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Their Phoenix	By : Lomonaaeren Category: Harry Potter > Threesomes/Moresomes Views: 68678 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; that belongs to J. K. Rowling. I am making no money from this fic.

Chapter List
- 1-Their Phoenix
- 2-Part 2
- 3-Part 3
- 4-Part 4
- 5-Part 5
- 6-Part 6
- 7-Part 7
- 8-Part 8
- 9-Part 9
- 10-Part 10
- 11-Part 11
- 12-Part 12
- 13-Part 13
- 14-Part 14
- 15-Part 15
- 16-Part 16
- 17-Part 17
- 18-Part 18
- 19-Part 19
- 20-Part 20
- 21-Part 21
- 22-Part 22
- 23-Part 23
- 24-Part 24
- 25-Part 25
- 26-Part 26
- 27-Part 27
- 28-Part 28
- 29-Part 29
- 30-Part 30
- 31-Part 31
- 32-Part 32
- 33-Part 33
- 34-Part 34
- 21
- 22
- 23
Thank you again for all the reviews!

�� Harry
rolled over and cast a Tempus Charm,
blinking blearily when the numbers flashed up at him. Of course it was
three-thirty in the bloody morning, and of course he found it impossible to get
to sleep.

�� As usual.

�� He sat up,
punched his pillows to give the energy somewhere to go, and then lay down
again, furiously closing his eyes. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened
today; he�d had lunch with the Weasleys, a quiet afternoon with Cadell, and an
equally quiet evening of reading with Draco and Severus. He ought to be able to
sleep on that, and a full stomach, if he could sleep on anything.

�� Liar.

�� Harry
sighed heavily and rolled back over to stare at the ceiling. Something out of
the ordinary had happened, and his
mind had run in circles like a Crup chasing its own tail to avoid having to
deal with it. But in the darkness and with no one to talk to, the strange thing
came back and lingered stubbornly on the edges of his consciousness until Harry
opened his thoughts to it. He did now, and it promptly buzzed in and occupied
the whole of his mind.

�� Small
things, really. He would have been justified in ignoring them, in not seeing
them at all.

�� Except that
six months around his bondmates had taught him to be more vigilant, and so he
couldn�t do that anymore.

�� Draco had
started an abrupt and awkward conversation with him about Ledbetter�s training.
Harry had responded cautiously, trying to figure out what he wanted. But it
seemed that Draco was determined to talk about curses, and countercurses, and
the peculiar twists of his body that Ledbetter used to avoid the spells that
Draco and Harry flung back in return. After a while, Harry had relaxed and
started to enjoy talking to Draco. He was more observant than Harry had
realized he was, and he asked intelligent questions.

�� And once,
he�d looked Harry in the eye, taken a breath like someone about to step off a
plank into shark-infested waters, and said, �You�re really good at Defense.�

�� Harry
blinked, said, �Er, thanks,� and moved the conversation on. Draco looked as
relieved as though the sharks had turned out to be giant goldfish.

�� He�s trying, Harry acknowledged slowly. He complimented me, which isn�t something he
often does, and I could see that he wanted to read that book he had instead of
talking to me, but he tried. And he
didn�t give me more than one or two resentful looks the entire time. I know he
expected me to want to sleep with him quickly, so it�s really a remarkable
achievement that he thought about something else for an evening.

�� It appeared
that Draco might have taken Harry�s words about his selfishness to heart, and
that maybe Harry should reconsider whether he would be selfish in bed.

�� And
Severus�

�� Harry bit
at a knuckle thoughtfully. Severus had acted less openly than Draco; indeed,
Harry�s brain could hardly put the words �Severus� and �open� in the same
sentence. But Harry had reached up to put a book back and knocked another two
off the shelf, and he�d seen Severus open his mouth to comment on that, his
eyes narrowed in the way they were when the comment would be a particularly
harsh one.

�� And then
he�d shut his mouth again, although his nostrils flared as if smoke would pour
out of them like a dragon�s. He turned back his own book and said nothing.
Harry had made sure to restore the shelves to pristine order in perfect
silence, not willing to question the miracle.

�� He could be trying, too. He might be. I
don�t think he�s mentioned Potions in the last day or so. And he simply turned
away without speaking when I told them I was going out with Cadell. Draco
scowled, but he didn�t say anything, either.

�� Harry lay
there stunned when he�d finished with the thought, even though it was more or
less the conclusion he�d already come to. Having it openly stated like that
was�unnerving. He hadn�t expected such open moves from Draco and Severus, or so
soon. Fuck, if he was honest, he hadn�t expected any effort from them. He had thought they would go on doing what
they wanted to, because why should they try to change simply for him?
Eventually, Harry was sure, they would give up the notion of a triad because
they would see that there was no way for all three of them to fit together
without compromises. Then they would go back to being exclusive lovers and
Harry could find someone else.

�� Instead,
they�d compromised.

�� And Harry�s
sense of fair play demanded that he do the same thing.

*

�� But why do
you use Calming Draughts? Aren�t there more powerful healing potions you could
brew that would have a stronger effect on the mind?�

�� Draco
stepped slowly off the bottom step and peered around the corner into the
kitchen. Harry and Severus were sitting at the table, opposite from one
another. Both had cups of tea in front of them, but no steam was rising from either
cup. Harry was scowling ferociously and gesturing with one hand, and Severus
sat back in his chair and regarded him with that fixed stare that Draco knew
was one of his signs of confusion.

�� One must
use a Calming Draught,� Severus said slowly, �because more powerful potions
have a stronger effect on the brain. There are potions that mimic Calming
Draughts, yes, but they are rarely used except on patients such as those in the
Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungo�s, who endanger others and already have brain
damage.� He pointed a finger straight at Harry. �If I used one of those on you
now, you might sleep for weeks, or become quiet and dazed, or become, and stay,
addicted to them in spite of having only one drink.�

��

�Well, then, I reckon I should
thank you for not using them,� said Harry, with a small shudder.

Draco walked slowly into the
kitchen and stood behind Harry�s chair, raising his eyebrows at Severus. You�re discussing Potions? he asked,
directing the thought so that it should land in Severus�s mind alone.

He
came down and wished to.

�� There was
such joy along the bond with Severus�dark and shimmering joy, muted joy, like a
puddle of oil with rainbows on it. Draco could have known that if he had paid
attention to it before, but he had been too involved in the strange sight of
Harry and Severus discussing Potions to notice anything else.

�� Harry
twisted around and saw Draco. For a moment, he froze, and the bond between them
turned pale with uncertainty. Then he took a deep breath, gave a brave smile,
and said, �Have you thought about brewing healing potions, Draco? Severus is
acting as though you�ll be too busy with your innovations in combining Potions
and Defense, but surely healing potions that partook of both would be something
worthwhile.�

�� A warm
burst of happiness flooded Draco�s chest like a new sun being born. He pulled
out the chair next to Harry and sat down.

�� He�s interested in me, and in what I�m
doing, and I didn�t even have to hint around until he picked up the theme.

�� Harry�s
eyes met Draco�s, much more hesitant than Draco thought the conversation would
have warranted. Of course, perhaps he was afraid of criticism when discussing
Potions, which was a subject that he knew almost nothing about. Draco had been
harsh in the past when Harry made some stupid mistake.

�� It wouldn�t
be easy to stop criticizing him, but then, it hadn�t been easy for Draco to start
the conversation about their training yesterday, either, knowing that Harry
knew so much more about Defense than he did. He�d survived, and not felt too stupid. And Harry, apart from a few
odd looks, had treated it like any other conversation.

�� Draco could
do the same thing. Harry was not going to do anything better than he was, except possibly Defense.

�� Healing
potions aren�t something that interests me,� he admitted, �and a brewer�s level
of success with a potion is dependent on the brewer�s level of interest in it.�

��

�Really? I didn�t know that.� For
some reason, Harry raised his eyebrows and flicked an odd glance at Severus.

I
think he believes that there is little reason to teach Potions to Hogwarts
students without interest in them, Severus said, his mental voice puffy and
amused, if that is the case.

�Well, that�s not true of all
potions to the same extent,� Draco said hastily. He sat thinking for a moment,
struggling with how to voice concepts he had learned so long ago that they
seemed like part of him, rather than
added knowledge. Harry sat still, sipping his tea and never looking away from
Draco�s face. �They�it�s more as if some respond to the interest that you show
and others need only determination to complete them. The ones that respond to
personal interest are the more complicated ones, of course.�

�So the students who make it to
NEWT Potions are the ones who are interested in the class itself, and not what
they can use the potions for.� Harry nodded. �That makes more sense than most
explanations I�ve heard.�

�� Draco
smiled back at him, flustered. He knew it wasn�t the first compliment Harry had
ever given him, but it felt that way, after weeks of unfair treatment.

�� He opened
his mouth to say something else, something wise and subtle, but his stomach
rumbled. Severus chuckled into his tea. Draco felt himself flush.

�� Harry
didn�t seem to notice anything unusual. He nodded and stood up. �Would you like
bacon or toast?� he asked, turning towards the counter. �I�m afraid that�s all
that�s on offer this morning.�

�� Draco
licked his lips and watched Harry�s back. He was being more pleasant than
usual, more accommodating. Most of the time, Draco had to fix his own
breakfast. �Toast, please,� he said. �With plenty of� �

�� Butter,�
Harry said, turning around with a grin. �I�ve noticed.�

�� He
Levitated the pat of butter over to Draco and turned back to browning the bread
with a murmured domestic charm that Draco hadn�t bothered to learn yet. He
blinked and looked at Severus.

�� Severus
tilted his head and said, It appears that
the Gryffindor sense of fair play is working for us after all.

�� Draco would
have taken the words as sarcastic, but there was a deep contentment at the
bottom of their bond that stopped him.

Draco ended up leaning back in his
chair in wonder and watching as Harry flipped the toast over to brown the other
side, a frown of concentration on his face. He shifted so that he could reach
for the second piece of bread, and his sleeves slid back, revealing the
entwined phoenixes on his arms.

Draco put his hand on his own
phoenix. And why not? We�re in this
together. Sometimes I manage to forget that.

*

�� Severus was
proud of his bondmates. Despite the entirely unexpected situation they were now
in, they were holding, and supporting, each other. Draco had his hand on
Harry�s shoulder as if feeding him strength, but he was quiet, because the
people were here to talk to Harry. Harry leaned back so that Draco could feel
him, as well as the other way around, and kept his tone low and calm. Severus
knew that was partially so, if he felt threatened, it would be easy for him to
signal that to Draco and Severus by raising his voice.

�� Severus
himself hovered behind them both, the frightening background figure who could
check the forward motion of the crowd if so needed.

�� Because it was a crowd. What seemed like most of
Hogsmeade had marched into the garden, in such numbers�including parents
hauling children�that Harry had asked Severus to lower the wards. Severus had
done so, reluctantly. Yes, it would be a public relations disaster for them if
a child was hurt by their wards, but on the other hand, they could survive that
better than they could survive death at the hands of an enraged mob.

�� What the
crowd wanted to know, evidently, was why Harry wasn�t running for Minister.

�� I have
other responsibilities,� Harry was saying now, in a terribly earnest tone that
Severus knew would have simply sounded stupid coming from his mouth or Draco�s.
Severus had cautioned him mentally to take a tactic like this, and Harry had
agreed, but insisted on putting the matter in his own words. Severus had
hesitated, but, listening to Harry now, he had to admit the wisdom of it. Harry
didn�t sound like he was being coached when he spoke in his natural idiom. �I
have to become a focal point for many different groups so that we can
effectively oppose Minister Shacklebolt, and if I was running for Minister
myself, that would just give more people a reason to hate me.�

�� Only stupid
people would hate you!� shouted one man who looked to be almost Dumbledore�s
age, though without his mobility; he was supported by two other men who were
probably his grandsons. �The Minister�s proved that! You should become Minister
yourself so that you have the power to do right! What could possibly be more
important?�

�� Harry
smiled and moved forwards. Draco surged after him, and Harry turned to the side
so that Severus had a chance to step up beside him as well. Severus didn�t
waste the opportunity, glad to be able to aim his wand at the crowd without his
bondmates in the way.

�� Figuring
out the limits and possibilities of my bond,� Harry said simply. �That�s
something I still haven�t done.� He shook back his sleeves so that the people in
their front garden could see the phoenixes, which produced a murmur of both
unease and acclaim. Severus thought that most of them had no idea how to feel about
the bond, which had rid them of the Dark Lord but meant that their hero had to
spend the rest of his life with Death Eaters. �Figuring out what I want to do
with my life. I can�t be an Auror, but that was my dream for years. So what do
I need to do now? And supporting the actual
candidate for Minister, Estella Colben.� He shrugged and let his arms drop
down so that the sleeves covered the phoenixes again. Severus found himself
oddly glad about that. He preferred it when he and Draco were the only ones who
could see Harry�s markings. �I�m sure most of you have heard of her by now.�

�� I�ve heard
rumors that you�re only using her as a figurehead,� someone called out from the
back. �What would you say about that?�

�� Harry
chuckled. �Those people must not have been at the speech she made last week.
She�ll accept help from us, but she won�t serve us, and anyone who imagines
otherwise is stupid.�

�� But you
could stay behind the throne and control her,� said what sounded like the same
voice. A woman with long dark hair and a distressed expression was shoving her
way to the front of the crowd, looking at Harry with desperate, appealing eyes.
Severus suppressed a shiver of distaste. He had to hope that Harry wouldn�t
fall for a look so obvious and overused. �Or someone like him could.� Her eyes darted to Severus. Since he knew he would
never manage to convince her that he was harmless, Severus settled for a stare
so intimidating that she quickly looked away again. �Maybe he wants power, and
he�ll use this Colben as a dancing puppet to achieve his desires!�

�� Harry
sighed patiently. �No, he won�t. Of course she�ll want advisers, and we may
serve as those advisers. But Severus won�t control her.�

�� Does he
control you?� the woman asked,
dropping her voice to absurd levels in order to properly emphasize this ominous
suspicion. Severus burned to teach her a lesson in true drama, but held his mouth shut. Words from him at the moment
would interfere with what Harry was trying to do here. �You�re calling him by
his first name.�

�� Harry
blinked slowly, then put a hand to his face, overwhelmed by the stupidity. The
bond throbbed with irritation, but also with pale blue amusement that kept
Severus from concern. Draco moved closer to Harry anyway, and Severus thought
he would not do the same; one of them playing concerned bondmate was enough for
now.

�� Wouldn�t
you call someone by his first name if you were bonded to him and would live the
rest of your life with him?� Harry asked without taking his hand from his eyes.
He had arranged matters so that the hand did not cover his mouth. Severus approved. �Must I be an adolescent
forever and refuse to face reality?�

�� We�re
concerned about you,� said someone else, a young woman with a child on her hip
whose eyes were fixed on Harry as if he were the pole-star. Severus hadn�t seen
her look at him or Draco yet. �I think we have a right to ask questions like
this when we�re doing it out of concern.�

�� Severus
could have bared his teeth at the self-righteousness, but that was hardly likely
to assist Harry�s project, either. With an enormous effort, he kept his mouth
closed.

�� No,
actually, you don�t.� Harry�s voice was rough now, and he took a step forwards
that caused Draco to stumble, so fast did he move. �You don�t have a right to
pry into my private life with my bondmates as if it were a book that you�d
bought for your amusement. You can ask me questions if I allow it, and if they do.� He shook his head as though he were
regretting his outburst, or at least the movement that had preceded it, and
stepped back again so that he was solidly in line with Draco and Severus. �But if
I give you answers to the questions, then you should accept those answers. Stop
digging and assuming there�s some horrible truth beneath the surface.�

�� The woman
with the child stuck her nose in the air, even as her grip tightened on her
brat. Severus wondered idly whether Harry had noticed that, and the distrust it
implied, as if she believed Harry would attack her child. From the clear and
blazing emotions in the bond, Severus thought not. �If your actions have a
public impact, then we should be able to ask about them.�

�� But you
don�t believe the truth even when I tell it to you.� Harry�s voice was rising
now. �You wouldn�t believe anything unless it matched the preconceptions you
already have! That lessens my will to talk to you.�

�� Draco
glanced at Severus, who nodded, and then Draco moved so that he was actually a
bit in front of Harry, shielding him. They could both feel the buildup of lava
in the bond, and they didn�t want Harry to lose his temper with innocents; his
wild magic was still unpredictable sometimes.

�� And if he
did say something that matched your preconceptions,� Draco said, his smooth
voice seeming to startle everyone, �then you would accuse him of being a
traitor and rush about bleating that you always knew it. So either he�s a
traitor or he�s a liar. Not an attractive choice.�

�� What would
you know about it, Death Eater?� The dark-haired woman was speaking now, her
face hard. �Treachery and deception are ways of life for you. Of course you
would be contemptuous when there�s an honest effort to end either one.�

�� Draco
reached slowly for his left sleeve, creating an instant, charged silence.
Severus did have to admit that the boy had the beginnings of political talent
in him�if he did not squander it all, given his temper. Harry watched with
slowly blinking eyes and a bond that beat like the heart of a frightened
creature. So far, he did not seem interested in stopping Draco.

�� Draco
ripped his left sleeve back, and then lofted his arm high and held it there.
The phoenix mark glittered on his arm.

�� Then it
turned its head back and forth, blinked sleepy eyes, and spread its brilliant
wings. The crowd gasped and fell back as the phoenix soared over to sit on
Harry�s shoulder and nudge him with a beak of soft flame.

�� Harry
blinked, and the bond surged with something like panic, but then he reached up
and began to pet the phoenix as if this had been part of their plan for
confronting the crowd all along. Severus thought he was the only one who
noticed that his hand shook slightly.

�� As he hoped he was the only one who had
noticed the two spells Draco performed, barely moving his lips: one glamour to
conceal the mark on his arm, one glamour to create a separate phoenix that was
animated and send it flying to alight on Harry�s shoulder.

�� You see
how my bird, part of my life and skin, responds to Harry.� Draco gestured, and
Severus realized for the first time that there were faint strands of flesh-colored
light seeming to stretch from the phoenix glamour to Draco�s arm, maintaining
the connection between them. Severus�s admiration increased, and he saw Draco
stiffen his back against the inclination to preen. Little devil. He has practiced this. �I will respond the same way.�
And he turned and dropped to one knee in front of Harry, bowing his head.

�� Harry went
so alarmingly pale that Severus feared he would faint. But the bond, after an
initial explosion like water around sharks in a feeding frenzy, steadied and
grew bright blue and red again. He reached out and placed a solemn hand on Draco�s
hair. �Rise, brave knight,� he said, his voice a whisper. That didn�t matter,
with the crowd so silent now and straining to hear. �I acknowledge all that you
have done for me.�

�� Draco
rocked back on his heels and looked up at Harry. Harry gave him a single
intense look that made Severus want to turn away, so intimate was it. The bond
throbbed with his thanks and his surprise and his sorrow that this had to
happen, gold and blue and red washing around each other. Draco rose to his feet
at last, looking half-drugged.

�� Severus
licked his lips. That gesture had worked out very well, where it might not
have. Harry could have refused, in sheer distress, the thought of someone
kneeling to him. But it worked excellently as drama for the Hogsmeade crowds,
who were looking at Draco with saucer eyes and soft murmurs, and Harry, who
Severus knew hadn�t known anything
about it, had played along as if it were planned all the while.

�� Now he
could sense eyes turning to him, and he knew they would expect another gesture
of the same sort.

�� Severus might
have done it, if he had studied the glamour that Draco had used to make the
phoenix seem to fly off his arm. But he had not, and without that, his simply
kneeling would seem paltry next to what Draco had done.

�� Not to
mention the iron pride that made it impossible for him to submit without
assurance of a real and true reward.

�� Luckily,
there was something else he could do.

�� He drew his
wand from his sleeve. The crowd tensed and scrambled.

�� Harry never
moved, looking at him with such a simple expression of trust that Severus
wished, violently, that he could Apparate them to a private location. That
expression deserved to be encouraged and to be explored in more detail than it
could be where they stood.

�� But,
instead, Severus bowed, deeply, and held the wand out to Harry across his
extended palms. �My wand is yours,� he said. He knew how to make his voice
resonant, and he knew how to listen for the sharp, expelled breath from the
crowd that followed it.

�� The bond
writhed and twisted, bleeding discomfort. But Harry reached out, closed his
fingers around the wand without removing it from Severus�s palms, and said quietly,
�I also knew what you have done for me�what you did for me for long years,
while I acted like a child and refused to believe in it. There�s nothing I can
do to repay you now, except to say that I believe
in your loyalty to me.�

�� And other things, Harry�s mind said, in
a thought that lodged in Severus�s brain like an arrow.

�� He took a
risk, because at the moment he could not do otherwise. As he straightened, he
peered into Harry�s eyes and looked for the image of himself as a tyrannical,
dark-clad critic who would always act to destroy Harry�s hopes and confidence.

�� The image
dissolved like a flock of startled crows the moment he touched it.

�� Severus
lowered his eyes to hide his look of satisfaction as he bowed to Harry again,
this time a shallower and more sincere bow, because he knew that the image that
had worked most strongly to keep Harry from feeling comfortable with him was
gone.

�� Harry
turned his head to look at Draco with a softened expression that Severus had
never seen before, and Severus knew that Draco�s gestures must also have showed
that he had less selfishness than Harry imagined. Yes, Draco had performed them
mostly for show, but he�d taken a risk in not telling Harry about them
beforehand�and thus had given Harry the choice to accept or reject them.

�� Draco
accepted Harry�s hand to rise back to his feet. His face was flushed, his smile
secret, the bond between him and Severus singing like an exaltation of larks.
Harry looked at him in wonder for a moment, as if he had never noticed before
now how attractive Draco was, before he turned and cast his voice into the air
above the crowd�s heads.

�� How many
still doubt us?�

�� No one who
was stupid enough to say anything aloud, Severus deduced.

*

�� It didn�t
take Harry long to corner him once they were back in the house.

�� I�thank
you.�

�� Draco
glanced up at Harry with shyness that wasn�t entirely feigned. Harry could have
reacted so badly to the gestures that Draco had planned, even in front of an
audience. He might have hated to see one of his bondmates humbling himself. He
might have insisted that he wouldn�t accept anyone kneeling to him, excellent
reason or not. He could have said too much or blustered about trying to make an
equal return, which would have destroyed the show of submission that Draco
intended to put on for the crowd in the first place.

�� But he
hadn�t done any of those things. And now, in private, where Draco knew to
expect equal treatment, Harry was staring at Draco as if he wanted to ask
questions about what he�d done, but he had so many he wasn�t sure where to
begin.

�� Draco drank
in the sight of his face, those wide green eyes fastened on him, and the
feeling of the bond, which thrummed with earthquakes of interest in his next
actions. Then he reached out and put a hand on Harry�s shoulder.

�� There�s
very little that I wouldn�t do for you,� he said quietly. �You must realize
that by now.�

�� Harry
swallowed noisily, but he never looked away, though a deep flush overcame his
cheeks, as if he were struggling to keep his gaze steady. �I do, yeah.�

�� But I
don�t want to keep doing things like this if you don�t appreciate them,� Draco
said with perfect truth. �Will you
appreciate them?�

�� Harry�s
gaze turned so remote and uncertain that Draco thought he might turn around and
walk away. Instead, he placed one hand behind Draco�s neck and continued his
stare. The bond throbbed and cast off pinwheels of gold, which was a sign of
Harry nerving himself to do something. Draco blinked back at him and said
nothing. Any words he wanted to use would be sure to spoil the mood.

�� Harry
leaned forwards and kissed him, the press of lips as firm as the fingers
curling around the back of Draco�s neck.

�� Draco
gasped. Harry didn�t take the chance to slip his tongue into Draco�s mouth. He
waited until Draco shut his lips again, then continued the same thoughtful,
temperate kiss. Draco sighed shakily through his nose and reached up to cup
Harry�s cheek in encouragement, since otherwise he might think that a kiss like
this was unwelcome, when nothing could have been further from the truth.

�� Harry drew
back at last, his eyes half-lidded and the bond as close to quiescent as it
ever got, a green tree decorated with blue vines. Draco stared at him, then
licked his lips and shut his mouth when he realized it was hanging open.

�� I hope
that�s part of the answer,� Harry said. He paused, and his voice turned heavy,
while the green and blue in the bond dissolved into each other. �And now, I�ve
got to give the other part.�

�� Draco
expected him to go upstairs to find Severus, but instead, he walked to the
front door. He paused only a moment to be sure the crowd of staring Hogsmeade
people was gone before he opened it.

�� Where are
you going?� Draco called.

�� Harry
glanced over his shoulder, his smile sad but edged with excitement. �To find
Cadell and break up with him,� he said. �It�s not fair to keep dating him now
that I know what I really want.�

�� He was gone
before Draco could express fully what an excellent
plan he thought that was.

*

�� I never thought it would be like this.

�� Harry felt
as though he�d been floating through space on a golden cloud and had only
recently descended to the earth again; beauty hovered around him and tinted the
edges of his vision.

�� We worked together the way we worked
together when the Aurors raided the house. And it wasn�t planned this time.

�� The feeling
left him as he turned onto the street that led to Honeydukes, and Harry sighed.
He wasn�t looking forwards to this, as much as his mind was clear and at ease
regarding Draco and Severus. They were the ones who, he thought, had the
potential to offer him what he wanted, the ones he was willing to change his
life for.

�� But they
were that in an entirely separate way from Cadell. Cadell hadn�t done anything
wrong. He just couldn�t be what Harry wanted. And Harry had sensed that weeks
ago, and still hadn�t told him.

�� If I had, would it have made any difference?
Harry had to wonder as he stepped through the front door of Honeydukes. Maybe this is for the best. Draco and
Severus would almost certainly think I broke up with him just because I wanted
them, and maybe they would have acted smug and triumphant and have driven me
away again.

�� With an
irritated shake of his head, he managed to banish the crowding possibilities.
Right now, he had to deal with the reality in front of him, not the reality he wished might be true. He could see a
tangled cap of dark hair behind the nearest shelf, and he turned his steps so
that he was taken in that direction.

�� Cadell?�
he called.

�� His
boyfriend came out from between the shelves and grinned at him. �Harry,� he
said. �What are you doing here?�

�� Harry
swallowed. Cadell�s grin was open, wide, and friendly, and Harry knew what it
would probably change into when he was finished talking. He hated inflicting
that much pain on anyone.

�� But he
would be inflicting more if he let Cadell go on thinking they were going to be
a permanent pair. Harry steeled himself and did his best to smile back. �Can I
talk to you?�

�� Cadell�s
eyes narrowed. He must have seen something in Harry�s face that Harry didn�t
want to show him so openly. �Of course,� he said. �Come this way.� He led him
to the machine room he�d shown Harry once before. Harry thought they would stop
there, but Cadell directed him into the private garden instead. Harry concealed
a wince. Somehow this was harder in the sunshine and open air.

�� Cadell
turned and raised an eyebrow at him as he shut the door on Harry�s heels. �So?�

�� I think
that things aren�t going to work out between us,� Harry said. �Not in any
permanent way. So it would be for the best if we broke up.� His mouth was dry,
and he had to wipe cold sweat from his palms on his robes.

�� Cadell�s
face went blank for a moment. Then he directed his eyes over Harry�s shoulder,
and his voice turned low and savage. �This is because of your bondmates, isn�t
it?�

�� It�s
because I want them,� Harry said quietly. �And it�s true they never liked you.
But they didn�t urge me to break up with you.� Not aloud, at least. Now that he was thinking back over the last
few months, Harry could think of quite a few times when Draco or Severus had
probably trembled on the verge of saying it. �I decided that it would be unfair
for me to use you for sex when I never intended to give you my heart. And it�s
unfair to my bondmates when I want them and they want me. And it�s unfair to
me.�

�� The longer
he spoke, the easier it was. Yes, this hurt, and Cadell was turning away and
folding a hand across his chest as though he�d taken a Cruciatus Curse, but honesty
would solve so many problems in the long run.

�� Did you ever intend to stay with me?� Cadell
muttered.

�� I don�t
know,� Harry said. �I�m sorry. Maybe, at the beginning. I wanted to see what
would happen, whether I would like sex with a man. I found out I did. But I
started thinking that I couldn�t see us changing and growing if we spent the
rest of our lives together. Now I know who and what I need to do that.� Cadell
winced as though Harry had stabbed him this time, and Harry sighed and reached
out to put a hand on his shoulder. Cadell shrugged it off angrily. �I�m sorry,�
Harry repeated.

�� That�s not
enough,� Cadell said, and turned around to face him. His lip trembled, and his
eyes were wide, too bright. He was obviously struggling with desperate pride
and desperate sadness, which made him look far more like Draco than Harry had
ever seen. �I want someone who respects me for who I am and doesn�t think of me
as an experiment.�

�� Harry kept
to himself the fact that Cadell hadn�t acted as though he wanted a permanent
arrangement, either. At the moment, it wouldn�t help. �I�m sorry.�

�� Get out of
my house.�

�� Goodbye,
Cadell,� Harry said simply, and then turned and walked away from the garden. He
glanced back a time or two, ready to smile if Cadell did, but Cadell stood
there with his arms wrapped around his stomach and didn�t look up.

�� Maybe we can be friends again someday, Harry
thought, as he stepped out of Honeydukes and let the door fall shut behind him.
Maybe not. But I am sorry that I let this
go on as long as it did.

�� For more
than one reason, he thought.

�� Against his
will, his footsteps quickened as he hurried towards home.

*

�� Severus
raised one eyebrow as he sat down on the couch in the middle of the ground
floor sitting room. Harry had appeared in the door of the potions lab a few minutes
ago and told Severus he wanted to talk to him and Draco. From his calm tone and
flat stare, Severus had imagined it would be a political strategy meeting.

�� Instead, he
found Harry pacing up and down like a Death Eater before his first raid, his
forehead furrowed and his breath coming fast. Draco sat on the couch already,
watching him with a hungry stare. He glanced at Severus as he came in and
offered a faint grin and raised eyebrow.

�� That
suggested Draco knew what this was about. And he would not look so gleeful
about a political loss. Severus fastened his attention on Harry and waited.

�� Harry
whirled around to face them, his mouth locked in a crooked line. He exhaled
several times, looking from Draco to Severus as if he expected to have to defend
himself against them. The bond swung back and forth like a pendulum between
forest-fire nervousness and sunset excitement. Severus found it hard to keep
his hands still as he waited for their bondmate to speak.

�� I broke up
with Cadell just now,� Harry said abruptly.

�� Draco
crowed for a moment before he swallowed the sound and managed to look perfectly
concerned. Severus blinked several times, understanding better the emotions
that had racked him through the bond two hours ago. He had been concerned about
Harry at first, but the phoenix had not come to fetch him and he had felt no
pain, so in the end he had concentrated on brewing the complex and difficult
potion he was trying to finish.

�� I did it
because I want to be with you.� Harry moved his hands through the quick
gestures of a Shield Charm, though he didn�t hold his wand. Then he looked at
them, body braced to resist a blow.

�� Severus
stood without meaning to. Harry looked up at him, pulse rapid, mouth still
crooked, the bond bouncing and rotating, narrowing and opening wide again.

�� I
am�pleased,� Severus said, his words so much an understatement that Draco
laughed. Harry relaxed and gave a faint grin; perhaps he could sense much the
same thing, despite the lack of the bond being open both ways. Severus gave
Draco a swift look so that he wouldn�t interfere, and then stepped over to
Harry and rested his fingers on his shoulders. �I understand that you gave
Draco a kiss earlier. I felt it through the bond. Will you do the same thing
for me?�

�� Harry�s
eyelashes fluttered as if he needed to think about it. Then he reached up and
placed his hands on Severus�s shoulders, pulling his face more easily within
reach. Severus closed his eyes.

�� He had to
wait a long moment before the emotions in the bond settled into a crackling
blue line of steadily-burning fire and Harry made his move.

�� His mouth
was forceful enough, at least; indeed, it seemed as if he would have liked to
knock Severus off his feet. Severus put his hands on Harry�s shoulders to keep
the kiss balanced, and slipped two fingers into his hair. Harry shuddered as
though the touch had been much more intimate. A moment later, he locked his
arms around Severus�s waist and altered the angle of his mouth. Severus knew he
must be craning his neck in order to bring their faces closer together.

�� The bond
stretched between Severus and Draco turned brilliant lemon-sour with Draco�s jealousy.
Severus reached out an arm blindly, more than half his attention still caught
up in the slide of Harry�s lips against his own.

�� Draco
practically crashed into them. Harry grunted, and Severus opened his eyes so
that he could take stock.

�� Draco was
leaning in from the side so that he could reach both their mouths at once, his
eyes both screwed-up in determination. Harry turned his head and roughly combed
his fingers through Draco�s hair as he kissed him. Draco sighed and let his
eyes flutter open, his mouth relaxed and smug, He parted his lips a moment
later, and Harry�s tongue slipped inside.

�� Harry
jumped, but kept kissing Draco, and the bond between him and Severus burst into
loops of fire. A moment later, Severus�s bond with Draco did much the same
thing. Severus growled beneath his breath and pulled both of his bondmates
closer with his arms, justified for once in being greedy of their attention.

�� One of
Harry�s hands wandered across his chest as if Harry wasn�t quite sure what to
do with it. Severus solved the problem by bringing the hand to his mouth and
letting his tongue twist around the fingers. Harry shuddered, his eyes going
blank and distant for a moment. Then he recovered and took a step back from
them, breathing hard enough to wake the dead.

�� Severus
lazily eyed him: tumbled hair, brilliant eyes, flushed cheeks, swollen mouth.
Because of them.

�� Not because of Caesarion, Draco�s
thought said in his head, bright with exaltation.

�� Vicious brat, Severus responded, and
moved his own hand through Draco�s hair as he looked at Harry in silent
triumph.

�� All
right,� Harry said, gasping as though they had spent much more time kissing
than they had. He raised one hand in front of him and shook his head when Draco
and Severus would have moved forwards. �I do want to be with you, but we can�t
hop straight into bed.�

�� There�s
also the floor and the wall,� Draco said helpfully.

�� Severus
pressed lightly down on Draco�s neck. Draco sighed and wriggled, but remained
silent. �What will you need before you can do so, Harry?� Severus asked, with a
calm tone in his voice that made Harry drop his hand and regard them
appraisingly.

�� To talk
about this,� Harry said, setting his jaw. �I need to change some of my behaviors. I need to think about you
more. And I need some reassurance that you won�t�that you won�t criticize me if
I�m not as good in bed as you are.� His face flushed deeply as he spoke those
last words, but he spoke them, and then folded his arms.

�� And you
need us to continue showing that we can be a bit more responsive to you,
because the change cannot be all on one side,� Severus summarized.

�� Exactly.�
Harry flashed him a grateful look. Severus gazed back with no inhibitions on
his lust this time, and the flush in Harry�s cheeks grew deeper.

�� But as
long as we do that,� Draco asked, his voice thick, �when would you say that we
can share a bed?�

�� If it goes
well enough,� Harry said, �inside the month.�

�� It was
sooner than Severus had expected. He leaned against the hold of Draco�s arm and
shut his eyes in sheer, private satisfaction.

�� Draco broke
free from him and went to Harry. Severus opened his eyes to see him give Harry
a fairly chaste kiss, given all the emotions that flowed through his bond to
Severus and told him what Draco would have liked
to do.

�� Thank
you,� Draco whispered as he drew back. �We�ve both wanted this for a while.�

�� Harry
flushed again and looked inquiringly at Severus. When Severus nodded, he
swallowed and ducked his head to hide his smile.

�� Severus had
never seen him look more confused, more intrigued�

�� Or happier.

*

�� Katrina:
Thanks very much! Draco is really the one who began the process of thought for
Harry that led to this chapter. Without that kiss, Harry might have gone on
being able to deny everything.

�� LiteraryBeauty:
It took Harry a while to react simply because he assumed, as he says in this
chapter, that Severus and Draco would never change no matter what happened, so
he simply assumed he didn�t have to worry about it.

�� Dragon:
Thank you!

�� qwerty: Thanks!
Hope you enjoyed their different tactics, and Harry�s, in this chapter.

�� Snivelly:
Harry probably still has a feeling that Draco and Severus can�t care for him at
all, or not as much as they can care for each other. Other than his friends, he
really hasn�t had much experience with love. His relationship with Ginny didn�t
work out in this story, so�

�� Narcissa�s
book is something private. ;)

�� PanickedSerenity:
Thank you!

�� fantasypainter:
Harry will accept very little from Draco and Severus at first, as long as he
can see that they�re trying. But if they stop or go backwards, then he�ll
retreat, too.

�� As for what
to do about Severus, hopefully Harry can start complimenting him, and Draco
will follow in his footsteps.

�� Lilith:
Harry is now moving strongly in that direction. He does, however, need to be
sure that Severus and Draco will keep up their new behavior and not just do it
to get him into bed and then stop.

�� Adamaris
Syler Autumn: Thank you!

�� Tiffani:
And this time, the simple truth�though the one Narcissa told Draco�seems to
have worked.

�� DTDY: Thank
you!
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Their Phoenix