the marriage stone (Discontinued)

Chapter 45 - Dragon Taming

Something Lucius said echoed in his mind. "I had not realized how attractive the boy had become," Lucius had told him. "I am not blind. My tastes have always run toward women - but Mr. Potter has an aura of power about him."

As far as he could remember, and he'd known Lucius his entire life, Lucius Malfoy had never expressed an interest in another male. From what he heard from Diana even Julius had tried several times to seduce Malfoy into his bed and had failed. And while Lucius certainly had no qualms about seducing virgins or those far younger than he was - the mistress he'd killed Severus' father over had been only fourteen - they had always been female.

And yet Lucius found Harry attractive - there was a reason he'd set McGonagall to guard the door last night during the meeting with Fudge. Severus had seen the way Lucius had stared at Harry in the Great Hall. There was no way he was going to allow the man within ten feet of the boy.

Was it the power, he wondered? Was that what was throwing him into such chaos, a lust for power? He had never believed in the things the Dark Lord had stood for - had never bought into his ideology or the madness he could see threatening on the horizon. He had joined the Death Eaters strictly to stop his father - to reclaim his family honor. But despite his opposition to the philosophy, he had always understood the attraction to the power. And he really had embraced at least part of the lifestyle - the blood sports, vicious duels with sword and wand against any opponent foolish enough to anger him, or stupid enough to challenge him.

He blamed part of that on the Marauders. They had tormented him, and he had turned vicious in retaliation. But he had always thought of it more as a sport rather than a reflection of who he truly was. And when he had begun spying for Albus, he had never once lost sight of the main goal. But maybe his motives had not been as pure as he'd always believed? Maybe he had joined Albus and the Order because he had wanted to be part of something greater than himself, wanted some access to the enormous power Albus Dumbledore possessed, and not because it was simply the right thing to do?

Maybe he was drawn to Harry for exactly the same reason?

The boy was young and naive about so many things. He would always be smaller than him, slender and graceful, physically weaker than he was. But despite all of that it was becoming more and more apparent that Harry Potter was magically stronger than he was - possibly stronger than all of them. At the young age of sixteen, he had already done feats of magic Severus knew he could never do. Certainly he could never have moved that Capstone - and spells that didn't even work for anyone else seemed to work with ease for Harry. And while the boy knew nothing about Occlumency, he seemed to have a will that was unbreakable, a strength of mind and thought that would not let him give up no matter what.

The boy had no skill at all with a sword, and yet he had slain a Basilisk at the age of twelve. He'd been kept locked in a cupboard most of his life, and yet he could stand before an army of hardened warriors and lead them into battle without flinching. And last night when he had touched Harry, he could feel his power radiating from his skin, and it had felt intoxicating.

Was that it? Was that where all his 'feelings' were coming from? A lust for power? Was there to be nothing good or noble or pure at all in his life, his motives for fighting against the Dark nothing more than Slytherin ambition? It was a rather depressing thought.

And yet, he hadn't lied to Harry. He had not been thinking about duty or honor when he'd run blindly into the Winter Lands to rescue the boy. The only thing he had been thinking about was getting Harry back safely. Protecting him - with his life if necessary.

Severus sighed and shook his head. Why didn't Gryffindors come with instruction manuals? It would certainly make his life far easier.

Charlie Weasley had never considered himself a sneaky person - like most Gryffindors he confronted things head on and left the plots and machinations to the Slytherins of the world. But his training with Dragons had taught him how to hunt, and sneaky or not he knew how to lay a trap.