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Measure of a Man	By : SailorSol Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 71274 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Disclaimer: I don�t own them, please don�t sue me.

MEASURE OF A MAN

Why do you ask him move to heaven and earth
To prove his love has worth?
Would he walk on water?
Would he run through fire?
Would he stand before you,
When it is down to the wire?
Would he gave his life up
To be all he can?
Is that, is that, is that how you measure a man?

Chapter 11: Yule Ball

Harry stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting the folds of his forest green dress robes. Draco good-naturedly shoved him aside so that he could see himself in his charcoal-colored robes, and then Severus pulled them both together in front of him so that all three of them were visible together.

�You are both perfect,� he told them. �Stop fussing or you will be late. I believe Lucius has something for Harry.�

The trio went to the sitting room, to find Lucius resplendent in dress robes of midnight blue. Hermione was standing near him in a dress only a shade or two lighter, with the jewels that Lucius had gifted her earlier in the day.

All three of them were speechless with awe.

�I have something for you, Harry,� Lucius said. �Draco has more than one set, as do I, but I noticed that you do not.�

�I�m sure there are a lot of things that Draco has that I don�t,� Harry said. �I�ll just have to work on it.�

�Yes,� Lucius said. �Since your relationship with my son is now a matter of public record, you are a Malfoy in a way, and we have appearances to maintain.� He reached into his robes and pulled out a leather case.

�This should complete your appearance for the evening,� Lucius said.

Harry took the case and opened it cautiously. Inside was a set of cufflinks and button covers made with emeralds. Two words were embroidered on the inside of the case�s cover.

�The first word tells them to attach themselves to you,� Draco said. �The second word tells them to return to their case. These were my grandfather�s.�

�Are you sure about this, sir?� Harry asked Lucius.

�Of course,� Lucius said. �My father was a very unpleasant man. It would make him furious to know that I gave these to my son�s half-blood lover.�

�Thank you, sir,� Harry said. He held the case at arm�s length and spoke the first word.

The glittering items in the case flew out of it and attached them to Harry�s shirtfront and cuffs. Harry tugged at one cufflink experimentally, and was delighted when they showed no sign of wanting to part.

�Shall we?� Lucius asked. He held out his hand to Hermione, and she placed one of hers in his. They waited while Snape opened the door that led to the hall, and then preceded Harry and Draco out of the door.

~*~*~*~*~

Harry shook hands with another wizard and wished for the thosandth time that he was just an ordinary sixteen year-old, not the Boy-Who-Lived. Every person who was invited to the Ministry�s Yule Ball insisted on introducing themselves and shaking his hand.

He turned to Draco, wondering how the other teenager could keep a straight face around the shallow fools that populated the affair. He found Draco with an expression of superior indifference on his face. The same look graced the faces of Lucius and Snape. Hermione had a smile on her face that was both attractive and remote at the same time.

�How are you doing it, Hermione?� Harry muttered to her.

She leaned over so that she could whisper into his ear.

�It�s easy, Harry,� she told him. �Lucius told me how to do it. You pretend that everyone is someone you don�t like, but now you�ve done better than they ever will. In your case, pretend each of them is your Aunt, Uncle, or Cousin. You�re rich and famous, two things they�d love to be, and never will be.�

�Got it,� Harry said. He turned to the next vapid admirer with a wide smile, and an air of casual indifference.

~*~*~*~*~

When the dancing started, Harry watched Lucius and Hermione dance together, both of them with eyes for no one else but each other. He was startled when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up into Severus� onyx eyes.

�Draco and I have made a wager,� he said. �We wish to see who will faint when they not only see me dancing, but who my partner is.�

�I�m a rotten dancer,� Harry said.

�Not with me, you won�t be,� Severus said, smirking. �You had a bad partner and no experience before, and you did fine. This time, all you have to do is follow.�

�That I can do,� Harry said. He let Severus take his hand and lead him out onto the dance floor.

The dancing was well underway when Harry was approached by yet another individual that wanted to shake his hand and talk to him for a few moments. Harry was fixing his mental attitude in place when his fire snake, which he had named Loki for the Norse god of fire, hissed in warning.

Harry took a step back, reaching for his wand, and wondering what had alarmed the snake. The man stepped forward, a strange gleam in his eyes. Seriously alarmed, Harry took another step back, to find that he was up against a wall. He glanced around, ready to call for help, but he noticed that both of his mates, and Lucius and Hermione, were all faced with men who seemed to be backing them to the walls.

Frightened, Harry yanked his wand free, and ducked as the man in front of him pulled out his wand and uttered a curse Harry had never heard before.

Before Harry could utter a curse of his own, Loki launched himself out of Harry�s robe pocket and wrapped himself around the man�s wrist, sinking his tiny fangs into the man�s wrist.

The man screamed, a foam erupted from his mouth, and he collapsed into a boneless heap.

With half of his attention, Harry heard Lucius and Hermione attacking in perfect harmony with a stunning spell and a disarming spell. He heard Draco using an Everte Statum. He did not hear Snape�s voice at all.

People all around started screaming, and the doors to the Great Hall slammed shut and sealed themselves, making sure that no one could get out without the Headmaster�s knowledge.

Harry scooped up Loki from the body of the man he�d killed, and he checked the man�s arms.

On the man�s left forearm was the Dark Mark.

Harry left the man�s arm exposed, and he went looking for Snape. He saw Draco standing over a man in a full body bind, and he saw Aurors picking up the man who had attacked Hermione and Lucius. He still saw no sign of Snape.

He kept looking around, until he came to the corner of the Great Hall where he had last seen Snape.

�You have no idea how happy my master will be to see you, traitor,� the man standing over Snape�s unconscious form was saying as he attached something to his robes. �He will enjoy tormenting you much more, knowing that it will torment the Potter brat further. Don�t worry, I don�t think he�ll kill you, at least not until he can guarantee that Potter sees you die.�

�I don�t think so,� Harry said. �Immobulus!�

The man froze in place, his hands still on the brooch he was attaching to Snape�s robes. His eyes turned towards Harry, and he paled when he saw not only Harry, but Draco and Lucius coming up behind him.

�Draco, get an Auror,� Harry said. �I�ll make sure that nobody goes anywhere tonight.� He plucked the brooch out of the man�s hands, pulling it free from Snape�s robes in the process.

�You�re staying here,� he said. �I think that the Aurors have some questions to ask you, and I�ll be happy to get the Veritaserum from Snape�s stores for them to use.�

TBC
- 13
- 14
- 15
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Measure of a Man