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llaeyroThe title pretty much says it all! I can finally reveal that the mystery fic was an adaptation of the 80's film Labyrinth starring David Bowie.
Original post and all my lovely comments are here. =) x
Title: The Goblin King Cometh
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
llaeyro
Prompt: PROMPT #43
Adapted from: Labyrinth
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Word Count: 10k+
Rating: NC-17
Contains (Highlight to view): *language, angst, post-Hogwarts, EWE, snarkiness, intentional mis-quoting, copious amounts of cheesiness*
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Massive thanks to the incredible, patientmakochanupdates for being an amazing beta in the face of all life has thrown at her lately and love to impishinklings for squeeing enough to keep me going! Also, apologies to the prompter but despite setting out writing this with the intention of following the prompt in its entirety, the characters saw things ending differently!
Summary: The Goblin King is real and he's Draco Malfoy. Can Harry figure out what he really wants in time to save his godson? Not everything is as it was in the films but Harry has the help of some old friends. In two parts because it wouldn't fit in one post.
"Give me the child."
Harry did his best to take his eyes off of David Bowie's crotch, a feat he had been trying to achieve every time he was on screen for just short of an hour and a half. Harry wasn't sure if they were jodhpurs or leggings or what Bowie had potentially stuffed them with, but the result was mesmerising – the man was clearly hung.
"Generous? What have you done that's generous?"
Teddy jumped as Bowie shouted back his retort to the young girl and Harry instinctively tightened his arm around the boy's shoulders, smiling down at him reassuringly. It had been hard at first, Teddy had not stopped with 'Nanny doesn't do it like that,' and 'Nanny buys that one' but eventually he had settled into the flat and Harry had settled into his new role as guardian of a metamorphing four year old. Well, almost.
"Through dangers untold and hardships un-numbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City. My will is as strong as yours and my —"
Of course, Teddy didn't really understand why he had to live with Harry, he was just too young. He missed Andromeda and he let Harry know it. These days were the worst, when the Muggle treatments had really taken their toll on his grandmother to the extent where she had to cancel having him for the weekend. Teddy had so much loss in his short little life, but at least the loss was for a cause up until now. To be losing his only remaining family to cancer was just taking the piss.
That's why Harry had agreed to adopt him. He was only twenty-one, but he knew that after Andromeda he was the only one that boy had except for a great-aunt and second cousin who would neither want nor accept him. A metamorphmagus son of two half bloods, one of whom was also a werewolf, being forced into a pureblood household was likely to be about as successful as Harry's own upbringing had been. Admittedly, the whole thing had happened a lot faster than Harry anticipated, but he knew that Dromeda was right. Teddy was better off getting used to life with Harry before he was forced into life without the only mother figure he had ever known.
"Just fear me, love me, do as I say – and I will be your slave."
Suddenly, at twenty-one, Harry Potter was a single parent with no social life.
"My kingdom is great... My kingdom is great... You have no power over me!"
Not that he really cared right now. Teddy was about to go through hell, even though the four year old didn't know it and Harry needed to be there for him, one hundred percent. It wouldn't be easy, but he owed it to Remus. To Dad, Sirius, Tonks... everyone.
"I need you, Hoggle."
Harry carefully disentangled Teddy from his arm and went to the kitchen to fetch the customary bedtime glass of water. It was always untouched in the morning but it was nevertheless essential for getting Teddy settled.
"I say, does anyone want to play Scrabble?"
Harry came back in as the credits began to roll. "Come on then, squirt, time for bed before I call the Goblin King to come and get you!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Teddy shouted as he jumped up and down on the settee, his hair luminous yellow with excitement. "I can go and play with the goblins!" Harry chuckled, catching Teddy with ease as he launched himself from the sofa. "Giddyap Ambroshus, take me to the castle, ol' chap!"
"You cheeky little goblin babe, I'll dip you in the Bog of Eternal Stench!" He tipped the youngster upside down and carried him into his bedroom.
"Then I won't have to have any more baths 'cause I'll be stinky forever anyways!"
"Good thinking; maybe you should be a crafty goblin babe."
"Say it, say it, Harry!"
Harry righted Teddy and held him up so they were nose to nose, his godson giggling constantly. "I wish that the goblins would come and take you away," he thrust Teddy up at arm's length dramatically, "right now!" Teddy was still giggling as Harry laid him in his racing car bed.
"Love you, Harry." Teddy yawned as he sat up for a good night kiss, his hair now a sleepy bluish grey.
"I love you too, goblin." He replied as he leant down to oblige. He turned the lights out as he was closing the door, but just as it was about to click shut Harry saw a faint flash of light from inside the room. Hastily grabbing his wand from his jeans pocket, he slowly opened the door. "Teddy?" Harry knew he couldn't have fallen asleep that quickly. He edged into the room carefully, keeping his back to the wall. Silently, he lit the room and froze at the sight of an empty bed and the curtains blowing in the wind from the now open window. Before Harry could think, a snowy owl flew in and circled the room silently. Harry's heart leapt into his throat, as it always did. The owl swooped to land between Harry and the window, yet it wasn't clawed talons that met the carpet. Harry looked up the black boots to where, at the knee, they met black leggings and lashings of black fabric hanging from the man's shirt bottom and cuffs. A black cloak with a sparkling blue lining rose up to a stiff collar framing the man's head and curling in points behind him. The white-blond hair was long and full, beautifully framing a dreadfully familiar pale, pointed face and wearing his customary smirk. Harry was dumfounded.
"Hello, Harry."
"Malfoy?" Harry spoke quietly, awestruck with disbelief but his urgency to check on his godson quickly restored his senses. "What the fuck..." (well, almost) "What the fuck are you wearing?"
Draco drew himself up, hands on his hips and scowled. "The wardrobe comes with the position. Anyway, what do you know about fashion, Potter?" He looked Harry up and down judgmentally. Seeing as it was Friday night and he'd spent it in with Teddy, Harry had opted for comfort. He still wore his jeans from work but had swapped his stiff, hex-reducing t-shirt for a white, button-up night shirt which almost fell to his knees.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry was tired. His shoulders were slumped and he was dark under the eyes. Draco was stunned; he hadn't anticipated Harry looking so grown up, so old.
"What has that little boy done to you, Harry? You've only been playing Daddy for six months and you're already wasting away." He sounded sad, pity obvious in his eyes. Harry couldn't stand that look. That look was the reason he kept telling Ron and Hermione he was busy.
"Fuck you, Malfoy." He spat the words at him. "Take your concealment charms off Teddy and get the hell out of my flat before I do something I'll really enjoy." He turned for the door.
"He's not here, Harry." Draco sounded bored, as if his statement was of no real importance.
"What do you mean he's not here?" Harry rounded on the flamboyantly dressed blond, who now towered above him thanks to his boots and Tina Turner hairstyle. "Where the fuck is he?"
"You know very well where he is."
Harry stepped heavily towards him, an accusing finger jabbing towards Draco. "I don't know who you think you are, flying through my godson's window—"
"Who I think I am?" The flash of anger in Draco's eyes caused Harry to take a pace back. "I'm him you prat; I'm the fucking Goblin King!"
They glared at each other in silence until Harry sighed wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I haven't got time for your games."
"Fine, then go back to your room, go to sleep and forget about the baby."
"Why are you doing this?"
"I honestly don't remember you being this dense. It's what I do. I'm the Goblin King."
"You're really convinced you're Jareth?" Harry raised both eyebrows.
"Don't be ridiculous." He could feel Draco's impatience. This was clearly not going as smoothly as he'd hoped. "Jareth Malfoy was my great great grandfather. The throne is passed down the male line. Seeing as Father is, shall we say—"
"Imprisoned—"
"—Unavailable... the burden falls to me."
"Prove it."
Draco wandlessly and wordlessly transfigured one of his bracelets into a snake, which he promptly threw at Harry. Harry simply caught the snake, spoke to it and laid it gently on the floor. It slithered quickly across to Draco, up one leg and into his sleeve. Draco writhed and squealed in a manner most unsuited to royalty before he shouted. "Finite Incantatem!" The now harmless jewellery dropped from his sleeve to the floor and Draco straightened the ruffles of his shirt, not quite looking Harry in the eye.
"So, you've proven you're a decent wizard who watches Muggle kids' films. What else you got?"
"Why do you always have to be such hard work?" he asked with a heavy sigh.
"Why do you always have to be such a bell-end?"
"Mature, Harry, real mature."
"Coming from the Goblin King?"
"Just look out the bloody window," he snapped, his arms folded and bottom lip jutting into the typical pout of a spoilt pure-blood.
Harry stepped cautiously around Draco to the window. As far as he could see, a hazy orange mass of walls trailed every way, with a stone structure nestled within, somewhere in the distance. "Is that the castle beyond the Goblin City? How the fuck did the Labyrinth get in my back garden?" It was a dream. It had to be a dream. This is what happened when you mixed Ben & Jerry's Phish Food with creepy eighties kids' films after eight o'clock in the evening.
"Turn back, Harry. Turn back before it's too late."
Harry turned to face Draco and realised they were no longer in his flat. They were on top of a large, flat, dusky orange rock with only a dead tree and some dry grass here and there. "Even if I wanted to, how am I supposed to turn back? Show me the way, will you?" Harry had no intention of leaving without Teddy, but he knew Draco would be counting on that. He wanted to catch him out.
"You're a wizard, you pillock. Apparate out."
"Apparate?" Harry couldn't help a hopeful look passing across his emerald gaze.
"Out of the Labyrinth. You can't Apparate through it, obviously," he jibed as Harry's hope turned to disappointment. "Any time you've had enough, you can just Apparate straight home." He narrowed his eyes as he smiled, watching Harry's features harden in determination.
"I got through the Triwizard maze. You really think I'm going to back away from this?"
"Of course not!" Draco scoffed. "I didn't go to all this effort to have you quit before you've even started." With a wave of his wand, a clock face appeared with 13 hours on it. "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your godson becomes one of us... forever." Draco swirled his cloak about himself and Disapparated.
"Yes, very dramatic, thanks for that!" Harry shouted at where Draco had been. Harry turned back towards the Labyrinth. It wasn't as big as the maze had been but Harry was cautious about what Draco had planned for him. He laid his wand flat on his palm. "Point me." The wand wobbled slightly then pointed straight towards the castle. Suspicious, but knowing that it was all he had to go on, Harry walked down the slope of the rock towards even ground.
When he arrived at the wall, there were no obvious doors in either direction and no grumpy yet helpful dwarves waiting around. Harry picked a direction and started wandering along the wall, keeping a hand on it as he went. After ten minutes, Harry violently kicked a rock, sending it flying and sat on the dusty ground. There had to be an entrance somewhere and, even if it was hidden, he should have felt it as he walked along.
He leant back onto the wall and found himself laying flat on his back with a piece of wall floating above him. He sat up and turned around, examining the strange section. As Harry had suspected, this particular part of the wall had a hole in it but was disguised to look complete. What Harry hadn't anticipated was that the entrance was below shoulder height – he had to get onto his knees to shuffle through it. Okay, so he was finally inside the Labyrinth, but the walls all looked the same. He couldn't walk around prodding every square inch of the place, not with only thirteen hours at his disposal. A thought occurred to Harry then. He didn't hold out much hope, but anything was worth trying once.
"KREACHER!"
He heard his own voice echo back to him along the winding paths, followed by a small pop. "Yes, Master?" A croaky voice from behind him sounded.
"Kreacher, where are we?"
Kreacher narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, contemplating his master's words. "Master and Kreacher appear to be in a maze, Sir."
"Yes, but where is the maze? Which country is the maze in?"
"Kreacher cannot answer Master's question, sir. Kreacher does not know." The wrinkly elf shook his head sadly.
Harry was trying not to show his frustration. He needed Kreacher's help. "Kreacher, how did you get here without knowing where I was?"
"Kreacher does not need to know where Master is to find him. Kreacher thinks of his master and Apparates, following Master's magical signature."
"Do you know how to get through this Labyrinth to the castle?"
"If Kreacher may make a suggestion, Master could Apparate to the castle."
"I've been told that I can only Apparate out. I'm afraid that if I try to Apparate across the Labyrinth and there is magic blocking it, I'll end up back home and unable to get back here. They've got Teddy. I can't take that risk..." Harry paced, looking up and down the row. "But you might be able to." His face brightened. "Kreacher, teleport near to the Goblin City and try to find a path back to me, follow my signature on foot and remember the way. Stay hidden; some of the creatures here are likely to be dangerous." With a nod and another pop, the elf Disapparated. "Well, no point standing around here." Realising he had just soliloquised, Harry internally berated himself as he silently moved further into the Labyrinth.
A little while on, Harry found two sticks which he ran along one wall (the wall he knew the castle lay far beyond) at different heights as he walked. Now and then, a stick would pass through a concealed opening and Harry would crawl or climb through the gap, stopping to cast the Four-Point spell again before carrying on. Eventually, the old, crumbling mud, straw and rock walls gave way to carved yellow sandstone. The paths were now paved with sandstone tiles instead of littered with roots, branches and rocks so the going was easier and the turns were no longer concealed. Harry couldn't work out what direction the sun was in, but it seemed brighter and hotter now. He undid the top few buttons of his nightshirt, wafting it around at the collar in an attempt to cool himself.
"Hot under the collar? HAHAHA."
Harry turned to what he knew had just been a blank wall. Standing there were two dwarves, each almost completely obscured by the shields they carried. They wore traditional goat-like masks, their long grey beards protruding from the bottom and adding to their goat-like appearance. The one on the left wore a red hat and had red-embellished inscriptions on his shield. The other's outfit was identical in blue and each blocked a doorway. Confused, Harry got on his knees and peered under the shield.
"Hey! What d'you think you're doing? How rude!" the red dwarf shouted indignantly, using his shield to protect his modesty.
"Sorry," Harry said, trying to stifle a smile as he rose to his feet. He stepped up to the blue dwarf as his scowl wasn't quite as malicious. "Would he tell me that this door leads to the castle?" The blue dwarf looked at his companion before answering.
"No."
"Would he tell me that you actually know which door leads to the castle and which one leads to certain death?"
"BADADUMMM!" vocalised the guards in unison. Harry just rolled his eyes. The blue guard looked slightly offended by the insinuation but answered nonetheless. "No!"
"Would he tell me that you understand the rules?"
"How dare you, Muggle! Just 'cause you've seen some poncy film you wander through here thinking you know it all -"
"I'm not a Muggle. I'm a half-blood."
"Oh, apologies," the blue dwarf ducked down behind his shield.
"Okay, obviously the film wasn't completely accurate about this place, so why don't you tell me the rules, just so that we're all clear."
The dwarves drew themselves up importantly, their necessity reaffirmed. "The rules!" The red dwarf cleared his throat before continuing. "One door leads to the castle and the other leads to -"
"BADADUMMM... Certain death!"
"One of us always tells the truth and the other always lies. He always lies."
"I do not. I always tell the truth. It's you that lies."
"That's a lie! Anyway, you may only ask questions of one of us and they must be answerable with 'yes' or 'no'. As you have already asked my comrade three questions, you may not ask any questions of me."
"Thank you." The red dwarf approvingly nodded his acknowledgment to Harry, who stepped over to the blue dwarf once more. "Would he tell me that your door always leads to the same place?"
"Yes." The blue dwarf looked a little worried.
"So the door doesn't always lead to the same place, you know where the doors lead and it's your door that leads to the castle."
"You assume that I am lying, but what if I am telling the truth?"
"That's why I asked you what answers he would give, because if you were telling the truth, he would be lying so the answer you gave would still be the wrong one." Harry was not overly convinced by his own logic. He knew the logic itself was sound but also that you couldn't take anything for granted in the Labyrinth.
"So, you want to go through this door?"
"Yes."
"Okay..." The blue guard stepped aside and Harry tentatively pushed the door open, revealing a narrow, high-walled walkway. He tested the ground carefully with his foot but it was solid. He laughed with relief. "Well, that was easy." He stepped over the threshold and immediately disappeared into darkness.
Harry could feel moving things brushing against him and he gave in to them, letting them slow him until they managed to grab hold and his decent into the black pit ceased. "Thank you," he said, slightly breathlessly, to the disembodied hands surrounding him. In front of his nose, four hands moved to form two sightless sockets and a mouth, which started to speak to him.
"What a polite human we have here. Which way will it be?"
"Up please, if it's not too much trouble." Harry was very conscious of his manners, not knowing exactly how deep this hole was.
"So polite." The strange face said happily, before breaking away and helping the other hands lift Harry back to the surface. They deposited him safely back through the blue dwarf's door, which swiftly closed. Harry dusted himself off and walked up to the red dwarf.
"Can I try this one now please?"
"If you're sure..." The dwarf stepped aside.
Harry pushed the door open, walked through and fell straight down another hole. It didn't take Harry long to realise the hands were making no attempt to stop him this time. He grabbed at them, never managing to hold on for long. "Could you help me please, hands?"
"No!" A voice rang out that reminded Harry of his Aunt Petunia.
"Why not?" Harry tried to keep the anger from his voice.
"We already helped you once and you made the same mistake again!"
"What mistake? I took the other door, only one door leads to certain death!"
A deeper voice replied this time. "This is nothing to do with picking the right or wrong door."
"What the hell was I supposed to do then?" The anger came out unbidden.
"Jump!" The deep voice laughed and the hands retreated into the wall, leaving Harry to helplessly fall into the oubliette. He retrieved his wand from his pocket in time to slow himself before he hit the bottom.
"Lumos." Harry stood and dusted himself off. "Kreacher!" He straightened out his clothes then looked around the oubliette in the dim wand-light. The elf did not appear. "KREACHER!" His voice cracked with the force of his shout, but still there was no sign of the diminutive servant. "Shit!" Harry exclaimed, kicking at the wall. He heard something rattle and raised his wand, noticing for the first time shelves and hooks lining the walls with a variety of devises on them. At first, Harry thought he must be in a torture chamber but as he moved along the wall the truth became apparent, as did the heat in his groin. He saw the ropes and chains hanging, some with leather straps attached and then came the whips and paddles, followed by the slightly more peculiar looking objects on the shelves. Most were familiar and even those that weren't it didn't take Harry very long to figure out what they were for. Harry had never used one, but he knew enough about them to recognise a shelf of assorted plugs when he saw it. "Malfoy, you kinky little bitch." Harry chuckled to himself.
"Don't pretend you're not interested, Potter," a voice drawled out of the darkness. Harry turned but wasn't quick enough. His wand flew from his hand. The oubliette was plunged into darkness before the Goblin King lit the sconces encircling the room. When the world came back into view, Harry was surprised how close Draco had come to him in that brief moment of darkness without him realising. Draco's outfit wasn't quite as decadent this time. His silk blouse still had cascades of fabric flowing from the sleeves and down the front, framing a delicious V-shape of smooth, pale skin almost to Draco's belly button. The blouse was white this time and didn't seem to have any buttons but was held together by a black leather garment, almost like a waistcoat but cut very low. It cinched everything in beautifully around Draco's waist and smoothed the transition from silk ruffles to tight grey jodhpurs, which left Harry having a silent battle with his lower jaw to keep it where it was. The man was breathtaking. Not that it was news to Harry; he'd spent much of his time at Hogwarts admiring Draco's physique. He had even let himself daydream about the undeniably sexy-as-hell body behind those robes, but he was always careful to remember that behind that body was a foul git who enjoyed making the lives of others a misery. Harry clung desperately to that thought now as he felt blood rushing to his groin but standing in a prison cell surrounded by kinky objects, he just couldn't silence that little voice insisting that foul gits must be punished and he wouldn't find a better location than this.
"Like what you see?" There was mischief in his voice.
Harry started and then realised Draco was referring to the objects lining the shelves. He watched as he picked up a reasonably sized green dildo, carelessly turning it from hand to hand as if examining it. Harry breathed deeply, trying to return some of the oxygenated blood to his brain.
"What do I have to do to get out of here?"
Draco laid down the dildo and paced towards Harry, stopping just short of him. "That depends." He cocked his head with a small smirk. Harry kept his expression defiant.
"On?"
The smirk widened and Draco pressed his palm to Harry's chest, trailing slowly down as he walked behind him. His hand stopped at the waistline of Harry's jeans and Harry couldn't help an audible intake of breath as he felt Draco's erection graze his buttock. The blond chuckled and Harry felt his warm breath near his ear.
"What do you want me to make you do to earn your freedom, Harry?" Draco's other hand kneaded at Harry's arse cheek roughly and he groaned at the unexpected contact. "What fantasies have you been holding onto all these years, just for the sake of propriety?" Draco's lips ghosted over his neck, causing him to shudder. His voice dropped to a whisper. "What were you imagining every time you wanked in the Quidditch changing rooms after sneaking a peek at me in the showers?"
Harry blushed and enough blood made its way back to his brain to realise that both of Draco's hands were on him and neither grip could be accommodating a wand.
"Tell me and I'll let you out of here. What is it you most want to do to me, Harry?"
Harry let out a shaky breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "Well," he spoke softly, "there are a few things." He elbowed Draco in the stomach as hard as he could and turned, grabbing both of his wrists and pinning him to the wall, his hips keeping the rest of Draco in place. "That was pretty near the top of the list actually." Harry smirked, putting most of his concentration into not rutting against the beautiful blond. Draco fought to hide the pain on his face but he didn't struggle. They both just stared as they waited to regain their breath. Draco was first to speak.
"What was top of the list, in the changing rooms?"
Harry tried to work out what Draco was up to. He searched his pointed features to no avail. With nothing else to go on, Harry's curiosity took hold.
"I wanted to find a use for that filthy mouth," Harry rubbed the considerable length of his erection against Draco's inner thigh for emphasis, "to keep it so busy that you never had time to insult anyone." Draco moaned and pushed his hips against Harry's in return.
"Mm, there's only one thing I love more than giving head and that's a challenge. Feels like my lucky day." Malfoy's hips continued to gyrate against him and Harry wanted nothing more than to capture those dirty lips in his. If only, he thought to himself, he wasn't such a prude. If he'd accept the odd one-night-stand, of which he got offered so many, maybe he wouldn't be so bloody horny that he could be in a dungeon salivating over the vile ferret that had trapped him there. Not that he could really go out on the pull now anyway, even if it was his thing, not with Teddy around the house, it wouldn't be fair—
Shit. Teddy.
Anger boiled up inside him. He let go of Malfoy's wrists but, before the blond could do anything, Harry had a hand too firmly clawed around his bollocks. Draco went stiff. "Do. Not. Move," Harry growled, firmly and unnecessarily. "You vile little toad, Malfoy. You would stoop to prostituting yourself just to get your hands on a little boy?"
Draco swallowed heavily. "Harry—" The grip around his testicles tightened and he winced. Harry reached into Draco's pocket with his free hand and retrieved the blond's wand, which he used to summon his own before throwing Draco's aside. Harry let go of him and stepped back, allowing Draco to double over while keeping his wand pointed at him.
"Why Teddy?" He resented the pain that showed in his voice, but he needed to know.
Draco laughed sarcastically as he straightened as much as he could to look Harry in the eye. "This isn't about Teddy. This started long before Teddy."
"Then what?!" He took half a step forward, wand still raised. "What is this about?"
"If I have to tell you—"
"Fuck you, Malfoy! I haven't got time for this. Point me." Harry walked up to the wall his wand had pointed at and blasted a hole in it.
"You've got as much time as I decide, Harry." Harry turned towards him, eyes flaring with anger but it quickly drained and turned to disbelief as the clock that hadn't previously been there sped backwards by an hour. Draco was giving him more time. Harry was dumfounded.
"Why?!" He desperately tried again, wanting to make sense of it all.
"If I have to tell you, then you're not ready to know." With a sad smile, he Disapparated.
Harry brought his hands over his face and massaged his temples with his thumbs as he tried to work out what had just happened. The more he thought about Draco, the more his erection ached against his snug jeans. Eventually, he took a deep breath and carried on through the wall he had blasted and down the path.
"This is not the way!" A deep voice boomed.
"Beware, for the path you take will lead to certain destruction!" warned another. Harry walked on, past the speaking rock faces as they continued in their attempts to throw him off of the right track.
"Kreacher!" Harry had been walking for ten minutes and still didn't know where he was. He was sure he'd passed the same group of talking rocks several times, despite them attempting to disguise their voices and the Four-Point-Spell was just making his wand spin in circles. Consequently, Harry was very relieved when he heard a familiar pop next to him. "There you are!" He smiled down at the elf.
"Master, Kreacher was unable to come to his master's location when he called Kreacher. Kreacher has failed in the task Master set for him. Would Master like Kreacher to punish himself, Sir?" Harry was ready to forgive his servant but couldn't help but notice his odd behaviour. He spoke hurriedly, gazed only at the floor and he couldn't seem to stop worrying the edge of his pillowcase with his long spindly fingers.
"That won't be necessary, Kreacher, but I need you to answer some questions for me." He knelt low in front of Kreacher. "Where were you when I called and you were unable to come?"
Kreacher's brow furrowed and he paused before answering. "Kreacher was where Master had told him to go."
"Name that place."
"Near to the Goblin City, Master." Harry smiled grimly; his suspicions were correct. Kreacher was hiding something.
"Kreacher, who do you serve?"
Frowning, he looked up into Harry's face. "Kreacher serves the noble house of Black."
"Who is your master?"
"Sir is Kreacher's master." Harry was sure he could see the elf fighting a small smirk behind all those wrinkles.
"Name your master."
Kreacher's eyes widened before he composed himself. "Master Harry Potter."
"Name all those who you serve, Kreacher."
"Kreacher serves Master Harry Potter, Mistress Andromeda Tonks, Young Master Ted Lupin, Mistress Narcissa Malfoy and Master Draco Malfoy."
"Why did you betray me? Have I been bad to you?"
"Master Harry has not been bad to Kreacher. Kreacher has served the noble house of Black all of his life. Now, it is empty and Kreacher must serve the noble descendants of the house of Black. Kreacher would not follow any orders that would harm another master." He held his head up proudly, meeting Harry's gaze with certainty.
Harry sighed and placed a gentle hand on the elf's bony shoulder. "I believe that you didn't mean any harm, Kreacher, but Draco does. We have to get Teddy out of there; he's not safe in that castle."
"Master Ted looks forward to Master Harry's arrival in the castle." Harry bit his lip.
"Is he scared?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Sing the song!" Teddy demanded, smiling as he jumped up and down on the throne of the Goblin King.
"For the last time child, no! I'm not some fancy performing monkey!" Draco's arms flailed around him before resting on his hips as he pouted at the youngster, who'd so easily made himself at home in the castle.
Teddy stopped bouncing and folded his arms, still standing on the seat of the throne and pouting back at Malfoy. "Harry would sing the song..."
Draco scowled. "Well then Harry can sing it when he gets here then, can't he? And don't try that look on me, I invented that look. It won't work." Teddy retracted his lip and looked up at Draco with huge silver-grey eyes and suddenly white-blond hair. "He has my eyes..." Draco mumbled distractedly. "Fine! I'll do the bit at the start of the song, but I'm not singing. Deal?"
"Deal!" Teddy giggled, changing his eyes and hair back to normal and his ears to those of a goblin. "Go on then, you go first." Draco picked him up and placed him gently on the floor.
"You remind me of the babe!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 2
Original post and all my lovely comments are here. =) x
Title: The Goblin King Cometh
Author:
llaeyroPrompt: PROMPT #43
Adapted from: Labyrinth
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Word Count: 10k+
Rating: NC-17
Contains (Highlight to view): *language, angst, post-Hogwarts, EWE, snarkiness, intentional mis-quoting, copious amounts of cheesiness*
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Massive thanks to the incredible, patient
makochanupdates for being an amazing beta in the face of all life has thrown at her lately and love to impishinklings for squeeing enough to keep me going! Also, apologies to the prompter but despite setting out writing this with the intention of following the prompt in its entirety, the characters saw things ending differently!Summary: The Goblin King is real and he's Draco Malfoy. Can Harry figure out what he really wants in time to save his godson? Not everything is as it was in the films but Harry has the help of some old friends. In two parts because it wouldn't fit in one post.
"Give me the child."
Harry did his best to take his eyes off of David Bowie's crotch, a feat he had been trying to achieve every time he was on screen for just short of an hour and a half. Harry wasn't sure if they were jodhpurs or leggings or what Bowie had potentially stuffed them with, but the result was mesmerising – the man was clearly hung.
"Generous? What have you done that's generous?"
Teddy jumped as Bowie shouted back his retort to the young girl and Harry instinctively tightened his arm around the boy's shoulders, smiling down at him reassuringly. It had been hard at first, Teddy had not stopped with 'Nanny doesn't do it like that,' and 'Nanny buys that one' but eventually he had settled into the flat and Harry had settled into his new role as guardian of a metamorphing four year old. Well, almost.
"Through dangers untold and hardships un-numbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City. My will is as strong as yours and my —"
Of course, Teddy didn't really understand why he had to live with Harry, he was just too young. He missed Andromeda and he let Harry know it. These days were the worst, when the Muggle treatments had really taken their toll on his grandmother to the extent where she had to cancel having him for the weekend. Teddy had so much loss in his short little life, but at least the loss was for a cause up until now. To be losing his only remaining family to cancer was just taking the piss.
That's why Harry had agreed to adopt him. He was only twenty-one, but he knew that after Andromeda he was the only one that boy had except for a great-aunt and second cousin who would neither want nor accept him. A metamorphmagus son of two half bloods, one of whom was also a werewolf, being forced into a pureblood household was likely to be about as successful as Harry's own upbringing had been. Admittedly, the whole thing had happened a lot faster than Harry anticipated, but he knew that Dromeda was right. Teddy was better off getting used to life with Harry before he was forced into life without the only mother figure he had ever known.
"Just fear me, love me, do as I say – and I will be your slave."
Suddenly, at twenty-one, Harry Potter was a single parent with no social life.
"My kingdom is great... My kingdom is great... You have no power over me!"
Not that he really cared right now. Teddy was about to go through hell, even though the four year old didn't know it and Harry needed to be there for him, one hundred percent. It wouldn't be easy, but he owed it to Remus. To Dad, Sirius, Tonks... everyone.
"I need you, Hoggle."
Harry carefully disentangled Teddy from his arm and went to the kitchen to fetch the customary bedtime glass of water. It was always untouched in the morning but it was nevertheless essential for getting Teddy settled.
"I say, does anyone want to play Scrabble?"
Harry came back in as the credits began to roll. "Come on then, squirt, time for bed before I call the Goblin King to come and get you!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Teddy shouted as he jumped up and down on the settee, his hair luminous yellow with excitement. "I can go and play with the goblins!" Harry chuckled, catching Teddy with ease as he launched himself from the sofa. "Giddyap Ambroshus, take me to the castle, ol' chap!"
"You cheeky little goblin babe, I'll dip you in the Bog of Eternal Stench!" He tipped the youngster upside down and carried him into his bedroom.
"Then I won't have to have any more baths 'cause I'll be stinky forever anyways!"
"Good thinking; maybe you should be a crafty goblin babe."
"Say it, say it, Harry!"
Harry righted Teddy and held him up so they were nose to nose, his godson giggling constantly. "I wish that the goblins would come and take you away," he thrust Teddy up at arm's length dramatically, "right now!" Teddy was still giggling as Harry laid him in his racing car bed.
"Love you, Harry." Teddy yawned as he sat up for a good night kiss, his hair now a sleepy bluish grey.
"I love you too, goblin." He replied as he leant down to oblige. He turned the lights out as he was closing the door, but just as it was about to click shut Harry saw a faint flash of light from inside the room. Hastily grabbing his wand from his jeans pocket, he slowly opened the door. "Teddy?" Harry knew he couldn't have fallen asleep that quickly. He edged into the room carefully, keeping his back to the wall. Silently, he lit the room and froze at the sight of an empty bed and the curtains blowing in the wind from the now open window. Before Harry could think, a snowy owl flew in and circled the room silently. Harry's heart leapt into his throat, as it always did. The owl swooped to land between Harry and the window, yet it wasn't clawed talons that met the carpet. Harry looked up the black boots to where, at the knee, they met black leggings and lashings of black fabric hanging from the man's shirt bottom and cuffs. A black cloak with a sparkling blue lining rose up to a stiff collar framing the man's head and curling in points behind him. The white-blond hair was long and full, beautifully framing a dreadfully familiar pale, pointed face and wearing his customary smirk. Harry was dumfounded.
"Hello, Harry."
"Malfoy?" Harry spoke quietly, awestruck with disbelief but his urgency to check on his godson quickly restored his senses. "What the fuck..." (well, almost) "What the fuck are you wearing?"
Draco drew himself up, hands on his hips and scowled. "The wardrobe comes with the position. Anyway, what do you know about fashion, Potter?" He looked Harry up and down judgmentally. Seeing as it was Friday night and he'd spent it in with Teddy, Harry had opted for comfort. He still wore his jeans from work but had swapped his stiff, hex-reducing t-shirt for a white, button-up night shirt which almost fell to his knees.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry was tired. His shoulders were slumped and he was dark under the eyes. Draco was stunned; he hadn't anticipated Harry looking so grown up, so old.
"What has that little boy done to you, Harry? You've only been playing Daddy for six months and you're already wasting away." He sounded sad, pity obvious in his eyes. Harry couldn't stand that look. That look was the reason he kept telling Ron and Hermione he was busy.
"Fuck you, Malfoy." He spat the words at him. "Take your concealment charms off Teddy and get the hell out of my flat before I do something I'll really enjoy." He turned for the door.
"He's not here, Harry." Draco sounded bored, as if his statement was of no real importance.
"What do you mean he's not here?" Harry rounded on the flamboyantly dressed blond, who now towered above him thanks to his boots and Tina Turner hairstyle. "Where the fuck is he?"
"You know very well where he is."
Harry stepped heavily towards him, an accusing finger jabbing towards Draco. "I don't know who you think you are, flying through my godson's window—"
"Who I think I am?" The flash of anger in Draco's eyes caused Harry to take a pace back. "I'm him you prat; I'm the fucking Goblin King!"
They glared at each other in silence until Harry sighed wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I haven't got time for your games."
"Fine, then go back to your room, go to sleep and forget about the baby."
"Why are you doing this?"
"I honestly don't remember you being this dense. It's what I do. I'm the Goblin King."
"You're really convinced you're Jareth?" Harry raised both eyebrows.
"Don't be ridiculous." He could feel Draco's impatience. This was clearly not going as smoothly as he'd hoped. "Jareth Malfoy was my great great grandfather. The throne is passed down the male line. Seeing as Father is, shall we say—"
"Imprisoned—"
"—Unavailable... the burden falls to me."
"Prove it."
Draco wandlessly and wordlessly transfigured one of his bracelets into a snake, which he promptly threw at Harry. Harry simply caught the snake, spoke to it and laid it gently on the floor. It slithered quickly across to Draco, up one leg and into his sleeve. Draco writhed and squealed in a manner most unsuited to royalty before he shouted. "Finite Incantatem!" The now harmless jewellery dropped from his sleeve to the floor and Draco straightened the ruffles of his shirt, not quite looking Harry in the eye.
"So, you've proven you're a decent wizard who watches Muggle kids' films. What else you got?"
"Why do you always have to be such hard work?" he asked with a heavy sigh.
"Why do you always have to be such a bell-end?"
"Mature, Harry, real mature."
"Coming from the Goblin King?"
"Just look out the bloody window," he snapped, his arms folded and bottom lip jutting into the typical pout of a spoilt pure-blood.
Harry stepped cautiously around Draco to the window. As far as he could see, a hazy orange mass of walls trailed every way, with a stone structure nestled within, somewhere in the distance. "Is that the castle beyond the Goblin City? How the fuck did the Labyrinth get in my back garden?" It was a dream. It had to be a dream. This is what happened when you mixed Ben & Jerry's Phish Food with creepy eighties kids' films after eight o'clock in the evening.
"Turn back, Harry. Turn back before it's too late."
Harry turned to face Draco and realised they were no longer in his flat. They were on top of a large, flat, dusky orange rock with only a dead tree and some dry grass here and there. "Even if I wanted to, how am I supposed to turn back? Show me the way, will you?" Harry had no intention of leaving without Teddy, but he knew Draco would be counting on that. He wanted to catch him out.
"You're a wizard, you pillock. Apparate out."
"Apparate?" Harry couldn't help a hopeful look passing across his emerald gaze.
"Out of the Labyrinth. You can't Apparate through it, obviously," he jibed as Harry's hope turned to disappointment. "Any time you've had enough, you can just Apparate straight home." He narrowed his eyes as he smiled, watching Harry's features harden in determination.
"I got through the Triwizard maze. You really think I'm going to back away from this?"
"Of course not!" Draco scoffed. "I didn't go to all this effort to have you quit before you've even started." With a wave of his wand, a clock face appeared with 13 hours on it. "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before your godson becomes one of us... forever." Draco swirled his cloak about himself and Disapparated.
"Yes, very dramatic, thanks for that!" Harry shouted at where Draco had been. Harry turned back towards the Labyrinth. It wasn't as big as the maze had been but Harry was cautious about what Draco had planned for him. He laid his wand flat on his palm. "Point me." The wand wobbled slightly then pointed straight towards the castle. Suspicious, but knowing that it was all he had to go on, Harry walked down the slope of the rock towards even ground.
When he arrived at the wall, there were no obvious doors in either direction and no grumpy yet helpful dwarves waiting around. Harry picked a direction and started wandering along the wall, keeping a hand on it as he went. After ten minutes, Harry violently kicked a rock, sending it flying and sat on the dusty ground. There had to be an entrance somewhere and, even if it was hidden, he should have felt it as he walked along.
He leant back onto the wall and found himself laying flat on his back with a piece of wall floating above him. He sat up and turned around, examining the strange section. As Harry had suspected, this particular part of the wall had a hole in it but was disguised to look complete. What Harry hadn't anticipated was that the entrance was below shoulder height – he had to get onto his knees to shuffle through it. Okay, so he was finally inside the Labyrinth, but the walls all looked the same. He couldn't walk around prodding every square inch of the place, not with only thirteen hours at his disposal. A thought occurred to Harry then. He didn't hold out much hope, but anything was worth trying once.
"KREACHER!"
He heard his own voice echo back to him along the winding paths, followed by a small pop. "Yes, Master?" A croaky voice from behind him sounded.
"Kreacher, where are we?"
Kreacher narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, contemplating his master's words. "Master and Kreacher appear to be in a maze, Sir."
"Yes, but where is the maze? Which country is the maze in?"
"Kreacher cannot answer Master's question, sir. Kreacher does not know." The wrinkly elf shook his head sadly.
Harry was trying not to show his frustration. He needed Kreacher's help. "Kreacher, how did you get here without knowing where I was?"
"Kreacher does not need to know where Master is to find him. Kreacher thinks of his master and Apparates, following Master's magical signature."
"Do you know how to get through this Labyrinth to the castle?"
"If Kreacher may make a suggestion, Master could Apparate to the castle."
"I've been told that I can only Apparate out. I'm afraid that if I try to Apparate across the Labyrinth and there is magic blocking it, I'll end up back home and unable to get back here. They've got Teddy. I can't take that risk..." Harry paced, looking up and down the row. "But you might be able to." His face brightened. "Kreacher, teleport near to the Goblin City and try to find a path back to me, follow my signature on foot and remember the way. Stay hidden; some of the creatures here are likely to be dangerous." With a nod and another pop, the elf Disapparated. "Well, no point standing around here." Realising he had just soliloquised, Harry internally berated himself as he silently moved further into the Labyrinth.
A little while on, Harry found two sticks which he ran along one wall (the wall he knew the castle lay far beyond) at different heights as he walked. Now and then, a stick would pass through a concealed opening and Harry would crawl or climb through the gap, stopping to cast the Four-Point spell again before carrying on. Eventually, the old, crumbling mud, straw and rock walls gave way to carved yellow sandstone. The paths were now paved with sandstone tiles instead of littered with roots, branches and rocks so the going was easier and the turns were no longer concealed. Harry couldn't work out what direction the sun was in, but it seemed brighter and hotter now. He undid the top few buttons of his nightshirt, wafting it around at the collar in an attempt to cool himself.
"Hot under the collar? HAHAHA."
Harry turned to what he knew had just been a blank wall. Standing there were two dwarves, each almost completely obscured by the shields they carried. They wore traditional goat-like masks, their long grey beards protruding from the bottom and adding to their goat-like appearance. The one on the left wore a red hat and had red-embellished inscriptions on his shield. The other's outfit was identical in blue and each blocked a doorway. Confused, Harry got on his knees and peered under the shield.
"Hey! What d'you think you're doing? How rude!" the red dwarf shouted indignantly, using his shield to protect his modesty.
"Sorry," Harry said, trying to stifle a smile as he rose to his feet. He stepped up to the blue dwarf as his scowl wasn't quite as malicious. "Would he tell me that this door leads to the castle?" The blue dwarf looked at his companion before answering.
"No."
"Would he tell me that you actually know which door leads to the castle and which one leads to certain death?"
"BADADUMMM!" vocalised the guards in unison. Harry just rolled his eyes. The blue guard looked slightly offended by the insinuation but answered nonetheless. "No!"
"Would he tell me that you understand the rules?"
"How dare you, Muggle! Just 'cause you've seen some poncy film you wander through here thinking you know it all -"
"I'm not a Muggle. I'm a half-blood."
"Oh, apologies," the blue dwarf ducked down behind his shield.
"Okay, obviously the film wasn't completely accurate about this place, so why don't you tell me the rules, just so that we're all clear."
The dwarves drew themselves up importantly, their necessity reaffirmed. "The rules!" The red dwarf cleared his throat before continuing. "One door leads to the castle and the other leads to -"
"BADADUMMM... Certain death!"
"One of us always tells the truth and the other always lies. He always lies."
"I do not. I always tell the truth. It's you that lies."
"That's a lie! Anyway, you may only ask questions of one of us and they must be answerable with 'yes' or 'no'. As you have already asked my comrade three questions, you may not ask any questions of me."
"Thank you." The red dwarf approvingly nodded his acknowledgment to Harry, who stepped over to the blue dwarf once more. "Would he tell me that your door always leads to the same place?"
"Yes." The blue dwarf looked a little worried.
"So the door doesn't always lead to the same place, you know where the doors lead and it's your door that leads to the castle."
"You assume that I am lying, but what if I am telling the truth?"
"That's why I asked you what answers he would give, because if you were telling the truth, he would be lying so the answer you gave would still be the wrong one." Harry was not overly convinced by his own logic. He knew the logic itself was sound but also that you couldn't take anything for granted in the Labyrinth.
"So, you want to go through this door?"
"Yes."
"Okay..." The blue guard stepped aside and Harry tentatively pushed the door open, revealing a narrow, high-walled walkway. He tested the ground carefully with his foot but it was solid. He laughed with relief. "Well, that was easy." He stepped over the threshold and immediately disappeared into darkness.
Harry could feel moving things brushing against him and he gave in to them, letting them slow him until they managed to grab hold and his decent into the black pit ceased. "Thank you," he said, slightly breathlessly, to the disembodied hands surrounding him. In front of his nose, four hands moved to form two sightless sockets and a mouth, which started to speak to him.
"What a polite human we have here. Which way will it be?"
"Up please, if it's not too much trouble." Harry was very conscious of his manners, not knowing exactly how deep this hole was.
"So polite." The strange face said happily, before breaking away and helping the other hands lift Harry back to the surface. They deposited him safely back through the blue dwarf's door, which swiftly closed. Harry dusted himself off and walked up to the red dwarf.
"Can I try this one now please?"
"If you're sure..." The dwarf stepped aside.
Harry pushed the door open, walked through and fell straight down another hole. It didn't take Harry long to realise the hands were making no attempt to stop him this time. He grabbed at them, never managing to hold on for long. "Could you help me please, hands?"
"No!" A voice rang out that reminded Harry of his Aunt Petunia.
"Why not?" Harry tried to keep the anger from his voice.
"We already helped you once and you made the same mistake again!"
"What mistake? I took the other door, only one door leads to certain death!"
A deeper voice replied this time. "This is nothing to do with picking the right or wrong door."
"What the hell was I supposed to do then?" The anger came out unbidden.
"Jump!" The deep voice laughed and the hands retreated into the wall, leaving Harry to helplessly fall into the oubliette. He retrieved his wand from his pocket in time to slow himself before he hit the bottom.
"Lumos." Harry stood and dusted himself off. "Kreacher!" He straightened out his clothes then looked around the oubliette in the dim wand-light. The elf did not appear. "KREACHER!" His voice cracked with the force of his shout, but still there was no sign of the diminutive servant. "Shit!" Harry exclaimed, kicking at the wall. He heard something rattle and raised his wand, noticing for the first time shelves and hooks lining the walls with a variety of devises on them. At first, Harry thought he must be in a torture chamber but as he moved along the wall the truth became apparent, as did the heat in his groin. He saw the ropes and chains hanging, some with leather straps attached and then came the whips and paddles, followed by the slightly more peculiar looking objects on the shelves. Most were familiar and even those that weren't it didn't take Harry very long to figure out what they were for. Harry had never used one, but he knew enough about them to recognise a shelf of assorted plugs when he saw it. "Malfoy, you kinky little bitch." Harry chuckled to himself.
"Don't pretend you're not interested, Potter," a voice drawled out of the darkness. Harry turned but wasn't quick enough. His wand flew from his hand. The oubliette was plunged into darkness before the Goblin King lit the sconces encircling the room. When the world came back into view, Harry was surprised how close Draco had come to him in that brief moment of darkness without him realising. Draco's outfit wasn't quite as decadent this time. His silk blouse still had cascades of fabric flowing from the sleeves and down the front, framing a delicious V-shape of smooth, pale skin almost to Draco's belly button. The blouse was white this time and didn't seem to have any buttons but was held together by a black leather garment, almost like a waistcoat but cut very low. It cinched everything in beautifully around Draco's waist and smoothed the transition from silk ruffles to tight grey jodhpurs, which left Harry having a silent battle with his lower jaw to keep it where it was. The man was breathtaking. Not that it was news to Harry; he'd spent much of his time at Hogwarts admiring Draco's physique. He had even let himself daydream about the undeniably sexy-as-hell body behind those robes, but he was always careful to remember that behind that body was a foul git who enjoyed making the lives of others a misery. Harry clung desperately to that thought now as he felt blood rushing to his groin but standing in a prison cell surrounded by kinky objects, he just couldn't silence that little voice insisting that foul gits must be punished and he wouldn't find a better location than this.
"Like what you see?" There was mischief in his voice.
Harry started and then realised Draco was referring to the objects lining the shelves. He watched as he picked up a reasonably sized green dildo, carelessly turning it from hand to hand as if examining it. Harry breathed deeply, trying to return some of the oxygenated blood to his brain.
"What do I have to do to get out of here?"
Draco laid down the dildo and paced towards Harry, stopping just short of him. "That depends." He cocked his head with a small smirk. Harry kept his expression defiant.
"On?"
The smirk widened and Draco pressed his palm to Harry's chest, trailing slowly down as he walked behind him. His hand stopped at the waistline of Harry's jeans and Harry couldn't help an audible intake of breath as he felt Draco's erection graze his buttock. The blond chuckled and Harry felt his warm breath near his ear.
"What do you want me to make you do to earn your freedom, Harry?" Draco's other hand kneaded at Harry's arse cheek roughly and he groaned at the unexpected contact. "What fantasies have you been holding onto all these years, just for the sake of propriety?" Draco's lips ghosted over his neck, causing him to shudder. His voice dropped to a whisper. "What were you imagining every time you wanked in the Quidditch changing rooms after sneaking a peek at me in the showers?"
Harry blushed and enough blood made its way back to his brain to realise that both of Draco's hands were on him and neither grip could be accommodating a wand.
"Tell me and I'll let you out of here. What is it you most want to do to me, Harry?"
Harry let out a shaky breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "Well," he spoke softly, "there are a few things." He elbowed Draco in the stomach as hard as he could and turned, grabbing both of his wrists and pinning him to the wall, his hips keeping the rest of Draco in place. "That was pretty near the top of the list actually." Harry smirked, putting most of his concentration into not rutting against the beautiful blond. Draco fought to hide the pain on his face but he didn't struggle. They both just stared as they waited to regain their breath. Draco was first to speak.
"What was top of the list, in the changing rooms?"
Harry tried to work out what Draco was up to. He searched his pointed features to no avail. With nothing else to go on, Harry's curiosity took hold.
"I wanted to find a use for that filthy mouth," Harry rubbed the considerable length of his erection against Draco's inner thigh for emphasis, "to keep it so busy that you never had time to insult anyone." Draco moaned and pushed his hips against Harry's in return.
"Mm, there's only one thing I love more than giving head and that's a challenge. Feels like my lucky day." Malfoy's hips continued to gyrate against him and Harry wanted nothing more than to capture those dirty lips in his. If only, he thought to himself, he wasn't such a prude. If he'd accept the odd one-night-stand, of which he got offered so many, maybe he wouldn't be so bloody horny that he could be in a dungeon salivating over the vile ferret that had trapped him there. Not that he could really go out on the pull now anyway, even if it was his thing, not with Teddy around the house, it wouldn't be fair—
Shit. Teddy.
Anger boiled up inside him. He let go of Malfoy's wrists but, before the blond could do anything, Harry had a hand too firmly clawed around his bollocks. Draco went stiff. "Do. Not. Move," Harry growled, firmly and unnecessarily. "You vile little toad, Malfoy. You would stoop to prostituting yourself just to get your hands on a little boy?"
Draco swallowed heavily. "Harry—" The grip around his testicles tightened and he winced. Harry reached into Draco's pocket with his free hand and retrieved the blond's wand, which he used to summon his own before throwing Draco's aside. Harry let go of him and stepped back, allowing Draco to double over while keeping his wand pointed at him.
"Why Teddy?" He resented the pain that showed in his voice, but he needed to know.
Draco laughed sarcastically as he straightened as much as he could to look Harry in the eye. "This isn't about Teddy. This started long before Teddy."
"Then what?!" He took half a step forward, wand still raised. "What is this about?"
"If I have to tell you—"
"Fuck you, Malfoy! I haven't got time for this. Point me." Harry walked up to the wall his wand had pointed at and blasted a hole in it.
"You've got as much time as I decide, Harry." Harry turned towards him, eyes flaring with anger but it quickly drained and turned to disbelief as the clock that hadn't previously been there sped backwards by an hour. Draco was giving him more time. Harry was dumfounded.
"Why?!" He desperately tried again, wanting to make sense of it all.
"If I have to tell you, then you're not ready to know." With a sad smile, he Disapparated.
Harry brought his hands over his face and massaged his temples with his thumbs as he tried to work out what had just happened. The more he thought about Draco, the more his erection ached against his snug jeans. Eventually, he took a deep breath and carried on through the wall he had blasted and down the path.
"This is not the way!" A deep voice boomed.
"Beware, for the path you take will lead to certain destruction!" warned another. Harry walked on, past the speaking rock faces as they continued in their attempts to throw him off of the right track.
"Kreacher!" Harry had been walking for ten minutes and still didn't know where he was. He was sure he'd passed the same group of talking rocks several times, despite them attempting to disguise their voices and the Four-Point-Spell was just making his wand spin in circles. Consequently, Harry was very relieved when he heard a familiar pop next to him. "There you are!" He smiled down at the elf.
"Master, Kreacher was unable to come to his master's location when he called Kreacher. Kreacher has failed in the task Master set for him. Would Master like Kreacher to punish himself, Sir?" Harry was ready to forgive his servant but couldn't help but notice his odd behaviour. He spoke hurriedly, gazed only at the floor and he couldn't seem to stop worrying the edge of his pillowcase with his long spindly fingers.
"That won't be necessary, Kreacher, but I need you to answer some questions for me." He knelt low in front of Kreacher. "Where were you when I called and you were unable to come?"
Kreacher's brow furrowed and he paused before answering. "Kreacher was where Master had told him to go."
"Name that place."
"Near to the Goblin City, Master." Harry smiled grimly; his suspicions were correct. Kreacher was hiding something.
"Kreacher, who do you serve?"
Frowning, he looked up into Harry's face. "Kreacher serves the noble house of Black."
"Who is your master?"
"Sir is Kreacher's master." Harry was sure he could see the elf fighting a small smirk behind all those wrinkles.
"Name your master."
Kreacher's eyes widened before he composed himself. "Master Harry Potter."
"Name all those who you serve, Kreacher."
"Kreacher serves Master Harry Potter, Mistress Andromeda Tonks, Young Master Ted Lupin, Mistress Narcissa Malfoy and Master Draco Malfoy."
"Why did you betray me? Have I been bad to you?"
"Master Harry has not been bad to Kreacher. Kreacher has served the noble house of Black all of his life. Now, it is empty and Kreacher must serve the noble descendants of the house of Black. Kreacher would not follow any orders that would harm another master." He held his head up proudly, meeting Harry's gaze with certainty.
Harry sighed and placed a gentle hand on the elf's bony shoulder. "I believe that you didn't mean any harm, Kreacher, but Draco does. We have to get Teddy out of there; he's not safe in that castle."
"Master Ted looks forward to Master Harry's arrival in the castle." Harry bit his lip.
"Is he scared?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Sing the song!" Teddy demanded, smiling as he jumped up and down on the throne of the Goblin King.
"For the last time child, no! I'm not some fancy performing monkey!" Draco's arms flailed around him before resting on his hips as he pouted at the youngster, who'd so easily made himself at home in the castle.
Teddy stopped bouncing and folded his arms, still standing on the seat of the throne and pouting back at Malfoy. "Harry would sing the song..."
Draco scowled. "Well then Harry can sing it when he gets here then, can't he? And don't try that look on me, I invented that look. It won't work." Teddy retracted his lip and looked up at Draco with huge silver-grey eyes and suddenly white-blond hair. "He has my eyes..." Draco mumbled distractedly. "Fine! I'll do the bit at the start of the song, but I'm not singing. Deal?"
"Deal!" Teddy giggled, changing his eyes and hair back to normal and his ears to those of a goblin. "Go on then, you go first." Draco picked him up and placed him gently on the floor.
"You remind me of the babe!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Part 2
