jadedbade (jadedbade) wrote in lupin_snape, @ 2008-09-01 18:55:00 |
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Current mood: | blah |
Entry tags: | prompt: fantasy fest 08 |
Fantasy Fest Prompt: #24
Title: Because It Is My Heart (2/?)
Author: JadedBade
Rating: Um…I’ll just make it PG-13 until further notice
Characters: Severus/Remus, Draco—eventual threesome
Word Count: (this part) 3,066
Disclamer: The characters are JKR’s—I’m just playing with them.
Summery/Prompt: Long prompt #24—R is the leader of a werewolf pack (living like humans, please!), S brews Wolfsbane for them (other medical work/brewing a plus). New arrival of a feral werewolf, turns out to be Draco - R and S must rehabilitate him. Any rating OK.
A/N: This has not been beta’d. This is a postwar fic and is AU after book five. Severus never had to kill Dumbledore and neither Severus nor Remus dies in the war, obviously. Remus never hooked up with Tonks either. This part is a bit shorter than the last but I wanted to get something out for you guys!
Part One
Severus busied himself in the kitchen putting together a very simple meal for Draco. Remus had been able to carry Draco across the yard and into the house without much trouble--
Draco was weak from starvation and had already put up as much fight as he was physically able. Remus had taken Draco directly to the washroom saying that they would all be more comfortable after Draco had had a bath and suggested that Severus fix them all some breakfast.
Severus had wanted to remain with Draco, but Remus pointed out that at this point, it would be better for Remus to cement himself as Draco’s new alpha. Severus had tried to argue, but Remus had given him that look and Severus had conceded. Severus now stood at the kitchen counter making plain toast and a watery chicken broth for Draco and a large omelet for himself and Remus to share.
As he sliced mushrooms, diced onion, and minced garlic and basil for the omelet, Severus thought back to those months before the final battle. Lucius had forced Draco to take the mark near the end of the summer before the boy’s sixth year. Severus had been present at the marking, but the Dark Lord had taken Draco aside to give him his first assignment in private.
It was only later that Severus learned of the task Draco had been set; to kill Albus Dumbledore. It was an impossible assignment but Draco made a few half-hearted attempts which resulted in the injury of two unfortunate students. Later, Draco confessed to him that he’d only taken the mark to gain his father’s approval and that the “attempts” he’d made on the Headmaster’s life had only been to buy him time once he’d realized his mistake. In the end, Draco had gone to Dumbledore and asked for protection.
Dumbledore sent Draco directly to Severus knowing that he would best understand the boy’s predicament. And Severus did understand, all too well.
Severus added the vegetables to the eggs cooking in the pan. He rested a hip against the counter and crossed his arms as he waited for the egg to finish cooking. Though Severus had known Draco as a child and had even babysat the boy several times, they had never been close. Lucius’ maleficence had hovered over any interaction he’d had with the boy and Severus knew his place: he was to teach the boy and that was all.
Nonetheless, throughout Draco’s schooling Severus had watched over him. The boy had always been far too eager for his father’s approval, putting on airs and picking fights in the hopes of gaining his father’s attention. Unfortunately, Lucius had not appreciated his son’s efforts; Draco often came back from holiday with bruises from cane and fist alike. And yet Draco still persisted, until the night his father forced him to receive the mark. Draco had wanted to obey his father but boy had been scared, terrified really. He was smart enough to know that he had no stomach for killing or torture—but not smart enough to realize that Lucius cared more for his pride that he did for his son.
****************************************
Remus entered the bathroom, still holding Draco, and leaned back against the closed door. Draco had attached himself to Remus like a limpet, his legs wrapped securely around Remus’s middle, his arms wrapped around Remus’s neck. Despite Draco’s size, he reminded Remus of a small child, frightened and grasping at the only thing that seemed stable. But Draco was no child. This was a man, damaged though he might be. Draco would be about nineteen by now. Remus stroked a hand over Draco’s long, matted hair and whispered,
“Alright, Draco. Let’s try and get you cleaned up.”
Though Remus had told Severus that he needed some time alone with Draco to fortify himself as Draco’s alpha, it wasn’t entirely true. It would help, of course, if Draco saw him in that light, but in truth Remus wanted to discover if the boy was truly feral. The things he’d seen so far weren’t promising: Draco’s extreme fear and the fact that Draco hadn’t seemed to recognize Severus at all—none of it boded well.
Remus pulled Draco’s arms away from his neck and Draco let go, slipping down into a crouch. That was another thing that worried Remus: that Draco squatted near the ground instead of standing. Remus watched as Draco looked around the bathroom. The bathtub was to the left of the door, the toilet next to the tub, and the sink and a wall of shelves and cabinets were to the right. Draco probably hadn’t been in such a small space in quite some time, but he didn’t seem to be panicking—rather, he was looking around curiously. Remus took the opportunity to fill the tub.
The tub was a large claw foot that Severus had brought with him from Hogwarts. After much needling, Severus had confessed that whenever he was stuck on a particularly difficult potion it always helped him to have a good long soak. Remus smiled as he put a hand under the running water to check the temperature. Severus was full of surprises; who would have guessed that the man indulged in bubble baths?
Turning the tap off when the bathtub was only about half full, Remus turned around to check on Draco. The young man was sitting now, hugging his knees to his chest. Though he still looked scared, he was no longer trembling with fear, for which Remus was thankful.
Leaning over Draco, Remus opened one of the cabinets that lined the right hand wall. He reached in past a multitude of smaller potion bottles to a rather large one at the back of the cabinet. It was a mild healing potion that Severus had developed to be used in bathwater—it helped immensely with aches and pains after the full moon and also helped heal minor cuts and bruising. It had a rather medicinal smell, but it suited its purpose.
Remus turned back to the tub, pouring a good amount of the potion into the bathwater. He bent down to swirl his hand through the water to mix it and then turned back towards Draco, who was eyeing the large brown bottle in his hand with suspicion.
“No worries; it’s just a healing potion.”
Remus watched Draco’s face for any sign that he’d understood, but Draco just turned his eyes away to stare at the sink. Remus sighed and returned the bottle to its cabinet.
“Ok, Draco. Can you stand up for me?” Nothing. Remus bent down to pull Draco up into a standing position, and while Draco didn’t fight it, he did seem more insecure, hunching over and wrapping his arms around his middle. It didn’t seem like Draco was willing to stand by himself so Remus kept a hold of his shoulders to keep him upright.
“Draco?” Remus bent over so he could look into Draco’s face but Draco wouldn’t meet his eyes. “You’re going to need to take your clothes off—we’re going to get you cleaned up. Do you understand?”
Draco didn’t give any outward response that he’d heard, so Remus gently pulled Draco’s crossed arms away from his chest and started to lift the long sleeved shirt. The shirt was ripped in places and might once have been dark green; now it was just a muddy brown. Though Draco seemed passive, he was trembling again and breathing heavily. Remus murmured to Draco that he would not harm him in any way, that he only wanted to get him washed up, but the assurances didn’t seem to help.
With a bit of prompting Draco raised his arms so that Remus could gently ease the shirt over Draco’s head and shoulders, finally pulling the long sleeves down his arms. As Draco’s body was revealed, Remus winced and had to consciously keep his expression blank lest Draco think his anger was directed toward him.
Draco had many scars, which Remus could empathize with. The boy had been without wolfsbane for the entirety of his time as a werewolf and the majority of the scars reflected that—claw and bite marks, some white against already pale skin, some pink, fresh from last month’s transformation. These marks Remus could understand. It was the other marks which enraged him.
Encircling Draco’s wrists and neck were bands of rough, scared skin, still raw in places. Someone had restrained Draco using a silver collar and cuffs. Remus had seen it before. Though silver was not instantly fatal to werewolves like some people imagined, every lycanthrope did carry the allergy—short term exposure would result in an itchy rash and faint nausea. Longer exposure would lead to nasty, burn-like blisters, in addition to gastrointestinal distress and migraine-like headaches, indicating silver poisoning. While the poisoning in and of itself was not fatal the symptoms, left untreated, would eventually lead to a painful, drawn out death.
In addition to the scars, Draco’s chest was littered with deep bruises—it looked as if Draco had been kicked in the stomach and chest repeatedly. Draco was skin and bones, his ribs easily seen and counted. Remus ran a hand gently down Draco’s right side, where the bruising was heaviest. Draco flinched back and Remus could feel that at least one of Draco’s ribs had been broken and only partially healed. Draco backed away until he ran into the wall of cabinets.
“It’s alright,” Remus reassured him. Draco just stared, eyes fixed to the ground, arms wrapped back around his middle. “Well then, let’s get those jeans off and get you in the tub.”
Remus kneeled in front of Draco and quickly undid the button and zip, unsurprised to find that Draco wore no pants underneath. He pulled the jeans down, prompting Draco to lift both feet, one after the other. Remus threw the jeans in a pile with the ratty shirt and cast a quick, wandless, banishing spell—those clothes were beyond saving. He turned back to Draco and motioned toward the bath.
“Come on then—in the tub.”
Remus was gratified to see that Draco made his way to the bathtub without further encouragement. Draco hitched one leg over the side, easing it down till his foot touched the water, and promptly let out a hoarse cry, pulling his foot away quickly and scuttling back to sit with his back to the corner, his hands holding the affronted appendage.
Remus quickly crouched in front of the other man.
“What’s wrong?”
There was no answer forth coming, so Remus gently pried Draco’s hands away from his foot to inspect it for damage. Remus sucked in a breath at what he saw. The bottom of Draco’s foot was heavily calloused, unsurprising considering the man’s lack of shoes, but the thick skin had cracked and bled, leaving Draco’s feet slightly swollen, infected, and likely very tender—the warm water of the bath must have felt scalding. Remus briefly considered casting a healing charm, but the wounds looked infected and Remus didn’t want to make the situation any worse. Though he dreaded Severus’s reaction to Draco’s numerous injuries, he really did need the other man’s expertise.
“I’m just going to call Severus in here to have a look at those feet, all right?”
Draco curled himself into a ball and pressed himself more securely into the corner. Remus sighed. There was nothing for it; those feet needed attention before he could get Draco into the bath.
Remus stood and opened the door, sticking his head out and calling down the hall,
“Severus? Could you come here for a moment?”
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Severus jerked at the sound of Remus’s voice, cursing as hot coffee spilled over his fingers. He’d finished cooking breakfast nearly ten minutes before and in an effort to distract himself he’d made another pot of coffee.
Sucking on the scalded digits, Severus strode across the kitchen and down the hall, stopping in front of the bathroom to see Remus’s disembodied head sticking out the door.
“The bottoms of Draco’s feet are infected—they pain him too much to set foot in the tub.”
Severus grimaced; he should have used a more thorough scan on the boy. Straightening up, Severus sneered,
“Do you intend to let me in long enough to remedy the situation?”
Severus saw Remus sigh—he could see guilt on his lover’s face, possessiveness, but also protectiveness, for both himself and Draco, Severus was certain. Remus was trying to protect him against the pain of seeing Draco in such a state, but Severus would have no more of it.
“I assure you, Remus, that I have no intention of losing my composure in front of Draco.”
“I know, Severus. I suppose you’d best come in, but…do try not to overreact.”
Severus gave a sharp nod and Remus pulled his head back, allowing Severus to enter. After slipping through the door, Severus closed it behind him and scanned the room for Draco, quickly spotting him directly to his right, in the corner of the room. Draco was naked and curled into a tight, quivering ball. Severus’s nostrils flares as he spied the rough patches of scar tissue ringing Draco’s neck and wrists, but that was the only outward betrayal of his anger. He knew what had caused such wounds, but that would wait; right now Draco’s feet needed tending.
Severus adopted his most detached, professional persona as he bent down to examine Draco’s feet. Remus quickly followed, sitting down next to Draco, in part to comfort, in part to restrain should Draco panic. Severus carefully eased Draco out of his curled-up position, straitening the boy’s legs so he could have access to the bottoms of the feet.
One look at the wounds and Severus knew they had not been caused by simply walking over rough terrain—Draco’s feet were calloused enough to be protected from all but the sharpest stones—rather, his feet were cracked from having walked long distances, unprotected, in the cold, dry weather they’d been having. Draco had been on the run, and it showed. Thankfully, the infection was a very recent development and though it left the feet tender and slightly swollen, it would be easily healed with a salve. But first, a charm was in order, to eradicate any foreign matter that might have worked its way into the wounds.
Severus slipped his wand from his sleeve, intent on casting a deep, wound-cleansing charm, but stopped when Draco jerked away and whimpered at the sight of the slim, ebony wand.
“Draco—I must cast a charm on your feet; they are infected. It will tingle, but it shouldn’t hurt.”
Severus watched as Remus slipped an arm around Draco’s shoulders and shushed him. Severus quickly cast the charm on both feet and stood before Draco could process what had happened. Rummaging in one of the potion-filled cabinets, Severus brought out a tub of thick, yellowish salve. Besides having healing properties, the salve was waterproof and would protect Draco’s feet in the bath. Fortunately Draco made no protest as Severus applied it, though he did grimace and burrow his head into Remus’s shoulder as the healing salve made contact with the deep fissures in his skin.
As Severus watched Draco seeking comfort in Remus’s arms, he felt a deep pang of jealousy. It worried him greatly that Draco didn’t seem to recognize him, though the fact that Draco could be in the presence of a non-lycanthrope without going into a wild panic was promising. Severus didn’t know much about feral werewolves, but he knew enough; if Draco was truly feral then the boy Severus had known was gone. Severus was confident, however, that this was not the case. Draco might be broken, perhaps, but he was not lost. To believe anything else was to invite madness.
Severus stood abruptly and turned away from the two men on the floor, quickly slipping his wand from his sleeve to cast a silent warming charm on the bathwater, which had surely gone cold by now. He hid his wand away before turning back to face Remus, who had stood and was currently stooping to pick Draco up. Severus grabbed Remus’s shoulder to stop him.
“Let me?”
Remus’s moment of indecision felt like an eternity, but the older werewolf finally nodded and stepped back to allow Severus to approach. Severus crouched down in front of Draco slowly, waiting for some sort of response. Draco sat staring at his feet, his fingers moving over the tile floor as if looking for a handhold. Though Draco seemed unconcerned about his nudity, he still seemed quite unsure of Severus—he would not look at Severus no matter how Severus bent to try to catch his gaze.
“Draco? It’s Severus Snape. Do you recognize me?”
It took several long moments but Draco eventually looked up from his feet and looked at Severus—looked at him, not through him or past him. He seemed to be examining Severus. Draco’s brow scrunched in thought as he continued to stare, pulling a matted strand of hair from behind his shoulder to play with. As abruptly as the observation had begun, it ended, and Draco moved his attention to the strand of hair, trying without much success to detangle it with slim fingers.
Severus chanced a look over his shoulder at Remus, who grimaced and shrugged. Fat lot of help that was. Severus sighed and faced Draco once again, extending a hand to the boy. Draco tensed as the hand approached him, but Severus did not grab him; he only waited. After nearly five minutes Severus’s disappointment and impatience had him nearly exploding with frustration, but then it happened—Draco reached out and placed his hand in Severus’s. The hand was trembling and Draco was twitching and flinching as if afraid of his own boldness, but he kept his hand where it was.
Severus’s face broke out into a seldom seen grin and he could hear Remus behind him letting out a relieved breath. Without waiting a moment longer, Severus gently picked Draco up, cradling him in his arms for a brief moment before taking him to the tub where he lowered him slowly. Draco tensed at the first touch of water but when no pain was forthcoming he relaxed and Severus released him into the water’s embrace.
A/N: Sorry about the wait for this...I was having trouble posting, but it should be alright now. By the way, would anyone like to beta this story? I think I'm going to post about every two weeks or so...mostly I just need someone to pick up all the silly little mistakes that I tend to miss. I'm fine with criticism and would like comments on structure/direction/POV/characters if you have them! Thanks for reading :)