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marguerite_26Malfoy spent the next three days in a foul mood. Sara had left hours ago, claiming a headache. Perhaps he shouldn’t have called her a useless cunt when she'd spilled coffee on his carpet. It hadn't taken more effort that a quick Scourgify to remove it. Still, her jittery-rabbit routine was getting on his nerves. Potter hadn't returned to DACH Inc. since Malfoy had left him in the Couch Room. As far as Malfoy knew, he hadn't interviewed any of the staff or entered any of the DACH fantasies. There was no direct link between the murder and the DACH fantasy. Potter had all the information that Malfoy could provide. Potter would finish his investigation and that would be the last he'd hear from Harry Potter. It was for the best.
Every time a sinking feeling started in Malfoy's stomach, he reminded himself what Potter was. Potter talked about being unable to rip people's memories from their heads in the same way Malfoy spoke about late shipments. Potter was simply too dangerous. And that little voice that offered 'and that's what you find irresistible' was quickly beaten into submission.
None of this explained why Malfoy's desk was littered with the copies of Agnes Blakely's files at the moment. Budgets were due in a week and still he continued to think of nothing but the investigation, fetching his own coffee and cursing Sara for being so sensitive.
It was past ten that evening when he saw it. He stared as if it had appeared out of nowhere, for surely they should have discovered this already. At the top of one form the registration numbers were inverted. They ran: registered user: AB7349 / registered user: TB7377 on every page. Then, on the last form: registered user: AB7349 / registered user: TB7737.
"Sara, can you – Fuck." Malfoy went to the registrar's office himself.
Ten minutes later, he sent an owl and several copies off to I&I, attention: Senior Para H. Potter.
Potter Cracks Another Case
Senior Para Investigator Potter gave no comment as he pushed through the throng of reporters in the early morning shadow cast by the I&I building…
An owl dropped a post directly on top of the Daily Prophet before Malfoy could read any further.
I'd like to thank you properly.
Une Autre Fois, 8pm
HP.
He set the parchment on the corner of his desk. He'd owl his decline later. His budget was still sadly neglected and he had a meeting with his financial backers that afternoon. By the time he left for his afternoon meeting, he'd read and re-read the owl enough to have it memorised. Annoyed, he Vanished it. When he closed his eyes he could still see the exact curve of the P and the splotch of ink to its right.
At six, he was showering with his mind wandering to his wardrobe and which of his dress robes were pressed and ready. Without thinking about it, he removed the bits of clutter from the living room and put out his guest towels. Just because.
At 8:10, he picked up his quill to owl off his regrets. He put it down in a silent moment of honesty with himself and grabbed the Floo Powder.
He was late, of course. In front of Potter sat two glasses, empty but for melting ice and lime wedges. But he hadn't left. And his I&I robes were not in sight. Blue dress robes suited him nicely.
His eyes brightened when he spotted Malfoy crossing the restaurant, not even attempting to hide his pleasure or his surprise. Malfoy's cheeks heated as Potter trailed him head to toe. He still didn't know if he could do this, but with Potter's gaze devouring him, it was hard to remember why this was a terrible idea.
A waiter appeared the instant Malfoy sat, delaying the awkward first words. They ordered wine and appetizers while they looked through the menu.
"Thank you for coming."
Looking around, Malfoy nodded. "Very nice choice."
"I asked your inestimable assistant," Potter said with a chuckle.
"The inestimable Sara should learn to mind her own business."
Potter gulped his wine. "Don't be too hard on her. It took me a good twenty minutes of persuading to get nothing more than a restaurant name."
And Malfoy knew only too well how persuasive Potter could be.
When Malfoy just smiled, Potter went on, "I did need to thank you. Your owl was the key, you know. The file you sent, Trina Blakely, was Thomas's sister. TB7737. The nearly identical registration numbers slipped our notice. When I questioned Trina about using the DACH fantasies, she admitted to having an affair with her brother's wife – the women had been lovers for years. Another interview with Thomas with this new information and we managed to get the confession. He'd discovered his wife had been using a DACH without him and assumed she was having an affair. He snapped and drugged her next dose of the DACH potion. She must have died only minutes after Trina had left her… but you really don't want to hear the details."
"Thank you, no. I'd rather not know, Para."
Potter scowled. "You know who I am and what I do. I'm not asking you to like it. It's my job. But my job doesn’t need to be here." He motioned between them. "If you want what I can give you – and I think you do – then take it. My job will stay out of this."
Malfoy sipped his wine. Potter offered him something no one else had ever been able to. He imagined the solitude he had so often sought out for his particular needs, and now found it empty. Yet, Potter's job made him someone he would never want a relationship with. But this wasn't a relationship. This was fucking. Could he fuck a man that tortured people for a living? He picked up his menu, and after a moment said, "The veal looks good." The truth was, he didn't know.
Potter blinked, but quickly followed suit. "I think I'll go with the tenderloin."
The conversation did not stay stilted for long. Potter wisely chose DACH Inc.'s success as a topic and the evening progressed quickly. Soon Potter was signing the cheque.
"Do you want to- ?" Potter began, but Malfoy didn't give him a chance.
"I am going home." He watched Potter's jaw snap shut, then added, "You may join me if you like."
Potter's smile took his breath away.
Malfoy knew the instant Potter recognised the Concealment Spell in the corner of his bedroom. Potter's frame stiffened and his face hardened in a way that made the title 'Para Investigator' hang on Malfoy's lips.
Potter turned to him, his eyes less cold than Malfoy expected. "What is it?"
A tingle of gratitude warmed Malfoy's chest. Potter was well within his rights – in fact his duty as a Para demanded it – to dissolve any illegal Charms immediately. The simple act of allowing Malfoy to perform the counter-spell himself was appreciated. He flicked his wand at the far corner of his bedroom and blood rushed to his cheeks and his cock.
Potter stepped forward as the cabinet came into view. Malfoy watched his face intently. There was a tiny flicker in his eyes that implied recognition and behind that, concern.
"I purchased this one from Borgin and Burkes about a year after the war. Its twin was destroyed in the Fiendfrye, as you well know." Before Potter asked, Malfoy saved him the trouble. "I removed all the original Charm work. It's simply a cabinet."
Potter raised an eyebrow. The cabinet hummed with magic, still.
"A very special cabinet." Malfoy opened the heavy wood doors. The metal of the handles was cool and smooth in his hands, and the tall doors swung in their hinges without a sound. He stood back and let Potter draw his own conclusions. The manacles were a heavy black wrought-iron and the padded red lining of the interior was well worn. This was not a display piece. The height of the cabinet was sufficient so that his feet barely touched the floor when the chains were pulled taut.
Potter fingered the manacles, tracing a finger along the smooth velvet of the inside and the cool slide of the metal outside. His eyes darted to Malfoy's wrist.
Malfoy didn't follow the gaze. He knew there was a line of pale yellow circling his wrist. The bruises took so long to fade on his white skin.
Potter reached for the wrist and traced the bruise. When he spoke his voice was sharp. "Who do you do this with?"
"No one. I … the cuffs are charmed to release on a timer."
Potter's eyes flickered to the manacles. "Show me."
Malfoy paused for a heart-beat. Or six. He pulled at the fastenings of his robes and Potter gave a barely perceptible nod. Each article was removed and folded carefully while Potter watched silent and patient. Goose bumps covered Malfoy's skin despite the heated flush that crept up his neck and cheeks. He moved around Potter and stepped inside the cabinet, turned and lifted his arms. There was a familiar tingle of magic that raised the hair on his arms as the manacles lowered. He slid his wrists into place and let out a shuddered sigh as the soft velvet tightened around him, holding him, trapping him, stealing away his control.
The magic tingled as the lock clicked into place. The familiar tug sent a shot of arousal to his groin as the chain shortened and pulled his wrists. His arm muscles ached, taking on the weight of his body. He bent his head and had to close his eyes against the sight of his cock, thick and bold, desperate for this.
Malfoy grunted at the sharp jab of pain as his muscles adjusted to support his weight. He didn't open his eyes until his feet were dangling. He heard the ragged breathing behind him, but Potter didn't say a word. For the first time Malfoy wished for a mirror at the back of the cabinet. But before it had always been about the cabinet, about staring at the grain of wood that had allowed the invasion of Hogwarts.
Malfoy's cheeks burned. He'd done this a hundred times over the years, found what he needed in the hour of lonely surrender. He'd never yet felt so exposed, so vulnerable. He groaned as he felt a drip of precome hit his shin.
"No one has seen you like this?" Potter stepped closer, close enough for Malfoy to feel hot breath on the back of his neck and the tickle of Potter's shirt as it grazed Malfoy's sweat slicked back.
Malfoy raised his head, staring at the one particular spot in the wood grain that looked like an eye. He'd stared at the eye, lost in its depths session after session. It was nearly on his tongue to tell to Potter the truth, that he'd hung here and cried himself to exhaustion, that the ache in his shoulders and back, the ring around his wrists hidden under Glamours was all that let him look in the mirror some days. That he'd never imagined sharing this with anyone. It was a lonely kind of solace. But Potter could guess at all that if he liked, or not. All Malfoy said was, "Until now."
In a blink, Potter moved back and Malfoy's eyes flew open, wondering if he'd read him wrong, and Potter was going to walk out and leave him suspended until the timer ran out. But Potter didn't head for the door. He stopped just a few feet back.
Malfoy heard a rustle of clothes and peeked over his shoulder to see Potter's navy dress robe tossed onto the bed.
Potter glanced up and caught him looking. With a smirk he undid his belt and slowly slipped it from the loops of his trousers, then wound it about his hand.
Malfoy's throat went dry.
"Pick a word."
"Plastic duck," Malfoy replied without missing a beat.
Potter raised an eyebrow but didn't request any explanation. That could wait until morning.
The first smack that hit his arse made his eyes water. The second was worse. He'd felt pain far worse than this, of course. But this was both mortifying and intensely erotic. He was bound and naked and allowing it all to happen. It occurred to him then – and strangely only then – that this was entirely different from the encounters with Potter in the DACH. Relinquishing control in a DACH fantasy was an illusion. A single thought from him and he was back on the couch. Here, he had to trust that Potter would honour his safeword if he chose to use it.
By the time Potter counted out "thirteen," Malfoy started to feel distanced from what was happening, A drifting away that made the pain bearable and muted all his thoughts. The regret, the stress, the ambition, the fear and insecurities all faded into the simple rhythmic smack and sharp sting. It was far more effective than suspension alone. He had hung until his wrists burned and his chest ached but it had never been like this. This was floating. His sense of time and space was reduced to Potter's voice. "Fifteen."
The lashing had stopped. Malfoy blinked back his remaining tears and tried to gather his thoughts. Potter stood close behind him; he could hear the ragged breath out of sync with his own. The back of his neck prickled as he felt Potter staring. His arse and thighs had to be bright and ruddy, marred with long slashes, which soon would turn into bruises, and a gash or two where the belt broke the skin. Malfoy released a jagged sigh.
Potter moved up behind him, so that the rough twill of his trousers pressed against Malfoy's raw arse. Potter breathed into his ear, "You know what I did yesterday, Malfoy?"
Not trusting his voice, Malfoy just looked over his shoulder.
Potter placed a hand on each of Malfoy's hips and pulled him back, rubbing his erection against Malfoy's arse, irritating the tender skin. Malfoy gasped at the sting.
"I let some kid suck my cock in the I&I file room. He couldn't have been more than nineteen, his second day in the mailroom or something. I wasn't really listening. A pretty little blond thing, though. With a mouth like a pro – does it bother you to hear about it, I wonder?" Potter stood on his toes and peeked over Malfoy's shoulder to glimpse his dick. "Not much, I guess."
Malfoy bit his cheek until he tasted blood and said nothing. His cheeks and ears heated with humiliation.
"Anyway, eager little thing. On his knees before I could even ward the door. He was at it about ten minutes and his jaw had to be aching. Funny thing, but he wasn't cutting it." Potter's fingers pressed into Malfoy's hips. "He just wasn’t what I was looking for. Young and innocent and brainless. He'd learned about the war from books and the bloody Prophet. So I stopped looking at him and instead pictured that he had a snotty smirk and clever grey eyes. I added hands behind his back with I&I cuffs and was finally able to spill my load down his throat. And you know what he said after he spit his mouthful into the rubbish bin? 'Who the fuck is Malfoy?' That's what he said." Potter chuckled and bit Malfoy's shoulder.
Malfoy gasped for breath, trying to calm his body, and focused on the sharp sting of the bite. His mind couldn't absorb Potter's ramblings. Later he'd think back on it and try to decipher it all. But Potter was sinking to the floor behind him and everything else was chased from his thoughts.
"Who the fuck is Malfoy? I've been trying to figure that one out for three days." Potter's fingers traced feather-light designs on Malfoy's arse. "It's different, you know. The DACH is excellent, brilliant – you know that already – but it's different." Potter pressed his nose in and nuzzled Malfoy's cleft. "Nothing compares to this. Your smell, the way you look, the way you taste."
He spread Malfoy's cheeks. Malfoy waited, holding his breath, knowing what was coming next. And there, hot and wet at his entrance, was Harry Potter's tongue. He keened and pressed back but his shoulders protested at the movement. "Please."
Potter hummed in approval and pressed in further, sucking and licking and worshiping the tight ring of muscle until it relaxed and let him through.
"Please." Malfoy whimpered and, "More." And yet not like this kept running through his head. It was all too much and he wanted it to last. Potter took his time, fucking him with his tongue, making the most depraved sounds. Malfoy was sure he was going to come, untouched.
Potter stood and stripped; Malfoy didn't know if he should cry from disappointment or relief.
Potter pressed his naked body against Malfoy's back. They fit together impossibly well. "Say it."
Malfoy blinked and thought for a moment before saying, "Fuck me."
"Say it," Potter said again, pleased.
Malfoy wasn't entirely sure if this was what Potter wanted to hear, but he repeated with a bit more desperation, "Fuck me."
Potter slipped a finger into Malfoy's spit slick hole. "Tell me."
"I –" The finger was joined by another, and words became impossible. He squirmed, impatient. "Please. I need – Please."
Potter removed the fingers and lined up. Finally, finally the blunt tip of Potter's cock, slick and heavy, pressed against his entrance. It didn't push in.
"Tell me." Potter's voice was rough, barely recognisable. "Tell me what you need."
"Please, fuck." Malfoy tried to push back but the chains stopped him. "I need, I need you."
Potter growled, and pushed in, in one long glorious stroke.
They were both too on edge to draw this part out. A dozen bruising thrusts and Potter reached around and wrapped his fingers around Malfoy's cock. Malfoy sobbed in relief. It was too much and he was too close.
Potter ground into him, fierce and desperate. "Mine," Potter breathed into his ear, almost inaudible. Then Potter's teeth sank into his shoulder.
Malfoy's head snapped back with a cry, and he spilled onto Potter's fist.
Potter's rhythm broke then and an instant later, Potter came with a grunt that might have been "Malfoy."
The strain of supporting his own weight and part of Potter's tore through the afterglow and Malfoy let an incoherent protest slip past his lips. Potter jolted into action, releasing his hold and waving a hand at the manacles. They clicked open and Malfoy stumbled free.
Potter cradled him about the waist and whispered, "Are you – can you walk?"
Malfoy tried to stand but exhaustion stole his balance. His foot misjudged the floor as he tried to step out of the cabinet, and he tumbled further onto Potter. Without comment, Potter slipped a shoulder beneath Malfoy's arm and manoeuvred him the few feet to the bed. Malfoy concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, but his legs felt leaden.
With one hand, Potter pulled back the covers and guided Malfoy onto the bed.
Malfoy hissed as his arse grazed the crisp sheets. He looked up and caught Potter frowning.
"I can heal you," Potter offered, but his tone said he knew the answer already.
"I have salve in my bedside table. That will be fine." Malfoy usually lay on the floor for a while after a session, fumbling with the salve after a few hours, when he finally remembered.
Potter found the jar and knelt beside the bed. He began with the wrists. The ointment would numb the pain, but the skin was broken in places and the bruising already beginning to show. It would take nearly a week to heal completely.
"I use Glamours," he explained, though Potter hadn't asked.
Potter nodded and dipped a finger into the salve, spreading it over the angry red circles around his wrist. When he was finished, Potter raised the hand to his lips and kissed each finger.
Malfoy stilled. It felt… nice. Comfortable. He shut his eyes and breathed deeply. He drifted in and out of sleep as Potter continued, strong hands and soft lips, soothing the sting. He woke briefly when Potter flipped him over, placing kisses down his spine. He fell asleep again to the gentle massage of the salve rubbed onto his arse and thighs.
It was sunrise when he woke, with an arm draped heavily across his back, and fingers curled around his shoulder. Potter had stayed. Malfoy didn't know why that surprised him, but it did. The night before somehow felt too intimate for a morning after, like the idea of sharing pancakes together now should be claustrophobic. He waited for the panic to begin, the moment of shame at what he had revealed about himself, and whom he had revealed it to. It didn't come.
It would. If not this morning while the coffee brewed and an uncomfortable silence settled on the kitchen then it would come along the way. There was no way this could be a relationship.
It could, however, be a fantastic occasional fuck.
With a smile, he shifted closer to Potter and drifted off again.
The whispers began the moment he entered the building. He could feel dozens of eyes on him as he walked down the hall and towards his office. Eyes of people that should be working. He reminded himself to scowl as he saw the crowd gathered around Sara's desk. One by one the women noticed him and quickly darted off to get their morning coffee.
Finally, Sara turned to him. Behind her was a massive bouquet of wildflowers. She would have to move them into a spare office if she wanted to get any work done today. There wasn't enough desk space showing to place a parchment.
Malfoy stepped up to her and, knowing every eye was still on them, stooped to kiss her temple. "I'm sorry. And thank you," he whispered.
Sara pulled back to look at him, face flushed. "Just so you know, I'll hex his balls off if he hurts you."
Malfoy grinned and walked into his office.
Sara chased after him. "Hey! I want details!"
"Certainly not." He made a show of spreading his paperwork out on his desk. It was best not to make eye contact when he lied to Sara.
"I'll be right back with coffee. You decide how much you want to edit out while I'm gone." She bounded out of the office.
"And a muffin," Malfoy shouted after her. "I'm starving."
He could hear her throaty laugh halfway down the hallway.
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no subject
Date: 2009-11-10 02:56 pm (UTC)Also, Draco-in-handcuffs ftw, I say. ;)
no subject
Date: 2009-11-10 06:17 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading!
no subject
Date: 2009-11-10 04:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-10 06:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-10 10:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-10 10:55 pm (UTC)Thank you for reading and letting me know what you thought.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-10 10:47 pm (UTC)Malfoy was perfect in his control & manner while Potter was enigmatic, powerful and a palpable force. It was captivating and sexy and definitely one that I will favorite.
Just the fact that the last scene went down in that cabinet blew my mind. o__O;; To say that I'm overheated in a good way, is an understatement. *luffs on*
no subject
Date: 2009-11-10 11:19 pm (UTC)Thank you so much! A lovely summary of the characterisations that fit exactly with what I was going for. I'm so thrilled that it came through.
Yes, the cabinet. Well, the 'cabinet' that is in The Admin Series is ... nnnngh. so hot and well, when it occurred to me that the Vanishing Cabinet could be used like that, I just couldn't resist.
Thanks for the lovely comment! ♥
no subject
Date: 2009-11-11 11:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-11 03:04 pm (UTC)YAY! I'm so thrilled you enjoyed it. Thank you.
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Date: 2009-11-12 12:34 pm (UTC)I don't think I'm ever going to get used to the idea of Sara not being 'Toreth's' assistant, though. Who's going to make his coffee and keep his juniors in line? ;-)
no subject
Date: 2009-11-12 01:38 pm (UTC)*cough*
Thank you so much for reading this and commenting! I'm honoured that you took the time to tell me that you liked it. As for not using any Admin plots, well, there was so little I could do in a short fic and the characterisation needed the real focus to be believable. The murder plot was pretty weak MacGuffin to give me an excuse for the Harry/Draco development. I'll leave in-depth plotting to the experts. ;)
I've received so many comments about my choice for Sara! LOL. You'll be happy to know that the general consensus is that Toreth would be lost without her. :D But given my point of view and setting, I shamelessly tweaked her to meet my needs. Oh, the glories of fanfiction. *snicker*
Thank you again. This absolutely made my morning. ♥
no subject
Date: 2009-11-12 10:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-30 06:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-20 03:49 am (UTC)Very nice, my dear. I love your scary, powerful, dangerous Harry (just how I like him), and I like the fact you stirred clear of the dreaded morning after scene and the this-is-the-start-of-something-beautiful stuff. There's too much between them for that. Out of the erotic context, I don't think Draco would be able to get past Harry's "job." But the idea that they seek each other out now and then to fulfill their deepest fantasies . . . that definitely works.
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Date: 2009-11-30 06:42 pm (UTC)I like the fact you stirred clear of the dreaded morning after scene and the this-is-the-start-of-something-beautiful stuff.
Ha! I do tend to include that often enough in my fics... but the Admin series is far more open and episodic so it let me just go with a truly open ending.
Yes, Harry's job as it stands here - without any explanation - is just too much to get past in order to form 'something beautiful'.
Thanks for reading and this lovely comment. *twirls you*
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Date: 2009-12-01 12:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 04:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-04 11:30 pm (UTC)I particularly like the fact that while this shares many similarities with the original stories by Manna, it is not the same, and id different enough to keep my interest. Please write more soon...
laurakyna
fic: Incidental Charms (Harry/Draco)
Date: 2010-09-27 04:44 pm (UTC)I particularly like the fact that while this shares many similarities with the original stories by Manna, it is not the same, and its different enough to keep my interest.
Thank you. that was certainly the most difficult part, figuring out exactly what that line was of incorporating concepts and themes without simply re-writing Manna's plot with new names. I'm glad it worked for you.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-19 04:01 am (UTC)*This rather intimidating Harry. He's dangerous. I wouldn't want to know him, I think, but he's damned appealing here.
*The DACHs. Gorgeous, inventive magic for the win.
*That it doesn't end with them happily falling into a relationship - in fact, that it's overt that it *won't* be a romance, and that it'll be about mutual satisfaction. Nom. It would've felt very strange if they'd ridden off into the sunset together :)
All in all, it's just a fan-damned-tastic story :).
fic: Incidental Charms (Harry/Draco)
Date: 2010-09-27 04:50 pm (UTC)That it doesn't end with them happily falling into a relationship - in fact, that it's overt that it *won't* be a romance, and that it'll be about mutual satisfaction.
Yes. and actually that is a big part of the Administration Series. They fuck. lots. but there is no ridding off into the sunset except if it happens accidentally without their consent. :)
Thanks for your gorgeous comment, darling. ♥
Re: fic: Incidental Charms (Harry/Draco)
Date: 2010-09-27 05:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-22 12:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-27 04:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-09 07:54 pm (UTC)Very interesting. Really neat making HARRY the "bad guy" and Malfoy the one with the history but now doing well. I loved the sex scenes, but the middle stuff was really good. Love love love the secretary. Lol. She almost stole the show ;)
no subject
Date: 2011-02-10 05:27 pm (UTC)And Sara is stolen right from the series. She's just a wonderful character, I needed to bring her over. :)
Thanks for reading and leaving me a comment on this old fic. It's really appreciated. :)
no subject
Date: 2012-02-24 12:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-24 01:00 am (UTC)The Draco as Toreth thing was my initial thoughts as well, I'll be honest. But I was writing for a problem that specifically asked for Draco as Warrick soooooooo I worked within those constraints (and in the process had to take some liberties with Harry's character). But I'm thrilled that despite that, it still ended you entertaining you.
Thank you!