emmagrant01 | FIC: Surrender the Grey (23/30)

NOTE: This is the first draft of this story. The final version can be read HERE.

Title: Surrender the Grey
Author: Emma Grant
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Draco Malfoy returns to London after five years of self-imposed exile to start a new life with Harry. But will the secrets of the past destroy everything they've worked for?
Sequel to: Left My Heart. This will make much more sense if you have read that first!
Disclaimer: Not my characters, no copyright violation intended.
Length: 150,000 words
Status: COMPLETED November 2, 2005 (Posted March 2 - November 2, 2005)
Notes:
1. Please don't archive this story yet! This is the first draft, and in the next few months, it will be revised and edited. I'll post the final version on my website and a few other select archives, but in the meantime, feel free to link to this post.
2. There aren't enough words to say THANK YOU to

jedirita,

hazelhawthorne, and

Where we left off:

"Master!" a voice squeaked. Four wands pointed out the house elf who had just appeared, and she cowered behind her hands.

"Ebby!" Draco felt his heart sink.

"Master Lucius is coming!" she cried, peeking at them through her fingers. "He has beaten the deceiving Muggle and is coming here with other men! Ebby is warning Master Draco, as she promised."

"Fuck," Draco said.

Ebby disapparated with a pop, and they heard footsteps on the stairs.

(23)

This was one of those moments, Draco would later reflect, when time seemed to slow down. He saw with absolute clarity what needed to be done, and he did not panic.

"Harry, give me the mobile," he said.

Harry rummaged in his pockets and tossed it to him. Draco pulled up the last number called and pressed send. He barely waited for it to be answered before shouting, "Now! Now!" into the receiver.

"Roger that," he heard just before he ended the call.

"We have only minutes before the potion deteriorates," Snape said. His voice was startlingly calm.

"Where's the other key?" Hermione asked, sounding almost breathless. "I can apparate into the flat to get it."

"Somewhere on the floor," Draco told her. He saw Harry's sharp gaze and felt a pang of remorse, but he pushed it aside. "I was standing by the fireplace when I dropped it."

Hermione nodded, then looked at Harry, her forehead furrowed. "Promise me you won't let anything happen to Harley."

"Go!" Harry told her, taking the mobile from Draco and punching a number in.

Hermione looked at Harley and then disapparated. Harley whimpered, staring at the spot where she'd been a moment before.

The footsteps in the stairway were very close now, and they all looked towards the door. Draco saw Manny and Guadalupe exchange a look and raise their wands. He trained his own wand on the door just as a shadowy figure came into view.

Lucius's robes swirled around him as he stopped just inside the room, raising dust from the floor. His sharp features were cast in shadow by the torchlight, making his expression of anger even more severe. Several men flanked him; Draco recognized Avery and Snead right away, and the other faces were familiar as well. None of them looked very pleased.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Lucius snarled, wand already pointed at Draco. The men at his side trained their wands on the others in the room.

"Having a little barbeque," Draco quipped. "Didn't you get the invitation?"

Lucius's expression darkened even further. "I should have known I couldn't trust you. I should have guessed you'd betray me the moment you had the chance."

Draco snorted, his hand tightening on his wand. "Yes, you should have. Why would I have any loyalty to you?"

Harry was whispering into the mobile, but since he was furthest from Lucius, no one had noticed. Draco had no idea whom he was talking to, but he assumed Harry had a back-up plan of his own.

"And you!" Lucius had turned his attention to Snape. "You've pretended to be loyal to me this entire time, but you helped him three years ago, didn't you?"

Snape's lips twisted into a smirk. "As usual, Lucius, you are unable to see beyond your own petty ambition." His wand was pointed at Snead.

"I won't be made a fool of again," Lucius said, turning his gaze back to Draco. "If this secret is to be revealed, it will be on my terms."

"You want to know as badly as we do," Draco retorted. "What difference does it make if it's on your terms or ours? The outcome is--"

"Because it's my life that is at risk!" Lucius hissed. "My reputation, my standing, my very existence depends on this information remaining secret." He turned his glare to Harry, who had just tucked the mobile back into his pocket. "For years, I thought the smothering spell would be enough. Fallin and I agreed it was the best way to keep the situation under control. And you two--" the hand holding his wand shook as he pointed it at Draco and Harry "--were never to meet again. With Draco in America and Potter safely locked away in a Ministry office, being watched by Unspeakables day and night, I didn't need to worry that the two of you would regain your memories of the incident. But I will admit I was afraid that the plan had backfired, that you had betrayed me." His eyes bore into Draco's. "What if you had failed to contain him? What if it were possible for the Dark Lord to return?"

"What if he's dead?" Harry asked.

Lucius paled, which only made him look angrier. "Whatever his fate, I was part of it. And I will be blamed -- not by the Ministry, but by those faithful to him. If this proceeds, it seals my fate."

"You aren't making sense, Malfoy!" Snape spat, his tone dripping with annoyance. "What's done is done. If they remember it or not, it changes nothing."

"You're wrong," Lucius growled. "Everything will change. It is impossible to keep such secrets."

"You are wrong," Snape replied. "There is always fidelius."

Draco turned to stare at Snape. Was he really offering--

"I've bribed Ministry officials!" Lucius spat, his hand shaking as he pointed his wand at Snape. "I've intimidated Aurors and Unspeakables, and I've traveled all over this country to keep order in the ranks. I've been personally responsible for the peace and stability of our society these last three years! You will not take that away from me!"

"He's barking," Harry muttered, shaking his head.

"I have been working for more than a year to obtain this information," Lucius continued, his voice now low and gravelly, "ever since the day I realized it would not remain a secret forever. When I found Draco, I was able to infiltrate his dreams and learn that their memory loss was the result of a spell and was retrievable. Once you two met in San Francisco, I knew it was only a matter of time before you would find a way to regain your memories, and I was determined to control how and where that happened." His sneer became lewd and smug. "And so I will. Once you've finished your little counter-spell, I will wipe the memories from your minds for good. I will be the only one who knows the truth."

Harry made a sound like a laugh. "And you think we'll cooperate? You're insane."

"I'll kill you, then," Lucius replied.

"I'd like to see you try," Harry hissed, his wand now pointing back at Lucius, his face twisted into an expression of hatred that Draco hadn't seen in years. "In fact, I insist."

It was hard to tell who threw the first curse, but streaks of light began to fly around the room, zinging overhead and ricocheting off the walls. Guadalupe went down quickly and Manny scrambled toward her, roaring. Snape managed to block everything Avery sent towards him, but soon he was fending off curses from Snead as well.

"Nothing's coming through!" Harry shouted. He'd jumped in front of Harley to protect him. "And we can't get any curses out either. The salt circle really works!"

Draco growled in frustration. "They're outnumbered, and we can only stand here and watch!"

Manny slumped over his mother's crumpled form across the room, and Snape was left alone against five adversaries.

"I'm going to step out," Harry said, a fierce expression on his face. "Stay here with Harley."

Draco grabbed his arm. "You can't! The spell--"

"It isn't going to be broken anyway," Harry said, looking at Snape with something akin to concern on his face. "He won't last long against them."

"They wouldn't want us to give up," Draco said, gesturing towards Manny and his mother in a heap on the floor. "It will have been for nothing!"

"It's already over!" Harry retorted, twisting out of his grip.

There was a shout across the room, and they turned to see five men in robes standing there, wands trained on Lucius and his lackeys. One of them was someone Draco recognized immediately.

"Stand down, Malfoy," Rodolfus Abernathy hissed.

Lucius looked baffled for a moment, but regained his composure quickly. "Abernathy, you're just in time. These--"

"I said, stand down," Abernathy repeated, stepping forward and pressing his wand into Lucius's throat.

"How dare you--" Lucius began.

"You arrogant fool," Abernathy growled, his expression cold. "Did you really think you could blackmail us?"

"You used that Muggle boy against us," the man beside him said, "and you thought we'd never find out we weren't alone?"

"You… Colby?" Lucius asked, stunned.

"He told us what you were doing," a tall thin man said. "He told us about each other. And he warned us that you were going to betray us here tonight."

Lucius started to respond, but seemed to change his mind. He stared at Abernathy, eyes hard.

Abernathy sneered at him. "At first was shocked that you'd turned on me, especially since your own son is…" He didn't finish the sentence, as if he couldn't say the word. "I was afraid and ashamed. But now, Malfoy -- now I am simply angry."

He looked angry, Draco thought. He looked like he might be angry enough to kill Lucius on the spot.

"We have no reason to trust you any more," another of Abernathy's men said, keeping his wand firmly fixed on Snead. "We want to know the truth, and you won't interfere."

At that moment, Hermione apparated next to the beacon, clutching her abdomen and grimacing.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted. Draco had to grab his arm again to prevent him from leaving the circle. Harley turned very pale.

Hermione cried out -- she'd just noticed the new arrivals. She clenched something tightly in her fist.

"It's all right," Harry assured her. "What happened?"

She didn't answer him.

"Did you get it?" Draco asked.

She nodded, something that seemed to take effort. She opened her hand.

Harry pointed his wand at it, and Draco held his breath. The key sailed through the salt barrier and into Harry's hand.

"You've only seconds," Snape wheezed. He'd been hit with several nasty curses before Abernathy arrived.

"What do we do?" Draco asked.

Harry stared into the cauldron, eyes wide. "I don't know. I think we're supposed to drop these in and drink it."

Draco felt the blood drain from his face for what must have been the tenth time that day. "But this won't come off!" he said, pointing to the silver bracelet.

Harry stared at it. "It wouldn't have come off before either, so what would we have done?"

"We have to put our hands in," a small voice said.

They both turned to look at Harley, who was standing over the cauldron and staring into the potion. It bubbled and shimmered, lavender smoke still rising up from it.

"What?" Harry asked, staring at him.

"We have to hold the things and put our hands in," Harley said, as if it were obvious. "It isn't hot."

Draco and Harry exchanged a look.

"How do you know?" Draco asked, already afraid of the answer.

Harley smiled at them. "Daddy told me."

They stared at him. Draco felt an odd chill. Harry looked faint.

"He's right," Draco breathed. "I… don't know how I know it, but…"

Harry nodded, still staring at Harley. He clutched the key tightly in his left fist, but his hand was still shaking. He seemed unable to speak.

The three of them held their hands over the cauldron. Draco took a deep breath, simultaneously nervous and excited. This could be a terrible mistake or a great idea -- and there was no way to know which.

Draco turned to look at Harry. "I want you to know--"

"I know, Draco," he replied.

They looked back at Harley, who had an expression of intense concentration on his face.

"Ready?" Draco asked. His hand began to shake. "Three… two… one."

They plunged their hands into the potion. It wasn't hot at all; in fact, it was pleasantly warm and rolled over his skin like oil. For a moment Draco wondered if anything was going to happen. Skin absorption of potions, he knew, took a bit longer than--

It was as if someone had turned on a very bright light. The glare was blinding, overwhelming, deafening -- so much so that Draco heard himself shout in agony. He heard Harry and Harley cry out too, sounding as if they were very far away.

And then it was dark.

+++++

Thursday, 18 January, 2001

Draco took another long drag from the joint Li had handed him.

The music in the Muggle club pounded in his chest as he blew the acrid smoke in a stream above their heads. It was the sort of music he hated as a rule, but when he was out trolling Muggle gay clubs with a friend -- and this friend always had particularly good drugs of both the Muggle and Wizard variety -- he found he rather liked it.

"Shit," he rasped.

"Fucking A," Li replied, taking the joint from his fingers. "This shit is totally sweet, dude. Marcus gets it from some Voodoo guy down in the Village, and it kicks ass."

"Kicks ass," Draco repeated with a grin, trying to flatten the word out in his mouth. He laughed and slung an arm around Li. "Ass. Ass. That's so fucking cute."

Li's response was an exasperated sigh. He began moving his hips in time to the bass beat and let his head fall back against the flimsy wall of toilet stall.

"All right," Draco said, pushing off the wall and standing. "I'm ready."

Li sniggered and took one last hit off the joint. "Ready for what?"

"To get fucking laid," Draco grinned. "What else?"

They staggered back out to the dance floor, weaving through the crowd of scantily-clad men. Draco grabbed Li's hand and pulled him close.

"That one," he half-shouted, nodding at a young man to their left.

Li raised an eyebrow in response. "You've been on such a twink kick lately. That one barely looks legal."

"All the better," Draco replied, grinning. "And you can have his little friend."

"I hate these Mundane clubs," Li said, wrinkling his nose. "Can we just go take a look at B-Boy, please?"

"I've had everyone there," Draco retorted. "Besides, it's seventies night. All the old folks come out."

"My mother would be horrified if she knew I was fucking Mundanes," Li said, wrapping his arms around Draco's neck and pouting. Li's mother was an old Chinese witch whose prejudice against Muggles made Draco's father look benevolent.

"Does your mother even know you're gay?" Draco snorted.

Li ignored the question. "You know I don't like having sex without magic, either."

"Then go back to B-Boy and pick yourself up a grateful geezer," Draco retorted, pushing Li away. "I want this cute little twink, and I want him now." He left Li behind and circled the boy who'd caught his eye, dancing closer and closer until the boy looked up and saw him.

"Hullo," Draco said, stepping between the boy and the man he'd just been dancing with. The man shot Draco a glare and then turned away.

"Hi," the boy replied with a grin. He had sandy hair and bright blue eyes, and he was hot.

Draco pulled him close, smiling. "Wanna fuck?"

The boy laughed, and his grin widened. "That's the third offer I've had tonight."

"You were very wise not to take the first two," Draco said, and kissed him.

+++++

They stumbled up the stairs to Draco's Avenue B walk-up, giggling. The boy was 16, it turned out, and he'd snuck out for the night. He had no place to go, he'd whimpered, so if Draco wanted to fuck him, he'd have to give him a place to sleep too.

The boy was taller than Draco, and stronger too. He pushed Draco up against the door of the apartment and ground against him, already hard. Draco whispered an unlocking spell and the fly on the boy's jeans came undone, his hard dick popping forward to hit Draco in the stomach.

"Oops," Draco muttered.

"That's why I'm here," the boy grinned.

Draco wrapped his fingers around the bare cock and repeated the spell, this time managing to open the door.

The apartment was dark, so Draco had to lead the way to his small bedroom, hand still tugging on the boy's prick. They tumbled onto Draco's bed, mouths mashing together and hands clenching, roaming, and squeezing. Within minutes, Draco had the boy flipped onto his stomach and a condom rolled onto his own dick.

Just as he began to press forward, the boy stiffened beneath him and sucked in a breath.

Draco groaned. "Don't tell me you're a virgin."

"Well…" The boy's voice was strained.

Draco grimaced, thinking. A little magic would ease the way. He would just have to perform a memory charm later.

"Diffundo," he whispered, pressing one finger against the boy's straining hole.

"What the fuck?" the boy cried. Draco eased forward into his relaxed body, and the boy whimpered beneath him. "God, it… ohhhh…"

Draco pounded into him after that. It didn't matter at this point, since the boy's memory would be wiped in the morning. He'd have trouble walking tomorrow, but he'd probably just chalk up the memory lapse to alcohol.

The boy pulled himself off and came a full minute before Draco did, though the clenching of his anus around Draco's cock was most pleasant.

Draco eased off him afterwards and spelled away the condom. The boy rolled onto his back, smiling.

"That was amazing! It hurt at first, but then it was… wow!" Even in the dim light, Draco could see the stars in his eyes.

Fuck, he thought. Why did I agree to let him stay?

"Look, I have to get up early tomorrow," he said, pulling the duvet up over himself. "So get to sleep."

"All right." The boy turned onto his side, still staring at Draco. "God, your accent is so sexy! Are you from England?"

"Yes," Draco replied, closing his eyes. Fuck him -- had he brought home another talker?

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

"Go to sleep," Draco said, and turned to face the other way.

+++++

Friday, 19 January, 2001

The alarm was set for 6:00, but the sound that awakened Draco at 5:45 was a shout.

He sat up and blinked, then poked a few buttons on his alarm clock. He must have been dreaming.

He turned to look beside him -- the boy wasn't there. Draco frowned, and then jumped out of bed. He had some voracious plants in the main room, and if the stupid Muggle had touched any of them--

He froze in the doorway, mouth open in shock. On the sofa, dressed in full traveling robes and looking extremely displeased, sat his father. Draco hadn't seen the man in two years, not since he'd fled to become an Auror.

"Good morning," Lucius said, pointedly ignoring the naked Muggle who was gaping at him from across the room.

"How did you get in here?" Draco asked. His heart was pounding, but managed to maintain his composure. His wand was back in the bedroom, of course. Why hadn't he picked it up before coming out?

"Oddly enough, the door was unlocked," Lucius replied. "And no wards? One would think you wanted to be found."

The boy was staring back and forth between Draco and Lucius, clearly confused about what was happening.

"Leave," Draco told the boy. "Now."

The boy looked as if he might argue for a moment, but he dashed back into the bedroom instead, reappearing with his clothes bundled in his arms a moment later. He disappeared through the front door, still naked.

Lucius had ignored him, keeping his eyes fixed on Draco instead. "I see you haven't changed," he said, eyes narrowed. "And Muggles, Draco? Honestly."

"Like father, like son, I suppose," Draco retorted. Did Lucius think he'd never known about his Muggle whores?

Lucius looked away. "Would you put on some clothing, at least?"

Draco snorted. "I'm your son. It's not as if you haven't seen me naked before."

Lucius looked back, a smirk spreading across his face. "I am here to make you a very lucrative offer, and I don't discuss business under these circumstances."

Surprised, Draco folded his arms over his chest and thought for a moment. Was Lucius serious? If he'd come to abduct Draco -- or worse -- surely he'd have done it by now. He nodded, keeping his expression neutral. "Very well. Don't touch anything."

A few minutes later he was dressed in jeans and a black jumper, one he'd appropriated from Li's wardrobe months ago. Lucius wrinkled his nose at the blatant display of Muggle attire, but refrained from commenting on it.

This was Draco's second indication that the offer was a serious one. His stomach twisted at the idea that Lucius was really here to make him an offer, to treat him as an equal. The last time his father had offered him a job…

Draco suppressed a scowl and crossed to the apartment's small kitchen. "Coffee?" he asked. He'd grown addicted to the rush of caffeine it provided, so much stronger than tea. Lucius declined, but watched as Draco spelled the Muggle coffee machine into operation. Draco settled in a chair next to the sofa, trying to appear casual and relaxed.

"Well?" He tried his best to sound bored, even annoyed.

"I've been looking for you for nearly a month," Lucius said. "And I've heard good things about you, I must admit. You've begun to make a name for yourself here."

Draco raised an eyebrow in response. He thought he'd kept his more illicit activities quiet. If the FBI ever found out what he was doing--

"Don't worry," Lucius said with a sneer. "Your secret is quite safe with me."

Draco grimaced. He'd forgotten that his father was a fairly good Legilimens. He must be more careful.

A coffee cup nudged his hand, and he plucked it from the air. He'd made it a bit strong this morning, unfortunately, but there was nothing for it now.

"What do you want?" he asked. "I'm busy. I have an important meeting this morning that I--"

"I want you to return with me to England to assist with a very important task," Lucius said. "I won't be directly involved, and I'm afraid I can't give you many details at the moment. But I can assure you that the reward will be great."

"Oh, really?" Draco scoffed. "It would have to be fairly astounding. I'm doing quite well for myself, you know."

"One hundred thousand galleons," Lucius said.

Draco struggled not to react. That was indeed an astounding sum. He wondered what exactly his father wanted him to do.

"I want one hundred and fifty," he replied. "And afterwards, you promise never to contact me again."

Lucius's eyes narrowed. "You don't even know what this task is."

"For one hundred fifty thousand galleons, I won't care," Draco replied.

Lucius considered him a moment longer, and then nodded. "Very well. Agreed." He stood, pressing his cane into the floor. "We should leave immediately."

Draco scowled, but he wasn't surprised. He'd have to make a few phone calls, but for that much money, it wasn't a problem. "I'll need a few minutes to pack," he said, heading to his bedroom.

Ten minutes later he emerged, rucksack slung over his shoulder. He cast a few cleaning spells in the direction of the kitchen. Lucius looked up from yesterday's copy of the Wizarding Times.

Draco fumbled for his mobile and rang Li. He apologized profusely for waking him up, and then explained that he'd be gone for a few days. Li offered to water the plants, just as Draco had hoped he would. He then called his office and left a message explaining that he had a family emergency back home and would be on leave until further notice. He hoped his new supervisor wouldn't be too hard-nosed about it. The man was hot, though -- Draco wondered if a blow job might smooth things over. Even straight boys had a hard time saying no to head, he'd found.

"I'm ready," he said to Lucius as he powered the mobile off and stuck it in a pocket.

A pecking at the window signaled the arrival of the morning mail. "Just a sec," Draco said, crossing to open the pane. A grey pigeon flew in, a large envelope dangling from one foot.

Draco took the package and offered the pigeon a treat from a jar on the kitchen table. Once the pigeon was away, he shoved the envelope into his rucksack without even looking at it.

"We have a portkey waiting for us at Kennedy," Lucius told him. "We can apparate there if you like."

Draco nodded, and then felt a wave of uneasiness. Where had this sudden near-respect his father was granting him come from?

"Why me?" he asked, stepping back. "I've been a non-entity in your life for more than a year. Why the confidence in me now?"

Lucius's gaze was stony. "It isn't I who desires your involvement in this operation, Draco. If it were solely up to me, our paths would likely never cross again."

Draco frowned. "Then who requested me?"

Lucius hesitated a moment, and then said, "Harry Potter."

+++++

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FIC: Surrender the Grey (23/30)

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