
Potions Class Shenannigans, Chases and Christmastide Horror
Students knew better than to make undue noise or mischief under the hawk-like gaze of their Potions Master, they had all learned quickly enough as first years. They shuffled in, their voices dropping from the louder volume they used in the halls and Snape watched as they often laughed or jostled one another with their shoulders as they walked to their seats.
Today, Granger and Weasley entered together breaking their faces apart from an obvious snog and their arms around each-others waists. Harry trailed along behind them, reading from a Charms book... which was not a school assigned book. She must have grown bored with her friends constant pawing at each other, waiting for their 'honeymoon' phase to wear off and begun reading on her subjects more.
They all hoped for that frankly.
Ron hurried toward particular seat and Hermione rolled her eyes as the ginger placed the two firmly in front of Draco Malfoy, who didn't even bother to acknowledge that the first two thirds of the trio existed. He'd been keeping tabs on Harry with his eyes as he talked to Nott. Harry glanced up once she'd reached the edge of the table her friends had selected to take her seat and Severus had expected her to shoot some comment at the blonde when the teens eyes met.
Draco smirked slightly.
Her cheeks turned pink and she quickly sat down by Hermione.
Somehow the curious interaction was unnoticed by the pairs friends, though if any had they'd likely chalk it up to residual beef over the Quidditch game as opposed to embarrassment. Or... he assumed it was from embarrassment...
It was a day for strange behavior.
He'd given them their assignment, a nutrient potion - a staple in any survival kit for every witch or wizard setting off on an adventure and every mediwitches cabinet. Not long after was when Potter had fumbled her book, looking wide-eyed and biting her lip harshly as she scooped it up - a bright red blush on her face. She dropped the ingredient she'd tried hand to Hermione - thankfully nowhere near the cauldron, knocked the stirring stick to the ground and at that point her curly haired friend 'benched' her.
"It's just a clumsy day, mate." Ron remarked casually and Harry had nodded with a nervous smile, same bright blush, as her friends focused on the cauldron and coursework. At seemingly random intervals she squirmed in her seat, glancing around the room - even behind her at Draco's desk with Nott and Blaise.
When Hermione asked her to check the directions in the book, Harry nearly fell forward when she'd gone to retrieve the book - grabbing the table to stop herself from falling out of her seat entirely.
From where he was now he could see that she wasn't looking around the room, she was pointedly not looking at McLaggen who was across the aisle and behind her in the last row. Her eyes trailed over everyone else, lingering on Draco - who was glaring at the other boy - and blushing more.
Severus resisted groaning as he realized what was going on from the feral grin on the blonde Gryffindor's face, his hands under the desk and out of view to the other occupants in the room, his eyes trained on Harry's fidgeting form.
Had he flunked the class last year in an effort to do such? How many times had he not noticed such obvious behavior under his nose? He grew uncomfortable thinking of how 'clumsy' Harry had been in his class previously. She was flawless during their private sessions.
Longbottom and Finnigan were arguing next to Cormac and took no notice of their friend.
Draco had taken notice.
Harry had noticed that Draco had noticed.
If McLaggen noticed any of that was unclear.
He was likely using the 'tickle' charm that allowed one to touch another at a distance. Its childish name felt dirty now. Severus had never thought to use the spell in such a way.
It wasn't hard to guess where McLaggen was 'touching' Harry, as she bit her lip and seemingly pressed into her seat with her hands gripping its edge with her thighs clenched together. She was doing her best to keep still and quiet, her eyes open and appear normal.
Harry looked anything but.
If her classmates weren't busy with their work, her state would have been easily noted by all present and not just Draco.
And Severus.
He wondered why he kept paying attention when Potter was acting oddly, it never ended with knowledge he wanted to have. He'd had some suspicion about her and her classmate, lingering glances and the boy following after her from the Great Hall after a few seconds. With the twins, she'd jostle between them as she stood - bumping into their shoulders lightly - and they'd stand up and offer to walk with Harry. Severus never followed after as it was likely much the same to what he'd already seen, he didn't know if he could see any more without giving into his impulse to blind himself.
With that in mind, he pointedly ignored the trio - two territorial blondes and a squirming girl. He decidedly knew too much as he watched Harry dart out the door at the end of class seemingly to lunch but with McLaggen following very quickly after and Draco who tried to look as if he wasn't speedily chasing after the pair. Harry had looked nervous and aroused, McLaggen looked hungry and possessive, and Draco had looked cross but not surprised.
Severus pinched his nose as he unwillingly wondered if all Harry really did was study her subjects and fuck. He decided that was wholly unfair, he'd seen her eat and she appeared to bathe.
Grumbling to himself he admitted that he was simply unhappy and uncomfortable. Harry wasn't completely responsible for how she behaved and he had no right to judge her, or the adolescent boys who chased after her. He could recall feeling the enticing thrall once...
Severus should have expected some of the current situation, Lily's daughter had bloomed more attractively than her mother - bound to have boys hounding after her. While he was objectively aware of this; Harry was not the one he thought about late at night as he fisted himself to completion. Harry was more a part of a whispered promise to the dead afterwards to do better, be better... As he could no longer be such for the one he wanted as she was gone from this world.
He just wished he had seen less than he had.
--
Harry shivered, lightly whining, as McLaggen growled in annoyance at the Slytherin; moving his head from nipping and sucking Harry's neck to address the paler blonde. Draco had followed them out to onto the grounds, and been annoyed when the other boy had ignored him in favor of darting after Harry once she'd reached the edge of the forest. Once he'd caught up, he was not phased as Cormac had Harry pinned bone-crushingly to a tree - she seemed to have a high tolerance for, and enjoy, pain.
Not the sort Dumbledore visited on her.
They didn't slap her.
They'd never think to.
Even if Harry asked him to, it was far out his realm of comfort.
Draco doubted McLaggen, the most aggressive of Harry's 'playmates', would feel comfortable - even without knowing about the Headmaster.
The knowledge of such things haunted and gnawed at Draco.
"You're just jealous you didn't think of it first." McLaggen interupted Draco's thoughts, it had only been a couple seconds.
Draco resisted the urge to hex the smug look off the other boys face, "You can't be distracting her in class, McLaggen. School is important, even if it is the drivel Hogwarts teachs."
The other boy rolled his eyes in response and turned his attention back to what he'd caught, catching her lips in a near vicious kiss. She'd likely already communicated that she wasn't looking for sex without using words, more nervous head shakes and lip biting - perhaps anticipating anger or outright refusal to do anything else. The twins didn't seem the sort, McLaggen neither and not Draco - who lapped anxiously at whatever time he could get alone with Harry; but someone had likely reacted poorly when Harry had refused, instilling a bit of fear in her about saying 'no'.
Draco didn't like to think how poorly they'd reacted, to seemingly bring the Gryffindor to heel, though he did wonder who it was.
He'd never noticed Harry Potter date anyone.
Such news would have flown through the school.
Probably even be printed in the Prophet.
Admittedly; neither he, McLaggen or the twins were 'dating' Harry Potter so that didn't really matter.
Still, he wondered...
"I'm not kiddi-" Draco began but Cormac pulled back sharply with a snarl, leaving Harry panting for air.
"Fine. Make yourself useful and kiss her if you aren't going away." Harry whined lightly and the larger boy grinned down at her, taking her chin in his hand and running a thumb along her lower lip. Her eyes dark and needy, "You'd like that, wouldn't you, pet? To have us both play with you."
McLaggen was strangely possessive yet willing to share, so long as he had 'prime' real estate - which was arguably all of Harry. Cormac enjoyed watching Harry come undone most of all and wanted credit for the accomplishment, which was his smaller partner clinging to him as she cried and shook - all in pleasure and dazed amazement.
They all did...
Harry bit her lip and nodded, emitting an anxious whimper as she squirmed slightly between him and the tree.
McLaggen gave Draco a shit-eating grin as he dropped to his knees, gripping Harry's hips almost punishingly, "You don't want to disappoint her, do you, Malfoy?" Draco glanced at Harry, of course he didn't - she looked absolutely licentious with her hair mussed, blushing sweetly and her parted lips loosing gasping mewls after McLaggen had dove under her skirt. Harry bucked against the tree and slowly, nervously, held a hand out to Draco.
Somehow still terrified they'd reject her...
'Prat,' Draco thought at McLaggen, as he pulled Harry's lips to his - swallowing the beckoning sounds with a hungry abandon, her hands tentatively running along his chest and shoulders as McLaggen ravaged her core. While she liked things rough, she was always soft and shy - Draco adored her being vulnerable. It only made him want to protect her more, though he really couldn't.
Dumbledore could probably kill him with a glance and Harry... she may not need him but he couldn't not be there for her. He needed to be there for her, which was a selflessness he had never really felt before.
--
Sirius and Remus hugged Harry tightly after she bound into their arms, smiling brightly and wishing them a 'Happy Christmas'. Both men returned her words but their eyes were on their old schoolmate, who had a severe and pinched look on his face. They'd been left with their thumbs up their asses these last several months while Harry was away at school, unaware of what was really happening. Harry's letters were honest but they didn't tell the whole truth. Severus already was at the beck and call of two men, hardly having the time to send them owls while dealing with Harry on top of his teaching duties.
So, Severus filled them in...
The two Marauders shifted uncomfortably, Sirius palmed his face while Remus incredulously whispered, "Four?"
Severus nodded, "Mostly boys in her house. The Weasley Twins, Cormac McLaggen and, recently, Draco Malfoy seems to have been added." He did not care to comment how many times he'd caught the two in the dungeons after her tutoring sessions or had to shoo the horny blonde away from his office door - watching as Harry left the dungeons while Draco remained within. Or how many had possibly come before settling on her selections, "I believe 'playmates' was the term that Draco used, its what Harry sees them all as - I did not ask how he happened upon that bit of information." he held up his hand and shook his head, there was only so much intimate knowledge about Harry's life he could handle. And he'd never really thought about it but he was willing to bet that he'd wanted to handle absolutely no knowledge about her sex life, ever.
"And Dumbledore?" Sirius grit out, hardly caring that his goddaughter sought comfort anywhere she could find it. Consensual sex was not his concern...
He and Remus had been watching the muggle's residence and had seen the old wizard come and 'fetch' the bastard a handful of times - all, they were certain, to Harry's detriment. Both would return with smug and assured faces, Dumbledore usually staying for a drink and they'd chat about the most mundane shit - some florist, hotels, politics, tailors...
It had infuriated them both endlessly for months but they'd refused to give up their silent, self-assigned, quest. They had nothing else they could do but learn every pattern of behavior from the muggle; both having to restrain the other from simply killing the muggle out of angry boredom occasionally. Once; Sirius had reassured Remus that it would not please, only horrify, Harry to have the muggle's head presented to her on a platter - she didn't seem to have a stomach for violence and gore.
"The first day of school Draco found him slapping Harry, repeatedly. Her face was charmed to appear normal but... the girls face was so red it was almost turning purple. You know how easy it is to see through such charms. Its how I can tell when she's seen Dumbledore, her face is charmed but battered underneath. Harry has tutoring sessions with me and I've taught her how to make a balm to heal bruises, it heals any damage to the tissue - she uses it at least twice a week. One week her face was struck bright red for four days - around Halloween. It was why I taught her to brew the potion, the mediwitch is quite nosy. She'd been using healing spells but they are hardly effective, not the way something topical is.
"And, yes, I do mean what I said - it wasn't some vague guess. Every week, Dumbledore has some sort of violent interaction with Harry, at least twice - the odd week going to three and the one to four. And no one knows, no one has noticed or asked... the odd Slytherin only knows that the Headmaster seems to have a fondness for slapping the Gryffindor. Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini and a couple other upperclassmen - they are more than familiar with glancing through such pitiful charms and have a natural curiosity. And some are prefects. While they may suspect something darker, they would likely find the truth unfathomable. As for specifics, not that we really want to know anyway, I do not know what Dumbledore does to her." he sighed.
"The fatass disappeared, twice, right around Halloween - Dumbledore retrieving him." Remus commented and Severus twitched disgustedly at the information. "There were other times. They returned looking..."
"Satisfied." Sirius spat angrily.
"Explains the four times in one week occurrence. Anything else?"
"Not much. Gets up and leaves at the same time every day during the week, watches the telly most of the weekend. Unless his kid is there, then it's both of them on the weekend in front of television." Sirius grunted, raking his hand through his hair. "Puts the trash out on Sunday night, eats mostly take-out, wanders around in his underwear a lot...." he crinkled his nose, feeling he'd seen too much on this earth.
Severus sat upright and briefly recalled when he'd stopped by the house, it had just been Vernon he saw but he'd assumed the rest were elsewhere in the house or simply out at the time. "What do you mean 'unless his kid is there'?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.
"He gets dropped off by some woman he calls 'aunt Marge' every other weekend." Remus answered, shrugging.
The Potions Master was getting annoyed by their thickness, leaning across the table slightly, "What about the mans wife?" They hadn't mentioned anything about Petunia Dursely nee Evans whom he could recall from childhood - a bit of a nightmare, really. She matched well with her husband, he supposed darkly. Though he doubted that she'd allow such behavior under her roof, not knowingly... or perhaps that is what had caused the split - Petunia had always had a chip on her shoulder about Lily being a witch. Did she think the worst of her niece, that she'd seduced her Uncle? Or was it something else?
Lupin stiffened and Black lost the color in his face, clearly neither had noticed her absence or what it likely meant when a child was dropped off at one parents house by another family member.
Especially every other weekend.
Divorce.
"They were talking about hotels and a florist, Moony." Sirius said in quiet horror. He looked as though he may be sick.
Severus wasn't far behind, his guts twisting in revulsion.
'Fuckknuckles,' Severus thought, nauseated.
When his Lord had ordered for the contraception potion for Potter, a horrid thought had crossed his mind - Dumbledore wasn't trying to breed and wed the Potter girl was he? He decided it was not a genuine concern, the old man cared too much about his image in the Wizarding World to risk setting it on fire in such a way. The muggle had seemed like merely a handy ally in controlling the wixen's entire life.
Now he saw it.
The whole unsavory picture.
Dumbledore wasn't going to marry Potter himself.
Her uncle was going to.
As her legal guardian he could sign off on it at sixteen, even before she was a legal adult, choking off any hope of escape she had. If controlling Harry entirely wasn't enough motivation for the muggle, her wealth and title certainly would be. For Dumbledore it was keeping a strong opponent out of his political ring and from challenging him outright - on the grounds of being a shitty human being. Dumbledore was even certified to perform weddings, he'd done it numerous times - even wedding Harry's parents to each other.
How had Vernon Dursley won custody of Harry? He wasn't the biological relation and it seemed strange. Likely heavy interference with the minds of muggles in the legal system.
It also meant that the blood wards were bullshit.
She had, literally, no reason to return to the residence time and again.
They'd overlooked so fucking much and Harry had paid for it.
"Fucking filth." Lupin hissed and Severus recoiled noticeably, there was nothing visibly different in the other wizard, but Snape swore he could see the wolf within gnashing its jaws angrily - baying for blood - in his eyes. The heavy panting from the tawny-haired wizard did not help.
"Go." Black told the Potioneer, laying a hand on his friends shoulder in an effort to calm the other down, "Tell him to get a fucking move on." his tone wasn't malicious, which was strange for Severus still.
"Yesterday." Lupin added in a blood chilling tone, looking barely containable.
It was clear the werewolf was going to rip out someones throat, it could either be the muggles or Severus's if he didn't fucking get a move on.