HP Fic: Complications (Harry/Draco). 13 Smutty Nights series, part 8/13
Title: Complications
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 847
Warnings: none (technically) other than the cursing
Prompt: 13 Smutty Nights of Halloween fest at hd_seasons , prompt #8 (pumpkin patch; hiss)
Disclaimer: Done for fun, not profit. No copyright infringement intended. Characters belong to JKR.
Summary: Harry tries to reason with the snake, only to discover a small problem.
Author’s Notes: I swear to you, I did not intend to leave this one off this way. Hunt me down and lynch me if you’d like, but then you’d never find out exactly what’s happened. And there will be a payoff. SOON. *points to the name of the fest*
Harry's eyes went to Malfoy as soon as he saw the snake move around the base of the pumpkin Malfoy was perched upon. He tried to tell him that things would be okay with simply a look, but his partner only squeezed his eyes shut. A snake. Of all the things Selwyn could have used, a snake was probably the dumbest. Their captor's hand had gone lax and he had moved closer to Malfoy, probably to get a closer look when Malfoy died. Only he wasn't going to die. Harry would make sure of that.
He lowered his voice into a hiss to catch the snake's attention. The reptile wasn't nearly as large as Nagini had been, but she (or was it he?) was large enough. And really, all that mattered was the set of fangs. He called to the snake, commanding it to stop, and immediately knew something was wrong. His tongue felt clumsy.
The snake paused anyway, looking back at him, and its tongue flicked out as it spoke back. It was hard to understand, like English spoken in a dialect he had never heard before. He was just able to make it out: your accent is terrible. The snake regarded him with baleful eyes and turned back to Malfoy, who still had his eyes closed.
He tried again, hissing "wait!", but again, it felt wrong. He couldn't understand it.
Beside him, Selwyn laughed. "Oh, Potter. You have to be smarter than that. You got your gift as a result of housing the Dark Lord's Horcrux. With him gone, did you really think you'd still be a Parselmouth?"
Fuck, he thought. Selwyn had a point. But still. He hadn't forgotten everything. The snake obviously understood some of what he had said. He made one more attempt. "If you don't bite my partner, I'll make it worth your while. What do you want?"
The snake stopped advancing and wound its way around one of Malfoy's calves. "A meal," it said. Or at least, that's what Harry thought it said. "But I want one that struggles." The snaked had either said that, or "a warm rock to rest on after I eat your partner." It all sounded amazingly alike without Voldemort's ability residing somewhere within him.
Harry hoped he had heard correctly the first time. "My partner won't give you that. But I can find you something that will." He did not know exactly where he would get something large enough to please the creature, but if he had to buy a whole army's worth of kneazles and crups, he would do it. Logic was startlingly hard to use when he knew Malfoy was in danger. The man had saved his arse dozens of times already, and Harry wanted to keep the trend going.
The snake seemed to consider the proposition, but then continued to wind its way up into Malfoy's lap. It flicked a tongue against Malfoy's wrist, the wrist that still bore the faded Dark Mark, and Malfoy's eyes flew open. Selwyn laughed again and strode up to Malfoy, grasping his chin in large hands. "Well, Draco Malfoy, do you have anything to say? Final words?" He squeezed Malfoy's face, and Harry saw Malfoy flinch away from the touch.
"I have three things to say," Malfoy said after clearing his throat and looking surprised. "First, Potter, don't you dare blame yourself for this if you don't get to the snake or this bastard in time. Second... Selwyn, you can go fuck yourself. Third--"
Selwyn only sighed and squeezed Malfoy's face again, cutting off the flow of words. "You use your last words that way? Idiot boy. Then again, I don't know what I expected from the son of Lucius Malfoy. Always thought he was smarter than he really was. I suppose that's a family trait. No matter. Silence now, and then I'll release you after the snake's had his fun. I want Potter to hear every agonised sound you make." He made the hand gesture again and the snake continued to slither its way up, now wrapping itself around Malfoy's chest and flicking its tongue in Malfoy's ear.
Harry watched the Death Eater's rapt face and lazily raised wand-hand and quickly calculated how much time he might have to act before the man caught him and made him pay. It might just be enough time. Even if it wasn't, he had to try. Malfoy was depending on him. He tried not to think that Selwyn had been right--Malfoy could have at least used the opportunity to cast a spell or something.
Selwyn patted Malfoy's cheek again, but whatever spell he had used was back in place and Malfoy did not so much as twitch. Harry was up and in the process of lifting his own wand to shout an Incarcerous when he saw the snake move. It looked at him and smiled (in as much as snakes could smile) and struck almost too quickly to follow.
Harry was left standing agape, his wand forgotten in his hand. He had honestly not expected this to happen.
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 847
Warnings: none (technically) other than the cursing
Prompt: 13 Smutty Nights of Halloween fest at hd_seasons , prompt #8 (pumpkin patch; hiss)
Disclaimer: Done for fun, not profit. No copyright infringement intended. Characters belong to JKR.
Summary: Harry tries to reason with the snake, only to discover a small problem.
Author’s Notes: I swear to you, I did not intend to leave this one off this way. Hunt me down and lynch me if you’d like, but then you’d never find out exactly what’s happened. And there will be a payoff. SOON. *points to the name of the fest*
Harry's eyes went to Malfoy as soon as he saw the snake move around the base of the pumpkin Malfoy was perched upon. He tried to tell him that things would be okay with simply a look, but his partner only squeezed his eyes shut. A snake. Of all the things Selwyn could have used, a snake was probably the dumbest. Their captor's hand had gone lax and he had moved closer to Malfoy, probably to get a closer look when Malfoy died. Only he wasn't going to die. Harry would make sure of that.
He lowered his voice into a hiss to catch the snake's attention. The reptile wasn't nearly as large as Nagini had been, but she (or was it he?) was large enough. And really, all that mattered was the set of fangs. He called to the snake, commanding it to stop, and immediately knew something was wrong. His tongue felt clumsy.
The snake paused anyway, looking back at him, and its tongue flicked out as it spoke back. It was hard to understand, like English spoken in a dialect he had never heard before. He was just able to make it out: your accent is terrible. The snake regarded him with baleful eyes and turned back to Malfoy, who still had his eyes closed.
He tried again, hissing "wait!", but again, it felt wrong. He couldn't understand it.
Beside him, Selwyn laughed. "Oh, Potter. You have to be smarter than that. You got your gift as a result of housing the Dark Lord's Horcrux. With him gone, did you really think you'd still be a Parselmouth?"
Fuck, he thought. Selwyn had a point. But still. He hadn't forgotten everything. The snake obviously understood some of what he had said. He made one more attempt. "If you don't bite my partner, I'll make it worth your while. What do you want?"
The snake stopped advancing and wound its way around one of Malfoy's calves. "A meal," it said. Or at least, that's what Harry thought it said. "But I want one that struggles." The snaked had either said that, or "a warm rock to rest on after I eat your partner." It all sounded amazingly alike without Voldemort's ability residing somewhere within him.
Harry hoped he had heard correctly the first time. "My partner won't give you that. But I can find you something that will." He did not know exactly where he would get something large enough to please the creature, but if he had to buy a whole army's worth of kneazles and crups, he would do it. Logic was startlingly hard to use when he knew Malfoy was in danger. The man had saved his arse dozens of times already, and Harry wanted to keep the trend going.
The snake seemed to consider the proposition, but then continued to wind its way up into Malfoy's lap. It flicked a tongue against Malfoy's wrist, the wrist that still bore the faded Dark Mark, and Malfoy's eyes flew open. Selwyn laughed again and strode up to Malfoy, grasping his chin in large hands. "Well, Draco Malfoy, do you have anything to say? Final words?" He squeezed Malfoy's face, and Harry saw Malfoy flinch away from the touch.
"I have three things to say," Malfoy said after clearing his throat and looking surprised. "First, Potter, don't you dare blame yourself for this if you don't get to the snake or this bastard in time. Second... Selwyn, you can go fuck yourself. Third--"
Selwyn only sighed and squeezed Malfoy's face again, cutting off the flow of words. "You use your last words that way? Idiot boy. Then again, I don't know what I expected from the son of Lucius Malfoy. Always thought he was smarter than he really was. I suppose that's a family trait. No matter. Silence now, and then I'll release you after the snake's had his fun. I want Potter to hear every agonised sound you make." He made the hand gesture again and the snake continued to slither its way up, now wrapping itself around Malfoy's chest and flicking its tongue in Malfoy's ear.
Harry watched the Death Eater's rapt face and lazily raised wand-hand and quickly calculated how much time he might have to act before the man caught him and made him pay. It might just be enough time. Even if it wasn't, he had to try. Malfoy was depending on him. He tried not to think that Selwyn had been right--Malfoy could have at least used the opportunity to cast a spell or something.
Selwyn patted Malfoy's cheek again, but whatever spell he had used was back in place and Malfoy did not so much as twitch. Harry was up and in the process of lifting his own wand to shout an Incarcerous when he saw the snake move. It looked at him and smiled (in as much as snakes could smile) and struck almost too quickly to follow.
Harry was left standing agape, his wand forgotten in his hand. He had honestly not expected this to happen.