FIC: Stay 1/3
Title: Stay
Author: gypsyflame
Pairing: Sirius/Draco
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 23,589
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al. This was created for fun, not for profit.
Warnings/Kinks: Dubious consent; may be considered underage (Draco is 16)
Summary: War is coming, and Narcissa is scared for Draco. So she turns to the only person she can think of - Sirius Black.
Author's Notes: Written for hp_cross_fest. This fic takes place immediately following OotP. It’s AU in that Sirius didn’t die; otherwise, it’s compliant with OotP canon. Some lines are taken directly from HBP. Many thanks to my always-excellent beta, the_flic, without whom I would be completely lost at sea.
“Dumbledore wants what?” Remus said incredulously.
Sirius shrugged. “He wants me to go to Hogwarts to meet with Narcissa.”
“Why?”
“He didn’t say. Just that it’s ‘a matter of grave importance.’” Sirius tossed the letter onto the table with a contemptuous snort. “I can’t imagine anything that woman has to say to me being of grave importance. Between her, Kreacher, and Bellatrix, it’s a wonder I’m even sitting here right now.”
Sirius shuddered at the memory of how close he had come to falling through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries. If he hadn’t dodged Bellatrix’s curse at the last minute…
Remus picked up the letter and read through it, raising his eyebrows. “It sounds urgent.”
“Dumbledore makes everything sound urgent,” Sirius countered.
Remus just looked at him.
“Oh, don’t give me that look, Moony. I’m going to go. But there’s no law that says I have to be mature about it, is there?”
Although Remus shook his head reprovingly, he couldn’t quite hide the amused quirk of his lips. Some things never changed.
***
Sirius had never seen Narcissa look so unwell. Granted, it had been a decade and a half since he had seen her at all, but he was sure his refined cousin had never gone out in public so disheveled - practically unkempt. She was sitting in a chair in front of Dumbledore’s desk, her face pale and drawn, and she seemed extremely anxious. On the edge of tears, even.
Probably worried about her precious husband in Azkaban, Sirius thought with vicious satisfaction. And good riddance.
“Ah, Sirius,” Dumbledore said. “Come in, my boy, come in. Have a seat.”
“Albus,” Sirius said amiably. Then, much more coldly, “Narcissa.”
“Sirius.”
He sat in the chair next to hers; they were angled in such a way that they were facing each other more than they were facing Dumbledore. Sirius’ sense of foreboding grew. “What’s all this about?” he asked.
Dumbledore nodded to Narcissa. “Mrs. Malfoy, could you please tell Sirius what you told me yesterday?”
She nodded and took a deep breath, drawing herself up a little. “The Dark Lord has commanded an audience with my son.”
“Congratulations,” Sirius said, disgusted.
“Don’t you dare, Sirius Black,” Narcissa snapped, her voice thick with surprising anger. “Don’t you dare. If you think I’m willing to send my only son to his death…” She took another deep breath, shakier this time.
Sirius frowned in confusion. “You don’t want Draco to be a Death Eater? It’s a grand old family tradition, after all.”
“Times have changed,” said Narcissa. “The Dark Lord is not what he once was, and Draco wouldn’t be safe with him. But my son does not see that. What happened to his father… Draco is distraught, he’s not thinking clearly, and he has thoughts only for vengeance.” She looked down at her tightly-clasped hands. “The Dark Lord has promised him that opportunity, but it’s a lie. He wants to punish Lucius, make an example of him, and he’s going to use my son to do it. I can’t let that happen.”
“So leave. Take the boy and get out of the country. Slytherins have always been good at running away.”
Her head jerked back up, eyes flashing angrily. “Do you think I haven’t considered that? I would have left the instant the Dark Lord returned if I’d had a choice!”
“What’s stopping you?”
“Lucius has already promised Draco to the Dark Lord’s service. He swore an oath that I have neither the power nor the authority to break. I can’t keep Draco away from the Dark Lord myself, especially not when he wants to go.”
Sirius glanced at Dumbledore, but the old man’s face wasn’t giving anything away. “You want the Order of the Phoenix to hide him?”
The idea had merit. Anything that kept Voldemort from gaining more dedicated soldiers was fine by Sirius.
“That wouldn’t help,” Narcissa said. “The oath was sealed with blood. As long as Lucius has authority over Draco, the oath must be fulfilled or it will exact penance. And with the Dark Lord’s power behind it… I’m not sure it would even be possible to keep Draco hidden from him.”
“Then what exactly do you want, Narcissa?” Sirius said in exasperation.
“Draco has not yet come of age. If he were to marry now, it would transfer Lucius’ ownership of him to his spouse. The oath would be broken, and the spouse could forbid Draco from becoming a Death Eater. He would have to obey - at least until he turns seventeen.”
“But you’d still need Lucius’ consent to the marriage.”
Narcissa looked him square in the eye. “Not if the spouse were related to me by blood.”
It took Sirius a second to get her meaning, but when he did, he leapt out of his chair. “No.”
“Sirius -” Dumbledore began.
“No! For Merlin’s sake, I am not going to marry my own cousin! My own cousin, who is sixteen fucking years old and a Slytherin to boot. Who’s my godson’s mortal enemy and wants to be a Death Eater. Who I’ve never even fucking met! No!”
“Sirius, please,” Narcissa begged, her voice uncharacteristically desperate. “Please. You’re my only hope.”
“I can’t believe you would ask me to do this,” Sirius said to Dumbledore. “After everything I’ve -”
Dumbledore’s face was as solemn as Sirius had ever seen it. “Draco is still an innocent. He has yet to commit any serious wrongs, but how long will that last once he’s under Voldemort’s control? I appreciate the sacrifices you’ve made, Sirius, but I would not rest easy if I knew I hadn’t done everything in my power to protect one of my students.”
Sirius stood stock still, shaking his head in disbelief and denial. He felt ambushed, betrayed.
“What do you want?” Narcissa asked. “Name your price; there is nothing I wouldn’t give to protect him -”
“I don’t want anything from you! Merlin.”
“Sirius,” she said quietly. “We were close once, you and I. Hate me if you must, but don’t punish my son for our falling out. He’s my only son, Sirius. My only child.”
Her obvious desperation and silent tears tugged at Sirius’ heart despite all his resistance. They had been close as children, before her family and Lucius poisoned her mind. And Draco, no matter how unpleasant, was innocent. For now.
“Narcissa…I can’t. We can find another way, but I can’t…”
Narcissa lifted her chin and squared her shoulders, her face hardening. “Then I invoke the Right of Asylum Generis.”
Even Dumbledore’s eyes widened. Sirius stared at her for a second before sinking back into his chair. “You bitch.”
“I didn’t want to do it this way, but you’ve given me no choice.”
Under the Right of Asylum Generis, Sirius was compelled to either comply with his blood kin’s honest plea for protection or pay a great blood price. However bad marrying Draco might be, it wouldn’t be worse than what Asylum Generis would do to him if he didn’t.
“Fine,” Sirius said dully. “Fine, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you,” Narcissa had the gall to say. Sirius shook his head in disgust.
“Mrs. Malfoy,” said Dumbledore, “when Voldemort discovers what we’ve done, Draco won’t be the only one in danger.”
“I know. There’s a safehouse I have on the Continent that not even Lucius knows about. Once I’m assured of Draco’s safety, I’ll leave the country.” Her eyes held an unfathomable sadness. “I can’t imagine that he’ll want to speak to me for quite some time.”
“Very well. We’ll reconvene here tomorrow; I’ll perform the ceremony myself.” Dumbledore looked grim. “The fewer outside parties who know of our intentions, the better.”
***
“Do you think this is a good time to be getting drunk?”
Sirius looked up at Remus from the library sofa, his vision already a little blurred from the bottle of Macallan he was well into. “Well, if you look at it a certain way, this may as well be my bachelor party.” He laughed bitterly and toasted Remus with his glass. “Cheers.”
Remus looked concerned, but he didn’t try to stop Sirius. He settled into an armchair and they sat in silence for a few moments.
“Harry is going to be furious,” Remus finally said.
Sirius’ stomach clenched. Harry was due to join them at Grimmauld Place in a couple of weeks for the rest of the summer, and “furious” was an enormous understatement. Given recent events, Sirius didn’t know if he was going to be able to keep Harry and Draco from killing each other.
“What the hell else was I supposed to do?” Sirius demanded. “Fucking Asylum Generis…and you know that even if she hadn’t invoked that, Dumbledore would have eventually guilted me into it anyway.” He took a deep drink. “And the worst part is that he would have been right. From everything I’ve heard, Draco’s a nasty piece of work, but he’s just a kid. If I had a chance to keep him out of Voldemort’s clutches and I didn’t, and he ended up dying - or killing someone -”
“I think you did the right thing.”
Sirius made a face.
“You did. Sometimes there isn’t a good choice and a bad choice, only a bad choice and a worse one. You’re saving his life.”
“He doesn’t want to be saved. He’s going to be even more unwilling than I am.” Sirius stared into his scotch. “I’m going to have to fuck him, you know. To seal the marriage bond. It only has to be the once, but still -”
“Don’t do this to yourself, Padfoot.”
“Why not? My whole life, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t end up like the rest of my family - and here I am, forcing my sixteen-year-old cousin into marriage against his will.”
“It has to be done. And it’s not forever. Once he turns seventeen, he can petition for divorce.”
“Thank Merlin for small mercies,” Sirius muttered. He poured more Macallan into his glass. “You know I’ve never even met him? I’ve heard Harry and his friends talk about him, but I’ve never met the boy myself.”
Taken aback, Remus said, “You’re right. I hadn’t considered…but of course you’ve never met him.”
“I’ve never heard a good word about him, either.”
Remus sighed. “He’s Lucius Malfoy’s son, with all the arrogance and entitlement that implies. It’s been a couple of years since I taught him, but I remember him well enough. He’s spoiled and cruel and vain.”
“You’re really not making me feel better here, Moony.”
“He is also highly intelligent, and an excellent student when he puts his mind to it. Draco has the potential to be a great man; he just needs the opportunity.” Remus leaned back in his chair. “I’m just saying that it would be a mistake to write him off this soon. He’s not a lost cause. Not yet.”
“There’s a ringing endorsement,” Sirius said.
Remus chuckled. “There is one silver lining.”
“Oh?”
“At least we know it isn’t just a ploy to get Draco into Order headquarters. If Narcissa had invoked Asylum Generis in bad faith, it would have rebounded on her right away. She really isn’t loyal to Voldemort. And with Draco here and Lucius in Azkaban, Voldemort won’t have any access to the Malfoy family’s resources. That’ll be quite a blow to him.”
“True.” Sirius raised his glass in another toast. “To the Black family - bringing Voldemort down one ill-advised arranged marriage at a time.”
***
“Ugh,” Sirius said as he set the empty water glass down on the kitchen counter. The sound of glass against stone made him wince.
“That hangover remedy hasn’t taken effect yet?”
“Not completely.” Sirius glanced at Remus out of the corner of his eye. “You don’t have to look so amused, you know. You could at least pretend to be sympathetic.”
“I told you not to drink so much,” Remus said, completely unsympathetically.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m well aware you’re the responsible one. Bet you never thought I’d be settling down before you, eh?”
Remus rolled his eyes and pushed Sirius towards the Floo.
***
Sirius relaxed a little when he saw that he and Remus had arrived in Dumbledore’s office before the Malfoys, but he was surprised to see McGonagall there.
“Minerva!” he said, shaking her hand. “What are you doing here?”
“Serving as the second witness, of course,” she replied.
“I thought Narcissa -”
McGonagall pursed her lips. “If Mrs. Malfoy is required to give consent on her son’s behalf - as she undoubtedly will - then she cannot serve as a witness.”
She looked pretty unhappy with the state of affairs, which Sirius could definitely sympathize with. Remus drew her into conversation as Dumbledore pulled Sirius aside for a private word.
“Sirius, I want to say again how much I appreciate -”
Sirius held up his hands. “It’s okay, Albus. I get it. We don’t have to do this. Really.”
“All right.” Dumbledore hesitated briefly, then said, “I must warn you that Mr. Malfoy can be…difficult.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“And that is at the best of times, which this hardly is. He will be angry, upset, frightened, and he will most definitely attempt to take those emotions out on you. I only ask that you keep your temper and remember that this is a difficult situation for him.”
Offended, Sirius said, “What do you think I’m going to do, beat him? Merlin.”
“Of course not. But you know very well that physical violence is not the only way to hurt someone.”
“I’m not going to deliberately set out to hurt him, Albus. I wouldn’t do that.” Anymore, Sirius silently added. No point in pretending that he hadn’t been somewhat of a git as a teenager.
Dumbledore clapped him on the shoulder. “Good. I’m quite proud of you, my boy.”
They rejoined Remus and McGonagall, making small talk for a few minutes before there was a knock at the door. Dumbledore waved it open, admitting Narcissa and Draco Malfoy.
Sirius did a double take. He had expected Draco to look like a miniature Lucius, and while the resemblance was definitely there, Draco had more than a little of his mother in him. Frankly, he was bloody gorgeous. Nobody had told Sirius to expect that.
His gaze swept over the tall, slim form, taking in the moon-pale skin, the white-blond hair, the high cheekbones. He stopped when he encountered eyes as grey as his own, the visceral reminder that he was related to this boy dousing his initial reaction as effectively as ice water. Fuck.
“Mother, what on earth is this all about?” Draco said, visibly confused and angry. “What is the werewolf doing here - and is that Sirius Black?”
“You didn’t tell him?” Sirius said to Narcissa, horrified.
“Tell me what?”
“It’s easier this way,” she said.
“What’s easier? Mother, I demand to know exactly -”
Narcissa turned to her son. “Draco, give me your wand, please.”
“What? No! Why?”
“Because I am your mother and you will do as I say,” Narcissa retorted, her patience worn thin. “Give it to me.”
Draco glared at her for a few seconds before stiffly withdrawing his wand and handing it over, his cheeks pink with anger and embarrassment.
“Thank you. Now, Draco, this is your cousin, Sirius Black -”
“The blood traitor,” Draco sneered. He shot Sirius a vicious smile. “Aunt Bellatrix said she almost killed you.”
Sirius raised his eyebrows, surprised by the pure venom in Draco’s voice and expression. He only just managed to keep himself from snapping back.
“Draco!” Narcissa said sharply. “That’s enough.”
Draco blinked at her, seeming startled and a little hurt. He obviously hadn’t heard his mother raise her voice to him often.
Narcissa lowered her voice. “Sirius is going to be…assuming guardianship of you. Until you come of age.”
Draco’s mouth dropped open. He looked between his mother and Sirius in confusion. “I don’t…I don’t understand.”
Narcissa took hold of Draco’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “I know you wish to avenge your father -”
The boy’s entire body stiffened.
“ - but I won’t allow you to do so at the price of your own life. And that is the price the Dark Lord will command. I won’t let you join him.”
“You’re not serious.” Seeing that Narcissa was, in fact, serious, Draco’s eyes widened and he pushed her away. “Traitor.”
“I hold no allegiance to the Dark Lord. My only loyalty is to my family.”
“Then what of Father? He’s suffering in Azkaban right now, and you’ll give me into the care of the very people who put him there?”
“Your father put himself in Azkaban.”
Draco jerked as if she’d slapped him in the face. “You don’t mean that,” he whispered.
“I love your father, but your well-being will always be my first concern,” Narcissa said. “You may not like these people, but they can protect you.”
“You can’t do this. Father promised -”
“Your father’s authority over you will be transferred to Sirius, and that oath will no longer have meaning.”
“Transferred? But…” Draco looked at Sirius with dawning horror. “No!” he choked out. “No, Mother, please -”
“It’s the only way, Draco,” she said softly.
Draco shook his head, trembling from head to foot.
“He’s going to run,” Remus whispered to Sirius, who had just been thinking the same thing.
Sirius stepped forward, trying for a reassuring tone of voice. “It’s all right, Draco. Nobody’s going to hurt you.”
Draco shrank bank. “Stay away from me!” he said, a note of rising hysteria in his voice.
Sirius looked to Dumbledore for help.
“With your permission, Mrs. Malfoy,” said Dumbledore, drawing his wand.
Narcissa nodded, and Dumbledore cast a spell on Draco that was normally used by Healers on people having panic attacks. Draco immediately stilled and his muscles relaxed, his breathing becoming even again. But he was still upset - the spell didn’t alter emotions, only their physical symptoms.
“Don’t,” he said bleakly, “I hate that spell…”
Narcissa took him by the elbow and led him over to stand in front of Dumbledore. Draco didn’t struggle, but he wouldn’t look anyone in the face, either. Sirius stood across from them. Remus and McGonagall stayed unobtrusively to the side.
“I will attempt to keep this as brief as possible,” Dumbledore said. “Join hands, please.”
Draco didn’t make a move to take Sirius’ hands, but he didn’t resist when Sirius took his hands. He just kept staring at the ground. Sirius swallowed past his queasiness.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. “We are gathered together here in the presence of these witnesses to join these two men in the honourable estate of matrimony. Will you, Sirius Orion Black, take this man, Draco Lucius Malfoy, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I will.”
“And will you, Draco Lucius Malfoy, take this man, Sirius Orion Black, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“No, I bloody well won’t,” Draco mumbled.
“As Sirius Black’s blood kin, I give my consent to this union on my son’s behalf,” Narcissa said.
Sirius felt Draco’s hands twitch in his own. Dumbledore produced two simple platinum bands and handed one to him. Fully aware of the proper pureblood protocol, Sirius slipped the ring onto Draco’s finger and said, “In token and in pledge of the vow between us given, I thee wed.”
With indefatigable optimism, Dumbledore held the other ring out to Draco, who simply glared at him in disbelief. Dumbledore sighed and handed the ring to Narcissa, who put it on Sirius’ finger.
“In token and in pledge of the vow between you given, he thee weds.”
Draco took a shaky breath and dropped his eyes to the floor again, but not before Sirius saw the tears in his eyes. His nausea abruptly swelled. How many of his ancestors before him had stood just like this, forcing a beautiful young boy or girl into marriage?
Dumbledore tapped his wand to Draco and Sirius’ joined hands. “For as much as Sirius and Draco have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and have declared the same by joining hands - by the authority vested in me by the Wizengamot of Great Britain, I pronounce you to be lawfully wedded and extend to you my best wishes. You may now exchange the kiss of peace.”
Sirius released one of Draco’s hands, gently taking hold of his chin so that Draco couldn’t jerk away when Sirius kissed his cheek. Sirius’ lips came away wet with Draco’s tears.
Draco pulled away from him and angrily wiped the kiss off his cheek.
“Now,” Dumbledore said, “if I could just have everyone sign the license, please -”
Sirius stepped forward and signed the marriage certificate on Dumbledore’s desk, then moved out of the way so that Remus and McGonagall could do the same. Narcissa signed for Draco - she would have had to do so even if he had been willing, since he wasn’t a legal adult. Draco just stood in the middle of the office, looking numb.
Narcissa reached out to him. “Draco -”
Draco jerked away from her touch. “Don’t,” he said harshly. “You’re not my mother.”
Narcissa dropped her hand and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, there were tears sliding down her face, but she nodded. “I love you. One day you’ll understand.”
Draco just looked away. Narcissa withdrew Draco’s wand from her robes and handed it to Sirius.
“Thank you,” she said. Without waiting for a response, she whirled around and left Dumbledore’s office with her head held high.
Sirius stowed Draco’s wand safely in his own robes, noting the boy’s keen observation with interest. He didn’t think Draco had the bollocks to try to steal his wand back, but desperate people were often unpredictable.
“If you require assistance -” Dumbledore said.
“I’ll let you know. Thanks.”
Dumbledore nodded and shook Sirius’ hand. “I believe it would be best for you to Floo right from the office. Oh, and I nearly forgot -” He turned to Draco. “The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.”
Draco’s eyes widened. Sirius was uncomfortable with a Malfoy knowing the location of headquarters, but it couldn’t be helped - Draco wouldn’t have been able to get in the house otherwise.
Sirius and Remus said their good-byes to Dumbledore and McGonagall, then turned to each other.
“You go on ahead, and then I’ll send him through,” Sirius said. “I’ll come right behind him. Don’t want him doing a runner.”
“All right.” Remus threw some Floo powder into the fireplace and stepped in. “Twelve Grimmauld Place!”
“Got that?” Sirius said to Draco. “Twelve Grimmauld Place. That’s where you’re going.”
Draco just stared at him defiantly.
“I took the liberty of temporarily making the Floo a one-way connection,” said Dumbledore. “There’s nowhere else to go.”
“As if I’d try to escape without my wand, anyway,” Draco said haughtily. He strode to the Floo and threw in the powder. “Twelve Grimmauld Place.”
He vanished, and Sirius followed close behind him. When he stepped out into the kitchen, he saw Remus making tea and Draco looking around the room in disgust.
“Welcome to Grimmauld Place,” Sirius said. “You may have been here when you were younger, actually.”
“Ugh. It’s filthy. Why is it so filthy?”
Sirius shrugged. “My house elf hates me. Tried to get me killed, actually.” He bit his tongue right before he mentioned Draco’s mother’s hand in that and hesitated, unsure of what to do next. “Er…are you hungry?”
“No. And I wouldn’t eat anything made in this kitchen even if I was.”
“You’re welcome to clean it yourself if it doesn’t meet your lofty standards,” Sirius said, his temper rising.
Draco smirked. “Give me my wand back and I’d be happy to.”
“You’re not getting your wand back until it’s time for you to go back to Hogwarts. If you go back.”
“You can’t keep me out of Hogwarts!”
“I’m your husband; I can do anything I bloody well like!”
Draco flinched and Sirius shut his mouth, feeling guilty. This was exactly what Dumbledore had been warning him against earlier.
“Sirius,” Remus said, shocked.
Sirius took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout, I just… I don’t like this any more than you do.”
“What do you mean?”
“You think I wanted this? Your mother went and invoked Asylum Generis on me. Believe me, I’m just as unhappy with the situation as you are.”
Draco looked oddly relieved. “Oh. I thought…” He stopped and blushed, looking away. “Never mind,” he muttered.
He didn’t have to finish his sentence, though, because Sirius knew exactly what he had thought - that Sirius had married him in pursuit of a pretty young sex toy. Sirius’ gut twisted with self-loathing.
Remus broke the awkward silence. “Tea?”
“Sure,” Sirius said, moving to sit at the table.
“Draco?”
Draco shook his head.
“At least sit down,” said Sirius. “Please.”
Draco sat, holding himself with a stiff arrogance that Sirius recognized well. Remus sat down as well and passed Sirius his cup.
“Do you live here?” Draco asked Remus.
“Yes.”
“Are you lovers?”
Sirius and Remus both choked on their tea.
“No!” Sirius exclaimed. “Why do people always think that?”
“Because you’re grown men who still live together?”
“We’re not lovers,” Remus said firmly. “We’ve been good friends since Hogwarts.”
“Besides, Remus fancies witches,” Sirius added.
Remus shot him a quelling look, then turned back to Draco. “These are Order headquarters. Many Order members stay here from time to time.”
“Speaking of,” Sirius said, “didn’t you have that thing you needed to do?”
“What - oh, of course. The thing. Er, yes. I’m due at the Weasleys’.”
Sirius caught Draco’s automatic sneer at the name, but pushed away his anger. Remus got up and headed for the Floo.
“I’ll be back…eventually. Have a - a good day.” He stepped into the Floo. “The Burrow!”
“Does he act that oddly because he’s a werewolf?” Draco said in a conversational tone.
Sirius clenched his fists. “Okay, ground rule number one - I don’t care what the hell you think as long as you keep it to yourself, but you will treat Remus with respect. That means no slurs about his condition, about werewolves in general, or about anything that could conceivably be offensive to him. Got it?”
“It was an honest question.”
“No, it wasn’t. Don’t forget that I’m a Black. I grew up the same way you did, hearing the same load of dung. I know the party line, and I’m telling you right now I won’t stand for it in my house. So keep your nasty comments to yourself. That goes for everyone in the Order, not just Remus. Understand?”
“Or what?” Draco challenged.
That brought Sirius up short. What could he do if Draco disobeyed him? An image of Draco spread over his lap for a spanking flashed across his mind, having the singularly unpleasant effect of simultaneously arousing and disgusting him. This entire situation would be much less complicated if Draco weren’t so fucking attractive.
“How badly do you want to go back to Hogwarts?” he asked casually.
Draco scowled. Sirius congratulated himself for his quick thinking.
“While we’re at it, I want to make it absolutely clear that you are forbidden to seek out Voldemort or to try to help him or his followers in any way.”
Although Draco rolled his eyes, Sirius saw him flinch slightly at Voldemort’s name.
“You’re not to leave the house without me - and in fact, you’ll find that you can’t. All the exits are heavily warded; you’d never be able to get out without a wand and a lot of free time.”
“So I’m a prisoner.”
“If you want to look at it that way.”
“How are you looking at it?”
“I’m keeping you safe. From yourself, if nothing else.” Sirius pushed his tea away, no longer able to stomach it. “You can go anywhere you like in the house - all the dangerous stuff’s been cleared out - but I expect you to be just as respectful of my possessions as you are of my friends. All right?”
“Fine,” Draco said sullenly.
“Your mum sent over most of your things this morning. I’ll show you around the house.” He stood and waited expectantly until Draco stood as well. “We’re in the basement. There’s nothing down here but the kitchen…”
He trailed off as it occurred to him that he should really introduce Kreacher to Draco. After the battle at the Department of Mysteries, Sirius had forbidden Kreacher to leave the house again for any reason. Since then, Kreacher had taken to mostly holing up in his den. He rarely came out anymore.
“Kreacher!”
It took a few moments for Kreacher to appear in front of them. Draco made a sound of disgust and backed up a few paces, but Sirius couldn’t really blame him. Kreacher looked worse than ever.
“Master summoned Kreacher?” the house elf said, his rheumy eyes trained on the ground.
“Yeah. This is Draco -”
Kreacher’s head snapped up and his eyes focused on Draco. “Draco Malfoy?”
“Yes. Well, no, I suppose it’s Draco Black now, isn’t it?”
Draco took a sharp, pained breath. Sirius realized that the name change probably hadn’t occurred to Draco any more than it had occurred to him, and silently rebuked himself for mentioning it so offhandedly.
“Draco Black?” Kreacher said in confusion.
“We, er…we were married this morning.”
Kreacher looked back and forth between them for a moment before rushing forward to fall at Draco’s feet, clinging to his leg and bawling with happiness. Sirius groaned. Draco, for his part, seemed frozen with revulsion.
“Kreacher is so pleased to have a Black to care for again! A real Black, not a nasty blood traitor who broke his poor mother’s heart -”
Draco raised his eyebrows.
“Master Draco will make things right again, get rid of all the Mudbloods and filth -”
“Shut up, Kreacher!” Sirius ordered. “Let go of him.”
Kreacher reluctantly let go of Draco’s leg and backed up a little, still crying. Draco twitched his leg as if shaking off the touch, but there was a small smile on his face that Sirius didn’t like.
“Draco’s going to be staying here from now on, all right?”
Kreacher nodded vigorously. “Kreacher will take good care of Master Draco, yes.”
“Fine. Maybe you’ll actually cook something edible for once. You’re dismissed.”
Kreacher gave Draco one last longing look before disappearing.
“He really does hate you,” Draco said. “I like him.”
“Come on,” Sirius said, shaking his head.
He took Draco on a perfunctory tour of the house, ending on the third floor in front of a bedroom. Sirius pushed the door open and ushered Draco inside.
“This is your room. The bathroom’s next door. My room is one floor up.”
He watched as Draco looked around, taking in the room. Like all the rooms in Grimmauld Place, it was gloomy and not very well-kept. There were trunks and boxes full of Draco’s possessions all over it. Draco looked like he was barely restraining himself from saying something cutting.
Sirius gripped the doorknob. “I’ll give you some time to unpack, and then…”
“What?”
Not sure how to broach the subject without giving Draco the wrong idea, Sirius said, “It’s not that I want to, but it needs to be done. It only has to be the once -”
Draco grimaced. “You mean the consummation.”
“Yes. If it doesn’t take place within twenty-four hours of the ceremony, the marriage becomes invalid.”
“I know. And I’m not letting you anywhere near me.”
Of course not. “I’m not giving you a choice,” Sirius said, hating himself for every word.
Draco took a step backward. “You would force me?” he said disbelievingly.
“I don’t want to. Trust me, that’s not how I get my rocks off. But the marriage has to be consummated one way or another.”
“But you - you’re a Gryffindor!”
Sirius laughed humourlessly. “I’ve done worse.”
Draco backed up even farther. “I’ll fight you.”
“If you feel like you have to. But it would be better if you didn’t. You’ll still lose, and you’ll make it unnecessarily painful. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Draco’s cheeks lost what little color they had, and he sank into his desk chair.
“I’m sorry,” said Sirius. “I promise I won’t touch you again after the consummation. You have my word.”
“Could you please leave?” Draco said shakily. “Just…go away. Please. I can’t -”
Sirius nodded and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
***
He spent the next few hours puttering aimlessly around the house and dreading the upcoming encounter. While he did so, he took the opportunity to hide Draco’s wand in his room, using magic to conceal it so that it would be impossible to find through a simple physical search.
Although his hangover had long since faded, Sirius still felt a lingering nausea - one that had nothing to do with an overdose of scotch. He’d committed a multitude of sins in his lifetime, but he’d never slept with anyone who was less than one hundred percent willing. Even the thought of it made his gorge rise.
And therein lay a major problem. Given the circumstances, Sirius doubted he would be able to either achieve or maintain an erection, which was pretty crucial to the whole consummation deal. It wasn’t just himself, either - both parties had to experience orgasm for the marriage to be sealed. Normally he wouldn’t be worried about being able to get a sixteen-year-old boy to orgasm, but that just went to show how fucked up the entire situation was.
A mild aphrodisiac might have worked, if he’d had one, but the potions cabinet in the bathroom was sadly understocked. The only thing in there that had any possibility of helping was an anti-anxiety potion. It was better than nothing.
Sirius grabbed it and headed for Draco’s room. He’d left his robes in his own bedroom - no use putting on extra layers when they were just going to come off again - and he felt oddly exposed in just a jumper and trousers. He knocked on the door.
After a good thirty seconds had passed with no response, Sirius pushed the door open. Draco was sitting in the exact same spot he had been several hours ago; it seemed he hadn’t moved since then. Sirius was concerned for the boy’s mental state until he realized that all of the boxes and trunks had been unpacked.
Not catatonic, then. That was a good start.
Sirius entered the room and closed the door. Draco watched him warily, reminding Sirius of the way a rabbit would watch a hungry dog. When Sirius took a couple of steps towards him, Draco jumped up and starting backing towards the wall.
“No! Don’t, I can’t - I’m going to be sick -”
“That’s why I brought this,” Sirius said. He held out the potion.
Draco eyed it suspiciously. “What is it?”
“An anti-anxiety potion. Take it.”
“No. I hate those potions.”
Remembering Draco’s similar response to Dumbledore’s anti-anxiety spell, Sirius thought there must be a bigger story there. There was no time for that now, though.
“Just take it. At the very least, it’ll keep you from getting sick.”
“How do I know it’s really what you say it is?”
“Oh, for Merlin’s -” Sirius uncapped the vial and took a quick swallow of it. “There. Better?”
Draco took the potion when Sirius held it out again. He sniffed at it before swallowing some of it down, making a face. He handed it back to Sirius, who capped the vial and set it on the desk.
“All right?”
“No.”
“Give it a few minutes.” Sirius already felt calmer. He could do this. He could get them both through this without traumatizing either of them more than strictly necessary. It would take patience, but he could do it. He sat down on the bed and beckoned for Draco to join him. “Come here.”
Draco hesitated before walking slowly towards the bed - dragging his feet, to be sure, but obeying nonetheless. Sirius suddenly found himself absurdly grateful that Draco was a Slytherin. A Gryffindor would have fought tooth and nail to the very end, but at least Slytherins knew when continuing to fight would only make things worse for themselves. Draco’s instinct for self-preservation would spare them both a lot of discomfort.
Draco sat on the bed as far away from Sirius as he could get. Sirius sighed and slid over, close to Draco but not touching him. “We’ll take it slow, all right? As slow as you need.”
“No! Can’t you just - just put it in and get it over with?”
Even with the potion, the suggestion made Sirius’ stomach roil. “We both have to orgasm.”
“I could never do that with you,” Draco objected. “You and Potter and your friends - you’re the reason my father’s in Azkaban -”
“Don’t start that now,” Sirius said firmly. “You can hate me as much as you like, but it’s not going to change anything.”
Draco’s expression was stubborn. “You can make me take it, but you can’t make me like it.”
Sirius almost admired the boy’s obstinate pride - the way it made his chin lift and his eyes narrow with determination. But he was wrong about Sirius not being able to make him like it. There was no need to correct him, though. He’d find out for himself soon enough.
Sirius moved behind Draco and started rubbing his shoulders. Despite the potion, Draco’s muscles were painfully tense.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to get you to relax. The more tense you are, the more difficult this will be.”
Draco remained rigid and seemingly poised on the edge of flight. Sirius could tell he was having to physically restrain himself from cringing away from the touch.
An idea coming to mind, Sirius said, “Look, just close your eyes and pretend you’re with someone else. Whoever it is you fool around with in the dorms at Hogwarts.”
“I don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Fool around,” Draco said quietly.
Sirius let his hands drop off Draco’s shoulders, a horrible thought occurring to him. “You’re not…are you a virgin?”
“Yes,” said Draco, even more quietly.
“Fuck!” Sirius exploded. Draco was good-looking and wealthy and a sixteen-year-old boy; Sirius had just assumed…he hadn’t even considered…
Draco recoiled at his outburst. Sirius immediately reached out and touched his arm.
“Sorry. I’m not angry with you, I’m just… When you say you’re a virgin, you just mean you’ve never been fucked, right? I mean, you’ve done other things.”
Draco shook his head, his back still to Sirius. Sirius closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. “Okay. That’s okay. Er…have you kissed anyone, at least?”
“Of course!” Draco said indignantly, looking over his shoulder.
“Good. Just checking. You wank, don’t you?”
Draco pulled away from him, his cheeks flushing a dark pink. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“There must be someone you think about when you do it. Someone who turns you on, who you imagine yourself with.”
“I suppose.”
“Then pretend you’re with him. Or her, I guess, although you might have to get a little creative -”
“Him,” Draco said, avoiding his eyes.
Sirius let out an internal sigh of relief. “Well, that’ll make things easier, then. Come here.”
He tugged Draco back towards him and had him turn around again, then returned to rubbing his shoulders. They sat in silence for a while as Sirius massaged the entirety of Draco’s back, trying to get him to relax a little. Eventually, Draco’s muscles started to loosen up, and his shoulders slumped a bit as his breathing became deeper. He made a soft sound of pleasure as Sirius worked out a knot in his shoulderblade.
“Good,” Sirius said. “That’s good.” He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against Draco’s neck. Draco stiffened and tried to pull away, but Sirius kept him in place. “Shh. It’s alright. Keep your eyes closed.”
Draco stayed still as Sirius covered the sides and back of his neck with gentle kisses. Sirius took the opportunity to breathe in the boy’s scent - something he’d wanted to do since the second he’d seen him. The scent wasn’t as rich and telling as it would have been if he were in canine form, of course, but it was still dizzying. Sandalwood soap mixed with the natural smell of a young, healthy male, and even the slight, sour note of fear couldn’t make the aroma anything but delicious.
Draco didn’t resist when Sirius slid his hands under his shirt and up his bare back. Here, like this, with his hands on Draco’s warm, smooth skin, breathing in the intoxicating scent of him, it was easy for Sirius to forget that Draco hadn’t come to this bed willingly. That he was a good twenty years younger than Sirius himself. That they were, at least ideologically, on opposite sides of a war.
Sirius gave Draco’s neck a final kiss and reached around to unbutton his shirt, but Draco pulled away and turned around.
“No.”
“Draco -”
“You first. I don’t want…” Draco’s lips tightened. “You first.”
Ah. Sirius nodded, understanding. Draco, who was already feeling powerless, didn’t want the added vulnerability of being naked in the presence of a man who was fully dressed. Completely reasonable - and a fear that Sirius would actually be able to put to rest, thank Merlin. He stripped off his jumper and tossed it onto the floor.
He let Draco look at him, relieved that he’d been able to get back most of the weight and muscle he’d lost while in Azkaban. He might not be quite as handsome as he’d been in his twenties, but he knew he was still a good-looking bloke.
When he felt Draco had gotten a good enough look, Sirius reached out to unbutton his shirt. Draco let him, closing his eyes again. Sirius slid the shirt off Draco’s shoulders and let it fall to the bed.
He swallowed hard at the sight of Draco’s bare chest. He’d never seen such flawless skin - not a single freckle or birthmark to be found - and Draco’s slim, leanly-muscled figure pushed every button he had. Sirius was glad that Draco had his eyes closed, because he knew that the boy would be upset by the lust Sirius was sure was obvious in his expression. Even the fact that Draco was unwilling barely dampened Sirius’ arousal when confronted with his half-dressed body.
Sirius ran his hands up and down Draco’s arms reassuringly, then leaned forward to kiss his lips. Draco turned his head aside.
“Not on the mouth.”
“All right,” Sirius said easily. It was important to let Draco set some boundaries here, so that he could feel like he had at least some control over the situation. Sirius kissed Draco’s cheek instead, then kissed down his jaw to his neck. He noticed that Draco’s breathing was starting to come a little quicker. “Do you want to lie down?” he asked. “It’ll be easier.”
“I don’t want you on top of me,” Draco said immediately.
“On our sides, then. Come on.”
Sirius guided Draco so they were both lying down on their sides, facing each other. He returned to kissing Draco’s neck and collarbone, letting his hands move slowly over Draco’s back and sides, then over his stomach and chest. He was careful to keep his touch soothing - not too light and teasing, but not too fast and demanding, either.
Draco jerked back when Sirius’ hand brushed his nipple. “Don’t touch me there. You don’t have to… Don’t touch me there.”
“I won’t,” Sirius said, surprised by Draco’s vehemence. His first thought was that he had somehow hurt the boy, but then he decided it was more likely that Draco liked being touched there so much that he didn’t want Sirius to know about it. A quick glance at Draco’s now-tented trousers confirmed his theory.
Sirius wondered if Draco played with his nipples when he touched himself. The image that brought to mind made his cock strain against his own trousers.
Still, he obeyed Draco’s demand and kept his hands away from Draco’s chest. He kept up the kissing and petting until Draco started to relax again, running his hands over Draco’s hips and thighs but being careful not to touch his arse. No point in frightening the boy by reminding him of what was to come.
Respecting Draco’s desire not to be the first one undressed, Sirius sat up and started unlacing his boots.
Draco opened his eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Taking off my shoes.” Sirius kicked his boots off and followed them with his socks, then took off Draco’s shoes and socks as well. He spent a few moments rubbing Draco’s feet, until Draco let out a soft sigh.
Sirius let go of Draco’s feet and started taking off his belt. Draco’s eyes widened and then clamped tightly shut, his body starting to tense up again. Sirius shed his trousers and pants quickly, slipping the tube of lubricant out of his pocket and setting it next to him on the bed.
He lay back down next to Draco and rubbed his side again before moving his hand to Draco’s belt buckle. Draco let out a thin noise of distress that made Sirius’ cock soften slightly.
“It’s okay, Draco.” Sirius wondered what he could do to make this easier. Maybe if Draco didn’t feel so exposed… “Do you want to get under the blanket?”
Draco nodded without opening his eyes, and Sirius pulled the blanket back, both of them shifting so they ended up lying underneath it. Sirius unfastened Draco’s belt and trousers and slipped his hands under the waistband, easing them and Draco’s pants down his legs to his knees. Draco kicked them off the rest of the way.
Sirius rubbed Draco’s hip. “Lie on your back.”
“I don’t want -”
“I won’t lie on top of you.”
Draco bit his lip and then turned over so he was lying on his back, his eyes still tightly shut. Sirius badly wanted to pull the blanket away so he could look at the rest of Draco’s body, but he’d never take advantage like that. Instead, he lay at Draco’s side, propped up on his elbow, and caressed Draco’s stomach with firm but gentle strokes. He moved his hand down over Draco’s hip and thigh, then very slowly moved to run his hand over Draco’s cock. He found it almost fully hard.
Draco squirmed in embarrassment, his blush spreading down from his cheeks to his chest, and Sirius could feel his hands clutching at the sheet below him in an effort not to push Sirius’ hand away. “Good. You’re doing very well, Draco.”
“Stop talking to me like I’m a - a horse! I don’t need to be praised or coaxed. Just do it.”
Sirius took a few deep breaths to keep from responding in kind. He was actually glad Draco had chosen to deal with the situation through anger instead of despondency - snarky comments Sirius could deal with, but tears would have made it impossible for him to go through with this.
He took Draco’s cock in his hand and stroked it slowly from root to tip, urging it to full hardness. The way Draco bit his lip to keep himself from making noise was an unexpected turn-on.
Sirius let go of Draco’s cock and kissed the middle of his chest, then his stomach. He started sliding down Draco’s body, staying under the covers and kissing a line down his abdomen.
Draco grabbed him by the shoulders, and Sirius looked up to see his eyes wide open and startled. “What are you -”
“Relaxing you,” Sirius said. He gently removed Draco’s hands from his shoulders and slid further down. It was hot and stuffy under the blanket, but Sirius ignored that in favor of admiring Draco’s lovely cock and slim thighs. He kissed the head of Draco’s cock before taking it into his mouth slowly, inch by inch. Draco gasped as if he’d been punched in the stomach and resumed his death-grip on the sheet.
This wouldn’t last long, Sirius knew - Draco was only sixteen, and this was his first blowjob. He pushed Draco’s thighs apart and up a little, so that Draco’s knees were slightly bent and his feet were resting flat on the bed. It had the added benefit of lifting the blanket off Sirius’ head and giving him some breathing room.
He sucked Draco’s cock straightforwardly - no teasing and no fancy tricks, just heat and pressure and suction - and Merlin, the boy tasted like heaven. Sirius could happily have done this all night. Draco did a valiant job of trying to keep his noises back, but every now and then a quiet and utterly thrilling moan escaped him.
After about a minute, Draco reached down and pushed the blanket off them both. Sirius stopped what he was doing and looked up in surprise.
“Too hot,” Draco said. His eyes were still closed, and Sirius found himself wondering who, exactly, Draco had decided to pretend he was.
Uncomfortable with the odd jealousy that thought engendered, Sirius returned to his task and doubled his effort. He could tell Draco was close, so he reached to the side with one hand and grabbed the lube. He pulled off for a second so he could squeeze some onto the fingers of his right hand, then immediately took Draco’s cock back into his mouth. With Draco distracted by the blowjob and his impending orgasm, Sirius reached down to massage his hole gently with the pad of his index finger.
Draco came with a soft cry. Sirius swallowed everything he had to give and then released Draco’s cock, kissing his thigh. As Draco melted into the bed in post-orgasmic lassitude, Sirius slid his finger smoothly into the boy’s arse.
Draco made a noise of surprise and stiffened a little, but the combination of the anti-anxiety potion and his orgasm prevented him from tensing up too much. Sirius moved his finger in and out in a steady slide, determined to prepare Draco as thoroughly as possible. Draco shifted uncomfortably.
“I know it feels strange. Just relax. Your body will adjust.”
“I don’t want to adjust,” Draco mumbled.
“Yes, you do,” Sirius said. “Trust me.” He pushed in another finger, and Draco grunted in discomfort. Sirius didn’t let that stop him; Draco would feel much worse than discomfort if Sirius tried to fuck him now without stretching him first. “It might help if you bear down around my fingers.”
That wasn’t the only thing that would help. Sirius felt around until he found Draco’s prostate and brushed his fingers against it lightly. Draco yelped, his entire body jerking.
“What - what -”
“Your prostate. Does it feel good?”
“N-no - ah!”
Sirius hid his smile against Draco’s thigh as Draco writhed on his fingers, his cock already rising again. Sirius used the distraction to add a third finger - he usually didn’t find that necessary, but since Draco was a virgin, it seemed better to be safe than sorry. He kept a steady pressure on Draco’s prostate, and Draco didn’t even seem to notice the invasion.
When he knew Draco was as ready as he was going to be, Sirius withdrew his fingers - slowly, so as not to shock the boy. Draco was covered with a fine sheen of sweat and he was panting for breath, his cock full and hard. His body was trembling a little.
Remembering Draco’s insistence that Sirius not lay on top of him, Sirius asked, “Do you want me to do this from behind?”
“No!” Draco said. “This is…this is fine.”
“I’ll have to put some of my weight on you.”
“I don’t care.”
Sirius nodded and raised himself up a little, noting with amusement the way Draco’s eyes darted down to his cock before growing wider and then shutting again. He settled Draco’s thighs around his waist and used one hand to support himself while the other guided his cock to Draco’s hole. He pushed in very slowly, just the head at first.
Draco let out a harsh exhalation but didn’t object, so Sirius pushed forward even farther. Draco’s body twisted underneath his. “Hurts.”
“I know. It’ll get better.”
He waited until the pained frown on Draco’s face had smoothed out a little and moved forward even more. Draco let out a high-pitched whine, so Sirius moved his hand to Draco’s wilting cock to distract him. Bit by bit, Sirius worked his way forward until he was fully sheathed in Draco’s arse.
Sirius stilled for a moment - ostensibly to let Draco adjust, but also because he needed time to get control of himself. It had been so long…he had fucked a few rentboys in the year following his escape from Azkaban, but then he had gotten shut up in this house and hadn’t shagged anyone since. And he hadn’t been with anyone as beautiful as Draco since he was a young man himself. His libido was dangerously close to raging out of control.
When he felt Draco’s arse relax a little around his cock, Sirius started to move his hips, keeping the thrusts slow and shallow. He continued to work Draco’s cock with his right hand, watching as the pain receded from Draco’s face to be replaced by something much more pleasant.
No longer able to deny his need for real fucking, Sirius let go of Draco’s cock and leaned over his body, supporting his own weight with his elbows on either side of Draco’s arms. His thrusts came faster and deeper, but he kept them controlled. He wouldn’t let himself get rough, no matter how much his cock was begging him to.
“Oh,” Draco said, almost inaudibly. “Oh.”
Sirius was caught by surprise when Draco’s legs tightened around his waist and Draco’s hands gripped his biceps, but his rhythm didn’t falter. He landed a kiss on Draco’s shoulder and then closed his own eyes, letting his body take over.
Draco let out a small, delicious gasp with every thrust, and he soon started lifting his hips up into them, urging Sirius deeper. Sirius groaned and obliged, letting his hips move with a little more force. Draco started moaning, his hands moving restlessly over Sirius’s shoulder and arms, sharp nails digging into Sirius’ skin and making Sirius moan himself.
When Draco moved one hand down to wank himself, Sirius opened his eyes so he could watch. He almost came at the sight of Draco moving underneath him, with him, eyes closed and face intent on his own pleasure. Practically against his will, Sirius’ thrusts sped up considerably. Draco cried out - in pleasure, not pain - and then cried out again, this time with a slightly hysterical edge that let Sirius know he had managed to get his prostate.
Sirius was lost. He fucked Draco vigorously, spurred on by Draco’s moans and cries, until Draco thrashed beneath him and came all over both their stomachs. Sirius didn’t stop; even as Draco’s body relaxed underneath him, he kept up the energetic pace in search of his own climax. It hit him a couple of minutes later, and he shouted his pleasure as he filled Draco with his release.
Somehow, he had enough presence of mind not to collapse onto Draco. He pulled out slowly before moving off to the side, Summoning his wand from his trousers to clean them both up.
Draco was lying very still, looking limp and used. His eyes were still closed, and his breath was coming in great shuddering gasps.
Sirius cursed himself. He shouldn’t have been so forceful, even though it had seemed like Draco wanted it that way… The boy had been a fucking virgin, for Merlin’s sake.
“Draco? Are you all right?”
Draco’s eyes blinked open slowly, and he looked at Sirius as if he couldn’t quite focus. “I’m fine.”
He glanced down at his body and seemed to suddenly realize that he was naked. He blushed and grabbed the blanket, pulling it up to his chin, and then turned on his side so his back was to Sirius.
“Are you hungry? Kreacher probably has dinner ready -”
Sirius reached out to touch Draco’s shoulder, inexplicably hurt when Draco flinched away.
“No. I’m fine.”
“Okay,” Sirius said. “Let me know if you need anything.”
He got up and dressed before leaving the room. Draco didn’t say a word.
Part Two
Author: gypsyflame
Pairing: Sirius/Draco
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 23,589
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of JK Rowling, et al. This was created for fun, not for profit.
Warnings/Kinks: Dubious consent; may be considered underage (Draco is 16)
Summary: War is coming, and Narcissa is scared for Draco. So she turns to the only person she can think of - Sirius Black.
Author's Notes: Written for hp_cross_fest. This fic takes place immediately following OotP. It’s AU in that Sirius didn’t die; otherwise, it’s compliant with OotP canon. Some lines are taken directly from HBP. Many thanks to my always-excellent beta, the_flic, without whom I would be completely lost at sea.
“Dumbledore wants what?” Remus said incredulously.
Sirius shrugged. “He wants me to go to Hogwarts to meet with Narcissa.”
“Why?”
“He didn’t say. Just that it’s ‘a matter of grave importance.’” Sirius tossed the letter onto the table with a contemptuous snort. “I can’t imagine anything that woman has to say to me being of grave importance. Between her, Kreacher, and Bellatrix, it’s a wonder I’m even sitting here right now.”
Sirius shuddered at the memory of how close he had come to falling through the Veil in the Department of Mysteries. If he hadn’t dodged Bellatrix’s curse at the last minute…
Remus picked up the letter and read through it, raising his eyebrows. “It sounds urgent.”
“Dumbledore makes everything sound urgent,” Sirius countered.
Remus just looked at him.
“Oh, don’t give me that look, Moony. I’m going to go. But there’s no law that says I have to be mature about it, is there?”
Although Remus shook his head reprovingly, he couldn’t quite hide the amused quirk of his lips. Some things never changed.
***
Sirius had never seen Narcissa look so unwell. Granted, it had been a decade and a half since he had seen her at all, but he was sure his refined cousin had never gone out in public so disheveled - practically unkempt. She was sitting in a chair in front of Dumbledore’s desk, her face pale and drawn, and she seemed extremely anxious. On the edge of tears, even.
Probably worried about her precious husband in Azkaban, Sirius thought with vicious satisfaction. And good riddance.
“Ah, Sirius,” Dumbledore said. “Come in, my boy, come in. Have a seat.”
“Albus,” Sirius said amiably. Then, much more coldly, “Narcissa.”
“Sirius.”
He sat in the chair next to hers; they were angled in such a way that they were facing each other more than they were facing Dumbledore. Sirius’ sense of foreboding grew. “What’s all this about?” he asked.
Dumbledore nodded to Narcissa. “Mrs. Malfoy, could you please tell Sirius what you told me yesterday?”
She nodded and took a deep breath, drawing herself up a little. “The Dark Lord has commanded an audience with my son.”
“Congratulations,” Sirius said, disgusted.
“Don’t you dare, Sirius Black,” Narcissa snapped, her voice thick with surprising anger. “Don’t you dare. If you think I’m willing to send my only son to his death…” She took another deep breath, shakier this time.
Sirius frowned in confusion. “You don’t want Draco to be a Death Eater? It’s a grand old family tradition, after all.”
“Times have changed,” said Narcissa. “The Dark Lord is not what he once was, and Draco wouldn’t be safe with him. But my son does not see that. What happened to his father… Draco is distraught, he’s not thinking clearly, and he has thoughts only for vengeance.” She looked down at her tightly-clasped hands. “The Dark Lord has promised him that opportunity, but it’s a lie. He wants to punish Lucius, make an example of him, and he’s going to use my son to do it. I can’t let that happen.”
“So leave. Take the boy and get out of the country. Slytherins have always been good at running away.”
Her head jerked back up, eyes flashing angrily. “Do you think I haven’t considered that? I would have left the instant the Dark Lord returned if I’d had a choice!”
“What’s stopping you?”
“Lucius has already promised Draco to the Dark Lord’s service. He swore an oath that I have neither the power nor the authority to break. I can’t keep Draco away from the Dark Lord myself, especially not when he wants to go.”
Sirius glanced at Dumbledore, but the old man’s face wasn’t giving anything away. “You want the Order of the Phoenix to hide him?”
The idea had merit. Anything that kept Voldemort from gaining more dedicated soldiers was fine by Sirius.
“That wouldn’t help,” Narcissa said. “The oath was sealed with blood. As long as Lucius has authority over Draco, the oath must be fulfilled or it will exact penance. And with the Dark Lord’s power behind it… I’m not sure it would even be possible to keep Draco hidden from him.”
“Then what exactly do you want, Narcissa?” Sirius said in exasperation.
“Draco has not yet come of age. If he were to marry now, it would transfer Lucius’ ownership of him to his spouse. The oath would be broken, and the spouse could forbid Draco from becoming a Death Eater. He would have to obey - at least until he turns seventeen.”
“But you’d still need Lucius’ consent to the marriage.”
Narcissa looked him square in the eye. “Not if the spouse were related to me by blood.”
It took Sirius a second to get her meaning, but when he did, he leapt out of his chair. “No.”
“Sirius -” Dumbledore began.
“No! For Merlin’s sake, I am not going to marry my own cousin! My own cousin, who is sixteen fucking years old and a Slytherin to boot. Who’s my godson’s mortal enemy and wants to be a Death Eater. Who I’ve never even fucking met! No!”
“Sirius, please,” Narcissa begged, her voice uncharacteristically desperate. “Please. You’re my only hope.”
“I can’t believe you would ask me to do this,” Sirius said to Dumbledore. “After everything I’ve -”
Dumbledore’s face was as solemn as Sirius had ever seen it. “Draco is still an innocent. He has yet to commit any serious wrongs, but how long will that last once he’s under Voldemort’s control? I appreciate the sacrifices you’ve made, Sirius, but I would not rest easy if I knew I hadn’t done everything in my power to protect one of my students.”
Sirius stood stock still, shaking his head in disbelief and denial. He felt ambushed, betrayed.
“What do you want?” Narcissa asked. “Name your price; there is nothing I wouldn’t give to protect him -”
“I don’t want anything from you! Merlin.”
“Sirius,” she said quietly. “We were close once, you and I. Hate me if you must, but don’t punish my son for our falling out. He’s my only son, Sirius. My only child.”
Her obvious desperation and silent tears tugged at Sirius’ heart despite all his resistance. They had been close as children, before her family and Lucius poisoned her mind. And Draco, no matter how unpleasant, was innocent. For now.
“Narcissa…I can’t. We can find another way, but I can’t…”
Narcissa lifted her chin and squared her shoulders, her face hardening. “Then I invoke the Right of Asylum Generis.”
Even Dumbledore’s eyes widened. Sirius stared at her for a second before sinking back into his chair. “You bitch.”
“I didn’t want to do it this way, but you’ve given me no choice.”
Under the Right of Asylum Generis, Sirius was compelled to either comply with his blood kin’s honest plea for protection or pay a great blood price. However bad marrying Draco might be, it wouldn’t be worse than what Asylum Generis would do to him if he didn’t.
“Fine,” Sirius said dully. “Fine, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you,” Narcissa had the gall to say. Sirius shook his head in disgust.
“Mrs. Malfoy,” said Dumbledore, “when Voldemort discovers what we’ve done, Draco won’t be the only one in danger.”
“I know. There’s a safehouse I have on the Continent that not even Lucius knows about. Once I’m assured of Draco’s safety, I’ll leave the country.” Her eyes held an unfathomable sadness. “I can’t imagine that he’ll want to speak to me for quite some time.”
“Very well. We’ll reconvene here tomorrow; I’ll perform the ceremony myself.” Dumbledore looked grim. “The fewer outside parties who know of our intentions, the better.”
***
“Do you think this is a good time to be getting drunk?”
Sirius looked up at Remus from the library sofa, his vision already a little blurred from the bottle of Macallan he was well into. “Well, if you look at it a certain way, this may as well be my bachelor party.” He laughed bitterly and toasted Remus with his glass. “Cheers.”
Remus looked concerned, but he didn’t try to stop Sirius. He settled into an armchair and they sat in silence for a few moments.
“Harry is going to be furious,” Remus finally said.
Sirius’ stomach clenched. Harry was due to join them at Grimmauld Place in a couple of weeks for the rest of the summer, and “furious” was an enormous understatement. Given recent events, Sirius didn’t know if he was going to be able to keep Harry and Draco from killing each other.
“What the hell else was I supposed to do?” Sirius demanded. “Fucking Asylum Generis…and you know that even if she hadn’t invoked that, Dumbledore would have eventually guilted me into it anyway.” He took a deep drink. “And the worst part is that he would have been right. From everything I’ve heard, Draco’s a nasty piece of work, but he’s just a kid. If I had a chance to keep him out of Voldemort’s clutches and I didn’t, and he ended up dying - or killing someone -”
“I think you did the right thing.”
Sirius made a face.
“You did. Sometimes there isn’t a good choice and a bad choice, only a bad choice and a worse one. You’re saving his life.”
“He doesn’t want to be saved. He’s going to be even more unwilling than I am.” Sirius stared into his scotch. “I’m going to have to fuck him, you know. To seal the marriage bond. It only has to be the once, but still -”
“Don’t do this to yourself, Padfoot.”
“Why not? My whole life, I swore to myself that I wouldn’t end up like the rest of my family - and here I am, forcing my sixteen-year-old cousin into marriage against his will.”
“It has to be done. And it’s not forever. Once he turns seventeen, he can petition for divorce.”
“Thank Merlin for small mercies,” Sirius muttered. He poured more Macallan into his glass. “You know I’ve never even met him? I’ve heard Harry and his friends talk about him, but I’ve never met the boy myself.”
Taken aback, Remus said, “You’re right. I hadn’t considered…but of course you’ve never met him.”
“I’ve never heard a good word about him, either.”
Remus sighed. “He’s Lucius Malfoy’s son, with all the arrogance and entitlement that implies. It’s been a couple of years since I taught him, but I remember him well enough. He’s spoiled and cruel and vain.”
“You’re really not making me feel better here, Moony.”
“He is also highly intelligent, and an excellent student when he puts his mind to it. Draco has the potential to be a great man; he just needs the opportunity.” Remus leaned back in his chair. “I’m just saying that it would be a mistake to write him off this soon. He’s not a lost cause. Not yet.”
“There’s a ringing endorsement,” Sirius said.
Remus chuckled. “There is one silver lining.”
“Oh?”
“At least we know it isn’t just a ploy to get Draco into Order headquarters. If Narcissa had invoked Asylum Generis in bad faith, it would have rebounded on her right away. She really isn’t loyal to Voldemort. And with Draco here and Lucius in Azkaban, Voldemort won’t have any access to the Malfoy family’s resources. That’ll be quite a blow to him.”
“True.” Sirius raised his glass in another toast. “To the Black family - bringing Voldemort down one ill-advised arranged marriage at a time.”
***
“Ugh,” Sirius said as he set the empty water glass down on the kitchen counter. The sound of glass against stone made him wince.
“That hangover remedy hasn’t taken effect yet?”
“Not completely.” Sirius glanced at Remus out of the corner of his eye. “You don’t have to look so amused, you know. You could at least pretend to be sympathetic.”
“I told you not to drink so much,” Remus said, completely unsympathetically.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m well aware you’re the responsible one. Bet you never thought I’d be settling down before you, eh?”
Remus rolled his eyes and pushed Sirius towards the Floo.
***
Sirius relaxed a little when he saw that he and Remus had arrived in Dumbledore’s office before the Malfoys, but he was surprised to see McGonagall there.
“Minerva!” he said, shaking her hand. “What are you doing here?”
“Serving as the second witness, of course,” she replied.
“I thought Narcissa -”
McGonagall pursed her lips. “If Mrs. Malfoy is required to give consent on her son’s behalf - as she undoubtedly will - then she cannot serve as a witness.”
She looked pretty unhappy with the state of affairs, which Sirius could definitely sympathize with. Remus drew her into conversation as Dumbledore pulled Sirius aside for a private word.
“Sirius, I want to say again how much I appreciate -”
Sirius held up his hands. “It’s okay, Albus. I get it. We don’t have to do this. Really.”
“All right.” Dumbledore hesitated briefly, then said, “I must warn you that Mr. Malfoy can be…difficult.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“And that is at the best of times, which this hardly is. He will be angry, upset, frightened, and he will most definitely attempt to take those emotions out on you. I only ask that you keep your temper and remember that this is a difficult situation for him.”
Offended, Sirius said, “What do you think I’m going to do, beat him? Merlin.”
“Of course not. But you know very well that physical violence is not the only way to hurt someone.”
“I’m not going to deliberately set out to hurt him, Albus. I wouldn’t do that.” Anymore, Sirius silently added. No point in pretending that he hadn’t been somewhat of a git as a teenager.
Dumbledore clapped him on the shoulder. “Good. I’m quite proud of you, my boy.”
They rejoined Remus and McGonagall, making small talk for a few minutes before there was a knock at the door. Dumbledore waved it open, admitting Narcissa and Draco Malfoy.
Sirius did a double take. He had expected Draco to look like a miniature Lucius, and while the resemblance was definitely there, Draco had more than a little of his mother in him. Frankly, he was bloody gorgeous. Nobody had told Sirius to expect that.
His gaze swept over the tall, slim form, taking in the moon-pale skin, the white-blond hair, the high cheekbones. He stopped when he encountered eyes as grey as his own, the visceral reminder that he was related to this boy dousing his initial reaction as effectively as ice water. Fuck.
“Mother, what on earth is this all about?” Draco said, visibly confused and angry. “What is the werewolf doing here - and is that Sirius Black?”
“You didn’t tell him?” Sirius said to Narcissa, horrified.
“Tell me what?”
“It’s easier this way,” she said.
“What’s easier? Mother, I demand to know exactly -”
Narcissa turned to her son. “Draco, give me your wand, please.”
“What? No! Why?”
“Because I am your mother and you will do as I say,” Narcissa retorted, her patience worn thin. “Give it to me.”
Draco glared at her for a few seconds before stiffly withdrawing his wand and handing it over, his cheeks pink with anger and embarrassment.
“Thank you. Now, Draco, this is your cousin, Sirius Black -”
“The blood traitor,” Draco sneered. He shot Sirius a vicious smile. “Aunt Bellatrix said she almost killed you.”
Sirius raised his eyebrows, surprised by the pure venom in Draco’s voice and expression. He only just managed to keep himself from snapping back.
“Draco!” Narcissa said sharply. “That’s enough.”
Draco blinked at her, seeming startled and a little hurt. He obviously hadn’t heard his mother raise her voice to him often.
Narcissa lowered her voice. “Sirius is going to be…assuming guardianship of you. Until you come of age.”
Draco’s mouth dropped open. He looked between his mother and Sirius in confusion. “I don’t…I don’t understand.”
Narcissa took hold of Draco’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes. “I know you wish to avenge your father -”
The boy’s entire body stiffened.
“ - but I won’t allow you to do so at the price of your own life. And that is the price the Dark Lord will command. I won’t let you join him.”
“You’re not serious.” Seeing that Narcissa was, in fact, serious, Draco’s eyes widened and he pushed her away. “Traitor.”
“I hold no allegiance to the Dark Lord. My only loyalty is to my family.”
“Then what of Father? He’s suffering in Azkaban right now, and you’ll give me into the care of the very people who put him there?”
“Your father put himself in Azkaban.”
Draco jerked as if she’d slapped him in the face. “You don’t mean that,” he whispered.
“I love your father, but your well-being will always be my first concern,” Narcissa said. “You may not like these people, but they can protect you.”
“You can’t do this. Father promised -”
“Your father’s authority over you will be transferred to Sirius, and that oath will no longer have meaning.”
“Transferred? But…” Draco looked at Sirius with dawning horror. “No!” he choked out. “No, Mother, please -”
“It’s the only way, Draco,” she said softly.
Draco shook his head, trembling from head to foot.
“He’s going to run,” Remus whispered to Sirius, who had just been thinking the same thing.
Sirius stepped forward, trying for a reassuring tone of voice. “It’s all right, Draco. Nobody’s going to hurt you.”
Draco shrank bank. “Stay away from me!” he said, a note of rising hysteria in his voice.
Sirius looked to Dumbledore for help.
“With your permission, Mrs. Malfoy,” said Dumbledore, drawing his wand.
Narcissa nodded, and Dumbledore cast a spell on Draco that was normally used by Healers on people having panic attacks. Draco immediately stilled and his muscles relaxed, his breathing becoming even again. But he was still upset - the spell didn’t alter emotions, only their physical symptoms.
“Don’t,” he said bleakly, “I hate that spell…”
Narcissa took him by the elbow and led him over to stand in front of Dumbledore. Draco didn’t struggle, but he wouldn’t look anyone in the face, either. Sirius stood across from them. Remus and McGonagall stayed unobtrusively to the side.
“I will attempt to keep this as brief as possible,” Dumbledore said. “Join hands, please.”
Draco didn’t make a move to take Sirius’ hands, but he didn’t resist when Sirius took his hands. He just kept staring at the ground. Sirius swallowed past his queasiness.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. “We are gathered together here in the presence of these witnesses to join these two men in the honourable estate of matrimony. Will you, Sirius Orion Black, take this man, Draco Lucius Malfoy, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I will.”
“And will you, Draco Lucius Malfoy, take this man, Sirius Orion Black, to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“No, I bloody well won’t,” Draco mumbled.
“As Sirius Black’s blood kin, I give my consent to this union on my son’s behalf,” Narcissa said.
Sirius felt Draco’s hands twitch in his own. Dumbledore produced two simple platinum bands and handed one to him. Fully aware of the proper pureblood protocol, Sirius slipped the ring onto Draco’s finger and said, “In token and in pledge of the vow between us given, I thee wed.”
With indefatigable optimism, Dumbledore held the other ring out to Draco, who simply glared at him in disbelief. Dumbledore sighed and handed the ring to Narcissa, who put it on Sirius’ finger.
“In token and in pledge of the vow between you given, he thee weds.”
Draco took a shaky breath and dropped his eyes to the floor again, but not before Sirius saw the tears in his eyes. His nausea abruptly swelled. How many of his ancestors before him had stood just like this, forcing a beautiful young boy or girl into marriage?
Dumbledore tapped his wand to Draco and Sirius’ joined hands. “For as much as Sirius and Draco have consented together in wedlock and have witnessed the same before this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth, each to the other, and have declared the same by joining hands - by the authority vested in me by the Wizengamot of Great Britain, I pronounce you to be lawfully wedded and extend to you my best wishes. You may now exchange the kiss of peace.”
Sirius released one of Draco’s hands, gently taking hold of his chin so that Draco couldn’t jerk away when Sirius kissed his cheek. Sirius’ lips came away wet with Draco’s tears.
Draco pulled away from him and angrily wiped the kiss off his cheek.
“Now,” Dumbledore said, “if I could just have everyone sign the license, please -”
Sirius stepped forward and signed the marriage certificate on Dumbledore’s desk, then moved out of the way so that Remus and McGonagall could do the same. Narcissa signed for Draco - she would have had to do so even if he had been willing, since he wasn’t a legal adult. Draco just stood in the middle of the office, looking numb.
Narcissa reached out to him. “Draco -”
Draco jerked away from her touch. “Don’t,” he said harshly. “You’re not my mother.”
Narcissa dropped her hand and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, there were tears sliding down her face, but she nodded. “I love you. One day you’ll understand.”
Draco just looked away. Narcissa withdrew Draco’s wand from her robes and handed it to Sirius.
“Thank you,” she said. Without waiting for a response, she whirled around and left Dumbledore’s office with her head held high.
Sirius stowed Draco’s wand safely in his own robes, noting the boy’s keen observation with interest. He didn’t think Draco had the bollocks to try to steal his wand back, but desperate people were often unpredictable.
“If you require assistance -” Dumbledore said.
“I’ll let you know. Thanks.”
Dumbledore nodded and shook Sirius’ hand. “I believe it would be best for you to Floo right from the office. Oh, and I nearly forgot -” He turned to Draco. “The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.”
Draco’s eyes widened. Sirius was uncomfortable with a Malfoy knowing the location of headquarters, but it couldn’t be helped - Draco wouldn’t have been able to get in the house otherwise.
Sirius and Remus said their good-byes to Dumbledore and McGonagall, then turned to each other.
“You go on ahead, and then I’ll send him through,” Sirius said. “I’ll come right behind him. Don’t want him doing a runner.”
“All right.” Remus threw some Floo powder into the fireplace and stepped in. “Twelve Grimmauld Place!”
“Got that?” Sirius said to Draco. “Twelve Grimmauld Place. That’s where you’re going.”
Draco just stared at him defiantly.
“I took the liberty of temporarily making the Floo a one-way connection,” said Dumbledore. “There’s nowhere else to go.”
“As if I’d try to escape without my wand, anyway,” Draco said haughtily. He strode to the Floo and threw in the powder. “Twelve Grimmauld Place.”
He vanished, and Sirius followed close behind him. When he stepped out into the kitchen, he saw Remus making tea and Draco looking around the room in disgust.
“Welcome to Grimmauld Place,” Sirius said. “You may have been here when you were younger, actually.”
“Ugh. It’s filthy. Why is it so filthy?”
Sirius shrugged. “My house elf hates me. Tried to get me killed, actually.” He bit his tongue right before he mentioned Draco’s mother’s hand in that and hesitated, unsure of what to do next. “Er…are you hungry?”
“No. And I wouldn’t eat anything made in this kitchen even if I was.”
“You’re welcome to clean it yourself if it doesn’t meet your lofty standards,” Sirius said, his temper rising.
Draco smirked. “Give me my wand back and I’d be happy to.”
“You’re not getting your wand back until it’s time for you to go back to Hogwarts. If you go back.”
“You can’t keep me out of Hogwarts!”
“I’m your husband; I can do anything I bloody well like!”
Draco flinched and Sirius shut his mouth, feeling guilty. This was exactly what Dumbledore had been warning him against earlier.
“Sirius,” Remus said, shocked.
Sirius took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout, I just… I don’t like this any more than you do.”
“What do you mean?”
“You think I wanted this? Your mother went and invoked Asylum Generis on me. Believe me, I’m just as unhappy with the situation as you are.”
Draco looked oddly relieved. “Oh. I thought…” He stopped and blushed, looking away. “Never mind,” he muttered.
He didn’t have to finish his sentence, though, because Sirius knew exactly what he had thought - that Sirius had married him in pursuit of a pretty young sex toy. Sirius’ gut twisted with self-loathing.
Remus broke the awkward silence. “Tea?”
“Sure,” Sirius said, moving to sit at the table.
“Draco?”
Draco shook his head.
“At least sit down,” said Sirius. “Please.”
Draco sat, holding himself with a stiff arrogance that Sirius recognized well. Remus sat down as well and passed Sirius his cup.
“Do you live here?” Draco asked Remus.
“Yes.”
“Are you lovers?”
Sirius and Remus both choked on their tea.
“No!” Sirius exclaimed. “Why do people always think that?”
“Because you’re grown men who still live together?”
“We’re not lovers,” Remus said firmly. “We’ve been good friends since Hogwarts.”
“Besides, Remus fancies witches,” Sirius added.
Remus shot him a quelling look, then turned back to Draco. “These are Order headquarters. Many Order members stay here from time to time.”
“Speaking of,” Sirius said, “didn’t you have that thing you needed to do?”
“What - oh, of course. The thing. Er, yes. I’m due at the Weasleys’.”
Sirius caught Draco’s automatic sneer at the name, but pushed away his anger. Remus got up and headed for the Floo.
“I’ll be back…eventually. Have a - a good day.” He stepped into the Floo. “The Burrow!”
“Does he act that oddly because he’s a werewolf?” Draco said in a conversational tone.
Sirius clenched his fists. “Okay, ground rule number one - I don’t care what the hell you think as long as you keep it to yourself, but you will treat Remus with respect. That means no slurs about his condition, about werewolves in general, or about anything that could conceivably be offensive to him. Got it?”
“It was an honest question.”
“No, it wasn’t. Don’t forget that I’m a Black. I grew up the same way you did, hearing the same load of dung. I know the party line, and I’m telling you right now I won’t stand for it in my house. So keep your nasty comments to yourself. That goes for everyone in the Order, not just Remus. Understand?”
“Or what?” Draco challenged.
That brought Sirius up short. What could he do if Draco disobeyed him? An image of Draco spread over his lap for a spanking flashed across his mind, having the singularly unpleasant effect of simultaneously arousing and disgusting him. This entire situation would be much less complicated if Draco weren’t so fucking attractive.
“How badly do you want to go back to Hogwarts?” he asked casually.
Draco scowled. Sirius congratulated himself for his quick thinking.
“While we’re at it, I want to make it absolutely clear that you are forbidden to seek out Voldemort or to try to help him or his followers in any way.”
Although Draco rolled his eyes, Sirius saw him flinch slightly at Voldemort’s name.
“You’re not to leave the house without me - and in fact, you’ll find that you can’t. All the exits are heavily warded; you’d never be able to get out without a wand and a lot of free time.”
“So I’m a prisoner.”
“If you want to look at it that way.”
“How are you looking at it?”
“I’m keeping you safe. From yourself, if nothing else.” Sirius pushed his tea away, no longer able to stomach it. “You can go anywhere you like in the house - all the dangerous stuff’s been cleared out - but I expect you to be just as respectful of my possessions as you are of my friends. All right?”
“Fine,” Draco said sullenly.
“Your mum sent over most of your things this morning. I’ll show you around the house.” He stood and waited expectantly until Draco stood as well. “We’re in the basement. There’s nothing down here but the kitchen…”
He trailed off as it occurred to him that he should really introduce Kreacher to Draco. After the battle at the Department of Mysteries, Sirius had forbidden Kreacher to leave the house again for any reason. Since then, Kreacher had taken to mostly holing up in his den. He rarely came out anymore.
“Kreacher!”
It took a few moments for Kreacher to appear in front of them. Draco made a sound of disgust and backed up a few paces, but Sirius couldn’t really blame him. Kreacher looked worse than ever.
“Master summoned Kreacher?” the house elf said, his rheumy eyes trained on the ground.
“Yeah. This is Draco -”
Kreacher’s head snapped up and his eyes focused on Draco. “Draco Malfoy?”
“Yes. Well, no, I suppose it’s Draco Black now, isn’t it?”
Draco took a sharp, pained breath. Sirius realized that the name change probably hadn’t occurred to Draco any more than it had occurred to him, and silently rebuked himself for mentioning it so offhandedly.
“Draco Black?” Kreacher said in confusion.
“We, er…we were married this morning.”
Kreacher looked back and forth between them for a moment before rushing forward to fall at Draco’s feet, clinging to his leg and bawling with happiness. Sirius groaned. Draco, for his part, seemed frozen with revulsion.
“Kreacher is so pleased to have a Black to care for again! A real Black, not a nasty blood traitor who broke his poor mother’s heart -”
Draco raised his eyebrows.
“Master Draco will make things right again, get rid of all the Mudbloods and filth -”
“Shut up, Kreacher!” Sirius ordered. “Let go of him.”
Kreacher reluctantly let go of Draco’s leg and backed up a little, still crying. Draco twitched his leg as if shaking off the touch, but there was a small smile on his face that Sirius didn’t like.
“Draco’s going to be staying here from now on, all right?”
Kreacher nodded vigorously. “Kreacher will take good care of Master Draco, yes.”
“Fine. Maybe you’ll actually cook something edible for once. You’re dismissed.”
Kreacher gave Draco one last longing look before disappearing.
“He really does hate you,” Draco said. “I like him.”
“Come on,” Sirius said, shaking his head.
He took Draco on a perfunctory tour of the house, ending on the third floor in front of a bedroom. Sirius pushed the door open and ushered Draco inside.
“This is your room. The bathroom’s next door. My room is one floor up.”
He watched as Draco looked around, taking in the room. Like all the rooms in Grimmauld Place, it was gloomy and not very well-kept. There were trunks and boxes full of Draco’s possessions all over it. Draco looked like he was barely restraining himself from saying something cutting.
Sirius gripped the doorknob. “I’ll give you some time to unpack, and then…”
“What?”
Not sure how to broach the subject without giving Draco the wrong idea, Sirius said, “It’s not that I want to, but it needs to be done. It only has to be the once -”
Draco grimaced. “You mean the consummation.”
“Yes. If it doesn’t take place within twenty-four hours of the ceremony, the marriage becomes invalid.”
“I know. And I’m not letting you anywhere near me.”
Of course not. “I’m not giving you a choice,” Sirius said, hating himself for every word.
Draco took a step backward. “You would force me?” he said disbelievingly.
“I don’t want to. Trust me, that’s not how I get my rocks off. But the marriage has to be consummated one way or another.”
“But you - you’re a Gryffindor!”
Sirius laughed humourlessly. “I’ve done worse.”
Draco backed up even farther. “I’ll fight you.”
“If you feel like you have to. But it would be better if you didn’t. You’ll still lose, and you’ll make it unnecessarily painful. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Draco’s cheeks lost what little color they had, and he sank into his desk chair.
“I’m sorry,” said Sirius. “I promise I won’t touch you again after the consummation. You have my word.”
“Could you please leave?” Draco said shakily. “Just…go away. Please. I can’t -”
Sirius nodded and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
***
He spent the next few hours puttering aimlessly around the house and dreading the upcoming encounter. While he did so, he took the opportunity to hide Draco’s wand in his room, using magic to conceal it so that it would be impossible to find through a simple physical search.
Although his hangover had long since faded, Sirius still felt a lingering nausea - one that had nothing to do with an overdose of scotch. He’d committed a multitude of sins in his lifetime, but he’d never slept with anyone who was less than one hundred percent willing. Even the thought of it made his gorge rise.
And therein lay a major problem. Given the circumstances, Sirius doubted he would be able to either achieve or maintain an erection, which was pretty crucial to the whole consummation deal. It wasn’t just himself, either - both parties had to experience orgasm for the marriage to be sealed. Normally he wouldn’t be worried about being able to get a sixteen-year-old boy to orgasm, but that just went to show how fucked up the entire situation was.
A mild aphrodisiac might have worked, if he’d had one, but the potions cabinet in the bathroom was sadly understocked. The only thing in there that had any possibility of helping was an anti-anxiety potion. It was better than nothing.
Sirius grabbed it and headed for Draco’s room. He’d left his robes in his own bedroom - no use putting on extra layers when they were just going to come off again - and he felt oddly exposed in just a jumper and trousers. He knocked on the door.
After a good thirty seconds had passed with no response, Sirius pushed the door open. Draco was sitting in the exact same spot he had been several hours ago; it seemed he hadn’t moved since then. Sirius was concerned for the boy’s mental state until he realized that all of the boxes and trunks had been unpacked.
Not catatonic, then. That was a good start.
Sirius entered the room and closed the door. Draco watched him warily, reminding Sirius of the way a rabbit would watch a hungry dog. When Sirius took a couple of steps towards him, Draco jumped up and starting backing towards the wall.
“No! Don’t, I can’t - I’m going to be sick -”
“That’s why I brought this,” Sirius said. He held out the potion.
Draco eyed it suspiciously. “What is it?”
“An anti-anxiety potion. Take it.”
“No. I hate those potions.”
Remembering Draco’s similar response to Dumbledore’s anti-anxiety spell, Sirius thought there must be a bigger story there. There was no time for that now, though.
“Just take it. At the very least, it’ll keep you from getting sick.”
“How do I know it’s really what you say it is?”
“Oh, for Merlin’s -” Sirius uncapped the vial and took a quick swallow of it. “There. Better?”
Draco took the potion when Sirius held it out again. He sniffed at it before swallowing some of it down, making a face. He handed it back to Sirius, who capped the vial and set it on the desk.
“All right?”
“No.”
“Give it a few minutes.” Sirius already felt calmer. He could do this. He could get them both through this without traumatizing either of them more than strictly necessary. It would take patience, but he could do it. He sat down on the bed and beckoned for Draco to join him. “Come here.”
Draco hesitated before walking slowly towards the bed - dragging his feet, to be sure, but obeying nonetheless. Sirius suddenly found himself absurdly grateful that Draco was a Slytherin. A Gryffindor would have fought tooth and nail to the very end, but at least Slytherins knew when continuing to fight would only make things worse for themselves. Draco’s instinct for self-preservation would spare them both a lot of discomfort.
Draco sat on the bed as far away from Sirius as he could get. Sirius sighed and slid over, close to Draco but not touching him. “We’ll take it slow, all right? As slow as you need.”
“No! Can’t you just - just put it in and get it over with?”
Even with the potion, the suggestion made Sirius’ stomach roil. “We both have to orgasm.”
“I could never do that with you,” Draco objected. “You and Potter and your friends - you’re the reason my father’s in Azkaban -”
“Don’t start that now,” Sirius said firmly. “You can hate me as much as you like, but it’s not going to change anything.”
Draco’s expression was stubborn. “You can make me take it, but you can’t make me like it.”
Sirius almost admired the boy’s obstinate pride - the way it made his chin lift and his eyes narrow with determination. But he was wrong about Sirius not being able to make him like it. There was no need to correct him, though. He’d find out for himself soon enough.
Sirius moved behind Draco and started rubbing his shoulders. Despite the potion, Draco’s muscles were painfully tense.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to get you to relax. The more tense you are, the more difficult this will be.”
Draco remained rigid and seemingly poised on the edge of flight. Sirius could tell he was having to physically restrain himself from cringing away from the touch.
An idea coming to mind, Sirius said, “Look, just close your eyes and pretend you’re with someone else. Whoever it is you fool around with in the dorms at Hogwarts.”
“I don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Fool around,” Draco said quietly.
Sirius let his hands drop off Draco’s shoulders, a horrible thought occurring to him. “You’re not…are you a virgin?”
“Yes,” said Draco, even more quietly.
“Fuck!” Sirius exploded. Draco was good-looking and wealthy and a sixteen-year-old boy; Sirius had just assumed…he hadn’t even considered…
Draco recoiled at his outburst. Sirius immediately reached out and touched his arm.
“Sorry. I’m not angry with you, I’m just… When you say you’re a virgin, you just mean you’ve never been fucked, right? I mean, you’ve done other things.”
Draco shook his head, his back still to Sirius. Sirius closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. “Okay. That’s okay. Er…have you kissed anyone, at least?”
“Of course!” Draco said indignantly, looking over his shoulder.
“Good. Just checking. You wank, don’t you?”
Draco pulled away from him, his cheeks flushing a dark pink. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“There must be someone you think about when you do it. Someone who turns you on, who you imagine yourself with.”
“I suppose.”
“Then pretend you’re with him. Or her, I guess, although you might have to get a little creative -”
“Him,” Draco said, avoiding his eyes.
Sirius let out an internal sigh of relief. “Well, that’ll make things easier, then. Come here.”
He tugged Draco back towards him and had him turn around again, then returned to rubbing his shoulders. They sat in silence for a while as Sirius massaged the entirety of Draco’s back, trying to get him to relax a little. Eventually, Draco’s muscles started to loosen up, and his shoulders slumped a bit as his breathing became deeper. He made a soft sound of pleasure as Sirius worked out a knot in his shoulderblade.
“Good,” Sirius said. “That’s good.” He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against Draco’s neck. Draco stiffened and tried to pull away, but Sirius kept him in place. “Shh. It’s alright. Keep your eyes closed.”
Draco stayed still as Sirius covered the sides and back of his neck with gentle kisses. Sirius took the opportunity to breathe in the boy’s scent - something he’d wanted to do since the second he’d seen him. The scent wasn’t as rich and telling as it would have been if he were in canine form, of course, but it was still dizzying. Sandalwood soap mixed with the natural smell of a young, healthy male, and even the slight, sour note of fear couldn’t make the aroma anything but delicious.
Draco didn’t resist when Sirius slid his hands under his shirt and up his bare back. Here, like this, with his hands on Draco’s warm, smooth skin, breathing in the intoxicating scent of him, it was easy for Sirius to forget that Draco hadn’t come to this bed willingly. That he was a good twenty years younger than Sirius himself. That they were, at least ideologically, on opposite sides of a war.
Sirius gave Draco’s neck a final kiss and reached around to unbutton his shirt, but Draco pulled away and turned around.
“No.”
“Draco -”
“You first. I don’t want…” Draco’s lips tightened. “You first.”
Ah. Sirius nodded, understanding. Draco, who was already feeling powerless, didn’t want the added vulnerability of being naked in the presence of a man who was fully dressed. Completely reasonable - and a fear that Sirius would actually be able to put to rest, thank Merlin. He stripped off his jumper and tossed it onto the floor.
He let Draco look at him, relieved that he’d been able to get back most of the weight and muscle he’d lost while in Azkaban. He might not be quite as handsome as he’d been in his twenties, but he knew he was still a good-looking bloke.
When he felt Draco had gotten a good enough look, Sirius reached out to unbutton his shirt. Draco let him, closing his eyes again. Sirius slid the shirt off Draco’s shoulders and let it fall to the bed.
He swallowed hard at the sight of Draco’s bare chest. He’d never seen such flawless skin - not a single freckle or birthmark to be found - and Draco’s slim, leanly-muscled figure pushed every button he had. Sirius was glad that Draco had his eyes closed, because he knew that the boy would be upset by the lust Sirius was sure was obvious in his expression. Even the fact that Draco was unwilling barely dampened Sirius’ arousal when confronted with his half-dressed body.
Sirius ran his hands up and down Draco’s arms reassuringly, then leaned forward to kiss his lips. Draco turned his head aside.
“Not on the mouth.”
“All right,” Sirius said easily. It was important to let Draco set some boundaries here, so that he could feel like he had at least some control over the situation. Sirius kissed Draco’s cheek instead, then kissed down his jaw to his neck. He noticed that Draco’s breathing was starting to come a little quicker. “Do you want to lie down?” he asked. “It’ll be easier.”
“I don’t want you on top of me,” Draco said immediately.
“On our sides, then. Come on.”
Sirius guided Draco so they were both lying down on their sides, facing each other. He returned to kissing Draco’s neck and collarbone, letting his hands move slowly over Draco’s back and sides, then over his stomach and chest. He was careful to keep his touch soothing - not too light and teasing, but not too fast and demanding, either.
Draco jerked back when Sirius’ hand brushed his nipple. “Don’t touch me there. You don’t have to… Don’t touch me there.”
“I won’t,” Sirius said, surprised by Draco’s vehemence. His first thought was that he had somehow hurt the boy, but then he decided it was more likely that Draco liked being touched there so much that he didn’t want Sirius to know about it. A quick glance at Draco’s now-tented trousers confirmed his theory.
Sirius wondered if Draco played with his nipples when he touched himself. The image that brought to mind made his cock strain against his own trousers.
Still, he obeyed Draco’s demand and kept his hands away from Draco’s chest. He kept up the kissing and petting until Draco started to relax again, running his hands over Draco’s hips and thighs but being careful not to touch his arse. No point in frightening the boy by reminding him of what was to come.
Respecting Draco’s desire not to be the first one undressed, Sirius sat up and started unlacing his boots.
Draco opened his eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Taking off my shoes.” Sirius kicked his boots off and followed them with his socks, then took off Draco’s shoes and socks as well. He spent a few moments rubbing Draco’s feet, until Draco let out a soft sigh.
Sirius let go of Draco’s feet and started taking off his belt. Draco’s eyes widened and then clamped tightly shut, his body starting to tense up again. Sirius shed his trousers and pants quickly, slipping the tube of lubricant out of his pocket and setting it next to him on the bed.
He lay back down next to Draco and rubbed his side again before moving his hand to Draco’s belt buckle. Draco let out a thin noise of distress that made Sirius’ cock soften slightly.
“It’s okay, Draco.” Sirius wondered what he could do to make this easier. Maybe if Draco didn’t feel so exposed… “Do you want to get under the blanket?”
Draco nodded without opening his eyes, and Sirius pulled the blanket back, both of them shifting so they ended up lying underneath it. Sirius unfastened Draco’s belt and trousers and slipped his hands under the waistband, easing them and Draco’s pants down his legs to his knees. Draco kicked them off the rest of the way.
Sirius rubbed Draco’s hip. “Lie on your back.”
“I don’t want -”
“I won’t lie on top of you.”
Draco bit his lip and then turned over so he was lying on his back, his eyes still tightly shut. Sirius badly wanted to pull the blanket away so he could look at the rest of Draco’s body, but he’d never take advantage like that. Instead, he lay at Draco’s side, propped up on his elbow, and caressed Draco’s stomach with firm but gentle strokes. He moved his hand down over Draco’s hip and thigh, then very slowly moved to run his hand over Draco’s cock. He found it almost fully hard.
Draco squirmed in embarrassment, his blush spreading down from his cheeks to his chest, and Sirius could feel his hands clutching at the sheet below him in an effort not to push Sirius’ hand away. “Good. You’re doing very well, Draco.”
“Stop talking to me like I’m a - a horse! I don’t need to be praised or coaxed. Just do it.”
Sirius took a few deep breaths to keep from responding in kind. He was actually glad Draco had chosen to deal with the situation through anger instead of despondency - snarky comments Sirius could deal with, but tears would have made it impossible for him to go through with this.
He took Draco’s cock in his hand and stroked it slowly from root to tip, urging it to full hardness. The way Draco bit his lip to keep himself from making noise was an unexpected turn-on.
Sirius let go of Draco’s cock and kissed the middle of his chest, then his stomach. He started sliding down Draco’s body, staying under the covers and kissing a line down his abdomen.
Draco grabbed him by the shoulders, and Sirius looked up to see his eyes wide open and startled. “What are you -”
“Relaxing you,” Sirius said. He gently removed Draco’s hands from his shoulders and slid further down. It was hot and stuffy under the blanket, but Sirius ignored that in favor of admiring Draco’s lovely cock and slim thighs. He kissed the head of Draco’s cock before taking it into his mouth slowly, inch by inch. Draco gasped as if he’d been punched in the stomach and resumed his death-grip on the sheet.
This wouldn’t last long, Sirius knew - Draco was only sixteen, and this was his first blowjob. He pushed Draco’s thighs apart and up a little, so that Draco’s knees were slightly bent and his feet were resting flat on the bed. It had the added benefit of lifting the blanket off Sirius’ head and giving him some breathing room.
He sucked Draco’s cock straightforwardly - no teasing and no fancy tricks, just heat and pressure and suction - and Merlin, the boy tasted like heaven. Sirius could happily have done this all night. Draco did a valiant job of trying to keep his noises back, but every now and then a quiet and utterly thrilling moan escaped him.
After about a minute, Draco reached down and pushed the blanket off them both. Sirius stopped what he was doing and looked up in surprise.
“Too hot,” Draco said. His eyes were still closed, and Sirius found himself wondering who, exactly, Draco had decided to pretend he was.
Uncomfortable with the odd jealousy that thought engendered, Sirius returned to his task and doubled his effort. He could tell Draco was close, so he reached to the side with one hand and grabbed the lube. He pulled off for a second so he could squeeze some onto the fingers of his right hand, then immediately took Draco’s cock back into his mouth. With Draco distracted by the blowjob and his impending orgasm, Sirius reached down to massage his hole gently with the pad of his index finger.
Draco came with a soft cry. Sirius swallowed everything he had to give and then released Draco’s cock, kissing his thigh. As Draco melted into the bed in post-orgasmic lassitude, Sirius slid his finger smoothly into the boy’s arse.
Draco made a noise of surprise and stiffened a little, but the combination of the anti-anxiety potion and his orgasm prevented him from tensing up too much. Sirius moved his finger in and out in a steady slide, determined to prepare Draco as thoroughly as possible. Draco shifted uncomfortably.
“I know it feels strange. Just relax. Your body will adjust.”
“I don’t want to adjust,” Draco mumbled.
“Yes, you do,” Sirius said. “Trust me.” He pushed in another finger, and Draco grunted in discomfort. Sirius didn’t let that stop him; Draco would feel much worse than discomfort if Sirius tried to fuck him now without stretching him first. “It might help if you bear down around my fingers.”
That wasn’t the only thing that would help. Sirius felt around until he found Draco’s prostate and brushed his fingers against it lightly. Draco yelped, his entire body jerking.
“What - what -”
“Your prostate. Does it feel good?”
“N-no - ah!”
Sirius hid his smile against Draco’s thigh as Draco writhed on his fingers, his cock already rising again. Sirius used the distraction to add a third finger - he usually didn’t find that necessary, but since Draco was a virgin, it seemed better to be safe than sorry. He kept a steady pressure on Draco’s prostate, and Draco didn’t even seem to notice the invasion.
When he knew Draco was as ready as he was going to be, Sirius withdrew his fingers - slowly, so as not to shock the boy. Draco was covered with a fine sheen of sweat and he was panting for breath, his cock full and hard. His body was trembling a little.
Remembering Draco’s insistence that Sirius not lay on top of him, Sirius asked, “Do you want me to do this from behind?”
“No!” Draco said. “This is…this is fine.”
“I’ll have to put some of my weight on you.”
“I don’t care.”
Sirius nodded and raised himself up a little, noting with amusement the way Draco’s eyes darted down to his cock before growing wider and then shutting again. He settled Draco’s thighs around his waist and used one hand to support himself while the other guided his cock to Draco’s hole. He pushed in very slowly, just the head at first.
Draco let out a harsh exhalation but didn’t object, so Sirius pushed forward even farther. Draco’s body twisted underneath his. “Hurts.”
“I know. It’ll get better.”
He waited until the pained frown on Draco’s face had smoothed out a little and moved forward even more. Draco let out a high-pitched whine, so Sirius moved his hand to Draco’s wilting cock to distract him. Bit by bit, Sirius worked his way forward until he was fully sheathed in Draco’s arse.
Sirius stilled for a moment - ostensibly to let Draco adjust, but also because he needed time to get control of himself. It had been so long…he had fucked a few rentboys in the year following his escape from Azkaban, but then he had gotten shut up in this house and hadn’t shagged anyone since. And he hadn’t been with anyone as beautiful as Draco since he was a young man himself. His libido was dangerously close to raging out of control.
When he felt Draco’s arse relax a little around his cock, Sirius started to move his hips, keeping the thrusts slow and shallow. He continued to work Draco’s cock with his right hand, watching as the pain receded from Draco’s face to be replaced by something much more pleasant.
No longer able to deny his need for real fucking, Sirius let go of Draco’s cock and leaned over his body, supporting his own weight with his elbows on either side of Draco’s arms. His thrusts came faster and deeper, but he kept them controlled. He wouldn’t let himself get rough, no matter how much his cock was begging him to.
“Oh,” Draco said, almost inaudibly. “Oh.”
Sirius was caught by surprise when Draco’s legs tightened around his waist and Draco’s hands gripped his biceps, but his rhythm didn’t falter. He landed a kiss on Draco’s shoulder and then closed his own eyes, letting his body take over.
Draco let out a small, delicious gasp with every thrust, and he soon started lifting his hips up into them, urging Sirius deeper. Sirius groaned and obliged, letting his hips move with a little more force. Draco started moaning, his hands moving restlessly over Sirius’s shoulder and arms, sharp nails digging into Sirius’ skin and making Sirius moan himself.
When Draco moved one hand down to wank himself, Sirius opened his eyes so he could watch. He almost came at the sight of Draco moving underneath him, with him, eyes closed and face intent on his own pleasure. Practically against his will, Sirius’ thrusts sped up considerably. Draco cried out - in pleasure, not pain - and then cried out again, this time with a slightly hysterical edge that let Sirius know he had managed to get his prostate.
Sirius was lost. He fucked Draco vigorously, spurred on by Draco’s moans and cries, until Draco thrashed beneath him and came all over both their stomachs. Sirius didn’t stop; even as Draco’s body relaxed underneath him, he kept up the energetic pace in search of his own climax. It hit him a couple of minutes later, and he shouted his pleasure as he filled Draco with his release.
Somehow, he had enough presence of mind not to collapse onto Draco. He pulled out slowly before moving off to the side, Summoning his wand from his trousers to clean them both up.
Draco was lying very still, looking limp and used. His eyes were still closed, and his breath was coming in great shuddering gasps.
Sirius cursed himself. He shouldn’t have been so forceful, even though it had seemed like Draco wanted it that way… The boy had been a fucking virgin, for Merlin’s sake.
“Draco? Are you all right?”
Draco’s eyes blinked open slowly, and he looked at Sirius as if he couldn’t quite focus. “I’m fine.”
He glanced down at his body and seemed to suddenly realize that he was naked. He blushed and grabbed the blanket, pulling it up to his chin, and then turned on his side so his back was to Sirius.
“Are you hungry? Kreacher probably has dinner ready -”
Sirius reached out to touch Draco’s shoulder, inexplicably hurt when Draco flinched away.
“No. I’m fine.”
“Okay,” Sirius said. “Let me know if you need anything.”
He got up and dressed before leaving the room. Draco didn’t say a word.
Part Two