FIC: Stay 2/3

[gypsyflame]

Draco may not have been hungry, but Sirius was starving. He always was after a good shag.

And it had been a good shag, he realized. Although neither he nor Draco had been emotionally willing participants at first, their physical compatibility couldn’t be denied. Sirius hadn’t expected to enjoy fucking him so much - and he certainly hadn’t expected Draco to enjoy being fucked so much.

Still, Sirius found himself unable to truly enjoy the post-orgasmic glow. Physical response aside, Draco hadn’t been willing. And even if he had been, that wouldn’t have changed the fact that he was only sixteen and Sirius’ cousin, besides. No matter how good it had felt, what had happened between them was wrong. It wouldn’t happen again.

Equal parts reassured and disappointed by that certainty, Sirius opened the door to the kitchen and blinked.

The kitchen was…clean. There wasn’t a speck of dust to be seen, the floor had been swept and scrubbed, and the wooden table had been polished until it shone. Kreacher, dressed in a starched tea towel, hummed merrily as he tended to a cauldron that was hanging over the fire and giving off a mouth-watering smell.

Sirius gaped. “What the - Kreacher, did you do all this?”

Kreacher turned around, and Sirius noted that he seemed to have trimmed his ear hair. “Yes, Master. Kreacher wants the house to look nice for Master Draco.”

“What are you cooking?”

“Veal. Master Draco is liking it very much.”

“Well, I don’t think he’s coming down to eat,” Sirius said absently, distracted by the enticing aroma of cooking meat.

Kreacher’s face fell so fast that Sirius almost felt bad for him. Almost.

“You can bring a tray up to him later,” Sirius told him. It wouldn’t do for Draco to starve, after all. “I’m sure he’ll be…pleased.”

“Yes, Master,” Kreacher said, his good mood restored. “Master is to be sitting down, please.”

Sirius sat so that Kreacher could serve him dinner, which turned out to be as delicious as it smelled. Kreacher took himself off to do whatever it was that ecstatic house elves liked to do with their free time, and Sirius wolfed the food with the eagerness of a man who hadn’t eaten for days.

He was serving himself seconds when Remus came through the Floo and stopped short, looking around in shock. “What -”

“Strange, isn’t it?” Sirius said.

Remus nodded slowly. “I thought I had the wrong house for a second. Is that veal?”

“Kreacher made it. Three guesses why.”

“Ah. I take it he approves of your new spouse?”

“Putting it lightly.”

Remus served himself and sat down at the table. After a few minutes of silent chewing, he asked, “How did it go?”

“The consummation?” Sirius shrugged. “Hard to say, really. Nobody’s dead, so at least there’s that.”

Remus narrowed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “You smell like him, which I suppose is to expected. But why are you bleeding?”

“What?” Sirius said in surprise. “I’m not.”

“The full moon is tomorrow, Sirius. I can smell -” Remus broke off and leaned forward, pulling aside the neck of Sirius’ jumper to expose his shoulder - and the deep, bloody scratches marring it. They both blinked at the marks in surprise.

“So that’s what that itching was,” Sirius said.

Remus let go and sat back. “You didn’t know you were bleeding? For God’s sake, it looks like you were attacked by an angry cat!”

“I was distracted at the time! And then afterwards I was too worried about -” Sirius broke off, not sure how much of this Remus wanted to hear.

“How is he?” Remus asked, watching Sirius’ face closely.

“I don’t know. He was upset at first, and then - well, he seemed fine during. More than fine, even. And then afterwards he was upset again.”

“When he scratched you - was he pushing you away or pulling you closer?”

Something low in Sirius’ stomach tightened at the memory. “He wasn’t telling me to stop, that’s for damn certain.”

Remus raised his eyebrows. “Perhaps he’s embarrassed by his own, er…enthusiasm.”

“Maybe,” said Sirius, staring moodily at his plate. “Why didn’t you warn me that he was so…so…”

He gestured wildly, not sure how to say it. Remus frowned at him.

“Annoying?”

“Gorgeous!” Sirius burst out. “I almost lost control with him, Moony. Even with everything that should have been holding me back…I think I may have been too rough.”

Remus looked astonished, then pensive. “The last time I saw him, he was thirteen. He was a good-looking boy, certainly, but in a childish way. It didn’t occur to me that he would be…that you would find him so attractive.”

“He’s still a child,” Sirius grumbled.

“He’s above the age of consent.”

“Barely.”

“You’re determined to feel guilty about this, aren’t you?”

Sirius just shrugged.

“Give it time,” Remus said gently. “He’ll adjust to the situation eventually. You both will.”

Sirius wasn’t so sure.

***

The next morning found him sitting in the same spot, pushing his breakfast around on his plate while he stared blankly at the Daily Prophet. He was too concerned about Draco to be able to concentrate enough to read it.

The boy hadn’t come out of his room since yesterday. Sirius had checked on him last night before going to bed and then again this morning; Draco had been fast asleep both times. Or at least, he had pretended convincingly. And he had barely touched the trays of food Kreacher had taken up.

A little grief and sadness was to be expected, but Sirius was worried that Draco might be about to slip into full-blown depression. He’d give him some space and time alone for now, but if things didn’t improve, something would have to be done.

Sirius’ brooding was interrupted by the sound of someone coming through the Floo.

Snape. Lovely. Exactly what this morning needed to make it even more dismal.

Sirius had to tolerate his presence, because he was still brewing the Wolfsbane for Remus. But that didn’t mean he had to welcome the git. “Remus is in the library,” he said.

“Where is he?” Snape snapped, as if he hadn’t heard.

“In the library,” Sirius repeated. “What are you, deaf?”

“Not Lupin, you idiot! Draco. Where is he?”

Sirius was so surprised that the answer slipped out without his meaning to give it. “In his bedroom.” When Snape headed in the direction of the stairs, Sirius jumped up. “Oi! Where do you think you’re going?”

“To speak with Draco.”

“Absolutely not! Are you mad? He doesn’t even know you’re in the Order! How the hell are you going to explain -”

“Someone has to ensure that you are not abusing the boy,” Snape said.

“Abusing him? I would never abuse a traumatized child!”

Snape gave a bitter laugh that had far too much history behind it, and Sirius’ anger grew.

“Is that really why you’re here? Or are you just jealous?”

It had just been a random shot, mostly meant to offend Snape with the suggestion. But something in Snape’s eyes flickered, and Sirius knew he had unintentionally hit a nerve.

“Oh ho! Encroaching on your territory, am I? I always knew you were a pervert, but really, Snape -”

“I have never touched him,” Snape said, his voice low with rage.

“I know.” A cruel smile spread over Sirius’ face. “He was a virgin.”

Snape moved before Sirius even registered it, his curse slicing across Sirius’ chest. Sirius yelled in pain and drew his own wand, shooting off a hex that Snape easily deflected. He got off another one and was forced to duck out of the way when it rebounded off a sudden invisible wall that had gone up between them.

“Stop it!” Remus shouted from the doorway, his wand out. “What is wrong with you two?”

Sirius and Snape glared at each other. With a start, Sirius realized that Snape wasn’t just in his normal sour mood - he was white and literally shaking with fury. Sirius hadn’t seem him so upset in a long time.

Okay, so maybe that comment about Draco’s virginity hadn’t exactly been called for.

“Severus, I thought you weren’t coming until this afternoon,” Remus said.

“I came to speak with Draco.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” When Snape opened his mouth angrily, Remus held his hands up. “I just think that it might be more than he can take right now. His whole world’s been turned upside down; he’s feeling abandoned and betrayed… It might be too much for him to learn that you’re in the Order. Perhaps that particular revelation should wait a few weeks.”

Snape seemed to struggle with himself for a moment before nodding sharply. Remus cautiously let down the barrier, and Snape turned to look at Sirius again. “I swear, if you harm him -”

“I won’t.”

“You already have,” Snape said. “Think what you like about me, Black, but at least I can say that I have never raped a child.”

He Flooed out, leaving Sirius feeling like he’d been punched in the stomach.

***

It had been a long week.

Losing Amelia Bones and Emmeline Vance within days of each other had been a huge blow to the Order - not to mention the Brockdale Bridge collapse and the fiasco in the West Country. Now the Dementors had answered Voldemort’s call and had started breeding.

On top of all that, Draco had refused to come out of his room all week. From Kreacher’s reports, Sirius knew that Draco had barely been eating, and Sirius was starting to seriously worry about his health. He couldn’t allow Draco to simply waste away in that dismal bedroom, but all of his attempts to draw the boy out - from threats to bribery to puerile insults - had been ignored.

Adding even more to Sirius’ anxiety was the fact that Dumbledore would be bringing Harry to Grimmauld Place a week from today. Harry still didn’t know about the marriage. Dumbledore had offered to break the news himself, and though Sirius had been tempted, he knew that he had to be the one to tell his godson. And it would be best if it were done in person.

Basically, Sirius was becoming a nervous wreck, and he hated it. He’d never been one to succumb to worry and stress. Even Azkaban, which had taken so much from him, hadn’t changed that. Something had to be done, but he was damned if he knew what might help.

As he had every night for the past five days, Sirius stopped at the door to Draco’s room to check on him before going to bed himself. He had just put his hand on the doorknob when he heard the sound of soft sobbing coming from inside.

Sirius drew his hand back as if burned, his stomach dropping. He hadn’t seen or heard Draco cry since those silent, almost unnoticeable tears during their sham of a wedding, and he was ashamed of how grateful he’d been for that. Sirius hated to see people cry; he always had. Lily had used to tease him about how uneasy he became in the face of another person’s tears.

There was no denying that Draco had reason to cry, though. His father was in prison; his mother had - to his mind - betrayed and abandoned him. He’d been forced to marry a stranger and was trapped in a house with people he hated, isolated from everyone he knew and everything he cared about. In fact, now that Sirius thought about it, he was surprised that he hadn’t discovered Draco crying earlier.

Another muffled sob from the bedroom made Sirius’ stomach lurch. He couldn’t stand the sound of Draco’s suffering, and everything in him was urging him to walk away, to give Draco his privacy. But that was the coward’s way out, wasn’t it? Sirius would never forgive himself if he walked away without even trying to help.

He put his hand back on the doorknob and turned it, pushing the door open a crack. Then he realized how stupid it would be for him to go in there now, when Draco would know that Sirius had heard him crying. The boy was very proud. Getting caught in tears by someone he disliked and distrusted was unlikely to lead to anything but anger and defensiveness. It would almost certainly make everything worse.

The solution came to Sirius as if by divine inspiration, and he changed into his canine form without a second thought. He pushed the door open with his nose and padded into the room.

Draco stopped crying abruptly and sat up in bed, looking around wildly before his gaze fell on Sirius. “What on - Sirius? Is that you?”

Sirius barked softly.

“I’d forgotten you could do that,” Draco said. As Sirius had hoped, Draco didn’t seem angry, simply curious and a little guarded. “What do you want?”

Sirius trotted up to the bed and put his head on it, looking up at Draco and wagging his tail. He knew from experience that it was impossible for anyone with a soul to resist the combination of sad doggy eyes and a wagging tail. Even people who were normally as cold as ice thawed a little around a friendly dog.

Sure enough, Draco hesitantly reached out to pet his head. Sirius whined softly and licked his hand, pawing at the bed.

Draco bit his lip. “If I let you up, will you stay a dog?”

Sirius nodded.

“You won’t turn back into a man?” Draco pressed.

Sirius shook his head, and Draco scooted back to make room. Sirius jumped up onto the bed and lay down. After a moment’s hesitation, Draco lay down next to him and started petting him again.

“You should stay a dog all the time,” he said.

Sirius snorted. Before long, they were both asleep.

***

Although they never spoke of it during the day, Sirius slept in Draco’s bed every night for the rest of the week - as a dog, of course. Before long, Draco began coming down for meals. He was almost always silent and sullen, and he refused to eat with Remus, but it was still an improvement. At least he hadn’t been crying again, as far as Sirius knew.

For Sirius, sleeping with Draco was both a blessing and a curse. He was glad that his canine form was providing at least a little comfort to the boy, but at the same time, being so close to Draco was driving him mad. Draco’s scent, which Sirius found enthralling even as a human, was a thousand times more powerful when Sirius was a dog. Sometimes he couldn’t stop himself from snuffling greedily at Draco’s skin, wanting to get as much of that smell as possible. Fortunately, Draco seemed to interpret that as normal dog behaviour.

It was a good thing that dogs didn’t dream as people did, though. Sirius could only imagine Draco’s horrified reaction at waking up with a panting, desperately aroused dog in his bed. Not the best way to win the boy’s trust.

Now that Sirius’ name had been cleared, he was free to go out in public, but he found himself oddly reluctant to leave Draco alone in the house. It wasn’t that he was worried Draco would get himself into trouble - he hadn’t been lying when he’d said that everything dangerous had been cleared out - but there was a part of him that felt like leaving Draco in Grimmauld Place alone, even for a few hours, would be tantamount to abandoning him. Perhaps it was just that he identified so strongly with Draco’s anger at being trapped there.

Whatever it was, it meant that Sirius had a lot of free time on his hands. And more and more often, that time was filled with unwanted but uncontrollable thoughts of what it would be like to have Draco again - completely willing, this time. Sirius tried to repress them, but the plain truth was that he was lonely and Draco was beautiful. He was human, after all.

Most of the time.

Every now and then, Sirius was able to dampen his lust by concentrating hard on the reasons that he shouldn’t want Draco - namely, Draco’s youth and their consanguinity. Sometimes it helped. Usually it just made him feel like a pervert without lessening his arousal at all.

But he was always extremely careful to never let any of that show on his face when he was around Draco. To do so would be unforgivable; it would also destroy any chance that Sirius might have of getting through to Draco, of changing the way he looked at Voldemort.

Of course, Sirius mused as they ate a silent but delicious lunch together in the kitchen, what he was about to tell Draco might destroy that anyway.

Sirius stared at his bowl. He had spent the past three days trying to find a sensitive way to tell Draco about Harry’s imminent arrival, but sensitivity had never really been his strong suit. Harry was coming tonight; Sirius couldn’t put off telling Draco any longer.

He finally decided to just come out with it. Blunt honesty had always been something he’d prided himself on.

“Harry is coming tonight.”

Draco dropped his fork. “Harry Potter?”

“Yes,” Sirius said. As if there were any other Harry he could possibly be referring to. “He’s my godson, you know,” he added with a touch of impatience.

“Everyone knows that. I’ve been trying not to think about it.” Draco clutched the edge of the table. “How long is he staying?”

“The summer.”

Draco’s knuckles grew white. Sirius stifled a bizarre urge to apologize. It wasn’t his fault Harry and Draco didn’t get along. It wasn’t even his fault that Draco was here in the first place. So why did he feel so guilty?

“No,” Draco said.

“Excuse me?”

“No. He can’t stay here.”

Sirius frowned. “That’s not your decision.”

“Why not? I’m your - your husband. Don’t I have any rights?”

“No!” Sirius said. When Draco raised his eyebrows, Sirius sighed and amended, “I mean…of course you have rights. But that’s not one of them.”

“I can’t stay in the same house as him! After what he did to my father -”

“Oh, would you shut up about your bloody father for once?” said Sirius, irritated.

Draco reacted as if struck. He leapt to his feet. “I hate you. I wish Aunt Bellatrix had killed you.”

Sirius got to his feet as well, angry and a little hurt. “I’m trying to protect you here, you know. You could show a little gratitude.”

“Gratitude?” Draco repeated, his jaw dropping. “For what? For taking me out of my home, away from my family and friends? For making me stay in this horrible house with you and a werewolf? For forcing me to -”

He broke off, flushing, and started heading for the door. Sirius’ blood coursed with fury.

“You little brat, do you have any idea what Voldemort - damn it, Draco, don’t walk away from me when I’m speaking to you -”

Sirius grabbed Draco’s arm and tugged on it, trying to halt him. But Draco either wasn’t as strong as Sirius had assumed or was too startled to keep his balance, because he ended up falling against Sirius’ chest.

Taken aback by their sudden proximity, Sirius looked down at Draco’s face. He didn’t have far to look; Draco was only an inch shorter than himself. Sirius’ chest clenched when he saw the tears brightening Draco’s eyes, and he gently swiped his thumb over Draco’s cheekbone, the other hand still holding Draco against him.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Sirius said softly. Merlin help him if Draco ever found out what tears did to him.

Draco glared at him. “I am not crying.”

“I’m trying, Draco. I’m trying to make this easier for you, but I don’t know what to do -”

“There’s nothing you can do. You can’t change the way things are.”

His hands were warm against Sirius’ chest. Sirius slid his own hand up into Draco’s hair. He had never touched it before; it fell over his fingers like silk. Draco closed his eyes and sighed.

Sirius was transfixed by Draco’s lips. It suddenly occurred to him that they had never kissed. He unconsciously leaned forward, his hand stilling in Draco’s hair. Draco opened his eyes in puzzlement and drew in a sharp breath when he found Sirius’ face so close to his own.

Sirius had never in his life wanted something more than he wanted to close that final inch between them, to feel Draco’s lips against his own. He could feel the pulse in Draco’s wrist racing, and he didn’t think it was from fear.

Draco made a sudden noise and shoved Sirius away, fleeing for the stairs.

***

Draco stayed in his room for the rest of the day, which was fine with Sirius. He wouldn’t know what to say if he saw the boy, anyway. Instead, he waited silently in the kitchen for Dumbledore and Harry.

They arrived shortly after midnight. Sirius jumped up and embraced his godson, who hugged him back just as tightly.

“Harry,” Sirius said. “Gods, it’s only been a few weeks and I swear you’ve grown another inch.”

“Sirius. It’s so good to see you.”

Sirius released him and waved him towards the food he’d kept warm on the kitchen table. “You must be starving. Go on, eat. You too, Albus.”

“I wish I could, Sirius, but I really must be going. I have urgent matters to discuss with Rufus Scrimgeour.”

Sirius grimaced. “My sympathies.” He reached out to shake Dumbledore’s hand and stared in shock - the hand was blackened and withered. “Your hand -”

“Nothing to be concerned about, my boy,” Dumbledore said. “Simply a spell gone awry.” He bowed towards Harry. “I shall see you at Hogwarts, Harry. Take care of yourself. Sirius, your servant.”

Dumbledore Flooed out. Sirius sat across the table from Harry, who was devouring what was left of Kreacher’s stew. “Things go alright with Slughorn?”

Harry swallowed his mouthful. “I guess. He’s coming back to Hogwarts.”

“Well, if that’s what Dumbledore wants, it’s probably a good thing. I was never all that fond of him myself.”

Harry snorted appreciatively. “How’s Remus?” he asked.

“Good. He’s out on assignment right now, but he’ll be back tomorrow. Oh, and the Weasleys are expecting you to spend the day. Hermione’s there, too.”

Sirius couldn’t help but smile at the huge, happy grin on Harry’s face. The poor kid had gone so long without a scrap of affection that just the thought of spending the day with his friends was enough to make him look like Christmas had come early. Sirius hated to put a damper on that good mood, but there was nothing for it.

“And Harry…Draco Malfoy’s here.”

Sirius regretted his poor choice of phrasing when Harry tensed and went for his wand. “Where?”

“Relax, you’re not going to need that,” Sirius said. “He’s been here for a couple of weeks.”

“Why?”

“Er…well, because I married him, actually.”

His announcement was met with a blank, uncomprehending stare. Sirius sighed and told Harry the whole story from the beginning - although he left out a few parts that his godson really didn’t need to know.

When Sirius had finished, Harry sat staring at his mostly-empty bowl. “You married Malfoy to protect him from Voldemort. Even though he obviously doesn’t want that.”

“Yes.”

Harry looked up then, his eyes angry and intense. “Are you insane? To bring him here, of all places - he has access to the entire Order -”

“And what is he going to do with it? He can’t leave, he can’t communicate with the outside world -”

“How long do you think it’ll be before he finds away around that?” Harry scoffed. “You don’t know Malfoy like I do, Sirius; he’s smarter than he looks.”

“What was I supposed to do, let him run off and join Voldemort?” Sirius asked.

“Yes!” Harry exclaimed. “If that’s what he wants, then yes! Why do you care what happens to him?”

Sirius was prepared for that question; he’d asked it of himself enough times to know the answer. “I care because that would be one more devoted wizard on Voldemort’s side. I care because Voldemort can no longer access the Malfoy family’s money or their influence. I care because no matter how much you hate Draco, he doesn’t deserve what Voldemort would do to him.”

Harry rolled his eyes, but Sirius could tell he was getting through. “I understand what you’re saying,” Harry said, “but I think it was a mistake. And I think you’re going to regret it.”

“Fair enough,” Sirius said. He hesitated before adding, “If you want to stay with the Weasleys instead -”

“Bugger that. I’m not letting Malfoy chase me out of this house. I’m staying. I’m not going to be nice to him, though.”

Sirius hid a grin, relieved beyond words that Harry hadn’t decided to leave. “I wasn’t going to ask you to,” he said. “And Harry? His name isn’t Malfoy anymore. It’s Black.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Harry’s face.

After settling Harry into his bedroom on the second floor, Sirius headed off to bed himself. He paused on the third floor landing, but decided against knocking on Draco’s door. After their confrontation that afternoon, there was no way Draco would want his company tonight.

Sirius continued up to his own bedroom and fell into bed. It felt odd; he hadn’t slept here in over a week. And given his current restlessness, it didn’t seem he’d be doing much sleeping here tonight, either.

After a seemingly endless period of tossing and turning and staring up at the ceiling, Sirius heard a quiet knock at his door. He sat up immediately.

“Harry, is something…Draco?”

Draco stood in the doorway, looking embarrassed and defiant and oddly vulnerable in his pajamas. “I can’t sleep,” he said, his tone suggesting that the situation was entirely Sirius’ fault.

Sirius moved over, wordlessly making space. Draco shut the door and made his way over to the bed, hesitating by the side of it until Sirius realized what he was waiting for and transformed. Once Sirius was safely non-human, Draco climbed into bed next to him and settled down, closing his eyes with a sigh.

It was always easier to fall asleep as a dog than as a human, and Draco’s warm presence at his side soon had Sirius drifting off.

It was still dark when Sirius woke. His head was still muddled with sleep, but he could tell that something was off - his senses seemed dulled, his body misshapen. Panic jerked him into true wakefulness, adrenaline flooding his veins for the few seconds it took him to realize that he was, in fact, perfectly fine. Having fallen asleep as a dog, his brain had naturally expected him to awaken as one, but sometime during the night he had reverted to human form. It happened occasionally, and it was always unpleasant.

Sirius took a few deep breaths, trying to slow his frantically beating heart. He glanced down and received a second, much more pleasant shock when he saw Draco sprawled over his chest, fast asleep.

He stayed as motionless as possible as he tried to figure out what to do next. He should really change back into a dog, even though doing so would undoubtedly wake Draco. He couldn’t stay a man, Draco would be appalled -

Draco made a sleepy noise and stirred, lifting his head and blinking at Sirius’ human chest in puzzlement. Sirius cursed silently.

“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to; sometimes I change by accident when I sleep. I’ll change back -”

“I don’t care,” Draco mumbled drowsily.

Surprised, Sirius just lay still and watched as Draco put his head down and slipped back into sleep. He thought Draco would probably regret this in the morning, but right now, it felt too good for him to worry.

***

Sirius knew exactly when Harry and Draco came across each other, because he could hear it from five stories up. He raced down to the basement to find the two boys facing off in the kitchen, Harry with his wand drawn.

“…think I’m going to let you get away with -” Harry was saying.

“Harry! Draco!” Sirius said loudly. “What’s going on here?”

They both turned to look at him, and Sirius was suddenly and unpleasantly reminded of the day Remus had broken up his fight with Snape.

“Potter threatened me,” said Draco.

“You threatened me first!”

“I did nothing of the sort.”

“You little -”

“Stop!” Sirius barked. “I don’t care who threatened who. Both of you shut up. Harry, put your wand away.”

Harry just kept glaring at Draco.

“Harry. Put your wand away.”

Harry obeyed reluctantly. Draco smirked at him.

“Don’t think I need a wand to beat you, Malfoy,” Harry spat.

“See?” Draco said to Sirius. “Threats!”

Harry lunged at Draco. Sirius grabbed him by the arm, horrified. He’d never seen his godson act like this. “Harry, what’s gotten into you?”

“Why don’t you tell him, Malfoy?” Harry said, his voice shaking with anger. “Tell him what you said about my parents. They were his best friends, you know.”

Sirius raised his eyebrows at Draco, who avoided his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something - what, he wasn’t sure, but somebody had to be an adult here - and was interrupted by Remus coming through the Floo.

Thank Merlin. Remus made a much better adult.

Remus took in the scene with his characteristic equanimity. He was holding two thick envelopes in one hand. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked.

“No,” Sirius said.

He released Harry’s arm, and Harry shot Draco a final glare before shaking Remus’ free hand.

“Harry, how good to see you,” Remus said warmly.

“You too, Remus.”

Remus handed Harry one of the envelopes. “Dumbledore asked me to bring these by for you and Draco - the owls wouldn’t be able to find you here. They’re your O.W.L. results.” He gave the other letter to Draco, who took it with a sneer that made anger curl in Sirius’ stomach.

Draco skimmed his letter quickly before making a dismissive noise, tossing it onto the table, and walking out of the room. Sirius winced, thinking the news must have been bad to prompt that kind of reaction. He turned to his godson.

“How’d you do, Harry?”

“Pretty good. I got an ‘Outstanding’ in Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

“I never had any doubt,” Sirius said. He took the letter when Harry handed it to him and read through the scores, swelling with pride. Excellent marks in almost all subjects - and who cared about Divination or History of Magic, anyway? He passed the letter to Remus and clapped Harry on the shoulder. “Brilliant work, Harry. Your parents would have been proud of you. I’m proud of you.”

“As am I,” Remus said.

Harry smiled.

“Are you ready to go to the Weasleys’, then?” Remus asked. “I’m sure Ron and Hermione are bursting to share their grades with you.”

“Yeah,” Harry said. He looked At Sirius. “You’ll be all right here?”

“This house hasn’t killed me yet.”

Once Harry and Remus had Flooed to the Burrow, Sirius glanced at the kitchen table, Draco’s letter catching his eye. He hesitated a moment before deciding that he was perfectly within his rights to know how his husband was doing in school, and after all, Draco had just left the letter lying about. He picked it up.

And blinked.

Draco had earned eleven O.W.L.s, nine of them “Outstandings”. He had only received “Exceeds Expectations” in Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Even Remus hadn’t gotten scores like these.

Sirius searched Draco out, finding him reading a book in the library. Draco looked up when Sirius entered the room.

“If you’re here to lecture me about Potter -”

“I’m not,” Sirius said. He waved the paper. “These scores are amazing.”

“They’re okay.”

“Okay? Draco, almost nobody ever gets scores like these. Ever.”

Draco snorted. “Granger will have done better.”

“Maybe. But still, Merlin…why aren’t you thrilled? You look upset.”

“They’re not good enough.”

“Good enough for what?” Sirius said, confused. He couldn’t think of a single career path that wouldn’t be open to someone with Draco’s grades.

Draco looked down at the table. “For my father,” he said quietly.

Well, fuck. What the hell had Lucius done to the boy?

Sirius sat down next to Draco. “I’d bet everything I own that your father didn’t earn scores even close to these.”

“It doesn’t matter. He would have wanted me to be…”

“Perfect?”

Draco shrugged unhappily.

“Nobody’s perfect, Draco,” Sirius said. “Even though this comes damn close.”

“You don’t understand. I couldn’t even do this for him. I can’t do anything for him. I can’t even hold my own against bloody Potter.” Draco looked up at Sirius. “I need my wand back.”

“Why?”

“So that I can defend myself! Potter has his.”

“Harry will not be using his wand on you,” Sirius said firmly. “I promise. Neither of you are allowed to do magic outside of school, anyway.”

“As if the Ministry would even be able to tell. Isn’t this house completely hidden?”

“It doesn’t make a difference. And you know I can’t give you your wand back.”

“Please,” Draco said, and it sounded as if the word had been forcibly dragged out of him.

Sirius swallowed hard. He didn’t want to be the bastard here, especially when Draco was been uncharacteristically polite in his request, but he didn’t have a choice. Draco was simply not to be trusted - no matter how much Sirius might want to strip off his clothing and bend him over the table. “No. I’m sorry, but no.”

Draco scowled at him and threw the book at his head before storming out of the room.

Luckily for Sirius, it wasn’t a very large book.

***

Harry returned from his day at the Weasleys’ flushed with happiness and excitement. He, Remus, and Sirius spent a pleasant evening together, eating another one of Kreacher’s delicious dinners before playing Exploding Snap in the library. It was late when they all finally headed off to bed.

Sirius pushed the door to his room open and stopped short. Draco was sitting on his bed.

“I thought you would still be angry,” Sirius said.

“I’m not,” said Draco. His voice was lower than it usually was, huskier, and it sent a shiver down Sirius’ spine.

Sirius closed the door and walked over to the bed. Draco looked up at him, his eyes almost seeming to glow in the dim light.

“Aren’t you going to sit down?” he asked.

“Do you want me to change first?”

“No. Be a man. I want you to be a man.”

Sirius was totally confused by Draco’s soft voice, by the inviting look in his eyes. His body understood the signals Draco was sending - Merlin, did it ever - but his brain couldn’t quite catch up. It just didn’t make sense. He had to be drastically misinterpreting the situation. “Are you feeling all right?” Sirius said as he sank down onto the bed.

Draco nodded.

“Okay. Well, we should be getting to bed -”

“I’m not tired,” Draco said, putting his hand on Sirius’ knee.

Sirius froze. There was no misinterpreting that. “Draco,” he said helplessly.

“You haven’t tried to…to touch me again.”

“I promised you I wouldn’t.”

“What if I wanted you to?”

Sirius sucked in a breath. Draco leaned forward. Right before their lips touched, everything shifted into place, and Sirius caught Draco by the shoulders.

“Merlin’s beard!” he exclaimed. “Are you trying to seduce your wand out of me?”

Draco’s expression changed rapidly from startled to guilty to defiant. He glared at Sirius and pushed his hands off his shoulders.

“I’m not that easily manipulated,” Sirius said. “But you are pretty good.” He laughed - he wasn’t even insulted; he was just impressed by the sheer bollocks of it. “You should have worked up to it more slowly, given it a few days. Might have had me.”

“Fuck you,” Draco snapped.

He started to get up, but Sirius grabbed his hand and pulled him back down. “Hey. I’m not laughing at you. It was a good idea.”

Draco shook his hand off. “I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

The smile slipped off Sirius’ face. “And how is that?”

“Like you’re considering exercising your rights as my husband whether I want you to or not. I know you think about it.”

How could Draco possibly know that? Sirius had been so careful to keep it hidden. “I -”

His mouth stopped working when Draco started to unbutton his pajama top. “I’d let you,” Draco said. “If you give me my wand back, I’ll let you do anything you want.”

Sirius reached out and grabbed Draco’s hand to halt the unbuttoning. “Stop. Seduction is one thing, but straight-out prostitution is beneath you.”

“What other choice do I have?” Draco said angrily. “I have nothing else to offer.”

Suddenly angry himself, Sirius tightened his grip on Draco’s hand. “You don’t have anything to offer. Even that. You said it yourself - I’m your husband. It’s my right. I can take it if I want it.”

Draco breathed in sharply, his cheeks flushing, and Sirius’ eyes widened at the incongruous response. He looked down to see the unmistakable outline of an erection in Draco’s pajama trousers.

“You want me to,” he breathed.

“No -”

“You did all along. You want me to, but you’re ashamed of it, so you have to justify it to yourself by doing it this way, by telling yourself that it’s for some other purpose -”

“No! No. I hate you. I hate everything you stand for. I don’t want…” Draco closed his eyes. “I don’t want to want you,” he whispered.

Sirius let go of Draco’s hand only to grab him by his shirtfront and pull him into a kiss. Draco squeaked in surprise and gave a token push of protest against Sirius’ chest before giving himself over to it.

Sirius kissed him deeply, almost violently, as if he were trying to devour Draco’s mouth. His lips tasted as sweet as Sirius had imagined, and it no longer mattered that the boy was too young and too arrogant and technically an enemy. Draco wanted this, he wanted it, and that made everything else unimportant.

He pulled Draco into his lap and Draco straddled him, wrapping his arms around Sirius’ neck. Sirius bit Draco’s lower lip and then moved his mouth to the boy’s throat, biting him there as well. He wanted to leave marks on that perfect pale skin.

Draco gasped and arched into his mouth. “You do think about it, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“What do you think about?”

Sirius licked the bruise he had created. “You, on your hands and knees, begging for my cock -”

Draco moaned, but tried for a smirk. “Hands and knees? Like a dog?”

Sirius wasn’t in the mood for games. “Exactly like a dog,” he growled. “I want to bend you over and spread your legs and rut on you like an animal until you scream.”

Draco shuddered against him. Sirius ripped Draco’s shirt open, popping off all the buttons that hadn’t yet been undone. He yanked the shirt off and threw it aside, then lifted his arms so Draco could get his jumper off. He ran his hands over Draco’s chest and pinched his nipples hard. Draco cried out in pleasure.

“Knew you’d like that,” Sirius said. He tossed Draco flat on his back and moved over him, lowering his mouth to Draco’s nipple and laving it with his tongue before sucking it into his mouth and worrying it with his teeth. Draco twisted underneath him, moaning raggedly. Sirius reached down to rub Draco’s cock through his pajama trousers while he tormented the other nipple.

He sat up and jerked Draco’s trousers off in one smooth motion, then pulled Draco up into his lap again for another fierce kiss. He grabbed his wand from where it had fallen on the bed and used it to Summon the lube, hurriedly slicking his fingers and reaching behind Draco to slide a finger inside. Draco arched his back and pushed into Sirius’ hand.

“Merlin,” Sirius said. “You want this, don’t you? Tell me you want it.”

“I want it,” said Draco, a bit unsteadily.

Sirius groaned and withdrew his finger, turning Draco around so he was straddling Sirius’ lap in reverse. Sirius pushed two fingers inside this time, his other arm holding Draco around the waist. He bit the nape of Draco’s neck.

“You’ll like it from behind. Easier for me to get your prostate.”

He tapped Draco’s prostate to demonstrate his point, and Draco wailed, his hands clutching at Sirius’ knees. His body seized up.

“Fuck, you’re going to come, aren’t you? Just from having my fingers inside you.”

Draco nodded frantically.

“Do it,” Sirius said into his ear. “Don’t hold back. You’ll come more than once before I’m through with you tonight.”

He fucked Draco steadily with his fingers, sliding his other hand down Draco’s stomach to tug on his cock. Draco dug his nails into Sirius’ knees hard enough to draw blood when he came, letting out a shriek that could have rivaled a banshee’s.

Sirius kissed his neck, licking at the sweat there. “Beautiful.”

Draco gasped for breath, slumping forward. Sirius eased him into position on his hands and knees, realizing that he’d never really gotten a good look at Draco’s bare arse before. It was far better than any fantasy he’d had - the very definition of fuckable.

Sirius moaned, his skin hot and prickly and tight. He needed to be inside Draco now. He shed the rest of his clothing as quickly as possible, slicking his cock with lube and kneeling behind Draco. He pushed Draco’s legs apart and rubbed the head of his cock back and forth over Draco’s hole.

“Why…are you…teasing me?” Draco panted.

“You just came! Who’s teasing who here?”

Draco arched his spine and pushed back, trying to get Sirius’ cock inside him. His eagerness made Sirius’ breath catch, and he pushed just the head of his cock in before pulling all the way back out. He did it a few more times, torturing both of them.

“Sirius! Don’t.”

Sirius grabbed Draco’s hips and slammed all the way home with one thrust. Draco sobbed and clawed at the bedding.

“Better?” Sirius gasped.

Draco whined incoherently, and Sirius fucked him. His thrusts were hard, fast, almost brutal, but no matter what he gave, Draco kept pushing back for more. Draco’s cries rose in volume until they could honestly be called screams, the animalistic sound stoking Sirius’ lust even higher. Sirius bent over Draco’s back and used one hand to reach around and pull at his cock.

That was enough to push Draco over the edge, screaming and writhing. His arse clenched around Sirius’ cock with such force that he seemed to literally pull Sirius’ orgasm out of his body, and Sirius bit Draco’s shoulder hard as he shuddered through one of the most intense climaxes he’d ever had.

They both collapsed sideways onto the bed, Sirius’ cock slipping out of Draco’s arse. Sirius closed his eyes, never wanting to move again. Ever.

For a long time, they lay perfectly still, not touching or speaking. Draco was the one to finally break the silence.

“Could you cast a Scourgify?” he asked. “This is rather unpleasant.”

“What?” Sirius mumbled, his thoughts still hazy. “Oh, right, hang on -”

It took him a few moments to find his wand on the bed. Once he had, he sent a cleaning spell over Draco, then another one over the coverlet. Draco made a face and struggled to sit up, his movements a little sluggish. He didn’t look at Sirius.

“What are you doing?” Sirius asked.

“Going back to my room.”

“You don’t have to -”

“Yes, I do. I can’t believe I let you…” Draco closed his eyes and shook his head, then tried to stand. He quickly sat back down.

“Knees a little weak?” Sirius said, amused.

“It’s not funny!” Draco snapped.

Sirius sobered up. “No. I know. I’m sorry.”

Draco dropped his face into his hands. Concerned, Sirius moved up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. Draco didn’t flinch away, which was progress.

“It’s okay, Draco.”

“It’s not! It’s one thing to do it with an ulterior motive, but to do it of my own free will…to ask for it…”

Draco made a deep sound of disgust. Sirius turned him around and forced his chin up. “You don’t have anything to be ashamed of. You’re sixteen. You’re supposed to like sex.”

“Not with you!”

“With anyone who touches you the right way. Do you think your body cares that you don’t like me? There’s a part of your brain that only knows that I make you feel good. And at your age, that part is going to win out over the others nine times out of ten.”

“So what’s your excuse?”

Sirius blinked. “What?”

“Well, by your logic, you should be old enough to control yourself,” Draco said. “So what’s your excuse for this?”

The words sent a sharp pang of guilt through Sirius. What was his excuse? “I don’t need one,” he insisted, wondering if he was trying to convince Draco or himself. “I don’t hate you.”

That last part, at least, was true.

Draco frowned at him. “You can’t honestly be saying that there’s nothing wrong with what we just did.”

“I’m not saying that, exactly. I’m just saying that there’s no reason to beat ourselves up about it.”

“See?” Draco exclaimed. “You’re such a hypocrite. You tell me I have nothing to be ashamed of, but you’re just as ashamed as I am!”

“I am not ashamed,” Sirius said, even though he was, a little. But it was different for him - his shame had nothing to do with Draco and everything to do with himself.

“Then what?”

Sirius didn’t answer; he didn’t know what to say. Draco looked at him intensely, and Sirius was uncomfortably reminded of the way Narcissa used to stare at him when she was trying to figure out what he was upset about. Sirius hoped that Draco wasn’t as perceptive as his mother.

“Merlin, you feel guilty, don’t you?”

Damn it.

“No!” Sirius said immediately, then sighed. “A little.”

“Why?” Draco said, nonplussed. “You didn’t force me this time.”

Sirius winced at the reminder. “It’s not that. It’s…you’re sixteen. And we’re related.”

“That’s what you find upsetting about this situation?” Draco said incredulously. “My age? And we’re first cousins once removed. That’s perfectly legal.”

“Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s right.”

“But you want me anyway.”

“Yes.” There was no point in denying it now - not to Draco or to himself.

“I suppose that’s flattering, in a way,” said Draco.

“I never would have touched you, if you hadn’t told me you wanted me to.”

“I know.” Draco’s face was blank, his expression unreadable, and Sirius couldn’t tell if he was angry or upset or…anything, really.

“If you want to leave right now, if you want to tell me to never come near you again, I’ll respect that,” Sirius said. “But you don’t have to.”

“I thought you felt guilty.”

“Apparently not enough,” Sirius muttered.

Draco smiled. It was a small smile, the barest upturning of the lips, but Sirius had never seen Draco smile before. Smirk, yes. But smile - actually smile, in amusement that didn’t come at someone else’s expense? Sirius had the feeling that was a rare thing to witness.

In that moment, he knew there was no coming back from this. He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but Draco had worked his way under Sirius’ skin. And it seemed he was there to stay.

Sirius could only pray that it didn’t damn them both.

“I mean it, Draco,” he said. “You can stay. You don’t have to like me. We don’t have to be friends.”

“Good.” Draco’s face smoothed out into the arrogant lines that Sirius was more familiar with. “Because I don’t. And we’re not.”

“All right.”

Draco hesitated, then lay back down. Sirius lay next to him and stroked his hair. Draco closed his eyes, relaxing into the touch.

After a few minutes, Draco said, “I’m not going to be nice to Potter, either.”

Sirius laughed. Harry and Draco would both be horrified if they knew how similar they were at times.

Part One
Part Three