punches.
Snape grit his teeth, snapping down his knife into the copper sink with a sharp clatter that reverberated across the kitchen. He snapped off the water pouring from the copper spigot then strode over to the black metal door. He withdrew his wand with precision and whipped the frame open, charging briskly out into the afternoon sun, cursing the boys with every sharp step as he made his way over to the aged oak tree.
Draco's fist collided with the side of Harry's face in a resounding thud, knocking his cracked glasses off his nose.
Harry swore off the instant pain and landed a solid punch to the bottom of Draco's lip. Draco writhed and yelled bloody murder, giving Harry the advantage to roll on top of him, grab hold of his shoulders and slam his back into the ground below.
The force of the blow knocked the wind straight out of Draco's lungs rendering him breathless. Harry pressed his palms in, pressuring Draco's collar bone.
"You're dead for that, Malfoy." Harry whispered, his heartbeat thudded hard against the front of his heaving chest. Anger coursed through every part of his body as he glared down at the bleeding blonde. His calf still ached from the horribly hard punch Draco had sprung on him.
It was his final straw, between the ruthless taunting and his enduring patience, the pain radiating up his leg shut off all self preservation as he had shoved Draco off his lap and collided with him in a long overdue fight.
"Get off!" Draco finally wheezed, his eyes pinched shut and his face contorted in a pain laced grimace.
Harry pinned him down tighter to the patch of squashed grass.
"You've been asking for this all day." Harry spat back, tightening his fists around the collar of Draco's black sweater. "Why should I?"
A dark shadow suddenly covered the front of Draco's pale face, hiding the fresh trickle of blood oozing from his split lip.
"Because, Harry James Potter," came the terrifyingly low tone from behind him, making his stomach drop, "should you fail to do so immediately, the both of you will be punished with unfathomable severity for this appalling display, right now."
Harry sucked in a sharp breath and pinched his eyes shut as Snape wrapped a warm hand around his arm.
Fuck.
Harry swore he felt the wind deplete out of Draco's ribs beneath his knees as Snape hauled him to his feet.
"Draco Lucius Malfoy." Snape hissed down at the moaning blonde. "Stand, this instant."
As Draco slowly moved to obey him, Snape reached down, while still firmly holding Harry, and hauled him up.
Snape pulled them to stand next to each other, keeping a firm grip on their arms. He looked over the guilty pair and paused, surveying each ruffled boy from head to toe. Draco's lip had begun to swell in a bloody red mess and the right side of Harry's cheek was already beginning to bruise, forming a speckled array of color.
Both their clothing bore the marks of the scuffle, covered in dirt smudges and grass stains. The sound of subdued huffing filled the air as the boys struggled to catch their breaths from the adrenaline of the fight and the fear clashing together as Snape bore down on them.
Snape clenched his teeth behind his pursed lips, forcing himself to maintain his composure. He pulled the boys in closer, squeezing their biceps tight.
Draco moaned a little, resisting the pressure but Harry stayed quiet, keeping his eyes downcast.
"It would appear," Snape hissed, his tone cold and sharp, dripping with fury, "that my explicit instructions to remain cordial with one another have fallen upon deaf ears. Quite astonishing considering you both were made painfully aware of the repercussions that would follow such disobedience."
Harry sucked in a sharp breath, pulling his gaze up to Snape's. He wasn't able to hold it long when his guilty green eyes met the cold fury gleaming in Snape's piercing scowl.
Draco, on the other hand, refused to look up, trepidation had taken hold of him but he resisted the urge to let it show. He was barely able to keep himself from lashing back out at Potter for his wrecked lip. Harry moved to speak and Draco jumped in too.
"Sir, er, we—"
"It was Potter who—"
Snape quieted them with a tighter squeeze to their arms.
"Silence, both of you," Snape commanded, his voice lowering into an ominous tone. "Speak without being addressed again, and Merlin help you, I will charm a cane, bare you both, and thrash you with such severity you will regret this show of defiance for days to come."
Content to see the looks of horror coming across their guilty faces, Snape released their arms and took in a sharp breath.
Harry felt himself grow sicker, a cane? Snape didn't cane, not after the abuse he suffered under one at the hands of his father. He had to be horribly frustrated with them to even threaten it.
A similar wave of ice settled into Draco's stomach at the foreboding words. He had only been caned a few times before, yet the ghastly experiences were enough to keep him perfectly compliant if his father so much as shot him a look of disapproval. Snape, in all his firm methods of discipline, had never resorted to such a tactic— Draco didn't think he could handle it if he did.
"Where are your glasses?" Snape soon asked, his dark eyes piercing into Harry's bent head.
"Um," Harry glanced at the ground, everything was tinged in a slight blur. "I don't know, sir. I can't see them."
Snape withdrew his wand and flicked it, in a split second the glasses flew into his hand. The frames were bent and a small crack in the lens glistened in the sharp afternoon sunlight. Snape tsked out loud and tapped the side of the frame with his wand. Harry watched as his glasses repaired themselves instantly.
Snape sharply extended them out and Harry pulled them gingerly from his grasp. Wordlessly Snape then cast a spell, moving his wand over each of the boys. Isolated heat soon flooded Draco and Harry's injuries as the magic repaired the damage they'd inflicted upon one another.
"Now," Snape hissed after a moment of tense silence, "Draco Malfoy, you will explain the purpose of your confounding display, which evidently, resulted in this deplorable altercation. I shall afford you a single opportunity to convey the truth. Should you falter in providing a comprehensive explanation, rest assured, I will delve into Harry's mind and ascertain the situation firsthand."
Draco dropped his mouth open and Harry shot him a sidelong glance.
"Now, Draco." Snape said, taking a step in closer to the blonde. Draco swallowed hard in response.
"Potter wanted to know about my worst sp- uh hm, one of my worst times… in trouble with you."
Draco tried to keep his shoulders back and his tone sharp but he hardly could hide the anxiety the question had prompted.
Harry narrowed his eyes at Draco, forcing himself to stay perfectly quiet.
"He asked for a demonstration of that historic display of nerve?" Snape prodded, his tone dripping with pointed disbelief.
"No, sir." Draco soon said when he caught sight of the look in Snape's eyes, "I just assumed it would be more memorable for him if I gave him the full picture."
Snape hummed low, thoroughly appalled by Draco's audacity, which had seemingly reached its peak for the day. The sheer nerve to mock such a grave situation left him not only stunned but furious. He took a moment to consider the incident then quickly made up his mind. Since Draco had not only brought up the event but also turned it into an opportunity for a physical confrontation, Snape resolved to seize this moment to emphasize the gravity of the matter and instill a touch of humility in the insolent young wizard.
"Very well," Snape said, then he turned to face Harry.
"I shall presume you do not possess the 'full picture' of the repercussions that Draco faced for daring such a foolish show of defiance. Allow me to provide that to you now."
"No, Snape, please don't—"
Draco didn't get another word out before Snape seized his arm and spun him around. Harry felt his stomach drop at the motion as Snape pulled his wand up and delivered a string of harsh smacks to the back of Draco's trouser clad bum. Harry cringed instinctively and glanced away. Each firm thwack of Snape's wand rang out with sharp precision into the soft spring afternoon as he unleashed his disapproval onto Draco.
"Owww!" Draco yelled, he squirmed in Snape's grasp but quickly stilled when he remembered Harry was there. He grit his teeth and forced himself not to protest as the next round of horribly sharp smacks lit into the back of his thighs.
"You are in enough trouble as it stands, Draco Malfoy," Snape hissed into his ear, "Do. Not. Interrupt. Me. Again." He punctuated each word with a searing smack, one intentionally overlapping the other in the center of Draco's sit spots.
Draco gasped, he couldn't stop himself from jerking at the eruption of pain and moaning from embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, sir. I'm sorry." He whispered when the sharp smacks stopped, his face had never been so crimson with shame and it took every bit of self preservation not to collapse into preemptive tears. Which he undoubtedly may have if Potter wasn't standing less than a foot away.
Draco huffed, biting his tongue in an attempt to steal himself, his pride was about to be bloody screwed. He truly hated getting spanked, it was humiliating and exceptionally painful, and unlike others in Slytherin— he couldn't take it quietly.
"You certainly will be." Snape warned as he released him.
Sucking in a shaky breath Draco crossed his arms, his watery gaze bore down into the grass by his feet as he tried to handle his overwhelming emotions. His bum radiated with sharp heat, prompting him to shift his legs a bit to mitigate the burn. Never in his life, especially at their age, did he ever anticipate being spanked in front of Harry Potter. Everything had crumbled into a bloody trash fire and things were certainly not looking good for his ego.
Snape kept his sharp gaze on Draco for a moment, he then stowed his wand in his trouser pocket and redirected his attention toward an exceptionally uncomfortable looking Harry.
"Now," Snape said slowly, "what exactly did Draco relay to you regarding that incident?"
Harry shot a small glance at Draco who looked thoroughly distraught and painfully ashamed even though his gaze was averted. Harry pursed his lips and shoved his hands in his front trouser pockets.
"He didn't say much, sir," Harry started but hurried to add more at the look of agitation coming across Snape's face. "He said it was the worst experience, then told me I needed a demonstration. I don't need to know more though, I—"
Harry was then silenced by the raise of Snape's hand.
"As you will soon come to find, given that the two of you have broached this subject, unconventionally or not, there will be no further discretion around disciplinary proceedings when you both behave so poorly together in my home." Snape pronounced.
Draco snapped his head up at the obvious insinuation, his stomach plummeting. Harry, too, felt a sudden dread grip his chest.
"Though most punishments are intended to be reflected upon privately," Snape emphasized the word, giving Draco a cold glare that made his eyes drop down. "The incident in question was no laughing matter and I will ensure that you understand the severity of it in case you're tempted to repeat such inexcusable behavior."
"Sir, I really wouldn't…" Harry stopped speaking again at the severity radiating from Snape's glare.
"I would certainly hope not. For if you do, you can expect a similar severity." Snape snapped then continued: "After Draco chose to strike me, he received an upgrade from the brush to the paddle, resulting in far more severe lesson than he was initially due for breaking an established rule in our House."
Draco quietly moaned, grating his toe hard against the earth beneath him. He crossed his arms tight to his chest and tried to focus on anything but his burning humiliation. He hated this, everything in him was cursing the rubbish idea to come over. He never intended to give Potter the specifics of that horrid day, only use it as an opportunity to punch him. Draco hadn't anticipated Harry to round on him so hard for the punch either, if he had, he certainly wouldn't have done it in the first place.
Snape paused to critically eye the blushing blonde then continued, "He was then sentenced to report to me every other evening for the remainder of the week where he then received an additional trip over my knee, serving as a potent reminder of my stance regarding such blatant disrespect before retiring to bed."
Harry's emerald eyes widened, he glanced over at Draco, only catching sight of his blood red ear tips. Well, no wonder that was one of his worst times. A week?!
Many times in his life Harry had been grateful to be sorted into Gryffindor, but this new revelation made him want to give extra thanks to the heavens that the hat didn't sort him into Slytherin. Every other night for a week? Harry couldn't fathom it. Especially not for Draco Malfoy, of all people.
"Given that this occurred years ago, such an action at your age now would be met with appropriate severity." Snape finished, shifting his punishing gaze between the pair.
Harry wasn't entirely sure what 'appropriate severity' meant, though he had no inclination to find out. He nodded fast and responded with, "I understand, sir."
Snape gave a curt nod.
"It would be appropriate for you to contribute to this conversation now, Draco. Reiterate what you learned from the experience— quickly." Snape said, prompting Draco's face to flush a deeper red.
"I—"
"Address Harry, not the ground, young man." Snape said sharply, "You were the one who deemed this situation appropriate to divulge, given that, you will finish this 'full picture' with the warranted clarification."
Draco pulled his icy eyes up to meet Harry's, after shooting an embarrassed glance at Snape, trying to steel himself against the humiliation. He thought back to those nights in Snape's office, conjuring the scoldings after each subsequent 'reminder' spanking. Although Snape had only delivered the extra punishments with his hand, they had been horribly memorable, smacking in a lesson he would never forget.
"I learned how foolish it was to do something like that." Draco said quietly, "It was uncalled for… um, disrespectful and offensive. I certainly would never do it again."
Despite the deep discomfort Draco felt he was relieved to see Harry wasn't smug. If anything, there was a clear look of sympathy in his eyes easing Draco's embarrassment a bit. He didn't deserve that, not after how horribly he'd goaded him all day.
Harry gave Draco a small nod then glanced up to Snape, unsure of what he was expected to say.
"Do you have any questions for Draco before we move on from this conversation?" Snape asked, his tone low and smooth.
Harry glanced back at Draco who was staring out to the left now, keeping his humiliated gaze trained to the layout of the property.
"No, sir." Harry said quietly.
"Very well," Snape said, "Draco, do you have anything more you would like to add to this conversation?"
Draco sucked in a small breath and pulled his eyes up to Snape's, "No, sir. I… um, apologize for this."
Snape gave a slow nod, then shifted his disciplinary gaze between the pair.
"I am going to ask you both a few specific questions and you will answer me with utmost honesty, understood?"
Harry and Draco both nodded, following up with exceptionally quiet 'yes, sirs.'
"Harry, not thirty minutes ago you told me the two of you settled your differences, did you not?"
Harry sucked in a sharp breath and Draco internally cringed, cursing himself for insisting he lie. Harry was right, it was a horribly rubbish idea.
Harry swallowed hard, his heartbeat escalated into a stream of thumping pounds. They were in so much trouble with this and he had no way of backpedaling out of it.
"I did," Harry said, feeling a surge of shame well up in his chest.
"That was a blatant lie, was it not?" Snape asked, though they all knew the answer to it.
"Yes, sir." Harry said, shifting his weight on his feet. He felt so dejected, wishing he could take every last minute of this day back.
Many times when Snape had caught him at school breaking the rules, there was this harsh, cold bitterness accompanying his scolding. Though today, after the few weeks they'd spent together following the close of the war, Harry felt a wave of something else from Snape's sharp gaze. He was angry with him, he knew that, but there was a faint look of disappointment etched across his stern features making Harry feel much worse.
"You know full well my stances on lying, as well as the consequences reserved for such an offense," Snape said firmly, watching Harry's face blush at the reprimand. "Why did you feel the need to do so? As I recall, you were simply told to remain civil and handle this situation."
Harry sucked in a sharp breath and tried to collect an answer that didn't fully incriminate himself or Draco. He still didn't want Snape to find out about their conversation as it would only prove far more troublesome for the both of them.
"Well," Harry paused, struggling for a moment to think straight. "We didn't want you to be upset about the Dittany, so we figured if we said we made amends, you would go easier on us."
It was a true enough statement for Draco's reasoning behind forcing the admission, but Harry knew Snape wouldn't buy it.
Snape raised a suspicious eyebrow. He then calmly reached out and grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him in close. Harry felt his stomach plummet at the action, he dropped his eyes and cringed.
"Let's try again." Snape said quietly, giving Harry's arm a firm squeeze. "The statement 'we' is hardly accurate as you were already pardoned from the Dittany incident."
Draco hated himself for what he was about to do but he deduced quickly that Harry's horrible lying skills would make their situation ten times worse. Another word out of Harry's mouth and Snape would rip through his mind and burst a vein over his taunting of precious Harry Potter.
"Snape?" Draco said quietly, hoping not to earn more smacks for speaking out of turn, "I made him tell you, alright? I knew you were going to come down on me for the whole thing, so I got him to lie."
Harry glanced away from Snape, his emerald eyes caught Draco's in a whirlwind of surprise. Malfoy was taking the blame? Had the world frozen over?
Snape glared at Draco for a moment, still keeping his arm clamped around Harry's.
"Is this true?" Snape then asked Harry, giving him a look so severe he dared not lie again.
"Yes, sir." Harry said.
Feeling a renewed sense of disdain for all the lying Snape chose to act swiftly. He withdrew his wand, sharply turned Harry to the side and began administering a string of hard smacks to the seat of his trousers.
Harry gasped at the initial sting but screwed his eyes shut and kept himself from uttering another sound as the barrage of sharp spanks continued.
Draco grimaced as he watched the scene play out. Despite his merciless taunting and feigned enjoyment at the prospect of Potter getting smacked, watching it happen for the first time didn't bring him an ounce of the satisfaction he anticipated. He wasn't entirely sure if it was, in part, due to the fact he too was facing Snape's wrath but whatever the case, he hoped Snape would finish soon. He cursed himself for crying out earlier when Harry stayed mostly silent through the hard smacks.
"I will not accept another word out of your mouth that isn't the truth, Harry Potter." Snape said, smacking his wand down three more hard times in the center of Harry's bum. "Is that perfectly clear?"
Snape punctuated his last question with two more intense smacks, one on top of the other.
"Yes, s-sir." Harry grit out, the center of his backside stung with a sharp burn and his entire body flushed with humiliation. It was bad enough being spanked with just Snape; but having Draco Malfoy witness made him feel inexplicably worse. "I'm sorry."
To Harry's relief Snape turned him back around, stopping the sharp smacks. He stowed his wand back in his trouser pocket then turned his dangerously dark gaze on Draco.
"How precisely did you convince him to lie for you?" Snape asked sharply.
"I threatened him," Draco said quietly, crossing his arms, "with some personal information I discovered."
That was mostly true, Draco knew it might not work given the gravity of their fight but he knew Snape well enough to play on his discretion around private information.
Snape narrowed his eyes and surveyed Draco for a moment more, then turned his attention back to Harry.
"Is this so-called 'personal information' something you do not wish me to be privy to?" Snape asked Harry, keeping his tone firm.
"Er," Harry started, then caught a sharp look Draco shot him, convincing him not to say more. "Yes, sir. I'd rather not discuss it."
Snape inclined his head, his voice low and penetrating, "Very well. So, the two of you decided to engage in a physical altercation upstairs first, clamoring about the bedroom and stomping up the stairs. Then, in your infinite wisdom, one of you saw fit to cast a silencing charm, leading to a clandestine exchange that culminated in a rather audacious threat." The last words were delivered to Draco with such a severe gaze that it made his heart pound. "Then, you proceeded out here to commence with another argument that ended with this all out brawl after Draco's exceptionally foolish 'demonstration', correct?"
Neither young wizard could grasp how Snape deduced the situation so quickly, but in an effort to get out of the intense line of questioning they both nodded and replied with a soft 'yes, sir.'
After a lengthy pause with nothing but the sounds of the spring afternoon penetrating the silence, Snape leaned in slightly, his dark eyes piercing.
"It is abundantly clear that the two of you have failed to grasp the importance of restraint and obedience. Since you've collectively chosen to disregard my explicit instructions, you will receive consequences of the appropriate severity for your transgressions." Snape paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "I will not tolerate further defiance. Am I understood?"
Harry felt his palms grow wet with sweat and Draco swallowed hard. Neither had to be told what was about to happen next as they both replied with a dejected 'yes, sir.'
"Where are your wands?" Snape asked next, startling both young wizards.
Wands? Harry thought.
Why does he need our wands? Draco wondered.
Harry glanced at the ground, his emerald eyes scanning the grass until he found his wand by the log. Draco also located his a few paces away from Harry's.
"Collect them, now. Bring back with you an object from the ground. Stick, stone, anything you're capable of ransfiguring." Snape said, watching intently as the boys followed his instructions.
He had anticipated the day may go poorly, but the sheer lack of disrespect and disregard for his authority was too astounding to handle lightly. The situation had solidified his resolve to make a strong impression upon both Harry and Draco. He glanced over about a quarter mile out to the willow tree at the edge of his property.
The boys returned with their wands in hand. Draco had a small rock, Harry a stick, Snape then said sharply:
"Transfigure those objects into small knives."
Both Harry and Draco gave him incredulous looks, neither moving to obey.
"Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, do we need to have two separate discussions on the severity of disobedience?" Snape said low and slow, instilling instant fear into both of them.
They each configured their items with a quick snap. Snape extended his palm and they handed over the newly transfigured knives. Snape surveyed them, ensuring they were sharp enough for the task at hand. He tapped Draco's with his wand, sharpening the blade. Harry's would suffice as is.
"Hand me your wands." Snape commanded, they complied.
"Come with me." Snape then turned on his heel to lead them to the large drooping tree at the edge of his property.
Harry shot Draco a confused expression, but Draco merely responded with an equally perplexed look. As the boys silently trailed behind Snape, Harry soon caught sight of the towering willow tree in the distance.
He stifled the urge to groan as the realization came flooding in, making his mouth grow dry.
Not a moment later, Draco stilled. His icy eyes darted from the tree in the distance to the knives in Snape's palm, suddenly the bright spring afternoon seemed to darken as his heart skipped another beat.
Author's Notes: Happy Sunday! In my last note on this platform, I didn't quite have the time to give out proper thanks but today I do! Thank you, Hamlet, Goldflame01, MusicMelis, and Lisadoyel for leaving such kind and encouraging feedback on my last chapters! It truly touches me to know you're enjoying reading this fic as much as I am writing it. I hope this week's update was a fun one for you! Hamlet, given our time differences I always wake up to your reviews on my Monday's, they never cease to give me the biggest smile to start the week (I so appreciate you!). I noticed a few more followers coming in over the last few days, so to all my silent readers out there- welcome! I'm glad to have you following along and hope to keep your attention. I will be back next Sunday with another chapter and look forward to posting then. Much love to you all! Have a wonderful week.
