Hanging By a Moment

Hanging by a Moment

Harry sized Draco by the front of his robes and jerked him hard against the raven-haired boy, kissing him deeply, devouring his lips.

Draco stood there in shock for a great while, just feeling Harry press eagerly against him, lips hot and wet as they consumed his own. He groaned softly and wrapped his arms around Harry's neck, moaning softly as he opened his mouth to him, the taste of Harry flooding his senses. Chocolate, butter beer and mint, all mixing together to create a taste uniquely Harry and wonderfully delicious.

Harry moaned as Draco kissed him back, and deepened the kiss, turning it into a clash of tongues and teeth, hands everywhere, trying to memorize and map Draco's body before they're sense came back and they lost this moment. He groaned loudly then yelped as he was torn from Draco. He turned and stared up into Lucius Malfoy's livid eyes.

Lucius held Harry by the back of his neck, his hand clenching in a spasm, cutting off circulation for a moment before he forced it to relax. He stared at them for a long moment; his cold gray eyes boring into his son's before he released Harry, watching the boy fall to the floor. He spun on his heel silently and stalked off in a swirl of his cloak, leaving the boys alone, fear palpable in the air around them.

*

Draco bit back a curse as his father's hand broke his jaw, blood spilling down his chin from the protruding bone that poked from his cheek. He blinked away tears, looking up at his father, unable to keep from moving his jaw to speak, causing bone to grin against bone, pain flaring throughout the whole of his face. Draco fell to his knees and retched, emptying his stomach of his breakfast, gasping for air to sooth his torn throat.

Snape watched the father and son confrontation silently, his eyes flickering to the door, wondering where Dumbledore was. He had snapped the emergency beacon an hour ago, and still no Headmaster. If it had been his precious Potter in here getting smacked around...

*

Blood was everywhere, splattered over the stone walls like someone had taken a can of paint and thrown it. A bright square of afternoon sunlight came through the window, making the blood cherry red, shinny. One bloody hand print showed plainly on the wall, just above Harry's bed stand, glinting in the light.

Seamus could see a lump of bloody meet on the floor by the window and he stared at it for a long moment before walking over, drawn to it. It could have been anything really: a cow, horse, and deer. But human? Surely not. His eyes saw it, but his mind kept refusing to put the pieces together. His mind was trying to protect him, it had happened before, once or twice. The smart thing would have been to turn and walk away, let his mind have its confusion, because the truth was going to be one of those mind-blasting moments.

He knelt down and poked the side of it with two fingers. It was like poking a side of fresh beef. A nice, solid feel to it. His fingers traced the bumps of bone, ribs under flesh. Ribs. Suddenly he knew what he was looking at part of the ribcage of a human being. There was the shoulder, white bone sticking out where the arm had been torn away. Seamus stood too quickly and stumbled, the carpet squelched underfoot. Seamus stumbled away from the lump, blocking out what his eyes now saw. Once the brain took it in, accepted it, you couldn't not see it all. There was a leg on the bed, from the hair and the one remaining trainer, it looked male. The round, wet mound of the ball socket gleamed out at him. A scrap of scalp lay near the bed stand; the man had been raven-haired.

He stumbled away from the scene, using the beds to help him move. He would have run if he hadn't known he'd fall. The ceiling was spinning to meet the floor and Seamus collapsed to his knees and vomited.

He threw up until he was empty and the world stopped spinning. He threw an arm across his mouth, body trembling and he screamed, the sound torn from his lungs and body, mind urging him to purge itself of the horror it had just witnessed.

*

Dumbledore stood over the mess, watching as Aurors went through it piece by piece, trying to decide WHO the body was. It was nice of them to pretend, but Dumbledore knew who it was, who it used to be.

Seamus stood, shaking next to him, still staring in that shell-shocked way he had been when Dumbledore and McGonagall had arrived. When he came out of this Dumbledore hopped his was someplace with doctors and medicine.

Dumbledore turned away from the mess, leading Seamus out of the room, ignoring the Aurors who said they still needed to speak with the boy. Dumbledore shuffled Seamus down to Madame Pomfrey, explaining the situation to her in a hushed voice.

*
Lucius kicked his son's un-conscious form as he stepped over him and strode out of the dungeons, ignoring the look on Snape's face as he strode up the stairs, leaving bloody boot prints in his wake.

Snape rushed to Draco's side, pulling the young boy into his arms, holding him close. He stood carefully and raced Draco to the hospital wing, only to turn back at the sight of the ministry wizards crowding the halls. He tucked Draco into his own room, hurrying to his stores to fine the potions to cure his favored student.

*
Lucius wrinkled his nose in disgust as he stared at the houses along Privet Drive. He turned to the bound boy next to him, smirking slightly. He ran a finger under Harry's chin, lifting his head. "Been nice knowing you Potter." He whispered, smirking at the fear in the boy's eyes. He then licked the boy's lips, before kissing him hard, mouth claiming and conquering the one below him before pushing Harry away with a snarl, rapping hard on the door.

Uncle Vernon jerked open the door and sneered down at Harry. "What do you want? I thought we were through with him, he's seventeen now."

Lucius glared down at the man, pushing Harry towards him. "He's been kicked out of school. We don't allow homosexuals in our world."

"Homosexual?" Vernon asked, glaring at Harry. "I see."

"Thought you might." Lucius said before giving Harry a shove in the back, sending him to the ground at Vernon's feet. Vernon jerked back, glaring at Harry. "We'll...take care of him."

Lucius nodded and disappeared. Vernon grabbed Harry by the scruff of his neck and dragged him through the house and to the very familiar cupboard under the stairs. Throwing back the locks he shoved Harry in, slamming the door behind him. "Don't worry boy...we'll cure you of your little...problem." With a laugh he shut the grate and practically skipped to call Petunia.

*

Lucius stared across the ancient desk into Dumbledore's wary and guarded eyes. "I understand that your...Potion's Master is refusing me access to me son,"

"Actually the Ministry is Mr. Malfoy, he is needed for questioning in the murder of one, Harry Potter." Fudge said from next to them.

"My son had nothing to do with that."

"Of course not, but we still need to question him."

Lucius turned his cold gaze onto Fudge whom shivered under the stair. "You may question him later, when I deem it advisable. I am still his father."

"Yes, you are Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said, staring at the former student.

Lucius turned back to the headmaster, the pair locking eyes for a long moment of silent communication before Lucius stood. "I will be taking my son with me, I ask that you command your Potions Master to cease and desist his guarding of my son."

"As you wish." Dumbledore said, staring at Lucius.