Draco Malfoy, Broken

Chapter 67 – Comeuppance

Published: 2/11/2020

***TRIGGER WARNING*** attempted and implied sexual assault, as well as coercion, threats and references to, and offensive terminology

During his last class on Friday, Blaise listened to Hermione as she explained the differences between a wolf and werewolf. She had the class's rapt attention, but when she released them, two snot-nosed, cute little Slytherins came over to him, tugged his robes, and asked, "Professor Zabini, what spells would you use on a werewolf?"

Granger gave a look of annoyance, probably jealousy, as she had run the class today, but he always had a soft spot for his housemates. He knelt down.

"How old are you, Mr. Borgin?" he asked.

Alex's younger brother, Harris, straightened up, "Going to be twelve on Sunday!"

His friend, Jerice, said, haughtily, "I'm still taller than you."

"Are not!"

"Twelve, eh? Werewolves really like twelve-year-olds," Blaise said, with a straight-face.

Harris's eyes went wide and Jerice said, "Ha! I don't turn twelve until May!"

"Professor Zabini?" Hermione said, in a chiding way.

He gave her a smirk and turned back to the students. "I'm just joking. My point is why would you need to know spells like that?"

Jerice mumbled out in a hurry, "Well, the werewolves attacked the Ministry, yesterday, Professor! Aurors were killed."

"And there's a full moon Sunday! The Forbidden Forest is filled with werewolves!" Harris exclaimed.

"The forest is not filled with werewolves and you are safe at Hogwarts," Hermione said, firmly, failing at reassuring the teeny first years.

Blaise refrained from rolling his eyes. "There are wolves in the forest, intelligent ones at that. Do you remember the differences?"

Harris straightened up and said, in a proud Slytherin way, "Tufted tail, shorter snort, eyes and they hunt humans, Professor!"

"Very good," Hermione praised and Harris smiled, but he still wanted an answer.

"Do wolves hunt humans?" Blaise asked.

Harris was unsure. "No?"

"Usually not. Wolves and werewolves can't get into the castle at night with the doors closed. The windows are too high to jump. You don't have to worry."

"What if you're outside?" Harris said, not looking at him.

"You shouldn't be outside at night," Hermione said, flatly.

Blaise ignored her. "Werewolves are magical creatures when they transform. Normal spells aren't going to work. But I have a spell that would stop a wolf in its tracks."

Hermione looked at him and said, "Professor Zabini... don't you think that'll be a little advanced for...."

"Will you tell us it?" Harris pleaded.

"Of course!" Blaise said and leaned in to whisper it into his ear. "You got it?"

"Yes, Professor! Thank you!" Harris said and grabbed Jerice and ran out the door.

"Blaise! You can't lie to the students! They would never be able to bring down a werewolf at their age! You would have a problem bringing one down!" Hermione growled.

"I said wolf, not werewolf. Not that either will be the case."

"What?"

"The older Slytherins are hazing him on Sunday for his birthday, most likely because Alex is his older brother. They probably dared him to sneak out and go to the edge of the forest. Probably been filling his head with lots of stories about werewolves and dead children."

Hermione looked shocked. "They can't do...."

"They do do it though."

"Well... we have to put a stop to it!"

"Relax, Granger. I already took care of it."

"What? How?"

"I'm a Slytherin, Hermione. I know how to deal with my house."

"Blaise... if you bollocks this up... you're in trouble!" Hermione warned.

"He already is in trouble," Professor McGonagall announced, from the doorway.

Blaise swallowed hard. "P-Professor?" But she just walked over to him and grabbed him by the ear. "What? Ow!"

"Come with me!" she growled and dragged him out of his classroom. Hermione just watched them go, a smile on her face.

Luckily, the hallways were deserted as dinner was about to start, as she hauled him downstairs. "Please! Professor, let go!" he pleaded.

"No! You're supposed to be a professor! Why do I have to drag you to your appointments like a first-year?" she growled and finally let go when they reached classroom thirteen. "You already missed two appointments, did you think nothing would happen?"

Blaise rubbed his ear and pouted like a sullen child. "I don't need...."

"I disagree. Now, you either make your appointments, on time, every time, or I will personally escort you to every one of them!" she declared and opened the waiting room door. "Is there anything that you don't understand about this order?"

"No... madam," he groaned, still rubbing his ear and avoiding her eyes.

"Good. Do not make me do this, again, Blaise," she said. "I expect you to come to see her twice a week."

"Twice? I don't...."

"Make it three times a week. Keeping arguing and you can go every day like Harry!" she threatened and Blaise held his tongue. "Blaise, this isn't punishment. You might think you're fine but you are not. You aren't invincible. I've seen you crack under the pressure already, remember? If, Merlin-forbid, something were to happen to your friends, to Neville, you wouldn't be able to function. You can deny that you need help all you want, but I know better."

Blaise looked at the floor petulantly and didn't answer her.

"Go on," she said and he went inside the depressing waiting area and knocked on the office door.

"Enter," Madam Denkar said.

Blaise went in and immediately took the seat by the fire. "Ratted me out, huh?"

"I gave you two chances to show up... three, technically, as you are five minutes late."

"I do have class to teach. I can't just run out as soon as it's over."

"I will take that into allowance. How are you feeling?"

"Really? We're going to just jump right into it? I don't think so. I'm required to show up, not participate."

"Blaise... the hardest part of recovery is acknowledging that you are hurt and need help."

"What a load of tripe. All of this is. I didn't ask for help when I was actually hurting, what makes you think that I want any now? That was years ago."

"And those people that were hurting you, would have they hurt you if you sought help back then, correct?"

"Asking subtle ferreting questions isn't going to get you anywhere, Denkar," he snapped.

"I'll assume that's a yes. The reason why you might be inclined to seek help now is that you aren't being abused anymore. They can't hurt you for talking to me."

Blaise's eyes flashed. "I don't need help."

"Okay... prove it. Tell me what happened in your third year," she challenged.

"Why should I? You think appealing to my anger is going to get you anywhere? I'm not Potter. I'm a Slytherin."

"I see. Do you identify with the rest of your house?"

"Identify? I'm a dark arts expert, kinda the norm for my house."

"Is it? I've known some very troubled Ravenclaws who loved the dark arts... and how it worked."

"Are we really going to talk about stereotypes of the Hogwarts houses?"

"Do you want to talk about what happened to you?"

Blaise grimaced but didn't respond.

"I take that as a 'no', then. So, what does being a Slytherin mean to you?"

Blaise didn't like the question at all, that was a deep part of his character. "What do you think a Slytherin is?"

She tilted her head, as though not expecting the reversal like that, asking her for a direct opinion. He expected her to turn it back to him, but she said, "Loneliness. Self-sufficiency. A desire to prove yourself. The drive to be stronger, better than others. Smart and powerful."

"Taking the neutral road, huh?" he grunted, annoyed by her obvious attempt to placate him.

She looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"You're purposely explaining it in a way that wouldn't offend me, a Slytherin. Ambitious, power-hungry, manipulative, selfish cowards, who are cruel and dark... that's what you mean to say."

"Is that how you view your house?" she queried.

She had ignored his assertion and he stared at her. There wasn't going to be any back and forth if she didn't play along.

She sighed. "No, I don't think of your house in those terms. I've met too many Slytherins to think that."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah... you did counseling for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I'm sure there's plenty of court-ordered therapy ordered for Slytherins."

"Yes... but I also worked for MCAPS and took on a wide variety of voluntary patients over the years. Guess which house I treated the most?"

"We're all head cases then?" Blaise grunted and looked into the fire.

"No, but the overwhelming feature I found of your house is an abnormal childhood. Abuse, neglect, early trauma, loss, and intense pressure. Also being introverted, emotionally withdrawn and having experienced too much at a young age. Slytherins spend most of their time pretending everything is alright by being the best or making sure everyone looks at them. Whether it's acting out, like bullying and being a snob, or learning as much as possible, so it doesn't happen, again. I'm not saying that Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors aren't troubled. Even without Harry telling me, I can tell he's been abused and neglected. I suspect that he should have been a Slytherin."

Blaise gave her a look. Potter had admitted the same thing to him at the Reunion.

"But the hat isn't omnipotent. It strives to put the student in the environment which he or she would thrive in the most. Extroverts tend to go to Hufflepuff and Gryffindor and introverts to Ravenclaw and Slytherin. But there are exceptions, of course. People also change or experience trauma after the Sorting. And some... just wouldn't do well in a different house. Could you even see yourself in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw?"

Blaise's nose twitched in disdain. It didn't matter if Ernie and other Hufflepuffs were nice. They were too nice. Plus, who knows what the fuck happened that Smith was there. Ravenclaws were just too quiet.

"See?"

Blaise sighed. "So, you are saying that you agree with my placement in my house?"

"Yes. Gryffindor wouldn't have been too bad for you, but no. I imagine that you and your friends are textbook Slytherins."

"Us poor, traumatized children..." he said, annoyed at being pitied.

"As I said, it's a part of your house. Over-compensating for that is another part. Finding ways to prevent more pain and loss is the next. Slytherins want to better their circumstances, find happiness, a life partner, and prove themselves to everyone else."

"Interesting theory. Are we done, yet? I have dinner to get to."

She looked at the sundial. "I do apologize for the late hour, but you have a busy schedule. But you may go... as soon as you tell me one word that you associate with being a member of Slytherin."

Blaise glared at her and stood up. "Are you going to lock me in, until I do?"

"No, I'll just tell the headmistress that you left before the session was over."

Checkmate. "One... and I can leave? No follow-up questions?"

"No follow-ups, just a farewell for the day."

Blaise walked to the door and turned and met her eye. "Family."

She smiled and nodded, "Enjoy your weekend, Blaise."

"Denkar..." he said as a goodbye, and left out the door.

Blaise hurried to the common room, hoping that Theo and Daphne waited for him. Draco was a Hagrid's, unofficially, as they were all pretending that Luna had escorted him up to go hunting. Harry was in detention, still, thorough he had managed to talk McGonagall into letting him go to the matches on Saturday and Sunday. However, Ginny had been pestering him during his free time about plays and about the Hufflepuff team that they were going to face. She said that she wanted to really push him and Seamus and would be passing most of the score shots to them. He couldn't dissuade her from that plan, but she said that a real game is the best practice.

"Whoa... Hermione said the headmistress carted you off... but you look intact," Daphne said, as he walked in.

"She didn't like that I missed my last two appointments. So, I got a personal escort to Denkar."

"Trying the General of Hogwarts? Not the best idea you ever had, Blaise," she laughed.

Theo managed to look at him. "Not too bad?"

"Yeah, but she's not stupid. That's for damn sure. Ready to eat?"

"Yeah, I'll just go get Hermione and Ginny," Daphne said, and walked up the steps to her room. The common room was deserted as most had already drifted down to dinner.

Blaise looked at Theo, and realized this had been the first time he'd really been alone with him in a while. The wards went up. "Um... Theo?"

Theo's black eyes looked up at him instantly alert. Probably reading his body language.

Blaise felt the guilt all over, again, on two accounts. "You know I did that truth spell with Draco... on Tuesday?"

"Yeah, your wand keeps turning blue," Theo said.

Blaise sighed. He hadn't had the heart to lift it, yet. But he knew to keep his wand hidden from view at all times. "Yeah. Draco had free reign to ask me anything... and well... he asked about you and me... and this summer. That we... I'm so sorry, Theo. I didn't think about that and I couldn't lie. So, he knows. I mean not what happened, just that we... did it. I'm sorry," Blaise said, his voice dropping to a whisper.

Theo put his hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Blaise. I don't mind Draco knowing."

"I know, but it doesn't change the fact that I... asked you to do that."

Theo nodded. "Blaise... I wouldn't be here without you. I don't blame you. I just thought there was something wrong with me... then... but I don't have any... um... issues being with Daphne."

"I still don't like that I... pushed you into it."

"I don't blame you and it was a welcome distraction from my other memories. I got to start thinking about that instead. It didn't hurt me, I swear."

"I was supposed to look out for you, Theo," Blaise said.

"And you did. You tried everything. Not everyone would be willing to try sex to help their friend."

"Only me, the sexually-depraved nympho."

"Don't Blaise... you didn't do that out of lust. You did it because you were at your wit's end. I wasn't blind to see your guilt after either. It kept me there. It helped... maybe not in the way you intended."

Blaise nodded, somberly. "I'm still sorry for all of it and for telling Draco."

"Don't... I've been putting off talking to Daphne about it... about you."

Another round of guilt hit him. "Theo, if I knew you liked her... I would've never...."

"Blaise. I was barely friends with her at that point. She was still with them. I'm not going to hold you accountable for knowing that she might one day be my girlfriend. I was still terrified knowing that you and Draco were my friends. That you'll know what's in my head... my dad said not to get friends. Friends bring questions," Theo said, but those were his father's words.

Blaise felt that in his heart. The real problem. The one that they never fixed or tried to. Blaise still felt like Theo was still hanging on by a thread. Just last week, Theo saw the word traitor and almost slipped back. That helpless feeling was back.

Theo grimaced at the change in his emotions. "It's not your fault, Blaise."

Blaise just nodded. Theo's eyes flickered to the stairs and he saw that Daphne, Hermione and Ginny were waiting at the bottom step, unable to hear or enter. He released the wards. Daphne went straight to Theo, who gave her a smile, trying to hide how much he was hurting from her. Blaise knew he was getting worse, again. But he had to pretend that nothing was wrong.

"You guys, okay?" she asked.

"Everything's fine," Theo answered.

"Merlin, I thought you two were just going to keep staring at each other forever," Ginny said. "You guys discussing merpeople politics or something?"

"Or something," Blaise muttered.

Hermione said, "So, let's go down."

"Right, Head Girl. We'll follow your lead."

Hermione glared at him, but asked, "How's your ear, by the way?"

"Shove it," he responded, icily.

"A little sore then? It was cute," she retorted.

"I will hex you, Granger."

"Try me, Slytherin."

"Don't tempt me, Gryffindor!"

"Hey, you're both pretty, can we go eat?" Ginny responded and Blaise and Hermione looked at her. "Alright... I'll lead. On we go." She went out the portrait.

"Can she do that?" Theo asked and Hermione gave him a look. But Blaise had told Hermione to go first, in his mind.

"Looks like she did, come on," Daphne said and pulled him forward. Blaise offered Hermione the right of way by holding out his hand.

"Sometimes... I think you'll are crazy. Every one of you," Hermione muttered and climbed out of the portrait hole.

Blaise followed. "We are."

"Figures. Now, are you going to tell me about what happened after class, today?"

"She dragged me off to Denkar."

"No, with Harris! You're a professor now, Blaise!" Hermione said, her hands on her hip.

"Thanks for reminding me."

"You can't let students haze each other... or teach them faulty magic."

"It wasn't faulty. It was a perfectly reasonable spell."

"Not for a first-year! Fine, I will handle this. I'll go t-"

Blaise stopped her. "Oh, ye of little faith... I got this. Drop it."

"I will not 'drop it'," she responded.

He stopped her and looked her dead in the eyes. "Granger... we're friends, are we not? You do trust me, right?"

She looked at him and nodded. "I suppose it goes against your Slytherin code to tell me what you are going to do?"

"It does."

"Don't forget that McGonagall said to put a stop to your games," she reminded him.

"That's was pain or humiliation, not kids being kids."

"Fine. It's your pretty head, Blaise," Hermione said and started walking, again.

"You think I'm pretty?" Blaise said, falling in step with her.

"Oh, yes, very pretty. With some more hair, you could be a princess."

"Princess? A queen more like. I got the hair and clothes for it," Blaise said, and watched Hermione's eyes widen as she caught his meaning. "I've been one quite a few times, actually."

She looked at him, uncertain, now. "Are you just messing with me or...?"

"Would it bother you if I wasn't messing with you?"

Hermione gave him a smile. "No, Blaise. It would not."

"That's good to know," he said, and then frowned. "How are you doing, anyway?"

"One day at a time. Thank heavens for my dorm mates and your idiot ass. Harry isn't the one to talk about the feelings and such."

"Want me to curse him for you?"

"Harry? I don't think Draco would appreciate that."

"No, your ex-boyfriend, twit."

"Twit?" she scoffed, but frowned. "Maybe... but I think I'd rather do it... if it comes to it."

When she had heard what happened two days ago in the library, she had almost immediately started crying and ran to her room, followed by Ginny and Daphne. Harry had just shut down and kept making small steps toward her staircase. Before he snapped and almost went storming into Ron's room. Blaise stopped him though, for Draco's sake.

"Anything you want, Granger, and I will do it."

"Thanks, Blaise. That means a lot."

When they got to the Great Hall, he saw that Zach had finally made a reappearance and wasn't looking good. It looked like he lost a bunch of weight, but he was with his SAD buddies, so Blaise didn't feel too sorry for him. No doubt they attacked the library because Smith had the map and it led them straight to him. Dean hadn't been able to find it anywhere. But Blaise looked on further down the table and saw Neville was waiting with Terry and his friends, including Corner.

"Finally... I was starting to get worried," his boo said, making room for him.

"I got hauled off to see Denkar."

"I like her," Neville said and Blaise gave him a look, but refrained from challenging him on it. If Neville wanted to tell him what they talked about, he could.

"I just don't like being forced to do something."

"You talk to us? Is it so different than with her?" Daphne asked. "I found it easy to talk to her."

"She calms me down," Michael murmured, not sure if he could add to the group discussion.

"She signed off on my form, but I still have a weekly appointment with her, Blaise," Ginny said.

Blaise grimaced at the lack of sympathy for his situation, but then realized that they didn't know. "She was my case worker back in my third year."

Neville, Theo, Daphne and Ginny all looked at him, shocked. The others were trying to figure out what he meant. Neville took his hand under the table.

"She worked for MCAPS?" Hermione asked and Blaise nodded.

"And she didn't help you?"

Blaise sighed. "She tried. I'm probably the "case that got away" with her."

"I'm sorry," Neville whispered.

"I'm fine," he said and no doubt his wand was bright blue. He tuned out most of the conversation for the rest of dinner until Neville declared that they were going for a walk. Neville took him to his private room and Blaise kissed him, wanting so much to connect to someone. He pulled off his robes and set them on the chest of drawers. Neville did the same pulling off his shirt and dropping his pants. Blaise undid his trousers and pushed off everything.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked and Blaise nodded.

He pulled Neville to the bed on top of him, so they were face-to-face. Neville braced his hands on either side of his head, to lift his weight off.

"Blaise... are you okay?"

"Yes," he replied. Seven feet away, his wand turned blue.

Neville looked at where he was looking. "Why is your wand blue?"

"It has the truth spell still on it. I haven't taken it off."

"Oh... do you need to use my wand?"

Blaise shook his head. "I kinda like the truth."

Neville gave him a look. "But... that's a little one-sided, isn't it?"

"It's not like I have my wand out where everyone can see it."

"Want me to cover it up?"

"No, you can know anything, Neville. Ask anything. I'll tell you."

"I don't want to take advantage of you," he said.

"I want you to get the truth from me," Blaise said, the wand stayed brown. "Always."

Neville's fingers rubbed his chest, uncertainly. Blaise spread his legs and let Neville's fall between. He could feel their hard cocks rubbing against each other. Neville looked at him, a little scared. Confidence came and went with him. Blaise liked him when he was firm... strong-minded. He felt more sure of himself, too.

"You really want to... do it... again?" Neville said.

"Well, we didn't get naked to grade papers," Blaise said, wryly.

"Hmm... that does make grading sound funner by comparison. Can we do that?"

"Now?" Blaise asked.

Neville blushed. "No... I kinda want to... you know...."

"Say it, Neville. Don't be shy. It's just me and, although I love your red face, I want you to be comfortable around me."

"I am comfortable around you. I'm just not... I don't know what I'm doing."

"You're doing great, Neville," Blaise encouraged. "It's just nerves. What do you want to do?"

"Sex?" Neville tried.

"Well, it's a start. You want to top?" he said, somewhat needless as that's where Neville was already.

Neville paled. "You really want me to top?"

"Yes," Blaise said, and it stayed brown. "Unless you don't want to?"

"I'm just worried... I'll make a fool of myself."

"You won't. I'm not judging you. I just want...."

Neville's tone lowered and his hand lifted from the bed to stroke his face. "What do you want, Blaise?"

Blaise shivered. "You. I want you, Neville."

"I want you, too, but you are so tense right, now. I can feel that, you know?"

Blaise's eyes looked at him, worried. He was trying to keep it under control. That pain... that sense of loss, doubt and fear was eating at him more, now. Neville was too good for him. Too pure. Who would love someone like me? he thought. Neville might leave me, and I'd be alone, again.

"Blaise?" Neville said, concerned at his change in emotions. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," he said, and the wand went blue.

"Boo... tell me what's wrong. You look scared."

"I'm not scared," he said, meekly. The wand stayed blue.

Neville didn't look at it though. His eyes were on him. "Please... talk to me. You can tell me anything."

Blaise's eyes filled with tears and he didn't know how to say it.

"What are you afraid of, Boo?" he whispered, still hovering over him, naked and glorious.

Blaise could feel him against his prick, still heartily interested in contact. Blaise kissed him and hoped Neville would respond like Fawley did whenever his mind hurt him and drop it. But Neville lifted upward, still staring at him concerned. No easy way out.

"I...I'm just... fucked up. You know I am."

"You're not, Blaise. You're perfect. Every part of you... I love. The part that makes your house tremble at the sight of you... the part that holds Draco and Theo and cries with them... and this part... your inner soul... with all your guards down, staring at me almost vulnerable. Don't ever doubt that."

How could he not? His eyes, brimming with tears, looked at Neville. "You're so much better than me."

Neville's eyes darkened. "No, I'm not! I haven't gone through anything like you have. You are the strongest, most powerful wizard I know. I know Herbology. I only cut the head off the snake and yelled at Voldemort. I wasn't... attacked... hurt... like you were."

"I'm tainted," Blaise murmured.

"No, you're a survivor. You didn't let them destroy you or your good soul. I felt your Patronus, Blaise! You felt mine. We are meant to be together."

"But... what if..." he trailed off. He was at the crux of the matter. What was scaring the fucking shit out of him. He felt like he couldn't breathe.

"What if what, Boo? Tell me," Neville urged.

Blaise looked up at his calm eyes and felt compelled to answer. "What if you... leave me?"

Neville's shoulders dropped. "No... Blaise...."

"All I've never known is pain and loss. I've never had anything... but Draco and Theo. And fucking Salazar's chunky ass... seeing them in pain... it's torture. I barely can connect to anyone, anymore. It's so hard to trust that... this isn't going to... hurt me." He winced because he had said it. He looked up at Neville's alarmed eyes. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't be sorry, Boo! I'm glad you told me your fears, but listen to me," he growled, confident and possessive in a way that made Blaise's heart stutter. "I won't ever hurt you. I'll never leave you. You're the only thing I've ever had, Blaise. No parents, no siblings, no best friends. You know how fucking lonely I've been? I don't care what you've done. I forgive you for everything and even the stuff that wasn't your fault. You're beautiful and perfect. My fire and my honey. We are soulmates, Blaise. Believe it. Believe in me."

Blaise stopped crying and he stared up into Neville's blue honest eyes. His heart unclenched and he could breathe, again. The pieces of his heart aligning into place and starting to heal. Soulmates. "I do, Neville. I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Hey, Boo... it's alright to be scared. I've been scared most of my life. It only took a war and a few people to die for me to find my backbone."

"That's not true. You fought Crabbe and Goyle your first year. Draco told me that. You were like me... too scared to put yourself out there only to be hurt more," Blaise whispered.

"Maybe we should get dressed and talk more? You're still very upset."

"Well, everything is better for me when you are naked," Blaise said, with a smile.

"I agree," Neville said and leaned back onto his knees.

The movement surprised Blaise as now Neville took position between his open legs. His cock sprung upward on display, even more then Neville's was. Blaise had a faint feeling of shyness at being in this position, though he had been in this position many times before. Most of which was not with his permission. Flint loved to fuck him like that, loved to see the terror and hurt in his eyes. Though he was well-trained by now to hide it. He dissuaded Fawley from doing it that way. It was too intimate. Fawley's over-exuding personality was a lot to handle, when he was so broken. He realized that Neville was watching the emotions play out right then, as his mask was gone, now. Neville could see him.

"Are you okay?" Neville asked, looking at him and not his flaunting prick upright between them.

"Yeah, I'm better. Sorry, I panicked. But since you're there and all?" Blaise said.

"Is this how it is always going to be? Heart-wrenching talks and sex?"

"Anal sex?" Blaise queried.

Neville gave him a smile and then very deliberately ran the pads of his fingertips along his member. Blaise jolted at the contact and shivered. "Well, you did mention the other things... that we skipped."

Blaise frowned fleetingly, but hid it quickly. "We can do whatever you want, Slayer."

Neville smirked at his pet name. "But you really like this?" he asked, and his fingers slipped down and pressed against his furrowed hole.

Blaise jerked, again, and his voice was a little higher. "Yes?"

Neville stared into his eyes and said, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah... I want you in me," Blaise whispered and saw Neville's cheeks go red.

"This way is harder."

"Seamus told you that, didn't he?"

"Yeah," he admitted.

"It'll be fine. I promise. You remember how I did it, right?"

Neville nodded and took a deep breath. He reached over him and grabbed a pillow. He slid it under Blaise's ass and his hands were shaking like crazy when he tried to get the lube out.

"Relax... I'm right here. You're not going to hurt me, okay?"

Neville nodded. He lubed his finger up, too much in Blaise's eyes, but he wasn't going to correct him. Time brings experience. Neville met his eyes and Blaise nodded as he pushed his finger in, slowly. Neville did not skimp on the stretching part and Blaise let out quite a few moans. Neville could have finger-fucked his orgasm right out of him. But he really wanted his cock in him.

"I'm ready," he whispered.

"You sure?"

"Yeah... definitely sure," Blaise said and brought his knees to his chest, exposing himself even more.

Neville lined up and again, sought his permission to push in. Blaise gladly gave it and Neville, endearingly slow, breached his slick hole. Neville gasped at the tightness and Blaise relished the warm, stiff intrusion.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm in fucking heaven, Boo," Blaise said, staring at his lover. "Go on, honey bear."

"Honey bear?"

"You're the one who wanted nicknames."

"Let's just stick with Boo," Neville said and hesitantly thrusted forward and back.

"You got this," Blaise encouraged.

Neville finally got a rhythm going after adjusting a few times. When he found the spot, Blaise wrapped his legs around Neville's hips and he really started in.

"You got it!" Blaise growled lustfully as Neville's thrust hit his prostate.

"I did?" Neville said, disbelief in his voice. "I mean, yeah, I did!" He started laughing and wasn't exactly keeping his thrusts in time, anymore. He went red trying to stop laughing. "I'm sorry. I'm probably the worst shag you've had."

Blaise laughed, too. "No, you're not, Boo. You got this."

"It's like a bad joke. Clumsy Gryffindor who accidentally found the prostate," Neville laughed, but didn't stop moving his hips.

Neville suddenly took notice of Blaise's dick flapping around between their stomachs and wrapped his hand around it, pumping it. It didn't take much longer until he ready to explode. But the burning question in the back of Blaise's mind suddenly popped into his mind. The answer he really wanted. He didn't care about the impropriety of it... he needed to know.

"Neville?" Blaise asked, as he held back his orgasm. He had to ask him.

"What?" he responded, drenched in sweat and panting from the effort of the extra weight of his legs.

"Will you marry me?"

Neville stopped moving, but didn't pull out. He looked at Blaise, shocked. "You're asking me, now? With me in your... area?"

Salazar's pierced nipples, Neville was a buttercup, but it didn't change what he felt. He wasn't going to take it back, either. "Yeah... I am."

Neville's eyes watched him, still incredulous, and he felt his heart sink. He wished he hadn't let it out.

Crestfallen, Blaise whispered, "I'm sorry. I know it's only been...."

"Yes, I will," Neville said, fervently.

"You will?" Blaise said, happily, Neville's cock still buried in his ass.

"Yeah... but I'm going to have two stipulations."

"Okay, whatever you want," Blaise said, immediately. He highly doubted that Neville wanted to do anything crazy like performing the wedding naked... which Blaise wouldn't have been opposed to... much.

"Make sure your mum doesn't curse me or threaten me to turn me into hippogriff kibble," he said, a little scared.

Blaise laughed, sliding up and down Neville's shaft. "Okay, I'll see what I can do. What else?"

Neville's clear blue eyes bore into him. "You... Boo... better come up with a romantic mock proposal show for our friends, because you are not telling anyone this is how you decided to propose. Harry would do something as stupid as this. Have you been hanging out with him too much or something? I don't care if we remember it... just like this, but this is our moment. No one else's."

Blaise shuddered under the possessive edge his voice had. He had some tears of happiness in his eyes and nodded. Neville laughed and then started up, again. This time he went all out, driving faster, harder thrusts and Blaise came without needing his dick to be touched. Neville came right after him and nearly collapsed on top of him from the intensity of his orgasm. He pulled out and dropped to Blaise's side, his dick covered in lube and cum.

"You wanker," Neville said and cuddled in next to him. "Can we just stay here, tonight?"

Blaise smirked. He knew Harry would take care of Draco for the night. "Anything for my fiancée."

Neville punched his arm. "Don't slip up, Boo. I'll hold you to that promise. In the middle of sex? Honestly."

"Sorry... I've been just thinking about it over the last few days. Our future. That's what I thought about when I cast my Patronus. I feel... hope. Like there was an end to the darkness... and it always was you at the end of the tunnel. My family."

Neville cupped his face. "You are my happiness and joy, Blaise, without you... my life wouldn't have meaning. I mean... I know it isn't going to be easy, sometimes... but I love you."

"I love you, too, amore mio," he whispered, and his wand was as brown as it could be.

***

Graham wondered if he was crazy or suicidal as he cautiously walked toward the house. No Auror had ever dared to even watch, much less approach it. He knew that he was signing his own death scroll, coming to her house, but a debt was a debt and he wouldn't allow Adrian to come. His friend was placed on sick leave for having a complete nervous breakdown in the middle of the Atrium. His wife had finally up and left and now, Graham was the only reason Adrian ate, showered or got out of bed. He had cleared out all his potions and sharp pointy things and wouldn't even let him keep his wand, which was dangerous, he knew. He set every ward imaginable and a few more tricky spells to make sure Adrian didn't do anything stupid.

Of course, that had been getting harder to manage every day, until Graham told him about the upcoming mutiny and that Draco and Harry were at the center of it. Adrian was adamant that they had to help and life began to return to his soul. He only hoped that it would last. Adrian had helped him get his mind back together after being stuck in limbo between the two Vanishing Cabinets, three years ago. He was out of it for a long time. Adrian came to visit him every day during the summer and helped him with his physical therapy. If he said that they were turning spy, hell or high water, he would turn spy.

But he also knew how much they owed Blaise. He promised Adrian he'd help, as long as he didn't give up on himself. Graham didn't give up in the Vanishing Cabinet and he wasn't going to let Adrian throw in the wand. So, that left how to get the information to Blaise. As one of Hopkirk's go-to Aurors, Graham knew exactly who was being watched and that the no owl or floo was safe. That meant a messenger or direct conversation with generally unmonitored individuals. He couldn't risk talking to Blaise, again. He had been the one assigned to watch him when Blaise went to Hogsmeade for their meeting and had slipped the owl in past Edgecombe's monitors to send him the message. If their meeting had been watched, Graham suspected he'd be dead or in prison by now.

"Here it goes," he said, crossing that invisible boundary line that declares when a property starts.

Courage is not something generally associated with his house, but loyalty was. Undying loyalty. Something people outside of his house don't often understand. Of course, it led most to stay with a madman like the Dark Lord past the point of no return, because they were loyal. But when the Dark Lord broke the ties of friendship, they stayed out of fear or were just as power-hungry and evil as him. Graham was thankful he never was forced to be branded. Coward that he was, he would have never fought against him, but Voldemort would never had gotten his loyalty. He had Adrian and Blaise. He even respected Draco. He would live and die for them.

He walked through the courtyard, cautiously. The house wasn't as grand as others he had seen, but the gardens were well taken care of. Trees and natural barriers protected the grounds and the solid stone manor. It was a defensive fortification. If the Ministry ever did attack, they would need fifty Aurors and still half would die. His Auror training sensed traps and wards all around him and there was no doubt that she knew that he was here. He took slow steps and deep breaths as he approached the front door. He took out his and Adrian's wands out and set them on the ground.

He knocked on the large, carved oak door with a shaking fist. No answer. He tried again, a little louder. Suddenly, he felt a strong punch to his spine, his hands suddenly were tied behind his back, and an arm shot around his neck, pressing a cold blade to his throat. He froze.

"One move and I'll kill you," she hissed. "This blade will cut through any enchantments."

"I w-won't," he whispered.

"Where's your wand?"

"I-I d-dropped them on the g-ground."

He felt her look down. "Two?"

"One is my f-friend's. I'm h-holding it f-for him," he explained. "P-Please don't kill me...."

"Shut up!" she growled and he clamped his jaw shut.

She waved her wand and the door opened. He didn't resist when she forced him inside. He was nearly ready to pass out by this point. Adrian... he had to keep it together for him, though his own well-being was definitely at stake, too. She brought him into the foyer and turned him toward the wall. She kneed the back of his leg and he dropped to his knees, hard, and nearly face-planted into the wall. She crossed his legs, making it exceptionally hard to get up, even if he wasn't bound with a knife to his throat. He had been in this situation a few times, except he was the one securing and searching the prisoner.

"I'm removing the knife. Don't even twitch or you'll be needing a new lung, understand?"

"Yes," he breathed.

She took it away and pressed his forehead into the wall. He kept it there. Suddenly, his robes were gone and he was only wearing an undershirt and trousers. She appeared to be searching his robes. He didn't have anything other than some galleons in the pockets and his muggle police ID that Aurors were required to carry it in case they responded to a public scene. Maybe a few receipts from the pub, were in there.

"I'm surprised the Ministry would even try to call upon me. Do they think they can threaten me by sending an Auror to my door?" she growled.

"They didn't se-"

"Shut up!" she hissed.

Graham shut his mouth, again, and the fear finally broke his restraint and some tears fell to the floor. It was a mistake to wear his Auror robes. He usually got immediate compliance from most people and at least deference from the others. Wearing it to her house was akin to declaring war. But he had to wait to be allowed to speak as she poked and prodded him for weapons or information.

"How many more are outside?" she barked.

"N-None. It's j-just me."

"One Auror? Have I lost credibility at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

"N-No... I c-came b-by myself," he stammered, nearly ready to piss himself. He was thankful for the wall to press his head into.

Her voice was deadly. "Is this your name, 'Clive'?" She was referring to his police ID.

"N-N-N-No," he said, stifling a sob. Fuck, she was going to kill him. He was nearly hyperventilating.

He felt her hand on his shoulder. "Relax. I'm not going to kill you unless you give me a reason."

She had a reason. She had cursed him. He did not feel any calmer.

"Why are you here?"

Maybe he could get out of this with his skin intact. "Y-Your house isn't under surveillance."

"Of course, it isn't. I'd know. I knew the moment your thought about Apparating outside my gate."

"I n-needed to g-get a w-word to Blaise," he said and she was quiet for a moment.

"Why?"

"He's being watched."

"I know, but why you?"

"Draco and Blaise are my f-friends. I'm w-working for H-Hopkirk and she's trying to k-kill them."

Her voice was suddenly suspicious. "Friends? What's your name, defector?"

The fear was back. "G-Graham."

"Montague?" she asked, her voice louder.

She didn't wait for him to respond and turned his wrist to see the R on his forearm. Fucking fuck, he should have taken it off. Maybe that fucking cabinet really did damage his brain.

"I know what you want! You want to be rid of this mark!" the widowmaker growled and suddenly he was on his feet. She spin him with her wand and put her hand into his throat and squeezed. "You deserved this brand! I'll not allow any of you scumbags near my son, again!"

He could barely speak, as she cut off his oxygen. "No... g-gone... it's gone... g-glamour...."

She let go of his throat slightly so he could breathe and said, "What?"

After some needed breaths, he whispered, "I... he let me out of it. Adrian and I... it's just a glamour so no one else knows."

She pulled his arm out and removed the Concealment Spell. The bold R disappeared. "Impossible... unless... he forgave you?"

Graham nodded, very slowly, against her grip.

She glared at him. "That doesn't mean I do. You had to confess it, too. You don't deny it, then?"

He shook his head.

"He actually forgave you... why?"

Graham swallowed, with difficulty, her hand was still gripping his airway. "It was more Adrian than I. Flint had been raping and beating him for years... before and after he hurt Blaise. We choose our own skins over him. W-We didn't force B-Blaise down or hurt him, but we d-didn't get consent. After Flint left, we both willingly let Blaise do what he wanted to do to us. We were sorry."

She stared at him as though peering into his soul. He didn't dare look away. After several minutes, she pushed him back into the wall, leveraging his head up, so she had even more control over him. "Did Flint rape you?"

Graham never admitted it to anyone, not even Adrian, but he wasn't going to lie to her. "Y-Yeah... not like Adrian and Blaise. Just w-when I fucked up a play or challenged him. P-Punishment."

She glared at him and said, "Don't move."

Then she walked out of the room. He didn't move an inch. He didn't even want to breathe. He clenched his eyes shut and waited. Minutes ticked by and she returned.

"Why are your eyes closed?" she said.

He hesitantly opened them. He didn't move though. He waited for her judgment.

"I've confirmed your 온라인카지노게임. So, why are you here, then?" she said, formally. She, at least, didn't look like she was going to kill him anymore.

"We owe Blaise and he said to protect Theo and Draco. Hopkirk is after Draco. I have to protect him and apparently he actually is Potter's boyfriend, so we will protect him, too."

"We?"

"Adrian had a breakdown a few weeks ago. I couldn't bring him here."

"You're holding onto his wand... so he doesn't kill himself?" she guessed.

"Yeah... he kinda snapped out of it though when he heard that Draco was in danger. We are willing to help... I just needed to find someone to... relay information."

"And you decided that I was the safest bet?"

"Safest for Blaise, Potter and Draco. Not safest for me."

"What do you have?" she asked.

"I know which Aurors are hers. The list of who's actively watched. Floos and owls aren't safe. I think that she's missing a few key people in the Wizengamot, so she might kill a few of them, or coerce them. Kingsley is who she really is focusing on. I don't think that she has enough Aurors to take on his guards. They haven't switched any of them that I know of," he said and gave her the names and positions. She didn't write anything down.

"What do you know of the attack on the Ministry, yesterday?"

"We were ordered to go on a large sweep in Glasgow. The Ministry was minimally staffed. Robards said that we needed to be scarce, so she definitely ordered it. Hopkirk's guards were pulled leaving Kingsley's, but I don't know where they went when they left. Only Robards, Williamson and Hopkirk know."

"So, you know of nothing else about her?"

"No. I can look into it. I just wanted to make sure Blaise knew that I was available. You can ask me anything... do anything. I owe him."

"What do you know of Dawlish?" she said, looking at him.

"The old Auror? Hopkirk was a little surprised that he was marked. He wasn't known to her, but I overheard her talking to Robards afterward. That he had a different name in the Death Eaters. Carn-x something?"

"Carnifex?" she asked, straightening up and looking at him. She was very interested, now.

"Yeah... t-that could be it. They also said something about him being the Arbiter."

"Judge. He punished those who turned against the Dark Lord or betrayed him in any way. He was Voldemort's own little secret security police and his executioner. Cors aut mors was his saying. Loyalty or death."

Graham swallowed. "That's bad, right?"

"It explains why I haven't been able to figure out who he is. His victims and even the other Death Eaters didn't even know who he was. He never took off his mask or revealed his identity. He had a couple of thugs who he used when they hunted down his own. The Lestranges were his buddies. Voldemort's mini Gestapo. Macnair... Crabbe and Goyle... senior," she said, absent-mindedly, and then looked at him. "Well, you have been helpful. I suppose that you can live."

"Thanks?" he said, not exactly ready to trust her at her words. She waved her wand and his bindings disappeared. Circulation returned and he rubbed his wrists. She handed him his robes and he cautiously put them on, still trying not to make any sudden movements. He just dropped his eyes and waited for her to release him.

"You could have sent a message instead of dropping in."

"I have brain damage."

She looked at him.

"Accident with Apparating through wards... wound up in a toilet," he said, with a small grin.

She smiled a little. "I'd prefer if you didn't randomly show up for now on. So, unless it is an emergency, I would advise against it."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, lowering his head.

"So, you will come next Wednesday after six. Bring whatever you have then. We'll change it after every meeting."

Graham nodded. "S-Should I... just Apparate outside the g-gate?"

"Yes. That is fine. Take your time walking up, I'll make sure that no one followed you."

He nodded. "If s-something happens to me... Adrian might show up. Please d-don't hurt him... or touch him. He's really messed up."

"I'll consider it. Are you concerned about something happening to you?"

"Well... yeah. They sent half their friends to the dementors to die, either the quick or slow way."

"Are you willing to swear your allegiance to me?"

"I... what?"

"Swear that you will not betray me or my son...."

Graham frowned, realizing that this wasn't the type of promise he could break and live. "I have to put Adrian before you. I won't let him die or hurt him. If you can guarantee that... I will swear it to you."

"I'll agree to those terms and that I will release you from them if you should ask, but until this is over, you will have to follow my orders and do as I tell you."

"Will I have to kill and torture people?"

"Perhaps."

Graham nodded, solemnly. He wondered if he needed to kneel. "I agree to your terms. I swear that I will not betrayal you and I will follow your orders... to my death."

The widowmaker said a string of words, not in English or Latin and held out her hand for him to take. He took it and felt a white-hot brand appeared on the back of his right hand. He dropped to his knees again, clenching his hand and saw a fiery, red brand with the letters MZ appear. He was trying not to cry, but she waved her wand, again and healing itself and then it was swallowed by his skin, hiding it from view. Graham still looked at his hand in disbelief, he could feel the weight of it. She had marked him. A slaver's mark. He looked up at her, wondering how deep this would go.

"Relax. It's for the purposes of this... offensive. I won't abuse it, but I had to make sure. I wouldn't want you to lead me into a trap. Graham... I will always be able to find you with this mark. I will know if you are hurt or near death. Touch it and I will know you are in trouble. I will protect you and your friend as much as I can, but you also should know that you won't be able to defy me, now."

"An Unbreakable Vow?" he said.

"No... you won't be able to betray my direct orders, easily. If I say... stand up!" she said and Graham felt the pull to immediately get to his feet. He complied, feeling like he was under a weak Imperious Curse. "I see you meant your oath. It doesn't work as well if it is forced. Sorry, if it's a little disconcerting. But you won't die if you betray me... I mean... until I find you. But I will release you from it when this is over... it's just safer, for both of us."

Graham nodded, again. This was the choice he made. It may be fatal or destroy him, but there was no going back. He deserved it anyways for what he let happen to Blaise. He followed Blaise's orders. This was his comeuppance and his chance at repentance. "Orders?"

"A good soldier, I see. Tell no one of the brand. No one but Adrian should know that you talked to me and only tell him that you are passing information. Are you ready to learn how to be a spy?"

"Yes... master," he said, unsure if he liked it.

"No... that's not necessary. I'm your contact. You're my asset. We need more information. Expand your network. She has two offensive forces at her disposal. The wanted Death Eaters and her Aurors. Make sure you learn the strengths of each one and what other allies she has. Then gauge her defensive forces, the Wizengamot, the other departments in the Ministry and legal maneuvers she might take. Officially and unofficially. You have work to do. But go and reassure your friend. We will have a lot more to discuss next time."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, quietly.

"And Graham... you may always ask for release at any time. I don't mean for you to sacrifice your life needlessly."

"Thank you... but I'm ready to do my part."

"Good. You may leave."

Graham said a goodbye and despite being placed into indentured servitude, it wasn't a bad meeting. He went out the door and picked up the wands. It was only then that he started breathing normally. Salazar, he hoped that Moira Zabini didn't terrify him this much every time. He quickly walked off her property and focused on Adrian's house. He knew he would be waiting for him and maybe he'd be up to going back to work. Graham could use him in the Department of Magical Transportation watching Edgecombe. But he had other contacts, too, he could work. He knew who to trust and not to trust.

Slytherins, of course. There were good, bad and smart ones. But they were all opportunistic, mixed in with loyalty to a fault. Draco's name still carried a lot of weight in Slytherin House, to the younger ones like him. They also knew that they were given scraps from Hopkirk, who was a Ravenclaw. She had no loyalty to anyone, just like Voldemort. They could see which team to back. There was no way that hag made friendships beyond convenience. As Graham arrived at his current residence, Adrian peered through the window, relief etched across his face. Any Slytherin knew the friends you bonded with stay with you.

***

Dean was forced up against the wall by Seamus as his boyfriend snogged him senseless in his room. They didn't really do this much in the South Tower, but there were too many people milling about and four teams had matches tomorrow and Sunday. Dean enjoyed it when they could have the pitch locker room to themselves. It was their space. But once it was dark, they technically didn't have a curfew, so they could wander out. Dean doubted that McGonagall meant they could fuck each other in the girl's locker room, but Seamus loved that it there.

"We should go mingle downstairs..." Dean murmured has Seamus planted a line of hickies down his neck. "Hey! I still bruise, even if my skin is darker. Do you want me to wander around like Draco and Harry on display?"

"Yes?" Seamus said, chuckling. "But seriously... when are you gonna get out of this room an' come back to mine?"

"When I get the bloody map! Blaise told me to get it. It's important to Harry. I need to get it," Dean insisted.

"Have you searched his stuff?"

"Like five times and Wayne feels him up every time he comes in. God, I mean... he's fucking sick. He beat the everlasting fuck out of Smith a couple days ago... and it took a lot for me to convince him to stop. He just kept calling him all sorts of names and demanding the map. I hate Zach, but shit... he's fucking mental to keep saying no to Wayne. Seamus... I don't want to leave the bastard alone with him. He might do... something to him."

Seamus nodded. "Maybe you should stay here 'til this is over, then. Hopefully, Zach, Wayne and all those fuckers will get expelled an' we don't have to deal wit' them anymore."

"Yeah, hopefully. I just wish...."

The door opened and they immediately eased further apart and stopped talking. Dean wouldn't allow anything more than kissing outside of the locker rooms. It was too dangerous. But Zach slowly opened the door and limped in. His eyes glanced at them, as though surprised to see them, but he looked back on to the floor. He had barely said anything in the last week, except begging Wayne and Oliver to stop hitting him. He slowly walked over to his bed.

"I wasn't expecting you to come back, Zach," Dean said, flatly. Their dorm mates had been dragging him everywhere lately.

"The leader told him to let me go. They're stalking out ambush points for Malfoy," Smith said, not looking at him.

Smith knew the leader's name. He was the only one who knew, and that gave him power. Zach pulled off his robes and dropped them on his bed.

"I'm going to shower... while they are gone," he said, barely above a whisper.

Dean, who hadn't expected Smith to be so chatty, said, "Do you want me to wait until you are done?" Zach was clearly afraid of removing his clothes in front of Wayne, not that he had ever so much as removed his shirt in front of them. He always changed in the loo, even before the curse.

Zach glanced at him, only for a second, before shutting down. Wayne had really hurt him, but Dean did not want to be the one to comfort him. Zach was a fucking prick normally. The way he saw it, Zach had just finally got his comeuppance.

"No, I'll just put the chair under the door handle," he responded, tonelessly, getting fresh clothes out.

Seamus gave him an incredulous look and Dean said, "Okay."

Zach shuffled around, slowly, but then said, "Hey, Dean?"

"What?" he said, a little annoyed. No one liked Smith.

"Thanks... for stopping them," he said and didn't wait for a response slipped into the loo, dragging his desk chair with him. They heard the shower start up and suddenly there was silence. Seamus put some wards up, too.

"Man, that kid looks broken. What did he mean, put the chair under the door handle? He knows that we are wizards, right? He can't lock the door?"

"Hmmm... I barely see him use his wand, especially since he got cursed. Wayne keeps calling him a squib and he doesn't deny."

"He jus' put up a Silencing Charm. He can't be a squib."

"Yeah, his face shouldn't have healed that quickly, either. I don't know. Maybe, he's just scared."

"Scared?" Seamus said and shook his head. Bravery and courage was what being a Gryffindor was all about. Smith was the complete polar opposite of what they valued. A complete wimp and not worth their time.

"Yeah... they've been harassing him for putting out for Fawley."

"He's gay?" Seamus asked and then stared at the loo in surprise.

"Don't know for certain, but he disappears every night and comes back at dawn. Fawley was following him for a while, too, and that... handjob. Even a dolt like Wayne could connect the dots."

"Dean, you can't let people harass other people for being like us. That's being a hypocrite."

"I tried to stop it as much as I could, I promise. I need to keep my cover. Besides... it's Smith. Bastard's been lording over us for a few years, now," Dean said, annoyed. "He was such a prick in the DA. I thought he was the one who blew our cover."

Seamus shrugged. "So, shouldn't you care about going with them to "set up ambushes" for Draco?"

"Yeah, probably. Besides if they aren't here then I won't have to worry about Wayne doing anything to him," Dean muttered.

As they walked to the door, Seamus stopped and said, "What's tha'?"

Dean looked at where he was pointing and saw that there was something sticking out of the pocket of Smith's robes. Parchment... old parchment, like he had seen so many times in his fifth year. He hurried over and yanked it out. It was blank, but Harry had always said some words to get it to open.

He pulled out his wand and said, "Please show me the map!"

"I don't think tha' was it, mate," Seamus started as words appeared on the page.

Mr. Prongs would like to thank you for the polite words, but suggests that you can kindly shove it up your arse.

Mr. Padfoot strongly agrees and suggests using ample lube.

Mr. Moony sighs and would advise looking elsewhere for their mischief.

Mr. Wormtail insists that there is no map, but would like to offer some free rat droppings.

Dean laughed and Seamus looked at him funny. "It's Harry's... these are the guys who made the map."

"Let's go give it to him!" Seamus said, excitedly.

Dean looked at him. "If they know Harry has it... then they will go into hiding. We got to play this smart. We need to figure out who is the leader, Seamus. Kill the head of a snake and the body dies."

"Unless it's a hydra," Seamus muttered.

"They aren't real. Umm... are they?"

"How the fuck should I know? But me dad liked telling me abou' the Greeks and Romans, when I was a kid."

Dean stopped. "We got to figure out how to work it, though. Shit, I wished I had been paying attention in the DA. Harry said it enough."

"Well, maybe if you weren't trying to get into Ginny's pants then, you might have remembered!" Seamus pointed out.

"Hey, I wasn't sure then... and she's like a guy more than a girl. Seamus... I...."

"Pillock... I'm messing with you."

"Oh... don't. It's confusing enough as it is. But... Ginny? You think that she will give me the password?"

Seamus sighed. "We can try. Let's go."

Dean led him out the door and Ginny wasn't in the common room, nor did she answer her door. They walked all over the school, checking the Owlery, library and Great Hall and ran into traveling patrols of their friends along the way. McGonagall wanted more sentries and patrols to make sure nothing happened. But finally, they found her, alone at the Entrance Hall.

"Ginny? Should you really be alone out here?"

She gave him a disparaging look. "Are you questioning my ability to defend myself?"

Dean gulped and realized that he was on thin ice. "No... I mean... I'd say that if Harry was here by himself. There's a lot of them and... the headmistress said...."

Seamus interrupted his rambling. "So, hey Ginny. Nice night."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Luna and Draco will be back soon. I'm her escort."

"Could I ask you something?" Dean asked.

"Sure... I guess."

"I'm trying to help Harry get his map back."

Ginny gave him a look and then looked at Seamus, who nodded. "And?"

"Smith has it."

"Just beat him up, he'll squeal," she scoffed.

"Surprisingly... he hasn't."

"You've actually beat him up?" Ginny said, looking shocked.

"Not us... it's a long 온라인카지노게임. But I think he's hiding it in plain sight."

Ginny quirked her head. "What?"

"I think he disguised it... like what we did with Umbridge and the Quibbler that year? Made it look like his notes or something."

"Your point?"

"Do you know the password for it? He wouldn't be able to change that."

Ginny scrutinized him, as though sensing his lie. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing... we just want to bring SAD down. I promise... wizard's honor," Dean said, holding his hand out.

Ginny didn't look convinced, but glanced to Seamus and he nodded. She took his hand and gripped it tight. "If you fuck with me on this... I'll hit you with my Bat-Bogey Hex every day until school is over."

"Threat acknowledged."

"It's "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good", okay?" she said.

Dean smiled. "Thanks, Gin. You're the best."

"Yeah, right," she muttered.

"Oh, what's the code to hide it?"

Ginny glared at him. "You have it, don't you?"

"Hey... I'm just being thorough. What if I find it and SAD shows up?"

She rolled her eyes. "Mischief managed."

"Thanks! I owe you!" Dean said and started to head back to their dorm with Seamus.

"Owe me by blocking the goals on Sunday!" she called after them.

"Yes, boss!" Dean yelled back.

They nearly ran all the way back to Seamus's room and locked the door. He pulled out the map and unlocked it. He had done it. The Marauders Map was in their hands, again. Seamus came up beside him and they studied the map intensely. Dean could see Ginny waiting in the Entrance Hall. Ron with Wayne and Oliver were near the Slytherin common room. Tracey, Alexus and Malcolm were near the hospital ward and other groups of three to four milling about. But their friends were there, too. Hermione was with Ernie and Susan, Terry and Hannah, Harper and the Slytherins had multiple groups out and even Dennis got his friends to help patrol.

Dean was starting to wonder if they'd ever catch them like this. Seamus talked about ideas of how to trap them for over an hour. Each plan was just as worse as the last. They needed to get the patrols to stop or something. But Ernie knocked on the door. Dean told Seamus to meet him in twenty at the pitch and then wiped the map. Dean left the map with Seamus and as he didn't want to risk it getting taken. He hadn't really decided how he was going to play it, yet. Maybe Zach, wouldn't say anything about it going missing.

Dean sighed and entered his room. He guessed that he should have been surprised at what he saw, but he wasn't. Wayne was laying into Smith, again, while Oliver held him up. They barely registered his presence

"Where is the map!" Wayne shouted, after punching him in the stomach.

"I d-don't know! It's g-gone! I went to shower and w-when you pulled me out, it was gone!" he stammered, his eye-blackened, again.

"Yeah, sure? It got up and walked away by itself, huh? I'm not stupid!"

"I w-was in there for hours trying to calm down... I d-don't know where it is!" he insisted.

"I'm going to beat you until you tell me, Zach!"

"I can't tell you! It's gone!" Smith shrieked desperately, and his eyes locked with Dean pleading for help.

Zach had thanked him after all, so Dean said, "Wayne... he got in the shower as soon as he left you. He's telling the truth."

"S-Someone m-might have c-come in! I d-didn't lock the door," Zach said and Dean wondered why he didn't point the finger at him. That was strange. He knew they had been in there. Was he protecting him?

"That's because you're a queer squib who bends over for Fawley! But we can't do anything if Potter and his minions have it back! We're fucked because you failed to lock the door!"

Crap. Dean realized. He's going to have to play it off. "That won't be necessary."

Wayne, Oliver and Zach all looked at him, with the same expression on their faces. "What?"

"I took it."

Wayne jolted. "You?"

"Yeah... it was there. I took it and it's mine, now."

"Hand it over!" Wayne hissed, coming toward him, but Dean pulled out his wand.

"Not a chance, Puff-boy, and trust me, I'm definitely not a squib!" Dean laughed, taking the mantle of command. "It's time I 'moved up in the world'. I'm deciding when and where we attack now, got it!"

"You can't...."

"I have the power, Hopkins. Now, let him go, Oli," he ordered.

Zach dropped to the floor, scrambled away, and slinked back to his bed. Wayne and Oliver glared.

"I'm going to go test it out. No, you can't come," Dean said and turned and walked out the door, not really caring about hearing them speak.

At least, Wayne should leave Zach alone, now. Dean felt particularly smug when he met Seamus at the portrait and, using the map, they successfully avoided everyone as they went out to the pitch. Seamus bent him over a bench and fucked him good and hard, in punishment for talking to Ginny. It was playful and Dean liked feeling. He always asked his boyfriend to punish him more. He was a naughty boy after all... between stealing, lying and being a dick to Zach... Seamus had a lot to work with. His ass was sore for more than one reason, by the time they were done. He wasn't going to be able to sit easy tomorrow, that was for sure.

Seamus cleaned him up and helped Dean stand up. He snogged him again and asked him if he was okay.

"Fine... I deserved it. I was a bad boy after all," Dean growled, playfully.

Seamus rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless. He enjoyed topping. "The map is going to be great for us... we'll be able to make sure no one shows up unexpectedly."

Dean winced as he pulled up his pants over his well-shagged rear end. "What?"

"We can see if anyone is following us," Seamus said, as he finished getting his robes on.

Dean mulled over that in his head, as he laced up his shoes. Then that metaphorical light bulb came on in his head. He rushed over to the map. In the far corner, he could read their names, clear as day.

"Dean? What's wrong?"

"Seamus... we're on the map!"

"Umm... yeah. Everyone is."

"This place is on the map! That means... Zach knows that we... come out here... alone."

Seamus nodded. "Ahhh." He didn't care about being outed.

"This is serious!"

"Has he said anything?" Seamus said, completely calm.

"No, but...."

"Then relax, Dean. Maybe he didn't notice?"

Dean shook his head. "That's what we are going to go on? What if he... what if he...."

"Dean... calm down! You don't know that he does."

"We got to get back! Come on!" he said and nearly ran back to the Hogwarts and up to the tower.

He left Seamus at his room, with the map, and went up to his room, shaking at the idea of being found out. His family had abandoned him when they found out. What would his friends do? Well... they probably would accept him, but what about everyone. He saw what they did to Draco. Death Eater or not. He quietly opened the unlocked door to his room and saw Wayne cornering Zach. Oli was a few feet away, laughing. They had tied his arms behind his back, again. Fuck, it wasn't just the map. Wayne was power-tripping.

"You're a fucking faggot! You've been bending over for that queen Fawley and swallowing his cum, haven't you?"

"N-No," Zach said, bloodied up more than before. Dean felt the urge to be sick. He'd heard those words before.

"You're not even a man? Are you? A bareback whore is what you are! Spreading it for that sod every day! I bet you want to suck my dick, huh? You want my dick up your ass, too, ponce?"

Dean could hear the threat in his voice, the promise. He wanted it.

"Get away from me!" Zach said and backed further into the corner of the room. Fear apparent on his face.

"Oh... you want it... and Oli's. But if you don't want to... I could just owl your father," Wayne sneered.

Zach jerked as that threat had finally broken through all of his resistance. Pain didn't do it. The curse didn't do it. The threat of his father did and Dean couldn't literally see his will crumble. Zach's eyes and shoulders dropped as if expecting his moment to come. He wasn't going to fight it, anymore.

"Oh yeah... I got you, now," Wayne said, laughing cruelly.

Dean shut the door, making the three of them look at him. Zach's eyes widened, almost in relief as he realized that he came back. Wayne turned and smiled. "Oh, hey Dean... Zach and I were just talking, here."

But Dean walked over and punched him in the nose. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Wayne shrieked and mumbled something unintelligible while running to the loo with a bloody nose and Oliver backed away. Dean released Zach from his bindings, but Zach didn't say anything to him. He just bolted from the room, leaving Dean alone with his abusers that had almost become rapists. No, he was not going to leave Zach alone with them anymore. Hopefully, they'd be able finish this soon.

***

Fawley was pacing in his room, sick with worry. He had watched helplessly as Zach's mental state continued to deteriorate over the past week. The lack of sleep was driving him crazy. Worse is that Zach stopped showing up every night, and when Zach did come, he was terrified of staying, terrified of going back. He wouldn't tell him who was harassing him and Fawley could guess who they were. Whenever he would push him to answer, Zach just shut down and wouldn't say a word.

Zach hadn't come to his room yet, though it was nearly eleven. Fawley was worried that he wasn't going to come, again. But he didn't think that the blow jobs scared him away. The Hufflepuff was a natural at it, despite having never done it before. Zach even did it without him requesting it every time he came to see him. Yesterday morning, Zach actually sucked him off, again, without prompt, before he wandered back to his dorm. But he barely said more than ten words and Fawley hated the silence between them. He was quiet and uncommunicative to begin with. Fawley blamed the sleep deprivation more than anything.

But Fawley had friends in Hufflepuff, who tipped him off that the others were really laying into Zach about putting out over for him. Fawley was ready to bust some heads. No one would call his... guy-that-sucked-his-dick... a queer or any other homophobic words. Even Zach wouldn't tell him who it was, he knew it had to be his asshole dormmates, all card-carrying members of SAD. Fawley didn't see any sign of actually bullying during meals, which Zach was now present for, unlike before.

But he was tense, alert and unable to make eye contact with anyone. His "friends" seem to not include him, yet poke fun at him, steal food off his plate and challenge him to complain. Zach looked ready to bolt most of the time and, of course, he didn't eat anything. At dinner earlier, Fawley had to restrain himself from hexing the fuck out of them, right then and there. Zach might not want him to, as it was guaranteed to out Zach if he did publicly protect him. One word from Zach and he would destroy them... maybe not in the Great Hall. He wasn't likely to get away with hexing them and he hated detention. So... boring. But he was going to have to force it out of Zach, soon. He obviously was going to snap under the pressure eventually and have to make a choice. Safety or freedom.

Zach was the kind of person to pick safety. His own wishes and wants, be damned. With the curse... Zach was going to find that harder to accomplish. Neither way is safe. Fawley could appreciate the delicate position he was in. Alienation, rejection and ridicule. Perhaps, if he made Zach believe that those things wouldn't happen. He could decide, choose him. Saying the right words would be difficult. Zach might cling to his denial, too. He might be too far gone to rationally choose.

In any case, Fawley would be taking care of the matter. He promised him protection. That didn't mean just from Blaise and Harry. He would annihilate those pricks. At dinner, he nearly had. He sat by himself at the Ravenclaw table and watched as they didn't include him in anything. They seemed to keep saying things and looking at him, as he shook. Wayne even raised his hand up and Zach visibly flinched, before cowering. Fuck, he thought, ready to explode. He was going to beat the ever-loving snot out of those fucking wankers.

"Keith," a quiet voice said, bringing him out of his rage. "You're making the table shake. Stop staring so... excessively. People are starting to notice."

"Let them. I'm going to rip their fucking balls oft and shove them down their throat," he growled and some of the nearby Ravenclaws looked scandalized. He didn't fucking care.

"I would advise against that. It might sound nice, but paperwork and prison is not fun. They will get their comeuppance," Luna said, taking his hand.

"Oh, they will... they fucking will."

"Keith, look at me."

He slowly did and met Luna's soft, silver eyes.

"Zach would not want you to make a scene. There's a time and place. Here is not it."

He let out a big breath. "You're right. He's just so... vulnerable."

"He needs you. You'll be careful with him?" she said, tilting

"You're worried about him?"

"Yes. I worried about you... and him. Don't lose your cool. He needs you to be there for him. The calm, focused and scary-as-hell bastard that you supposed to be. Not irrational, irate hothead you are right, now," she said, pointedly.

Fawley looked at her and smiled. "If only I were straight, Luna... I would have chased you to the moon."

"It's nice around this time of year. But stop staring, creeper," she said and stood up, skipping back over to Ginny. He really didn't know how long she'd been there.

For the rest of dinner, he had kept the staring to a minimal, and only glanced up every ten seconds to check on him. He'd be there in instant, Apparation wards be damned, if they physically touched him. Eventually, they got up and left, Zach trailing behind them like a beaten krup. He didn't say a word the whole time. Fawley resisted the urge to follow him. It would be too obvious to the rest of the students if he did. He waited for another five minutes before he slithered off to his room to wait for hours.

He had just given up hope that Zach was coming when he burst into the crying and shaking. He immediately hugged him and it took ten minutes to calm him down enough for him to stutter out, "P-Please".

Fawley knew this meant he wanted release from the curse. Zach couldn't say the words. He never could. He just kept repeating the word 'please'. Was this the moment? Did he finally snap? Well, he couldn't let Zach go on with it activated. He guided him over to the bed and sat him down. He was getting calmer, but tears were still coming out of his eyes. Fawley knelt down in front of him. Zach didn't move or look at him. Fawley couldn't just touch him without him in his right mind.

"Honey? Do you want me to make you come?" he asked.

He nodded and still had tears coming out. Fawley carefully pulled Zach's bottoms down after he took off his shoes and socks. He took off his own top, but then Zach came out of his daze. He met his eyes and took off his shirt. He put his hands on Fawley's pants and again looked at him. Fawley nodded and Zach undid it and eased them down. Fawley felt relief that he was responding. He eased him back onto the bed and guiding him to the pillows. He looked at Zach, looking at him, and asking him again, if he was okay.

"Y-Yeah..." he whispered. His dick was erect and waiting.

Fawley slowly wrapped his mouth around Zach's head, who whined in relief like he always did. Fawley liked it when he moaned, but he didn't like that the curse was making him like this. He had taken to using his hands first and then if Zach became hard before the hour activation, he would be rewarded with his mouth. Zach was starting to pick up on that, too, but he didn't need to play games with him tonight. Zach whispered his name when he came and just stared at the ceiling, after almost catatonic. Fawley gently kissed his stomach and held his hand, hoping Zach would just talk to him, but then he saw it. A flicker of a glamour.

Fawley went to his knees, straddled him and towered over Zach, who was surprised at his sudden movement. "Drop the glamour, now!"

Zach's eyes went wide and he shook his head. He tightened up and tried to get out, but Fawley put his hands down on the bed either side of him, now directly over him. "Zach... you said you would not to lie to me. A glamour is a lie. Take it off."

Zach started crying. "Please... I didn't want to do it."

"What? Put the glamour on? You don't have to explain. Just let me see," Fawley said.

He have could use his wand, but he wanted Zach had to show him. It had to be voluntary. Zach started sobbing and begging him for his forgiveness. Fawley went from upset to alarmed in a heartbeat. He hugged Zach to his chest and it took several minutes, for his hysteria to cry its way out.

"I d-didn't want to... I don't want to..." Zach repeated over and over, again.

Fawley was getting that sinking feeling that he had completely failed Zach. They attacked him. They hurt him in the worst way.

Fawley stoked his face. "Shh... It's okay, Zach... let me see...."

"I'm s-sorry... you'll b-be m-mad at me... I can't...."

"I'm not mad. I won't be mad at you, Zach. Please calm down."

"They w-were g-going t-to... I-I w-was g-g-going t-to say... h-he'd t-tell m-my d-dad... y-you said... t-that I... n-n-no one else. S-Sorry... please... I'm sorry," Zach rambled out almost incoherently between sobs.

Fawley felt some hope that it didn't happen, but it didn't make his stomach feel better when he realized that Zach was so scared that he would leave him because someone else had touched him or threatened to. He wasn't sure which one. He whispered reassurances into Zach's ear for a long time until he stopped crying. He handed Zach his wand off the bedside table.

"Zach... take it off, please. I won't be mad. I want to see it. I'll make it better... I promise," he vowed.

Zach's shaking hand took it and mumbled the spell. It was actually a pretty good glamour, but he felt sick when he looked at Zach's bruises on his body and face. He had to be in pain. He saw the finger bruises on his arms and shoulders, but thankfully very few on his legs. He was happy about that much at least. He calmed him down some before he summoned a healing salve out of his trunk. He very slowly rubbed it his Zach's skin, starting at his stomach, then his chest and arms. He even milked out Zach's erection as he went.

When he made it to his face, Zach's blue eyes watched him with absolute trust that the butterflies in his stomach have a party. Fawley smiled at him and told him that he was safe, now, while he circled around his eyes. Fawley couldn't heal it completely as it was too close to his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed Zach on his forehead. Then he laid down next to him and wrapped his arms around him. Zach just melted into him. Fawley knew how much the Hufflepuff loved being held.

"Are you feeling better?" he whispered.

"Yes... thank you," he whispered back.

"That's good... because now you have to tell me what happened, what's been happening."

He felt Zach tense up and he shook his head.

"Zach... you don't have a choice anymore. They're hitting you, threatening you. I can protect you. I take care of them, so they never hurt you, again. And I'm not letting you go until you tell me."

Zach sulked for a few minutes and then stammered out about the abuse, the punches and slurs. That they know about what they were doing together and then how he said that he left the map out for Dean and Seamus to take. He explained that he had to wait until Wayne and Oliver came back to alibi him that he didn't do it on purpose. He took the beating and Dean stopped them and confessed to taking it. But Wayne still hurt him, wanted him to "do it" to him and Oliver, and threatened to tell his dad about everything. He stopped talking when Dean come back and he punched Wayne.

"And you were scared to tell me... about this?"

"I would've done it. Done what they wanted," Zach whisper, fresh tears falling, and he tried and failed to pull away from Fawley.

"Zach... I'm not mad. I wouldn't be. That wouldn't have been voluntary. I'm not that cruel. I won't abandon you because you did what you had to do to survive. I just meant that I wouldn't like if you sought out help from others... willing."

Zach stifled and Fawley turned his head up toward him.

"You will tell me if anyone hurts you, again, Zach," he ordered and Zach's eyes went a little wide at the command before he nodded. "Good. Get dressed." Then he got out of bed.

"What?"

"Dressed! Get up... oh, never mind," Fawley said, and grabbed his wand.

With a spell, his clothes wrapped around him and he was dressed. He did the same for Zach. He really wasn't supposed to do that as it ruins the integrity of the seams. Then he half-dragged Zach up to his dorm, but he only put up the weakest defense to try to sway him from going. When they reached his dorm room, he hung his head, scared. Fawley blasted the door open. All three of them were already in bed and jumped up in alarm. Fawley stripped them of their wands and punched Wayne in the nose, breaking it, again.

"Fuck!" he whined as blood gushed out.

Rivers, a Ravenclaw, understood immediately that he was fucked and tried to escape to the bathroom. Fawley nailed him with the Freezing Charm and he dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Dean put his hands up and was shaking. Fawley left Zach hiding in the doorway and then grabbed Wayne by the throat. He lifted him off the ground and slammed him into the wall. Zach watched him, a mixture of fear and shock on his face.

"Do you know who the fuck I am, Wayne? Do you?" he roared.

Wayne nodded, trying to say yes.

"I don't think you do! Cause only an idiot would think to fuck with me! My father owns over a hundred companies, including the international trading group that your father works at, Hopkins! So, you better pay fucking attention, cause my dad loves me and really hates people who are homophobes. I have no problem asking him for a favor. You understand me?"

Wayne could only nod.

"You even think about looking at Zach, again... and I will fuck you up. You don't talk to him, you don't call him names, and.... I will beat you within an inch of your life if you ever touch him again, you fucking shitbag! Understand?"

Wayne whispered, "Yes... I'm sorry!"

Fawley lowered him so his feet were on the floor. "Sorry? Sorry that you almost forced yourself on someone? Sorry that you called him slurs and beat him? Well, go on then... apologize to him. Tell him that you're a massive fucking wanker and that you are sorry. I'll wait."

Wayne was shaking as he mumbled through it. "I'm a massive fucking wanker and I'm sorry."

Zach didn't respond, but Fawley didn't care. He let go of Wayne and unfroze Oliver. He hauled him to his feet and punched him in the gut, before forcing his head up to look at him.

"What about you Oli? You should have known better than to fuck with me."

"Fawley... I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me!"

"Sorry, Smith," he said, quickly.

"It's not like we knew he was your bitch," Wayne grunted and Zach flinched.

Fawley's wrath lashed out and he let go of Rivers, aimed his wand and vanished the asshole's kneecaps. Wayne dropped to the floor.

"No! Not again!" he cried, holding his knees.

"You're pretty thick, aren't you? Have fun growing them back... oh wait... you can't."

"He's just fag!" Wayne yelled and Fawley hexed him. He yelped.

"So I am, Hopkins!" he growled, then aimed his wand and concentrated. Wayne's skin started to change. Stripes of different colors appeared across his body in rows and Zach actually smiled. "But you are a twat... a legless, rainbow twat."

"What? Hey! Take this off!"

"Not a chance. I think you all need to show your support. Come here, Oliver. Your turn."

Rivers didn't resist becoming rainbow-colored and went to his bed to sulk. But then Fawley turned to Dean, who lowered his eyes and didn't resist.

"He saved me," Zach whispered and Fawley really wanted to hex Gryffindor.

"Maybe... but I heard what he called Blaise. He's a homophobe, too."

"I was wrong and there was no excuse for what I did," Dean admitted.

"Do it, again, and I'll make yours permanent," Fawley threatened.

"Thank you," Dean said.

Fawley surveyed the scene and then turned to Zach, still hiding by the doorway. "Give me your coin."

Zach wordlessly pulled it out of his pajama pants pocket. He carried it with him everywhere. Fawley took it and tossed it to Dean, who caught it.

"You tell that leader of yours, Zach is done. You got his coin and the map. If anyone of his sycophants messes with Zach at all, I will wrangle that fucker's name out of Zach and make sure everyone else knows who he is, understand?" he growled and Dean nodded. He turned back to Zach. "Get your stuff."

Zach gave him a look.

"What? You think I'm letting you stay here after these two fuckers tried to force themselves on you? No, go get your things out of the loo. I'll pack your clothes."

Zach wordlessly did as he said and didn't look at anyone. Fawley spelled everything in his area into Zach's trunk and after Zach added his toiletries, Fawley shrunk and pocketed it. He headed toward the door.

"Take this off!" Wayne cried.

"No. You need to show your pride! And maybe break some of those nasty habits you have, Wayne."

"But...."

Fawley was about to leave, but he really wanted to put the final nail in his coffin. "One more thing, boyo... if anyone tells Zach's father... anything... I'm coming after you. Hard. I'll make him make an official complaint against you. You'll get expelled and even if you don't... I have more than enough money in my trust vault to hire someone to hound you for the rest of your life. I'll ruin any business or job you can manage to get... sabotage any relationship, friendship and financial scheme you can even think of. Piss me off enough, and I'll have someone break your legs and arms every so often. Don't think I won't do it."

Fawley crouched down and spelled some of the blood that was coming out of his nose into a flask. "And I have your blood... I can track you to any spider hole you try to hide it. You got me?"

Wayne finally had some fear in his eyes and nodded. "I won't...."

"Let's go, Zach," he said and walked out the door. Zach silently followed, his head bowed. When he got there, he enlarged his trunk and set it next to his chest of drawers. "I'll have the house elves get a wardrobe for you... if you want to stay. You could always move into a different dorm, too. You might not like Ernie, but he won't hurt you."

"You don't want me here?" Zach's voice was quiet.

Fawley turned to the fire to calm down. He wasn't an angry person, usually. He didn't like to be, but he protected his own. "I want you to stay. I can't assume that you do. People will notice."

Rowena's dried-up teats... he was fucking hooked. He wanted him to stay, so much. He flicked the vial of Wayne's blood into the fire. He didn't use blood and bonding spells, but all wizards knew to fear someone who did. It was the one thing he was bluffing on... and maybe breaking Wayne's limbs. But he'd have no problem bankrupting a piece-of-shit like him. Maybe, he'd ask Blaise for a favor. Wayne's deviance and homophobia at the end had annoyed him. But he let the fire burn out the rest of his anger. Zach didn't need any more fear, he needed reassurance.

Suddenly, he felt Zach's forehead, between his shoulder blades behind him, leaning into him. His hands gently touched his waist. "T-Thank you... for everything. I want to stay," he whispered.

"Good. I... I hope I didn't scare you. I needed to make my point."

"No one has ever cared that much for me..." he said, and Fawley could hear him stifle. His father must be a cunt to leave his son so emotionally deprived.

Zach's quivering hands made their way up to his neck and lifted his robes up to pull them off. Zach walked over and hung it up on the hook that he always hung and came back in front of him. Fawley didn't move, letting Zach decide what he wanted to do, as he had been the one who had been traumatized. Zach's blue eyes looked up at him and they didn't have the look of absolute misery in them anymore. He was tired, but happy. He took ahold of the bottom of his shirt and waited until Fawley nodded. Zach lifted it and over his head and then he slowly removed his trousers and boxers, revealing Fawley's hard member.

Zach kept his eyes on Fawley though and slowly took all of his clothes off, too. Fawley wanted so much to reach out, touch his dark, blonde hair and take him, but Zach had to get there first. There would be a time when he would be firmly in charge, but they weren't there, yet. He just let Zach decide what to do after he completed his undressing ceremony. He didn't want to scare him. He had to wait, though he expected Zach to go down on his knees, as he had been willing to do it before. But Keith wouldn't push him into it.

Zach took a deep breath, pressed into Fawley's chest and whispered, "You c-can go... all the way."

Fawley's eyes went wide. Rowena's snatch... he didn't see that coming. "Zach... you were just beaten and attacked, I don't think...."

"I'm ready. The only thing that I was worried about... is gone... and I wanted to thank you... for helping me so much," Zach said, looking at his chest, though he should have been at height with him.

"You can thank me without proffering sex," Fawley said, carefully, resisting his sexual drive to ignore conscience and fuck the blonde git senseless.

Zach looked up and brushed his fingers up against his stomach, before trailing them downward to cup his erection. Fawley could barely control himself. He wanted this, so much. Zach smiled and said, "I want to do it. You've been... kind... patient. We both know it was going to happen sooner or later."

"Zach, I'm not going to let you fuck me, you understand? I only top," Fawley said, quietly. Zach had to understand that before they went any further.

Zach nodded and said, "I know."

Fawley felt guilty, though. This wasn't something that there was a gray area. He couldn't manipulate him into this. "You don't have to do this... I'm not going to force you...."

"I said you could. I want you to. Just... don't hurt me... please," he said, softly. His big eyes stared at him and he could see nothing but the truth.

Fawley's heart filled with victory and brought his hand up to caress Zach's face. He could still see the faint outlines of the bruises around his eye, but Zach was looking at him, a little nervous, but intent on this happening.

"I will take care of you, Zach. I will always make you feel safe," he whispered in fervor and he saw the tension in Zach's shoulders fade.

Zach trusted him and that meant everything to Fawley. He guided Zach to the bed, determined to be as delicate and gentle as he could. This moment was important... going to be memorable. Fawley knew it. Zach got onto the bed and looked at him for direction, willing, yet submissive. Fawley smiled and pulled out the lube from his bed table.

***

Blaise wanted to strangle his captain. She had been pestering him all day Saturday and now they were heading down to lunch before their game and she hadn't stopped trying to hype him up the game.

Blaise finally glared at her and said, "Calm the f down! It's only Hufflepuff and most are two or three years younger. Smith and Buggins-kid are on the other team."

"You mean Cadwallader? Yeah, but Cauldwell and Summerby are still there. You know, Hufflepuff has beaten Gryffindor three times since I started? They beat you guys, too."

"They're greener than our team. No one takes them seriously."

Ginny smacked him upside the head. "I do! And you had better. Practice is one thing, a game is something else. Get your mind on target! They aren't just trying to score, they'll go after Draco, too."

Blaise rubbed his head. "You shouldn't hit your professors."

"My professor that I nearly beat in a duel?"

"Shut up."

"What's going on back there?" Harry called from end of the hall. They were lagging behind.

"Nothing, Potter," Blaise grumbled and started to catch up.

Harry snorted and went back to talking to Draco. Surprisingly, the Chosen Hothead hadn't been worked up at all that Umbridge escaped. When the news came Thursday that the Ministry was attacked by the werewolves and Lestranges and Umbridge was freed, Hermione immediately came over to Harry, her wand out, like he was going to snap at the news. Harry just shrugged and carried on like it hadn't surprised him at all. Blaise and Hermione had discussed this at length and the only conclusion they had come to was that he already knew it happened... or guessed it.

Four people were killed, two Aurors and two werewolves, which appeared to be a muggle turned forcibly. Several others were sent to St. Mungo's, but the bitch was gone. He was so pissed about it, but there was nothing they could do. She was with their enemies, now, protected by them.

When they got to the Great Hall, he laughed, again at the rainbow pair and sat down in their normal seats. Fawley had to be the one to do it, but he hadn't seen him or Smith, since Friday. Blaise was really considering that he was out a thousand gallons, but he didn't mind, knowing Zach had got his comeuppance. But Fawley would have made sure he enjoyed it. If there was one thing he knew about Fawley, it was that he made sure his partner was happy. Blaise was sure Smith would come out of hiding for the Hufflepuff match.

The Hufflepuffs were quiet, unlike the Slytherins and Gryffindors who were very vocal and competitive about their game, yesterday which Slytherin, led by Harper, won. But Blaise's teammates weren't talkative, besides Ginny. Theo didn't seem to care either way. Terry seemed to be doodling plays down in a book... freaking Ravenclaw... and Draco well he was still trying to get his confidence back. Between Umbridge, Denkar and SAD... Draco was still unsure of what to do and say. Blaise hoped with Umbridge and Dawlish gone, Draco would finally be able to heal. It was too bad Harry wasn't flying with him.

The last two members of Blaise's team sat away from them with Ron. Dean had been horrible at practice yesterday and looked very uncomfortable on a broom. Blaise had flown up to Seamus and whispered, "You'd do well not to fuck your boyfriend so hard tonight. He might be able ride his broom properly for our game."

Seamus spluttered a bit, but said, "I'll try not to." Blaise laughed awhile at that, seemed that everyone was getting their dues.

"So, what's your team's name, anyway?" Harry asked.

"Slythindor and Terry," Ginny said.

Terry looked up. "What?"

Blaise and Neville just laughed. Harry and Draco just smiled.

"Well, we have three Slytherins and three Gryffindors," Ginny said. "And you."

"Couldn't've said, 'Slythindor and a Ravenclaw'?"

"Nah... too many symbols. Doesn't sing," she said and but then announced, "It's time to go."

Nervous wasn't an emotion Blaise usually got. But he stood up and Draco and Theo followed him. They went out toward the locker rooms. Dean and Seamus were smiling at each other the whole way there. Blaise really didn't need to know that their fuck spot was there. They changed and Ginny came into their room.

"Alright... guys...."

"And girls," Blaise said, earning a look from his teammates. Draco smiled, but Ginny sighed.

"We can do this. Hufflepuff is a load of duffers, anyway. But I'll set up the plays, Seamus and Blaise... your score. Terry and Theo... protect Dean and Draco. Whitby and Pembroke aren't that good of beaters, but they might play dirty. Ernie said that he gave them a talking to. But I got faith in all of you!

"Thanks, Captain!" Seamus yelled and got a Stinging Hex for his attitude.

"Keep it up or you'll be running laps until our next game."

Seamus frowned and Ginny started to leave. Harry came inside their tent, obviously not satisfied enough with saying farewell fifteen minutes ago and looked toward Draco. He bypassed everyone and gave him a big kiss.

"I'll be watching you in the stands... and I'll be waiting for snitch," Harry said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Oh, I'll get it for you," Draco said and kissed him, before striding out onto the pitch.

Harry smirked, when Blaise came up. "Aww... that was cute, Potter."

"Shut up. Neville sends his love. He's currently green... by the way. Literally."

Blaise smiled. "Did you do that or did he?"

"Daphne did it... something about paying you back for that one time," Harry said and Blaise remembered that he helped Hermione hex her that one day.

"Hermione cast that spell."

"Yeah... I guess she already got Hermione. She jinxed her quill to run out of ink every time she writes the letter "l". I guess it took her a few hours to catch on."

"Alright, Potter. Keep a sharp eye for any interference."

"Will do. Do try to have fun."

Blaise walked out and took up his broom as Jules announced his arrival to the field. "And... Professor Zabini!"

He resisted flipping Reines the bird as he flew a lap. His students and housemates cheered louder than he had ever heard. That moment hit him hard and he waved, suddenly realizing that he was actually popular. He spotted his secret fiancée, with completely green skin and robes, but he didn't seem to care. Daphne, Luna and Hermione were sitting with him, waiting for Harry to make his way there.

Blaise got his head back on task, though, and analyzed the Hufflepuffs now flying around him. The pitch had gotten crowded. Now there were going to be fourteen people and four balls flying around. Ginny wasn't joking. There was nothing like a real match to really learn how to play. The Hufflepuffs in their canary robes had three girls and four boys. Four unknowns to Blaise. Really Summerby was the only one he knew, cause he hexed him fifth year. Cauldwell and Zeller played before, but Blaise had been intent on watching the seeker. Now, he would have to focus on everything.

Madam Hooch called them to the ground and Ginny and Rose Zeller shook hands as the snitch and bludgers were released. When the quaffle went up, it was chaos. Chasers from both teams tried to claim it, beaters looked for the bludgers that were flying around and everyone was yelling. He couldn't hear anything, but follow the quaffle was the best plan. Ginny got it first and Blaise scrambled to take position like they practiced. But now there were other players' moves to take into account. He also had a tail, now. His assigned blocker now on defense, was Owen Cauldwell, who made sure nothing would be easy.

When Ginny passed it to him, he caught it and held on tight. Don't drop the ball, he told himself. Don't ever drop the ball. Blaise checked his peripherals and saw Cauldwell was trying to overtake him on the inside. Ginny was below him and Seamus was on the far side, Hufflepuff chasers Zeller and Branstone guarding against passing. Blaise had speed though, thanks to his broom, and pushed it forward. Owen wasn't going to cut him off when he made the turn in to get to the goals. He tricked the keeper into thinking he'd take the closer one and then threw it to the far side.

"Zabini scores!" Jules shouted, but Blaise went back to ignoring her commentary.

Cauldwell took it up and Blaise went to chase him, but Ginny took over the defensive.

"Switch to right!" she called.

Blaise had forgotten. Ginny, being the most experienced, would chase the holder. Blaise would follow the right support and Seamus left. Blaise followed Zeller and her blonde hair. Ginny distracted Cauldwell enough that he missed his shot. Dean passed it to Ginny and Blaise advanced up to point. Seamus received the quaffle, but he didn't clear the goal when he threw it. Prescott caught it and forwarded it to Zeller. Ginny stayed on her and when she threw Ginny tipped enough to force a turnover.

Blaise took it up, but felt Zeller and Branstone on him. He checked his left and threw it to Seamus, who caught it and scored this time.

"That's it, guys!" Ginny cheered.

Blaise felt like he was getting the hang of it. They had joked around too much during practice, but the game flowed, back and forth. Attack then defend. But, as he managed an interception, the other elements of the game reminded him of their presence. A bludger nearly broke his shoulder and he almost dropped it. Luckily, it was his non-throwing arm. Ginny came up and he tossed it to her.

"Shake it off, Blaise!" she ordered.

Easy for her to say, he grumbled and she scored, as Seamus was well-covered. Blaise watched Cauldwell get creamed by a bludger sent by Theo. Blaise caught the quaffle as he dropped it and was advancing to the goal when the whistle blew. He turned to see Madam Hooch yelling at Whitby. He had hit Draco with a bludger. Draco was still flying, but Blaise was annoyed.

"Blaise, take the penalty shot," Ginny said and he managed to score, again.

He resolved to keep a lookout out for Draco, now. It was not easy. He looked away from the play for a second and he lost track of the quaffle. He missed a shot and then Zeller managed to score, twice, as Seamus missed his catch. Ginny made a shot and then Blaise did. Seventy to twenty. He saw Pembroke aim a bludger at Draco and Theo defended him, but Whitby managed to hit the other one and it nailed Draco in the back of the head. Draco kept flying though. Theo was staying with him and both the Hufflepuff beaters switched back to scorer.

Terry stopped one from hitting Dean, but the other got through and Cauldwell was able to score. After they scored three times and Hufflepuff scored two more, Ginny called a timeout.

"You alright, Draco?" she asked.

He snorted. "Please, I've been playing quidditch for years. Harry's the one that can't stay on his broom."

"And sassy Draco is back," Theo chuckled.

"Can it. Blaise either decide to watch Draco... or the game, I can't keep passing you the ball and you almost miss. Seamus and I can do the scoring."

"You don't need to watch me, Blaise... Theo... this is a game. Harry will stop it if something bad happens. I can handle bludgers, checks and taunts," Draco said, but then looked up at Summerby to make sure he didn't find it, yet.

"What about spells? SAD is in the crowd," Blaise pointed out.

"With McGonagall overseeing the game? And all the professors... what can they do?" Draco scoffed.

Ginny looked Blaise, who said, "Fine. Theo... leave him alone. Find that snitch, Draco."

"I will if you stop acting like my mother," Draco said with a laugh and took off. Blaise smiled.

Play continued back and forth, neither team that good on the defensive-side, but they were winning 130 to 80. Draco got hit twice more, but it didn't seem to faze him, but Theo hit one at their beater giving Hufflepuff a penalty shot, which they missed.

Blaise had just scored his seventh goal when Draco turned into a dive. Summerby was nowhere near him and Draco easily caught the snitch. Blaise flew over to him and so did his teammates. He wrapped his arms around Draco and they slowly floated to the ground, just as Theo, Terry and Ginny joined them. Seamus and Dean were a little late to the party, but they still congratulated Draco on his catch.

All their friends stormed the field and Blaise saw Draco was almost in shock with how many students congratulated him. Nearly all Slytherin House came down to see him and as well as their new friends from the other houses, who brought some of their friends. Terry and Theo acted like Draco's personal bodyguards as he received his fans, that he had never had before, being the Slytherin bad boy. Draco's reputation was getting better. It was only about a third of the student body, but way better than at the start of the year.

Many of Blaise's students also congratulated him on his match, too. Neville, the green wonder, stood next to him and many students asked what he had done to get cursed. Blaise almost said that Neville had looked at him wrong, but Neville answered before him that he was supporting his fellow professor. The first and second years all milled around them excitedly and discussed whether or not they were boyfriends. Discretion was important when you are a professor.

Harper and Pansy showed up, strangely from the castle and went to Draco first. "Congratulations," Harper said, shaking his head and Pansy nodded.

"Thanks. I've won a lot of matches before, I've never been mobbed like this," Draco murmured, as Alex and Jules corralled the younger years off the pitch.

"That's because you have more friends, now," Ginny said.

"She's not wrong," Neville comments and shared a smile with Draco.

"But you are changing a lot of people's minds, Drakey-poo," Pansy commented.

"Drakey-poo?" Harry growled, looking more green-eyed than usual.

"Oh, you are just precious..." she chided and made eye contact with Blaise. "Hey, Blaise!" She came over to him and gave him a congratulations, while passing him a note, which he pocketed in present company.

"She's just joking Harry," Draco said, placating his boyfriend.

"I was not!" Pansy said, looking scandalized. "I always called you Drakey-poo."

"And I hexed you a few times for it," Draco huffed.

"You don't like Drakey-poo?" Harry asked.

Draco frowned, annoyed, and the headmistress interrupted them, "I think you can take this celebration up to your house. Fine playing. You're starting to come together as a team."

"Thank you, Professor! Alright, guys, let's go change and get upstairs," Ginny ordered.

The after-party lasted a long time. Luna transfigured the candles into orbs and conjured party favors in the shape of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks (or so she said). Harper and his friends brought the food and the wireless. Seamus, Irish to the core, broke out the firewhiskey and Harry had to refuse offers several times from the various party-goers. Younger students from all four houses came, including Creevey, MacDonald and Natalie and near thirty Slytherins. They stayed until it was curfew.

Even some of the on-the-fence eighth years made an appearance. The Patil sisters apologized to Draco and he fumbled through his acceptance, a little red. Harry and Parvati had some words, too. Fawley and Smith showed up. Fawley mingled with his fellow seventh years, but Smith didn't say a word and didn't come near any of them. Blaise saw that Fawley was indeed making sure Zach wasn't approached by anyone, and the Hufflepuff was his silent shadow. Blaise was surprised that they would appear in public, but after the thrashing that Fawley gave Wayne and Oliver... no one said a word.

Blaise really wanted to go talk to Fawley, but an owl came. "I'll be back," he whispered to Neville and slipped out of the door in the middle of the party. It was nearly eleven and the seventh years would have to head back to their dorms, too. He went down to the main entrance and waited patiently for nearly twenty minutes for Jerice and Harris to come running back to the castle.

"Did you see it go down! The spell worked!" Harris said, the breath of victory in him.

"Wait until we tell the others!" Jerice laughed, excitedly.

"And Professor Zabini!"

"That won't be necessary," he said, loudly, coming out of the shadows as they entered the building.

They both jumped, but Harris took a brave step forward. "Thank you for the spell, Professor! I worked great."

"Indeed. Then I do offer you congratulations. But what time is it?"

Harris didn't look. Instead, he looked determinately at the ground, knowing he was caught.

"I know how much trouble I would have gotten in, if I had been caught out after curfew in my first year," Blaise said, quietly.

"I'm sorry, Professor," he said, in a soft and sweet voice. "But... I had to go! They said only wussies couldn't handle it."

"Which you are not. I will take twenty points from Slytherin for this. Don't let me catch you out of bed, again, and woe be to you if I catch you outside after dark, again."

Both Harris and Jerice flinched. "Y-Yes, Professor."

"Good, now, run to your dorm... I need to take care of your wolf."

"Oh, no! Professor Zabini! Don't go out there!" Harris said.

"If you are not back in the Slytherin dorm in thirty seconds, I will be very angry," he said and the two first years booked it.

He laughed quietly and walked out the doors over to where Hagrid said he had seen them go. Light was not needed, he heard him.

"Finite! Finite Incantatum! Come on! I can't wiggle back!" he said, almost crying in frustration. Blaise recognized the voice of a fifth-year that never really liked Alex and was generally a bully. His legs were stuck together and his arms were pinned to his side. He looked like a rolly polly.

"Looks like the wolf fell in his own trap," Blaise said and he looked up.

"Zabini?" he gasped.

"Pritchard, I'm not pleased that you haven't learned how to counter this, even if you weren't expecting an attack. This was in last year's book."

"I d-didn't understand it."

"Hmmm, so, you're the reason that first-years snuck out of castle at night?" Blaise growled.

Pritchard didn't admit to it. Blaise muttered the counter-curse and pulled him up. He chastised the fifth year all the way to the castle entrance hall, to the point where the kid was trying to hold back tears. When he took fifty points from Slytherin, it broke his silence. That many points would be noticed and, in Blaise's time, in meant Pain or Humiliation. Now, it was just humiliation and ridicule. He begged him not to.

"And what? Let you get away with luring younger students out of bed? You've been a bully since you started, Pritchard. You also copied your friend's answers in the first day of class. I was watching you. Would you like to tell me why?"

A Slytherin wouldn't admit it and Blaise sighed. He looked out over the lake, trying to decide the best course of action.

"It's your choice to tell me, of course. I'm not exactly the example of proper behavior, but I expect you to stop treating students like this. You're older. You're supposed to protect them. What if they had gotten hurt? Hagrid spotted you and them, too. But I'm not going to waste my time, if you don't want to tell me, you should get back to Slytherin. But I will be watching you in class."

The boy looked up and whispered. "I can't read."

Blaise looked at him, but he looked back down.

"I mean... a little. My mom and dad never showed me. Between the war, Voldemort, Umbridge and the big tournament ... no one really noticed. I'd just copy my friend's answers," he said, finally admitting that he needed help. But these were things you only tell a Slytherin. Your house protects you.

Blaise felt for him though. His mum taught him how to read... spell books. Some of his stepfathers tried to teach him, but most ignored him. They were supposed to go to a muggle school or be homeschooled. Most witches and wizards choose the latter and suffered from a lack of social skills and basic education if tutors weren't hired. Draco and Theo had to help him with things like grammar, math, and writing. He understood spells, well enough.

"I'm glad you told me. You should have said something sooner. Our house helps with that."

"Malcolm... he called me stupid and laughed."

Blaise's eyes narrowed. "I see. I think you need a detention, too. Be in my room after dinner on Monday. We'll work on it, one day at a time."

Pritchard's eyes lit up and he thanked him, profusely, before heading off to the dungeons. Blaise smiled as he left, but pulled out his wand when he heard footsteps. The boy was gone, but he knew they still had the map.

"Who's there?" he growled.

"No need to be alarmed," Professor McGonagall said.

"Oh... headmistress. I wasn't expecting you." He was expecting Hermione though. "Head Girl sent you?"

"Hagrid informed me that students were out of bed. I have to say, I was a little concerned at first when you let off those two first years, so leniently," she said, in a disapproving voice.

"Alex will knock his brother upside the head, when he finds out."

"Yes, I imagine he will. He definitely takes his older brother role seriously, but I was impressed with how you handled that."

"Giving a first-year a spell to trap his non-werewolf bully?" he said and her eyes narrowed.

She pursed her lips. "No, with Pritchard. He opened up to you. I knew that there was something wrong, but as many times as I've asked him, he never would tell me."

"I'm a Slytherin. They know me, they respect me. You might have dealt with us for a long time, but it takes a lot for trust to build. But once you have it... it stays for a long time."

She nodded. "Yes, I have seen that... more than I have before. You all are... difficult to get along with. You have rules and norms outside of the rest of the school, but you definitely pick a side and stick to it," she said and Blaise lowered his head. She had won his loyalty and respect, though he had looked up to her before. She never treated them like they were evil Slytherins. "How would you like to be the Head of Slytherin?"

Blaise looked at her.

"Well, I assume you want to remain working here next year?"

"Yeah, I want to stay... I really do."

"Well, Professor Slughorn hasn't been performing his duties and you seem to have ahold of your house than he ever had."

"Surely, Professor Slughorn would be upset?" he said, a little concerned. It does not do well to make enemies.

"Frankly, Horace's been in a state of depression since the war ended. He also was retired for fifteen years and came back to work. Not that he ever took care of his house unless it benefitted him."

"I was surprised when I was invited to the Slug Club," Blaise muttered.

"Your mother was one of his favorites. He knows talent and she helped him out on the darker side of things many times."

Blaise nodded. "I will unofficially take command of my house, for now. I'd prefer to see what he does and if he wants to stay."

McGonagall's eyes brightened at his decision and Blaise was really starting to feel like this was going to work out. He needed to be friendly with his fellow teachers and eventually stop being a student and become a colleague. He would have to be on good terms with the strange divination teacher in the North tower, the tiny deputy headmaster, the Arithmancy professor he had never talked to and ten others that he barely knew. He looked across the lawn at Hagrid's and wondered how well Hagrid was learning. He probably should have been on better speaking terms with him when he asked him to look out for the kids tonight.

"Perhaps, it's best to close the door. Werewolves could get in, you know?" she said, with a smile.

Blaise looked up at the bright full moon, nearly to the top of the sky, with a smirk, and shut and locked the door.

***

Rodolphus Lestrange was on edge. The werewolves were near ready to turn. They needed to replenish their ranks. Rabastan had killed two that had been challenging him and they lost a few more at the Ministry on that fool's errand. He wanted the Dark Lord back, better than a lickspittle Ministry hag. Still... power was power. He'd rather have an ally than the whole Ministry be up against him. Besides, she arranged his request... in return for being her attack dog. And she also promised to get him something he so desperately wanted more than anything else.

"I'm going to kill her," Rabastan snarled, storming into the room. He was becoming more like a werewolf every day, though he wasn't one. Too much time hanging with the alpha.

"Good for you," he shot back. He had always been his brother's keeper. Make sure he didn't go off the deep end. "We need to put the wards up."

"I'll put 'em up, relax."

Rodolphus wanted to vent, too. He was frustrated. "This is all taking too long. I want my revenge... I don't want to wait here anymore."

"I promise you'll get it... it's just the wards. We can't just walk through them. If we had the Aurors... we could probably try, but if we go, now, we might miss our chance."

"Maybe, but Mafalda won't make a move until she's sure she can complete the takeover," Rodolphus said, but then heard shrieking. He sighed. Bitch was more trouble than she was worth and he was tired of dealing with the bodies.

The short, middle-aged witch stormed in, her face scrunched up in annoyance. "They are still here! Get those dogs out!"

"They'll be gone after the change to hunt," he huffed, resisting the urge to kill her on the spot.

"Gah... they're disgusting! I can't believe that we have to deal with them!"

"They are effective in recruiting," Rabastan growled. He had never had a problem working with the wolves. "And for killing our enemies. People fear them... don't they?" He leaned closer. He had more than killing on his mind.

Dolores pushed him away. "I WILL NOT have them near me! Or you! Dogs that bite should be put down. Filthy half-breeds! I demand that you move me to a better safe house! One with house elves, fireplaces and a large comfortable bed!"

"Do you?" Rabastan heckled. "Apparently, she doesn't like our humble abode."

The door opened and the pack leader came in. But Dolores ignored him as though he were a large offensive pet, and she stared at him, expectantly. She had guessed, and guessed correctly, that he was in charge and could arrange this.

"No! I do not like it here! Mafalda told you to take care of me! I expect the best! I supported her and she owes me!"

"Owes you? You failed... twice. You got caught," Rabastan grunted.

"I did what she wanted! Now, I want to be moved away from these vermin, immediately!" she yelled, and if she had a wand, he might have been worried... slightly.

The wolf in man's clothing behind her was angry and hungry at the same time. His teeth were bared and he was salivating.

Rodolphus glared at her. "I'm tired of listening to you yap. Have you met, Scabior?"

The idiot turned and shrieked at the massive werewolf twice her size. She had no common sense, when she spat, "Get back to your hole, mutt!"

The werewolf picked her up by her throat, digging his long yellow nails into her throat and lifted her off the ground. He was near turning. The glamour spell was falling away. The only time it did. It was the price he had paid for his freedom, wearing a dead man's skin to save his own.

"Y-You're not S-Scabior," she muttered, dumbly.

"Perspective... I think you need to come see where the mutts live," he cooed, his eyes already yellow.

She still managed to get enough air to scream, "No! Mafalda promised me that she would take care of me! She made you come get me! You can't do this! I work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement! You'll all pay! She'll kill you all!"

"You seem to be under the impression that we broke you out to save you," Rodolphus said, with a smile, and enjoyed watching her face fall. "Her exact words were: 'Get rid of her when you are done'. We've only put up with you so far... so we can wait until the full moon. Wolves need to eat."

Her jaw dropped. "NO!!! I'm important to her! I know her secrets! I'll tell...."

"Who? Dead men speak no tales... or a dead frog in your case."

The werewolf lifted her up, lifting and screaming. "Let's go, meat. Ya know, I've never been inside someone when I turned? I'm a little interested to see if wolf will keep going or kill her outright."

Umbridge let out an unnatural scream, calling, begging for help as he dragged her out the door to his pack, eagerly awaiting their prey and entertainment.

Rabastan chuckled at the show. "Think I can get a round in, before they turn?"

"It's your throat," Rodolphus said, his face wrinkling in disgust. "I can't believe that you'd want to put your dick in that bitch."

"Cunt is cunt and she's a big one. My choices are limited, unless you want me to go prowling?"

"No. We need to stay low."

"Alright, I better go. I'm kinda interested to see what the wolf will decide."

"Again, it's your throat, brother."

"I know the spells well enough by now."

Rodolphus rolled his eyes. It was his brother's head if he messed up. Rabastan loved a good time and liked watching it, too, but that wasn't something Rodolphus enjoyed. No... he liked the killing part, liked watching the life disappear from their eyes. He would have his revenge. He waited long enough for it. He had lost everything that day... and he would make that person responsible for his pain one way or another. Rabastan didn't have patience, but he did. He waited in Azkaban, and he'd wait until they could get through the wards.

When he heard the screams of pain start, he smiled. That stupid bitch had made it her life's duty to persecute werewolves. She even called the pack leader a half-breed to his face. She was doomed to die. When they got the mission to yank her out of the Ministry, the wolves were happy to risk their lives for the chance to kill her. The alpha wanted her to suffer so much that he picked up some Wolfsbane for this night. He only took a half-portion. He wanted some control, but he loved his inner wolf. She was going to scream for hours, more if he controlled his wolf. He didn't sleep much anyhow. A gift the dementors gave him.

Rodolphus really didn't care about getting more wolves, if they stayed here all night. The new ones weren't wizards or witches. Dragon fodder, really. Greg and Carns were out recruiting, but most turned their heads at rooming with the wolves. He never did mind them. Vicious and deadly... they served their cause well. Exacting fear from their enemies and enjoying it. Umbridge's screams were music to his ears. She was reaping what she sowed... getting her comeuppance and soon, he would be using that room and taking out his own vengeance.

Whoa! Another 20K+ chapter! Merlin's balls so much happened! Too many POV's? But hopefully, it go back down to "normal". Just really wanted to get to the last part. Kinda had to throw Dean's part in at the last second for the map exchange and yay Deamus! 

Also... not really liking quidditch scene, but I might have been too lazy to fix it... sorry. I really couldn't think of too much happening when facing Hufflepuff. They can't be that mean, right? But we've always had it from Harry's POV, thought it'd be interesting to see from a chaser's perspective.

So... Blaise and Neville, huh? They are so cute, aren't they?

And Zach is where he belongs, too. It's nice when things come together.

Was Umbridge's death better than Demumbridge? I just really wanted her to die, painfully... by werewolves.

No offense to the Hufflepuffs for the pic, but I still laugh every damn time I see that one. I did like digging into the psycho-o-logy behind the division of the houses.

We should be heading back to Drarry... soon. I think. Sometimes I know what I'm going to write next chapter and sometimes I haven't decided anything. That's next chapter. Anything can happen! Voldemort could come back from the dead, kill Draco and marry Harry! But I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen. lol

Happy early Valentine's Day - I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I don't exist! I'm lying... I'll be babysitting. But if the baby is sleeping... I'll be doing that... and creepily watching the baby sleep because I'm afraid something will happen if I take my eyes off him for a second. Who the heck choose me to watch the baby? Ahhh!!!

So... sorry or you're welcome for the super long chapter... and the big A/N. ttfn