Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Erotes	By : Bickymonster Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 70634 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 19
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any concepts or characters associated with it. I am not making any money from this this story

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
- 26
AN: Chapter 25; this chapter did not want to be written for the longest time, but finally here it is. You will be glad to know chapter 26 is already progressing better than this one did, so hopefully the wait will not be so long again. Also please do come and chat with me on facebook; where I will post updates on my progress. If you would like to be friends with me there, there is a link on my bio. Enjoy.
Warnings: Swearing, slash and Adult themes, sexual content. For full warnings see story description.
Thank you to my beta, AchillesTheGeek.

(Note: This is the updated edited version of the chapter. Updated 30/11/2015)

Draco pulled away from his mate and left the Medical Wing quite suddenly, so suddenly that it took a moment for Harry to realise what had happened. Harry had to actually jog to catch up with Draco, whose purple wings were half-open, flexing sporadically with the tension in his body. Harry saw several students in the younger years in the corridor outside the Medical Wing having to duck hurriedly out of the way of his mate.
"Hey, hey! Draco, wait up," Harry requested, as he narrowly managed to dodge being hit by a twitching mass of purple feathers as he came up next to his boyfriend and matched Draco's long, determined strides.
Draco, however, showed no reaction to Harry's presence, nor any inclination to slow his furious pace and it was only thanks to his height advantage and longer stride that Harry was managing to keep up.
Harry knew that Draco was not in the mood to listen to reason at the moment but he knew he had to try something before the wrong person ended up facing Draco's wrath. "I'm upset too, you know," Harry told his mate, ignoring the disapproving looks they were getting from two seventh year Slytherin boys who were heading the other way.
"Upset?" Draco growled incredulously. He stopped suddenly and turned to face Harry, staring at his mate for a few seconds before he seemed able to find the words. "You think I am upset?" he demanded to know, his whole body practically pulsating with furious energy.
"Erm..." Harry mumbled, feeling taken aback by the sudden outburst. In truth he had thought exactly that; it was what he was feeling, along with guilt, remorse, a fair dose of anger at both Voldemort and Dumbledore, and of course the ever present concern for Draco. And yet, it seemed strikingly obvious that 'yes' was not the answer that Draco was looking for.
"This is our fault," Draco said in a deadly whisper, jabbing Harry in the chest with his index finger. It wasn't something that had dawned on his right away, but the pieces had fallen into place once Harry had helped calm him down. "Snape could have died and it would have been... our... fault," Draco told him, punctuating the last few words with additional prodding.
Harry sighed wearily and ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't really had a chance to stop and think about why Severus had been summoned, but now that he did, it seemed obvious that it was related to the article. And he remembered exactly whose idea that had been.
"It is my fault," Harry said sadly, a fresh wave of guilt flowing through him. "The article was my idea," he reminded his mate, wanting Draco to know that he was taking his share of the blame in all this. He had just wanted them to be able to stop hiding, he had never meant for anyone to get hurt.
"That's right!" Draco said in realisation, poking at Harry with his finger again, his eyes narrowed at his mate and to most people the look might have been cold, heartless, but Harry thought it that it seemed to be taking great effort for Draco to hold back all the emotions he was feeling. "It was your stupid idea. You did this!" the blond accused.
Harry felt as though he had just been slapped and couldn't do anything but stare, open-mouthed at his submissive mate. Sure, he felt guilty and was blaming himself for what had happened to Snape, but Harry hadn't actually expected his bonded to pin it all on him.
"Well I didn't mean for this to happen," Harry pointed out; no badly he and Snape got along, he didn't actually wish ill fortune upon the man. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt!" he explain, needing to defend himself, not least because he couldn't stand the idea that his mate would hate him for what had happened.
"No," Draco said derisively, "I guess you never do." His words were heavy with accusation and face emotionless, and the blond crossed his arms over his chest as he met Harry's eye.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Harry demanded angrily. His voice was rising and he couldn't even bring himself to care about who heard them now, because he couldn't deny how much his mate's words hurt.
They hadn't discussed it specifically but Harry couldn't help but wonder if his mate had deliberately stuck on such a sore subject; was it possible that Draco had worked out how guilty Harry still felt about Sirius' and Cedric's deaths and decided to use it against him. Or was the submissive referring to the danger that they all live in, thanks to Harry's connection to Voldemort?
Draco stared at his for a few moments before he finally spoke. "Nothing, doesn't mean anything," Draco grumbled dismissively with a wave of his arm, turning to stare out of a nearby window, apparently unable to face Harry. "It's just," he said more quietly, though there was still anger in his voice, "why didn't you think this through?"
"Me?" Harry asked incredulously. "Why didn't you?! You were completely on board with everything until about five minutes ago," Harry pointed out in frustration, throwing his arms in the air and turning away from his mate and taking a deep breath. "And besides," he went on more calmly turning back to Draco once more, "we don't know for certain exactly what happened."
Draco's whole body went rigid and he turned to glare at Harry for that. Clearly he didn't intend to even dignify his mate with a response.
"Okay, fine," Harry said with a sigh. "I admit, we can hazard a pretty good guess, but shouldn't we wait until we can talk to Snape about this before we really start putting it all on my shoulders?" he suggested hopefully.
"Fine!" Draco said angrily, sounding very much like he thought it was anything but. He glared at Harry a moment longer but before the dominant could say anything, Draco pushed passed him, heading off down the corridor, towards the dungeons once more. Harry could only assume that his mate was going to let Lucius know that Professor Snape was back at Hogwarts, and at least alive.
"And you might want to save some of the blame for Voldemort," Harry hissed under his breath. He wasn't sure if his bonded had heard the last bit of what he said; he wasn't totally certain it had come out in English. Either way, it was clear that Draco was in a foul mood and apparently more than willing to take it out on Harry.
Harry did understand why Draco was hurting and that the submissive was looking for someone to blame, and he would allow that to some extent, but he certainly wasn't going to just sit back and take it all. His instincts were telling him to take Draco back to their rooms and hold him, calm him, try and settle Draco's emotions through the Erote bond between them. However he didn't want to go down that road unless he really had to.
Draco might be a submissive Erote, but Harry never wanted to force his mate's thoughts or feelings, he never wanted to make Draco into a puppet; he was determined not to take away Draco’s independence. Truthfully, he wasn't entirely sure it would work at the moment anyway, given how wound up he himself felt at the moment. This was clearly something they would need to work through together, the old fashioned way.
Harry took a deep calming breath and ran a hand through his hair as he steeled himself and followed Draco off down the corridor. It had already been a long day and it didn’t seem like it was going to get any better. 'Such a shame really, given how well it started, ' Harry thought to himself. It seemed he had an afternoon of a grumpy boyfriend, a probably hung-over father-in-law, and a likely endless supply of guilt over the suffering Potion Master to look forward to.
-#-
"Father?" Lucius heard Draco ask from outside the door to Severus' room.
Lucius looked up at the sound of his son's voice; he was sat in the same chair as before, though he had moved it closer to the entrance, not wanting to miss Draco's return. He was glad he had, given that Draco was speaking fairly quietly, presumably not wanting to attract undue attention.
"Yes, Draco; I am here," Lucius intoned, rubbing at his forehead to ease the headache he could feel developing. ‘It’s not like I have anywhere else to go,’ he thought bitterly. “Do you have news?” he asked, tiredly, pushing himself up from his seat.
"Professor Snape is alive,” Draco told him quickly. “He is in the medical wing."
The wave of pure relief that Lucius felt was almost overwhelming and he took a deep shuddering breath as he let it sink in that the foolish man was at least not dead, as he had begun to fear. He felt that it was perhaps it was a good thing that there was no-one to see the look on his face at that moment, because there would have been no denying his feelings for the Potion Master after that.
Now that it was sinking in just how close he had come to losing Severus, Lucius wasn’t sure how he had managed to hold himself together for so long; though he was sure that Severus would say that the quantity of brandy Lucius had indulged in did not qualify as holding one's self together. Lucius smiled at the thought and found himself longing for the barbed words the other man would throw at him.
"How is he?" Lucius asked, his voice coming out raspy. He picked up his glass of water from the small table next to the chair and took a sip; he felt mildly annoyed when it was no longer as cold as he would have liked but it at least eased the discomfort of his parched throat.
"The nurse wouldn't let me see him," Draco admitted, sounding quite bitter about that, and Lucius was quite pleased to realise that he was not the only Malfoy who had been worried for Severus. "Madam Pomfrey seemed quite certain that he will make a full recovery," Draco added.
The expression 'full recovery' was somewhat disconcerting and made it sound like the Dark Lord had dealt with Severus harshly. 'No surprise there,' Lucius supposed, though it still churned his stomach to think of what had likely been done to his lover. He had too many firsthand experiences of what the Dark Lord's wrath could mean to delude himself.
"Father?" Draco called out softly, sounding concerned and Lucius realised that he had not responded.
"I am here. Thank you. I am glad to hear he will be all right," Lucius told his son, pulling himself from his thoughts. 'Glad... now there's an understatement,' he thought. "You will keep me updated? Seeing as the delightful Dumbledore is apparently incapable of doing so." Lucius was sure his words sounded as bitter as his son's had a moment earlier.
"Of course," Draco promised earnestly, and Lucius was rather touched by the sincerity in his son's voice.
"We are going to... have a word with the Headmaster with regards to keeping others informed," someone else said and Lucius recognised it to be Potter. Lucius had begun to wonder if Draco had come alone but it seemed not.
He did wonder if perhaps the Gryffindor had realised where the large part of the blame lay for Severus’s current state; however, Lucius was surprised to note that Potter's voice had the same frustrated and annoyed tone that Draco's did. It seemed that Headmaster Dumbledore wasn't in anyone's favour today; it was a thought that made him feel a rather vindictive pleasure. If Potter wanted to lay some of the blame down on the old fool’s shoulders, Lucius wouldn't be the one to stop him.
"I'll come back later," Draco promised. "I will try to get in to see in to see Professor Snape after dinner; hopefully he will be conscious by then."
"Very well," Lucius said, his voice deliberately emotionless. He didn't much fancy the idea of being left alone again but was all too aware that there was no alternative; it wasn't as though Draco could just linger in the hallway until Severus was fully recovered.
He did, however, take comfort in that it would only be a few hours until his son returned, hopefully with more news. 'And it better be news of a positive kind,' Lucius thought viciously, 'or someone will pay for it.'
-#-
Dinner at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall was a tense affair. Draco was stubbornly not speaking to anyone and taking particular care to ignore Harry. The two of them were getting a steady stream of questioning looks from Pansy and Blaise; though Hermione seemed to be determined to give the pair of Slytherins a run for their money, despite being on the other side of the hall at the Gryffindor table.
Harry just simply responded with a subtle shake of his head and hoped they got the message because he wasn't going to discuss the day's events over dinner and Draco didn't seem to be in the mood to discuss anything at all. Harry discreetly slid a hand onto Draco's thigh under the table, which caused the blond to turn and give him the deadliest expression the submissive had given him since they had gotten together.
"I thought you might want a bit of my magic, so that you can go see Snape without me in tow," Harry explained in whisper; the energy transfer wasn't as effective with clothing between them, but it still would help sustain Draco for a while. "I didn't think you would want me there. I can stop if you want," he added quickly, removing his hand from Draco's person.
Draco, however, grabbed Harry's hand before the dominant could move it more than a few inches and placed it back on his leg again, feeling a surprisingly rare twinge of frustration with his pregnancy and how dependent on Harry it made him.
"Stop being so damned understanding," Draco grumbled in annoyance, making Harry chuckle lightly. Harry leaned over and pressed a kiss to the corner of Draco's scowling mouth.
"Sorry," Harry whispered teasingly, a mildly amused smirk on his face, "shall I start being a complete bastard?" He was realising that Draco really was just looking for someone to be angry at.
Draco just turned and glared at Harry again, before going back to making quick work of his dinner. Blaise and Pansy were sharing suspicious looks with each other but wisely didn't comment and it was barely five minutes later when Draco silently rose from his seat and hastily left the Great Hall.
Blaise watched in amazement as he watching his best friend stormed from the room, before turning to Harry and shuffling over into the space Draco had vacated. "What in Merlin's name did you do?" Blaise asked Harry urgently, "or is this a 'Draco is angry at you because that is easier than being angry at himself' situation?"
Harry frowned at that, cocking his head at Blaise considering. "A bit of both, I suppose," he admitted. He had figured out that a lot of this was about Draco deflecting, but he was surprised that Blaise had figured that out so quickly.
"What happened?" Pansy asked eagerly, pushing her plate off to one side and leaning over from the other side of the table to ensure she didn't miss a thing.
Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Draco's friends. "Nothing that we are going to talk about here," Harry told her firmly. He had to stifle a laugh at the disappointed expressions that he spotted, not only on Pansy and Blaise's faces, but on several of the other students’, those who had been close enough to eavesdrop, as well.
"Does this have to do with...?" Blaise started to say, with a glance towards the Potion Master's usual seat at the teacher's table, which was currently empty.
"Blaise," Harry interrupted sternly, his pointed glare saying it all.
"Yes, yes, fine!" Blaise agreed impatiently, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You just better have a good explanation for Draco's mood or else," he warned. He didn't believe he and Pansy would have to protect Draco from Harry, but they would if it came to it.
Harry gave him an unimpressed look at the Slytherin's threat. "Yes," he said dryly, "because I would absolutely risk sitting over here with you, rather than at the Gryffindor table, if I had done something that was going to bring all of the Slytherin wrath down upon me," he intoned sarcastically.
Pansy apparently approved, if her amused smirk was anything to go by.
-#-
It was only his strict upbringing and Malfoy blood that kept Draco from running all the way to the hospital wing and demanding to see the Potion Master. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so guilty; it wasn't an emotion he usually allowed himself to feel.
He was glad that Harry was at least ready to shoulder his fair share of the blame. 'Perhaps even more than his fair share?' Draco's conscience prompted, with far more honesty than he had managed since they had first discovered that Professor Snape had been put in danger because of the article. He stomped that thought down quickly though; there was part of him knew that perhaps he was being unduly harsh with Harry but he didn't feel quite ready to fully acknowledge it yet.
He at least needed to speak with Professor Snape and evaluate the damage done, before starting on the process of truly doling out responsibility. That was, of course, assuming that the Potion Master didn't beat him to it and wasn't already sitting and waiting to levy punishment against Draco for their actions.
It was that chilling thought that made the blond hesitate and slow his pace, feeling apprehensive about facing the potions master; however, his curiosity and concern for the man won out. He was not about to let the Professor Snape intimidate enough to keep him away. Worse-case scenario, he could always pin it on Harry; the Potions Master would believe that without a doubt.
No matter how the blame fell, Draco at least felt confident that Harry would never let anything happen to Draco or their unborn child anyway. It was a reassuring thought, giving him a strong feeling of security and Draco smirked at the somewhat giddy feeling that that kind of power over someone gave him.
However, the expression slid from his face as the large doors to the Medical Wing came into view. He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as he mentally braced himself and did his very best to place the remaining guilt into a locked corner of his mind. He straightened his robes and ran a hand over his hair, before he stepped through the door.
"Mr Malfoy!" the nurse said, in a carrying and annoyed voice when she spotted him entering the Medical Wing. "I thought I had made myself plainly clear when I told you that..."
"I am already awake," Snape's sneering voice interrupted from behind the screen at the far end of the ward. "I will speak with Mr Malfoy," the Potions Master insisted. "I am perfectly capable of conversing without it negatively impacting on the remainder of my recovery."
The nurse gave a huff that clearly indicated just how put upon she felt. It was no secret that she held very little tolerance for stubborn patients, particularly those who believed themselves qualified to evaluate their own medical needs. However, she waved a hand for Draco to follow as she turned and headed the length of the room.
"Honestly, Severus," Madam Pomfrey said with exasperation, as she stepped around the curtain, Draco only a pace behind her. He was rather shocked to see just how pale and tired Professor looked.
"I can come back later," Draco said quickly. He wanted to speak with the man, but he couldn't help but think that maybe Madam Pomfrey might be right about Professor Snape needing rest.
"Sit," the professor said firmly, a finger pointing to a seat close to the head of the bed. Severus' voice demanded obedience and it didn't occur to Draco to not comply with the instruction and he was seated almost before he realised what had happened.
"Mr Malfoy can stay," Madam Pomfrey agreed, not sounding at all pleased by this. "However," she added in a loud voice, when it looked as though she was about to be interrupted by her most consistently obstinate patient, "you will stay in bed; you will not attempt to leave here until I have decided you are ready to; and most certainly will not recruit Mr Malfoy, or any other student, or member of staff for that matter, to assist you in avoiding the care and attention I have decided you currently require."
Draco avoided looking at either of the adults in the room, instead taking a sudden interest in his own shoes; he really didn't want to witness the man who he greatly respected being chastised like a badly behaved child, nor did he enjoy finding himself in the middle of the surprisingly tense moment.
"Very well," the Potions Master bit out through clenched teeth and Madam Pomfrey gave a nod of approval before heading back around the curtain to leave the tem alone. Draco couldn't even begin make out the grumbled words that Snape muttered under his breath once the nurse had finally left.
It was with definite apprehension that Draco looked up and met the narrowed glare of Professor Snape. There was a long, heavy silence between them, however, when Snape finally spoke, the words were not quite the ones of accusation Draco had expected.
"Please tell me that you have informed your father that I am alive," the Potions Master said sternly, "I suspect that our esteemed headmaster might have... accidentally... overlooked Lucius, in his haste to ensure my well being," he added in a dry, humourless tone.
Draco nodded in confirmation. "My father was quite concerned," Draco told him. "Though, from the sound of him, I expect your liquor cabinet may take longer to recover than you will," he joked, the corner of his mouth turning up in amusement.
Snape snorted, rather enjoying the mental image of his normally cool, calm and collected lover so inebriated. "I am somewhat sorry to have missed seeing your father in such a state," he commented.
"You and me both," Draco admitted; he was glad that the Potion Master didn’t seem to be in the foul mood he had expected. "The wards kept me and Harry from being able to get in," he explained quickly.
“That was their purpose,” Snape told him bluntly. “I wished to avoid stray persons from coming across Lucius. No-one other than me will be able to pass through them,” he said in his teaching voice, the one he usually saved for particularly obtuse first-year students.
“No-one?” Draco asked in worried surprise, sitting upright in his chair and narrowing his eyes at Snape. “But you nearly died. You would have left him trapped in there?” the blond demanded angrily.
“Foolish child! I would do no such thing,” Snape barked impatiently; Draco was fairly sure it was taking all the man’s will power not to get out of the bed and tower over him, like he was used to doing. “The house-elves have access the room. Besides, if I had died then the wards would have fallen,” he pointed out.
“And then my father would have been free to return to Him," Draco pointed out with a huff. "That is so much better,” he said sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Firstly," Snape said, narrowing his eyes at the sulking teen, " there is more magic than just my own holding your father in that room. And secondly, I do not think he would return to his former master as readily as you think, Draco,” Snape told him.
Draco, however, didn’t look convinced; and he found he was far more comfortable feeling angry than he had been dealing with the guilt he had been feeling before. He looked away from the Potions Master and found a point on the floor to watch, not wanting to get into an argument with Snape about Lucius' trustworthiness. He didn't really know what to say to the professor and honestly, now that he had seen for himself that Professor Snape was truly okay, he was ready to leave; preferably before the man remembered the part Draco had played in his suffering.
“The newspaper was a fascinating read this morning,” Snape said conversationally, but Draco wasn’t fooled. “It was amazing how that reporter managed to get such personal information and photographs,” he went on, his voice tense and mocking, though with annoyance rather than any trace of humour. “For a moment I thought that you and Potter must have actually provided it yourselves," he went on sarcastically. "But then I thought to myself that, while Potter might have been reckless enough to do such a thing, surely Draco Malfoy, the intelligent young man I know, would have had more sense.”
Draco knew that if he found the courage to look up, the Potions Master’s expression would be stern and cold, black eyes glaring into his soul with disapproval. Draco hated that he had let Snape down, but, when they had made all their plans for the article, he really had not believed this would be the result.
“We didn’t think that...” Draco mumbled towards the floor, his voice trailing off to nothing, already knowing that Professor Snape was not going to accept that excuse, that there was nothing he could say to make what had happened okay.
“Didn't think what?" Snape asked angrily. "That the Dark Lord might want to know why I had failed to inform him about the relationship between one of his supposedly loyal followers and Harry Potter? Or perhaps that the Dark Lord might not be pleased to find out through the Daily Prophet, of all places? Or how about, that he might take that anger out on the spy who is supposed to keep him informed with regards to the goings on at Hogwarts?”
“Well I didn’t think you would be stupid enough to have not told him about me and Harry," Draco snapped, looking up to glare at the Potions Master, "given that it was going to come out eventually, one way or another.” The teenager’s eyes went wide as he realised that he had just called his Professor, one of the few people he could currently trust, stupid. 'Great job, Draco,' he thought sarcastically.
The Potions Master, however, just looked kind of stunned; Snape was surprised by the blond’s outburst, but it was more that maybe Draco had a point. It had been foolish to think that the Dark Lord would never find out about their young couple’s relationship and it was inevitable that the backlash was going to be bad. He had to wonder how he had let the Headmaster talk him into such a course of action.
Had Dumbledore realised that this was the likely outcome? Severus was no fool, he knew that the old man considered him expendable and would sacrifice him without compunction if it meant they would win the war, but still... The idea that he might have been manipulated into the hell he had suffered made him nauseous. He had just wanted to protect Lucius' son, and Lily's too he supposed, and Dumbledore had taken advantage of that.
“Sir...?” Draco asked hesitantly, apparently having been able to see something in the Potions Master’s expression. “Are you okay, Sir?” he asked with worry in his voice.
“Leave,” the Professor said slowly, still deep in his own thoughts and wanting to be left alone to mull them over.
“Sir," Draco said, wondering if he should apologise. He had no idea what had made him speak so bluntly; it was such a Gryffindor thing to have done, when holding his tongue would have been the smart move. "I didn’t mean to...”
“Get out!” Snape interrupted angrily. 'Damn teenagers and their inability to do as they are told,' he thought grumpily. He wasn't actually all that angry about what Draco had said, but he really needed time to think and he was angry that the blond was not letting him have that.
Draco was a bit stunned at having been shouted at, but got to his feet intending to do as instructed. However, he hesitated, biting his bottom lip a little as he tried to find the right words. “Sir...”
“Draco...” Snape said firmly in warning, cutting him off.
Thankfully for the Potions Master’s sanity, Draco finally got the message and turned to leave. Snape watched as purple wings disappeared past the screen still around his bed and could hear light footsteps echoing off the walls before the sound of the door at the far end of the Medical Wing told him that he was alone.
-#-
“What’s going on?” Hermione asked in hushed tones, grabbing hold of Harry’s arm and pulling him over to one side, as they all headed out of the Great Hall.
“I think we all want to know that,” Pansy agreed with eager curiosity and Blaise nodded in agreement, as they came to stand with Harry, Ron and Hermione by one of the walls in the Entrance Hall .
Harry felt quite claustrophobic, being surrounded by of his and Draco’s closest friends, all of them demanding explanations, and so couldn’t help it when his wings suddenly burst out of his back. Many of the students in the Entrance Hall, including his friends, jumped at the sudden appearance of green feathers.
“Hey, guys. Is everything okay?” Ginny asked hesitantly as she came over to join the little group, looking between them in confusion. “Does this have anything to do with why Malfoy stormed out of dinner earlier?” she asked, eyeing up Harry's wings with interest.
Harry groaned, and turned to rest his forehead on the cold stone of the wall behind him. He knew that his friends were just trying to be supportive but it had been a really long few days and he really didn't want to talk about it. He wasn't even sure what he could say to them, as he was certain that Snape wouldn't want people talking about him.
“Harry?” Ron asked in a confused and worried voice.
“I’m fine,” Harry muttered, not wanting to move his head from the cool surface that was easing the headache that was starting to form, remaining happily hidden behind his half folded wings.
“No offence, Potter, but you don’t exactly look it,” Blaise commented and Harry could tell that the Slytherin was smirking, even without being able to see him.
“I need to talk to Dumbledore,” Harry told them suddenly and with determination, as much to change the subject as anything. Turning to face those surrounding him, he stepped past them so that he could breathe a little easier. He hadn’t appreciated Blaise’s comment much and so it might not have been a complete accident when the tip of his wing brushed against Blaise’s hand.
“Hi, Weasley,” Blaise simpered, leaning a bit closer to the red-headed girl, his entire attention on Ginny. This was, of course, much to Harry and Pansy's great amusement.
“Hi...” Ginny said hesitantly, looking at Blaise strangely, trying to work out what he was up to. Ron narrowed his eyes suspiciously too, glaring at Blaise for a moment before turning to Ginny and then Harry in turn.
“Okay, sure, Harry. Why don't we all head up to Dumbledore's office now,” Hermione suggested, knowing full well what Harry had just done and not wanting to give Ron time to dwell on it.
“No, no, it’s fine," Harry said dismissively. "You guys go back to the common rooms. When I have spoken to Dumbledore, and Draco is done with Snape, we will have more answers,” he told them, heading off towards the Grand Staircase. “Draco and I will explain as best we can then,” Harry called back to his friends, hoping that his mate would be talking to him again by that point.
“Harry!” Hermione called out after him, but Harry didn't stop, and continued on up the staircase, presumably towards the Headmaster’s office. She frowned, not liking that Harry was shutting them out, trying to take care of everything by himself but knowing that there was only so much they could actually do.
Pansy too was feeling annoyed with being left out of the loop, and was frowning as Harry disappeared up another flight of stairs and out of sight. “Now what?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Now Zabini stops ogling my sister,” Ron said testily, drawing attention back to the way that Blaise was eyeing up Ginny.
Ginny, however, just rolled her eyes at her brother's protectiveness. “Shut up, Ronald," she told him bluntly. "As long as Blaise has the good sense to keep his hands to himself, his eyes can wander wherever they like,” she said, winking at Blaise before wandering off laughing.
Ron scowled at his sister's back, before turning to Blaise once more. “I am keeping an eye on you,” Ron warned, pointing a finger at the Slytherin boy.
“Well I am flattered, Weasley, but your little sister is more my type,” Blaise teased, though he was still fixated on Ginny, his gaze on her arse as she walked away from them. “Besides, you heard her," he added, finally turning to grin at Ron when Ginny disappeared out of sight, "I have permission to ogle.”
“Don’t wind him up,” Hermione said in an exasperated tone, grabbing hold of Ron's arm before the red-head could decide to discourage Blaise's interest in Ginny.
“Well he shouldn’t make it so easy then,” Blaise said, as Pansy linked her arm through his and started to lead him away.
"Leave him, Ron," Hermione said firmly and gave Ron's arm a few firm tugs; he stubbornly held his ground for a moment but then let Hermione lead him away and together the two of them headed off towards the Gryffindor common room.
-#-
Harry had tried to put his wings away but he just couldn’t do it; he suspected it was to do with not being able to settle his thoughts and he made a mental note to get Hermione or Draco to help him research it later. For the moment though, he had other issues to deal with. He frowned at the gargoyle that was keeping him out of the Headmaster's office. He had realised that he had no idea what the password was and he thought, not for the first time, that having a Headmaster’s office that the students couldn’t even get to the door of was less than helpful.
“Sherbet Lemon,” he said hopefully, but the statue showed no signs of moving. “Cockroach Clusters, Acid Pops, Sugar Quills, Cauldron Cakes, Ice Mice, Ginger Newts....”
Harry stopped when the Gargoyle moved and the entrance to the stairway was revealed. He had been reeling off the list of sweets so quickly that he wasn’t even sure which of them had been right, but he shrugged it off, not really caring a great deal. All he wanted at that moment was to speak with the Headmaster and get some answers; for Draco’s sake, as much as his own.
“Enter,” Dumbledore’s voice called out right away when Harry rapped firmly on the door. “Ah, Harry, my boy, to what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked with a pleased expression.
“Do you actually care that Snape got hurt?” Harry asked, fighting to control his temper as he took a few steps into the office towards where the older man was sitting behind the large desk. “Did it occur to you that Lucius Malfoy might want to know Snape was alive?”
“I believe it is possible that I might even care more about Professor Snape than you do, Harry,” Dumbledore said in an overly calm voice, steepling his fingers and peering over the top of his glasses. “And certainly I have cared for longer. Though, I am glad to see that you care enough that his suffering bothers you.”
“Bothers me? Of course, it bothers me,” Harry said with exasperation and a wild wave of his arms. He was slightly taken aback that the Headmaster would think otherwise. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
Dumbledore gave a slow nod of his head. “I do, however, find myself a somewhat perplexed as to the reasoning behind the article in this morning’s paper,” the Headmaster said, and if the man’s eyes had lost a little of their usual twinkle, Harry wasn’t going to mention it. “I presume that it was published with the permission both Mr Malfoy and yourself?”
Harry nodded; the apparent change of subject made him sure that Dumbledore had made the same associations between Snape's fate and the article but while he had tolerated Draco blaming him, he wasn't going to give Dumbledore the same courtesy.
“We just wanted something to happen our own terms for once,” Harry explained, his eyes and posture speaking of his fierce determination. “It isn’t like we meant for Snape, or anyone, to get hurt!”
“Professor Snape, Harry,” Dumbledore chastised, “and it was not my intention to place the blame for Professor’s Snape’s current condition upon your shoulders; I am certainly that is more of a burden there than there ever should be for one so young.”
“Like hell it wasn’t,” Harry mumbled under his breath, not buying the Headmaster's understanding for a moment; he had never had any indication that Dumbledore wanted to lighten his burden. “And," Harry ploughed on, raising his voice, "we had every right to release that information."
“Of course, my boy. Though might it not have been wise to discuss it with at least one the many adults who have been risking their lives to try and keep you safe?” Dumbledore asked in the most patronising voice Harry had ever heard him use.
Harry was surprised that his temper was holding and suspected that it was being subdued a little by the twinges of guilt that kept creeping into his mind. He had been finding it very difficult not to regret the outcome of the morning’s publication, though he was determined not to. It was something he hoped would become easier once they knew for certain that Snape was going to make a full recovery.
“Wise...?” Harry gave that an honest moment’s thought. “In retrospect, maybe,” he admitted. “But we thought you would have stopped us from publishing the article completely,” Harry said coldly, his face not betraying his conflicted feelings on the whole situation; apparently he had learnt a few things about emotional masks from Draco. “And that would have negated the point of us having some control for once.” 'Negated,' Harry thought smugly; oh, the things his mate was teaching him, because that was definitely a Slytherin word if he had ever heard one.
“You asked me to help ensure the safety of your young family,” Dumbledore said, leaning forward over his desk. “Rash decisions, such as this, make that rather more difficult; though I understand, of course, that this was not your intention.”
“I didn’t ask,” Harry pointed out petulantly, “you just offered. I will keep Draco and our baby safe, with, or without, your help; or anyone else’s for that matter.” Harry crossed his arms over his chest. Dumbledore was a powerful wizard, there was no doubting that, but that wasn’t enough of a reason to let the Headmaster control their lives; it didn’t give Dumbledore the right to tell them what choices to make.
The Headmaster said nothing to that and just continued to watch Harry curiously, as though the young man was an interesting puzzle to figure out; it was setting Harry’s last nerve on edge.
“And I still don’t understand why you didn’t let Lucius Malfoy know when you knew that Sna...” Harry reluctantly stopped and corrected himself under the Headmaster’s stern gaze, “Professor Snape was going to be okay.”
Dumbledore sighed, leaning back in his chair one more. “It was merely an oversight on my part,” he said sadly, “one that I sincerely apologise for.”
“It isn’t me who needs your apologies,” Harry said, surprised by the weariness of the older man’s voice. Dumbledore sounded tired and regretful, and Harry was sure that in the past it might have been enough to cause his anger to fade to sympathy, but not this time.
“No, I suppose not,” the old man conceded. “I shall make sure to speak with both Professor Snape and Mr Malfoy tomorrow. I am sure they will both be flattered that you care so much about their well being.”
Harry scowled at that, feeling that the Headmaster was simply mocking him, or else indulging the whim of a child. “Thank you, Sir,” he said tersely.
“You are most welcome, my boy,” the Headmaster said with a fond smile and whether he was oblivious to Harry’s insincerity or just deliberately ignoring it was unclear. Either way, it only added to Harry's frustrated mood.
The silence that followed hung awkwardly between them. Harry was sure that there had been more he had to say but, with his blood pulsing loudly in his ears, he couldn’t remember for the life of him what it was.
“I should go,” Harry mumbled, just wanting to get out of there. It had been a really long day; he wanted to go find his mate, to make sure that Draco was okay and hopefully get a good night's sleep.
“Very well,” Dumbledore said with a small nod. “Do take care of yourself, and Draco. Please do give him my apologies for the worry I have inadvertently caused his father.”
Harry managed to force a smile, which he knew wouldn’t reach his eyes and likely wasn’t as convincing as one Draco could have managed, before turning from the Headmaster and heading out of the room.
Harry vaguely wondered if the man’s platitudes had always sounded so insincere and he had just been too trusting to notice. Or if the article had finally made the Headmaster realise that Harry and Draco were not going to play ball, in whatever game the old man was playing. Either way he was done listening to what was blatantly nothing more than words.
He was mulling everything over as he headed towards the Gryffindor tower and let out a quiet groan of frustration when he remembered that he had promised his friends an explanation. He really was too tired and not in any sort of mood to be true to do so; though he was curious to hear if Draco had managed to speak with Snape.
-#-
As Draco left the hospital wing, his mind was a turmoil of emotions. The conversation with Professor Snape had gone both better and worse than he had expected, all at the same time. The Professor didn't really seem all that angry at either him or Harry, but then, when he had been thrown out, the man had looked really... hurt?
Draco shook his head at the craziness of that thought, and filed it away for later consideration; perhaps when he didn't have a hundred different thoughts buzzing around in his mind. He was even wondering if perhaps he might even be able to salvage some respect out of the situation. After all, it wasn’t every day you told a Hogwarts Professor to his face that he was stupid and got away with it!
He stopped in the corridor and looked around; it was empty and he figured most students were probably either in the library desperately trying to finish off homework, or else had returned to their common rooms. He wondered where Harry was now.
'Hopefully in our rooms working on a really great apology,' Draco thought with a salacious little smile. He was still a little angry at Harry but, at this point, was fairly sure that the right words, hugs and kisses could probably win him over.
That thought putting him in a somewhat better mood, Draco decided to head for bed, with or without Harry. And so Draco started off again, and found his footsteps instinctively leading him towards the Slytherin common room.

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Review Responses:
ChaosLady - Silly Headmaster indeed; he is not doing a very good job of getting Harry on side.
Delia Cerrano - Severus is very brave and yes, Severus, Draco and Harry are going to have to stick together when it is so difficult to tell who is an ally and who is an enemy. They don't trust Lucius completely, but they do want to. Dumbledore is acting for what he believes is the greater good; which is likely not to be in Harry, or Draco's best interests. And definitely not Severus'
Jan - Sorry it took a while for the new chapter.
Paula, RedRose and Dawn - Thank you for joining the e-mail list. I am glad you are enjoying it.
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