Author: Lady B
Pairing(s): Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape/Remus Lupin, other pairings to follow
Genre: AU Fantasy
Rating for this chapter: PG13
Warnings: M/M relationship, character death, OOC, descriptive sexual acts between persons of the same sex
Challenge: 50harlequins prompt #45: Running from an arranged marriage and falling for a stranger who turns out to be the groom.
Summary: Space...the final frontier...In the year 4437 A.E. (After Earth) Prince Draco Abraxas Lucien Malfoy of the planet kingdom Slytherin is being forced to marry the enigmatic Prince of the neighboring planet kingdom Gryffindor. He hates the fact that he has to marry someone he's never met and runs away. His father, King Lucius, sends one of the best Retrievers in the galaxy after his wayward son, to be delivered to the Prince of Gryffindor personally.

Harry Potter was the best star pilot to ever come out of Hogwarts Academy. Known to his friends and crew as Captain Evans, he was also one of His Majesty's Retrievers, a band of men and women who searched the galaxies for the lost or stolen, whether they be people or objects. The Queen sends him on a mission requested by King Malfoy of Slytherin: find and retrieve his son to be delivered to the Prince of Gryffindor for a marriage ceremony.

Once he crosses paths with the Ice Prince of Slytherin, he does all he can to melt his heart of ice, and to make Draco his very own at personal cost to himself and the kingdom he serves.

Of course, things don't always go according to plan (-cue Darth Vader's Imperial March-)...

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plots from the Harry Potterverse belong to JK Rowling and various publishing companies and movie studios. I am not making any money from this. I am simply doing this for the fun of it. Any plot devices and original characters belong to me alone and are simply a figment of my imagination.
Author's Note: There be spanking ahead!

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Chapter 2

"Hey, Cap?" came Ron's voice over the comm.

"What's up, Ron?"

"Message just coming in from Home Base. Priority Level Alpha."

"Patch it through down here."

"You got it, boss!"

"I told you to stop calling me that!" he groaned.

"Sorry, Cap." Ron smirked, not sorry at all. "Patching through now."

The man on the single bed in the room quickly sat up when his commanding officer appeared on his communication screen. The man's chocolate eyes stared at him.

"Commander Shacklebolt, Sir." he nodded.

"Captain Evans. We have a very important mission for you. Slightly bordering on dangerous. Think you and your team can handle it?"

"We live for the danger, sir."

"Good. Prince Malfoy has left Slytherin in his ship and Lord Voldemort's forces are on his tail as we speak."

"Fuck!" Harry groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "The Prince is going to be pissed when he hears his fiance took off."

"Exactly. Go after him, bring him home safely."

"Last known coordinates?"

"Somewhere in Delta Quad, just beyond the Mythosian* Nebula."

Harry did some quick calculations in his head. "Hmm...would take us two days in any other ship. Hedwig can make it in two hours."

"I knew I could count on you, Captain Evans. Good luck!" And with that, Kingsley signed off. Just as quickly, Harry patched into a secure line and waited. A moment later, his screen lit up and a woman with bright green eyes and red hair was staring back at him. She smiled brightly upon seeing him.

"Harry!" Lily exclaimed.

"Hi, mum." Harry grinned.

"Uh-oh."

"What?"

"You've got that look on your face – the one that's about to tell me you're off to do something dangerous. Spill it."

"Rescue mission. Seems Prince Draco didn't like the idea of marrying our Prince and took off. Voldemort's forces are after him."

"Oh my. This is serious indeed. Please be careful?"

"I'll do my best. Is Dad available?"

"He's in a meeting with Dumbledore and Minerva. Want me to give him a message?"

"Just let him know that the Prince is getting a very spirited mate."

"All right. Please be careful, Harry. I want nothing to happen to either one of you."

"It'll be fine, mum. It's Voldemort who should worry. He's about to lose a third of his armada."

"You silly men and your toys." she grinned. She blew him a kiss before signing out. Harry grabbed his leather jacket from the bed and left his room.

He got out of the lift on the bridge and his crew immediately snapped to attention.

"Okay, guys and gals – we have a Code One situation." he announced. "It seems that the Ice Prince has flown the coop and is at this moment being followed or attacked by Voldemort and his merry band of Stooges."

Everyone chuckled.

"Was it because of that betrothal thing?" Hermione, his science officer, asked.

"Apparently." Harry nodded.

"What. An. Idiot." she sighed, causing the others in the room to laugh.

"Focus, please." Harry stated. All eyes turned back to him. "Hedwig?"

Yes, Captain!

"I need a map of the area around the Mythosian Nebula, if you please."

Scanning...

The lights in the room dimmed and a holographic projection of a star system appeared in the middle of the room. Harry pointed to the Southeastern Quadrant.

"This is where he would most likely be if he programmed his computer correctly. Everyone knows there's nothing else in the other Quads except gaseous clouds and asteroids. It will take us two hours to get there with the sonic adapter. We do this by the numbers with minimal damage to the Prince's ship and anyone on board. As for Voldemort..." Harry simply shrugged. There was silence as the others accepted his orders. He looked at his copilot.

"Blaise...are the core batteries one hundred percent charged?"

"Just charged them last night." Blaise nodded.

"Good. Start laying in our course. Colin, keep an eye on the radar for enemy fighters."

"We're going cloaked, right?" Ginny, his tail gunner, asked.

"Yes. Surprise them last minute and all. Fred, George – check all weapons, make sure every thing's loaded to full capacity in case we need to board."

"Sir, yes, sir!" the twins saluted. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He never could get those two to stop double saluting him, even when they were in school.

"What shall I do, Captain?" came the soft voice of the ship's healer, Luna – her husband, Neville, their chef, at her side.

"Check your medical kits. We may need them." She nodded.

"I'll just go make up some dinner then. How many are we expecting?" Neville wondered.

"From what I gather, it's only the Prince and his personal bodyguard." Harry replied. More than one set of eyes widened in surprise.

"Bloody buggering hell!" Ron gaped as the implications of that fact sunk into his brain.

"Yes, that does increase the danger a slight bit." Harry nodded.

"Why should we be so concerned about that?" Hermione asked. She had joined his team midway through their fifth year of schooling.

"This bodyguard, from what little I know, is a descendant of a rare race of Weres that were thought to be extinct over three thousand years ago." Hermione's eyes widened.

"The full moon was last night. He'll be somewhat weak."

"Exactly." Harry nodded. "We've got a job to do. Let's get a move on." He clapped his hands and everyone started to move.

- - -

The annoying voice came over the comm for the third time.

Unidentified ship...shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded. Any resistance will be met with swift retribution. Do you copy?

"Can't this piece of shit get us out of here?" Draco demanded, furiously punching buttons on the console.

"Draco...they caught us in a magnetic beam! We're not getting out of this one! Shut it down before you pull the ship apart!" Remus told him.

"Some bodyguard you turned out to be!" Draco scowled.

"If our lives weren't in so much danger right now, I'd take you over my knee! I'm doing the best I can to keep you alive until help arrives so don't go getting mad at me!" Remus shouted, just as the ship gave a violent lurch.

"What are we going to do Remus?" Draco asked, panicked.

"Keep calm. That's what we're going to do. I'm positive your father has sent someone after us so all we need to do is not panic."

"Right. No panicking. Got it." Draco breathed. The ship lurched again and then there was an eerie silence. "What was that? What's going on?"

"Sounds like the outer hatch has been breached." Remus whispered, drawing his blaster from his holster. He looked at Draco. "Now would be a good time to put all that damn training to use!"

"Oh! Right!" Draco drew his laser sword and ignited it, just as the outer door blasted open. Nothing happened for a few moments as smoke cloaked the room. Voldemort's forces stormed the cabin like a swarm of angry bees, blasters firing. Remus and Draco jumped in the middle of them, killing whomever got in there way.

"No you idiots! Our Lord wants them alive!" shouted a very familiar voice. All fighting ceased as an elderly, slightly short man entered through the damaged door.

"Fudge." Remus growled. Cornelius Fudge, Voldemort's lapdog, grinned. Beside him stood an even shorter, mousy-looking man. "Hello, Peter. Still kissing arse I see."

"Shut up, Lupin." Peter scowled. Fudge patted him on the head like he would a pet.

"Now, now, Peter. We must be kind to our guests. The Dark Lord wants them taken well care of, especially His Highness." Fudge crooned, pinning his beady eyes on Draco.

"You'll have to kill me first." Draco said in a hard tone. He had yet to relinquish his laser sword.

"Gentlemen, please lower your weapons if you will. No harm will come to you." Fudge sighed. With nearly twenty blasters pointed at them, there was no choice. Remus and Draco put down there weapons in surrender.

- - -

They were marched into the corridor just outside the docking bay and Draco could see over two dozen soldiers awaiting them there.

"Father is going to kill me." he moaned.

"I think your father is the least of your worries at the moment." Remus told him.

Just then, there was an explosion near the cargo hold and some of their guard went flying across the room. In the confusion, Remus grabbed Draco and pulled him to safety behind some large crates. They listened as blaster fire echoed around the room and the cries of pain as they found their targets. Then it became breathlessly quiet and they could hear voices somewhere on the other side of the room.

"Do you think it's safe to move?" Draco whispered.

"I don't know. Depends on who's out there." Remus replied.

"Well why don't you take a look?"

"You look."

"You're the bodyguard. You go look."

"I'm not getting my head blown off for you."

"I repeat my earlier observation...some bodyguard you turned out to be."

"He's kept you alive this long. I don't know why you're mad at him." came a deep voice from behind them. They both turned to see a dark haired, green eyed man standing there. He was wearing a black leather jacket and pants, underneath which they could see a white shirt. There were two blasters on his belt around his waist and a third in his hand. Behind him, he could see four red-heads who looked to be related and a dark skinned man. All were carrying weapons.

"Who the hell are you?" Draco demanded, getting to his feet.

"Draco." Remus warned.

"My apologies, Your Highness. Captain Harry Evans, head of The Retrievers, at your service." Harry bowed.

"Captain? Of this motley-looking bunch?" Draco scoffed. "Retrievers my arse." Draco crossed his arms.

"Oi!" one of the red-heads scowled. "Don't you be talkin to the Cap like that. After all the trouble we went through to rescue your blue-blooded arse! Ungrateful sod."

"Down, Ronald." the only female in the bunch sighed.

"You going to let him talk to me like that?" Draco asked the man standing before him.

"You are being ungrateful." Harry chided. Draco threw up his hands.

"I'm surrounded by idiots."

"Well, this bunch of 'idiots' would like to leave before Voldemort sends backup. Shall we?" Harry asked, sweeping his arm behind him. Huffing, Draco swept passed them. Remus looked at Harry.

"Is the Prince sure he wants that one?"

"Yup." Harry nodded. "You're looking good, Remy."

"You as well. Shall we?"

"His Royal Pain awaits." Harry chuckled.

- - -

A few days later, Ron stormed into the meeting room, throwing his jacket in anger.

"Do something with that git, Harry, before I'm forced to chuck him out of the airlock!"

"What now?" Harry sighed.

"He yelled at me for accidentally bumping into him. Called me all sorts of horrid names. I can't take anymore!"

This was one of the many complaints he'd gotten from his crew since the Prince of Slytherin had come on board. Just yesterday, he'd gotten Neville so flustered, he accidentally burned their dinner and was forced to make sandwiches for everyone to eat.

"I'll go talk to him." Harry sighed, getting to his feet.

- - -

Draco was in the room he was given, throwing things about. Harry ducked as a glass vase shattered against the wall beside his head.

"That was an heirloom." he stated. Draco whirled around, furious.

"I demand that you take me to L'gnorie!"

"And for the hundredth time, I won't. I've told you it takes a week for our solar batteries to charge full after quick jumps through space."

"So we're just floating about, waiting for Voldemort to find us again?"

"We're very heavily cloaked, Your Highness. You're perfectly safe. Now I would appreciate it if you'd refrain from maligning my crew." Draco surprised him when he got into his face and began jabbing him in the chest with one long elegant finger.

"I am in authority here and you will do what I say when I say it!" Draco scowled.

"I think not. You see, this ship and everyone on it report to one person and one person only – me. So I suggest you calm down and play nice because it's a long ride home." Harry said. Draco started poking him again.

"You are not my bloody keeper. You will take me to L'gnorie and you will do it now!"

"Or what? Gonna throw a temper tantrum like the spoiled little sod you are?" Harry growled, his own temper coming to the surface.

"My father will certainly hear about this!"

"Aww...the whittle baby gonna tell on me to daddy!" Harry grinned, taking great pleasure in watching those gray eyes darken with rage.

"You...you...Argh!" Draco launched himself at Harry, wrapping his fingers around his throat. Harry, caught off guard, stumbled back, his head cracking against the door and momentarily stunning him. Then he got angry and fought back, tackling Draco around his waist and shoving him onto the bed. Draco screeched like a girl and began hitting him on his back. Harry, with little effort, flipped the blond over his knee and landed two sharp cracks to his 'blue-blooded arse'.

Draco froze in shock when the first blow landed. His struggles renewed when the second blow found it's mark. By the seventh blow, there were tears streaming down his cheeks and he was pleading for the torture to end. And still it went on. He lost count after about thirty.

Finally Harry relented and shoved the distraught man to the floor.

"Have I gotten my point across...Your Highness?" Harry arched an eyebrow at the man. Draco sniffed delicately and wiped his eyes. He nodded. "Good. I expect you to behave from now on because I have no qualms about doing it again. Understood?"

Draco nodded again. Harry seemed satisfied and left the room.

When Draco joined the crew for dinner later that evening, he didn't meet anyone's eyes and when he went to sit down, he winced – a fact that did not go unnoticed by Remus and Harry. Remus looked at Harry, a question in his eyes. Harry simply arched an eyebrow and Remus had to repress his laughter as hard as he could. The trip home was bound to be interesting.


* pronounced Me-Tho-Sea-Ann

TBC...