Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Beneath a Shattered Fountain ❯ Resilient Madness ( Chapter 5 )

Resilient Madness

Draco woke up alone in bed, but from his pillow he spotted Harry working at his desk, bent over a stack of paper and open books. Sighing and pushing himself up on his knees, Draco yawned and rubbed his shoulders. The chains didn't hurt after sleeping on them, probably another of their magical characteristics, but the experiences of the past few days left him sore and weary.

"You all right?" Harry asked, glancing at him with a small smile.

"Better than usual," Draco said. "No nightmares."

"Good." He reached out and opened the bird cage door. "Come over here by me."

Draco nodded once and pushed the blanket off, remembering to crawl onto the floor and across the room, kissing Harry's hand before he crept into his cage. Harry didn't lock it behind him, just closed the door, but Draco knew better than to think of that door as anything but sealed tight. He settled on his bench, running his hand over the cushions placed there for him. The padded velvet took the edge off the wire seat and he wondered if his master had gone to the Room of Requirement just to find them.

"What are you reading?" Draco asked, curling his fingers around the bars as he leaned against his cage.

"Maps," Harry said with a heavy sigh. "I'm still learning where the muggle world ends and the wizarding world begins. Did you know that Long Man of Wilmington is a doorway to an underground castle?"

"The Castle of Wendel," Draco nodded.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "You know about that?"

"It's an old ruin now," Draco said. "People just use the hill drawing as a place to leave portkeys."

"How many places like that are there?"

"Depends. There are the ones the Ministry knows...um, knew about, and then there are the ones we dark wizards know about."

Carefully considering that, Harry looked back at the broad map of Britain. He tapped his fingers on it for a few seconds, then stood up and crossed over to the trapdoor. Pausing only long enough to levitate a lacy coverlet over Draco's cage, he disappeared out of the room without a word.

For a moment Draco didn't know what to do. His cage was unlocked but Harry hadn't said he could go or told him to follow. Besides, the cover was obviously there in case anyone came inside. He brushed the cloth with his fingers, easily seeing the room through the sheer white fabric. The thicker lacy swirls did nothing to block his view, so he wondered if perhaps it was spelled so that no one could see inside. He hoped so. Not only was he naked but he didn't see his outfit anywhere. He knew it was designed solely as a sex costume, but it was all he had.

Perhaps Harry had simply forgotten him. Or perhaps Harry wanted to see if he'd stay put while he was gone. Draco hoped he wouldn't be gone long and resigned himself to waiting, fingering the thin links of his chains. During the night Harry must have altered them because now his wrists were only a few inches apart and held close to his throat. It was a position best suited for crawling or holding onto his cage's bars.

The trap door opening again startled him and he whirled, afraid it would be a stranger, or worse, Ron or Hermione. To his relief, Harry came up and closed the door again, accio'ing the coverlet off his cage as he approached.

"I'm glad you stayed put," Harry said. "I didn't think you'd try anything, but, well, you are a Malfoy."

Draco didn't know if that was an insult or simply recognition. "What if someone came up while you were gone?" he asked. "I couldn't have done anything."

"You're not completely helpless," Harry said, "no matter how many chains I put you in. Besides, I had Hermione change the charm on the ladder up here. It only appears if I want it to." He smiled as he put his paperwork down. "I'm glad you didn't sneak out to check, though. Means I can trust you to stay in your cage."

Draco smiled.

"But then maybe you're just trying to earn a little trust so you can take advantage of it," Harry mused.

"Maybe," Draco said slowly. "But if I come out, I wouldn't be the one taking advantage, would I?"

A smile spread over Harry's face and he reached into the cage, stroking Draco's cheek. "Very true."

He undid the latch and opened the cage door, sitting back down in his chair and slightly spreading his legs. "Come on out, then."

Draco knew what his master wanted as clearly as if he'd been given a command. He came out on his hands and knees, crawling over and rising on his knees in front of Harry. As before, he put his hands on Harry's thighs and leaned forward, undoing the muggle jeans with his teeth. His master's hands closed on his, holding him in place as he put his mouth around Harry's erection, not so much giving him a blow job but rather treating it as something he wanted to love and devour.

"Mind the teeth," Harry said softly, eyeing Draco's canines. They seemed a little more pronounced than the day before. He wondered if that was another veela trait that Draco was growing into.

"If I bite," Draco asked around licks, "will you punish me?"

"You're already being punished for keeping secrets," Harry said. "Do you really want to add another punishment on top of that?"

"Maybe. If I liked the punishment."

"You Slytherins really are kinky as hell," Harry said.

"My father once said that the more intelligent someone is, the more complicated their desires."

"That does sound like something he'd say--mm, yes, just like that."

Draco had been flicking his tongue around Harry's head, and with that urging he continued until his tongue felt too sore to move. With a deep breath, he lowered his head and engulfed him, swallowing as he came.

Gently pushing Draco back, Harry buttoned his jeans again and then grasped his veela's chain, hauling him up into his lap. Even though Draco was a little taller, his naked body fit snug against his own. He noticed then that Draco's hands were held close to his throat and, a little reluctantly, he caught the length of chain between his wrists, pulling them down and extending the chain that held him until he nearly had enough to stretch his arms out.

"You said you wanted to help me work?" Harry asked.

Eager light flashed in Draco's eyes before he could hide it, and Harry chuckled lowly and kissed him.

"It's all right. I don't want you to hide things from me, remember?"

How could Draco forget? His knees hurt a little from all the crawling. He nodded once.

"Good. I want you to go through the maps I brought," and Harry indicated a small pile of folded papers. "Circle every place you know that has magic that the Ministry didn't know about. Not just enchanted castles, but everything."

"That might take awhile," Draco said. "And I don't know all of them. Father..." His voice turned into a whisper. "Father would've known more."

Harry didn't reply to that. He nudged him off his lap and made him sit on the floor next to him, giving him a quill and a bottle of ink.

At Potter's feet like a dog, Draco thought. It was only worse when Harry ran his fingertips through his hair, but after a few minutes of leaning against his leg, idly circling and labeling spots on the map while Harry touched his hair and cheek, he decided that this really wasn't so bad after all. He didn't know if he wanted to curse his veela blood for making him into such a pet or bless it for letting him love it.

He didn't know when the change happened. Harry's demeanor gradually altered and the hand touching his hair went away. Harry's breath came in fast, deep breaths. The room even felt colder. Draco wanted to move away but he couldn't even bring himself to look up at his master, to see if he looked upset or angry.

Then Harry's fingers tightened on his hair and yanked him back, sending him sprawling backwards across the floor. Draco yelped as he landed on one of his wings, but it was Harry's footsteps that made him cry out. When he looked up, Harry's eyes looked black with rage as he advanced on him.

Crawling on his side, Draco dragged himself away until his back hit the wall. A second later Harry wrapped his hand around his veela's throat and forced him to his feet, pinning him to the wall and pressing him back so that his wings fluttered painfully. His hand tightened and the back of Draco's head started tingling. He clutched at Harry's hand, trying to loosen it so he could breathe, beg, anything.

A hard backhand across his face sent him back to the floor and he scrambled away blindly. When Harry struck him again, a hard kick in his side, he slammed against the foot of the bed before leaning on the heavy mattress as he tried to stand.

A second later, Harry hit him from behind, slamming his hand down on Draco's collar bone. Only the veela's immediate collapse saved him from a broken bone but Harry grabbed one of his wings and wrenched him back to his feet. As rough fingers dug into his wing, pulling harder and twisting the fragile bones painfully, Draco shrieked and arched his back trying to relieve the pressure.

Harry's grip only tightened as he forced him forward, bending him halfway over the edge of the mattress. The force on his wing intensified as Harry drove a knee between Draco's legs, forcing them apart. He had no wand and Draco whimpered, curling his fingers into the rumpled blanket in anticipation as Harry fumbled with his pants. Harry's sudden thrust into him made him choke on his own breath and it was several seconds before he could do more than gasp.

Blinded by shock, Draco bit his lip, unknowingly drawing blood as he sobbed. Between his whimpers and muffled under the blanket, he whispered over and over "love me, love me." Long seconds passed as Harry took him, seemingly more interested in hurting him than in pleasure.

The pain was simply too intense for Draco to notice when Harry slowed down, but he did notice when Harry eased his hold on his wing and lay on top of him, nuzzling his hair. His master made no move towards his wand, no attempt to stop hurting him, but his attention turned from causing him pain to taking enjoyment from him. At last the sick haze cleared from Draco's mind. Once he felt his master come, he groaned and lay his head down in relief.

But Harry wasn't finished. So gentle that Draco would've laughed if not for the pain, Harry pressed small kisses along the back of his neck and shoulders, kissing the wing he'd nearly dislocated. He put his arm under Draco's chest and pulled him up as he stood straight, kissing and mouthing his throat while his hands ran over his veela's body, stroking his skin.

Draco whimpered. As much as his veela side loved the soft handling, his human side could not ignore the blood running down his thighs. Not sure how he had changed Harry from a lion to a kitten, he simply let his instincts control him and turned to face his master, unsurprised when Harry grasped his chains and pulled him down a few inches. While they kissed, Harry kindly pulled his chains out again from where they'd bunched up, giving Draco enough reach to hold him and rest his head on his shoulder.

The moment didn't last. Draco found himself being pushed back onto the bed and had to catch himself before he crushed his wings as he fell. While he eased back, wincing every time he moved his legs, Harry climbed onto the bed and leaned over him. Draco stared to cry when he realized Harry meant to have him again, but as his master forced his legs wide, Draco kept the presence of mind to beg him to use a spell to make it easier on him.

"Anything for you," Harry whispered, taking out his wand.

Although he cast the usual aise entre spell, he made no move to heal the damage and as he drove in again, Draco's cries grew louder. At the same time, he had to strain against his shackles to keep up on his elbows so that Harry's weight would not break his wings.

Harry finished and rolled off him, laying on his side and propping his head up on his hand as he gazed at his slave, brushing his hair from his tear-streaked face and kissing the dampness from his eyes. He yawned and let his eyes fall half-shut. Draco only wanted to curl up into a ball and hide, but he sat up slightly and returned his master's affection, working Harry flat onto the mattress and keeping him there with kisses along his chest. Harry mumbled something and let his eyes close completely, but not until Draco heard him start to snore did he stop.

His lower half coated in his own blood and shivering in the cold air, Draco retreated to the corner of the bed and leaned against the bed post curled into a tight ball, his wrenched wing hanging at an awkward angle. He tried to move it a few times, but it refused to do more than tremble and lay still.

Not long after, Harry woke to the sound of muffled crying. He sat up and spotted Draco huddled at the far side of the bed, covered with bruises with one wing askew and dried blood all around him. Biting off a curse, Harry grabbed his wand and crawled towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Draco, are you--no no, it's okay," he said, holding his veela's head in his hands as Draco startled back and began to shake. "It's okay, I won't hurt you. You're safe. I promise, I won't hurt you again. Calm down."

Harry forced Draco to meet his eyes, tilting his face up and wincing when he saw the deep cut on his lip and the blood that streaked his chin.

"Where are you hurt?" he asked. "What...what did I do to you?"

Draco stared at him for a moment. Should he call it rape? Harry hadn't asked Draco's permission ever since he found him. "You didn't use a spell the first time," he whispered. From Harry's look, he could tell his master understood. "And you pulled my wing hard."

One by one, Harry cast healing spells over his body, flicking away bruises, mending cuts and easing the sprained muscles in Draco's wing. When he ordered Draco to lay flat on his stomach, his veela swallowed reflexively but obeyed. With all the damage healed and all the blood and mess cleaned up, Draco found that he was too tired to get up again. To his relief, Harry pulled the blanket over him just under his wings and sat down beside him on the bed, staring at the floor. Harry sat in deep thought for a long time before speaking.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, not looking at him. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't even remember what I did. I just didn't expect another attack so soon."

"This happened before?" Draco murmured. He tilted his head trying to see Harry's face, but all he could see was his messy hair as he nodded.

"Voldemort's last gift. He didn't survive but I've been cursed with an echo of him, a remnant of his anger." He rubbed his scar as if the curse lay within. "There's no way to get rid of it. And it doesn't hurt me, but...I get so angry I blank out."

"This happened before?" Draco asked.

"Once, right after the fight. I tore Voldemort's body to pieces and then went outside where the aurors and death eaters were still fighting. They told me I attacked anything in sight. By the time I was done, a lot of people on both sides were dead."

As much as he wanted to know who 'they' were and who in the wizarding world was still alive, Draco didn't ask. He knew his father must have been in the midst of the fighting and he didn't want to know if his mate was responsible for his death.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered. "I didn't think it would happen so fast. And you hadn't done anything to deserve it. The next time I feel it starting, I'll go somewhere for awhile--"

"No."

Instincts and emotions clashed within Draco. He wanted to touch Harry, but at the same time he wanted to hide under the blankets and never see him again. After a few seconds his veela blood won out and he touched Harry's hand.

"No, you'll stay with me." Draco's voice hitched but he forced himself to continue. "I felt it when you started to change, but I didn't know what it meant. Now I do."

"What do you mean 'you felt it'?" The familiar suspicious tone colored Harry's voice and he stared hard at his veela. "Did you somehow start it?"

"No, but you're my mate. I felt you getting angry. And then when I...when I got desperate, I was able to change your anger. You still weren't yourself, but it wouldn't have hurt if you hadn't already..." Draco broke off and closed his eyes.

Harry didn't answer. He sat still and stared out the window at the birds flying by. The air in the room felt still and lifeless and he wished once again that he'd never been chosen to fight the dark lord. His entire life lay sacrificed to that one goal and even brutally attacking the world that condemned him to that fate wouldn't change the outcome. He could change the world, make it better, but he could not make himself better. Even Draco's manipulation couldn't make it better, really. His veela could only turn his anger to lust. But that was still an improvement, no matter how slim.

"All right," he said. "I'll try." He considered that he had just given his Malfoy permission to manipulate him, but in this case it seemed like the only thing he could do.

Turning slightly, he bent and pressed a kiss to Draco's forehead. "Rest. I'll bring you something to eat later."

Draco nodded once and didn't open his eyes, listening to Harry's footsteps on the stone floor to his desk and then the sound of a quill scratching paper. A small piece of the dark lord trapped inside the Boy Who Lived certainly explained some of his behavior. Not the burning anger against the world certainly, although Draco thought he could understand why Harry hated the wizarding world. Even without Voldemort's lingering influence, the world had practically turned Harry's enmity on itself.

The only question Draco thought worth asking was whether he would survive that enmity. Vicious though Harry had been, this pain and violation paled in comparison to the endless crucio spells Voldemort had cast on him, with only his resilient veela nature to keep him from going mad. Sometimes he wondered if escaping into madness would have been a mercy, and sometimes he wondered if he hadn't escaped into madness already and found it a hell instead. Or maybe the magic in the world had gone mad and now they all had to weather the senselessness of the aftermath of war as best they could. He opened his eyes and watched Harry scribble notes, his quill in his hand shaking, and the thought struck him that he didn't know if Harry would survive that anger, either.

End