Hi
Harry,

Open your Floo so I can come over later for date night. I
know we agreed on 6:30, but open it now, so when you lose track of time later,
we don’t miss out on an hour of fun while my owl flies over with a nasty note
from me. Like the last two times.

Open It Now!!!

Love ya,

Hermione

P.S. Let me know if I should bring drinks. I can't do
scotch again, I have classes tomorrow.

Hey, Harry

R

Harry checked his watch and opened the Floo. He had lost
track time on several occasions, leaving Hermione waiting. He fed her owl a
treat and sent him back with a reply for her and another to Ron's 'hello' on
the back of her note.

My dearest Mi, whom I would never forget (again)

Floo's open. Butterbeer's on ice.

Hey Ron, say hi to Filius.

H

Harry couldn’t help but chuckle. Ron had been playing chess
with Filius Flitwick almost every Thursday and hadn't beaten him yet.

Getting back to his house plans, Harry tried to envision
where each room would be. He’d checked the muggle town records to see if there
was a layout of his parent's original home, but since the house didn't exist
any more, the records were no longer on file. It was curiosity more than
anything that made him want to see them, but part of him was glad they no
longer existed. He wanted to build a home for himself, and one day, he hoped
Severus would share it with him. He wanted to make it ‘all his own’, not a
rebuild of his parents’ place. He still hadn't told Severus how close he was to
starting the actual building; he wanted to surprise Sev when it was further
along. His plan was to have the foundation and framework done before revealing
it to his lover.

Severus occasionally pointed out Harry's lack of employment.
Harry knew he was just kidding him, but still he wanted to show Sev he could
accomplish something great that didn't involve a Dark Lord. Besides, he didn't
need money, and wanted to concentrate his efforts on training, amongst other
things. Speaking of other things…Damn his bed felt empty while Sev was gone.

An hour later, the house plans were forgotten as Harry was
going insane trying to scratch his entire body. It hadn't occurred to him that
if his hair grew back in one day, the rapid growth would be irritating as Hell.
Kieran neglected to tell him that little detail. Since the hair on his head was
the longest, it grew the fastest. As the peachfuzz on is scalp grew into what
looked like a very short crew cut, Harry scratched his head raw from the itch.

Rummaging through a box in his closet, Harry found a book
Poppy Pomfrey gave him when he finished school. It was a book on general
household remedies for mild illnesses and injuries. It had a cross reference for
symptoms and ailments, and it even listed muggle treatments if they were
considered noteworthy.

He found his answer in the chapter on Chicken Pox, since
itching was the chief complaint. An hour after finding what he needed, Hermione
flooed in to the sitting room.

"Harry, it's me," she called out, expecting Harry
to greet her. "Harry!?" she called out louder when she didn't get a
response.

"That you, ‘Mione?"

"My name is not ‘Mione," she griped.

Harry smirked; he knew she liked it. "It's your fault
for having so many syllables. At least we stopped calling you Herm. Grab a
Butterbeer from the ‘fridge, and bring me one, too!" he yelled from the
other room.

"Bring you one where?" she asked, not sure where
he was. She put her bag down on the sofa and headed for he kitchen, popping the
tops off two bottles. Hermione knocked on the bedroom doorframe, thinking Harry
was in there, but only received an indignant hoot from Hedwig, who startled
from her sleep. "Harry, where are you?" she asked again when he didn't
answer.

"The bath," was a garbled reply, as if he'd had
his head underwater before he answered. Hermione took a sip of her butterbeer
and stared at the closed door to the bathroom.

"Um, Har, I know we have a close relationship, and Ron
doesn't even mind that we talk about sex all the time, but I'm pretty sure this
is where he'd draw the line." Me too, for that matter.

"It's ok, trust me," he said with a small laugh.

"Need I remind you that it was you who told me never to
trust a man who says, 'trust me'?"

"Alohamora," he said and the door opened wide.
Hermione couldn’t help but look. It wasn't her fault the door opened abruptly.
"See, told ya," said Harry from the bathtub filled to the brim with
oatmeal.

Hermione looked incredulously at the sight of Harry in a
huge claw-foot tub, up to his eyeballs in oatmeal. Correction, past his
eyeballs, as the top of his head was caked up with drying cereal. She could
only make out his eyes, nose and lips.

"You look like a quicksand victim. Should I hand you a
vine and save you?" she teased, and gave him his butterbeer. After a
moment she peeled the label off her bottle and transfigured it to a straw so
Harry could drink without oatmeal sliding down his face. He explained what
Kieran had done, and how he had been suffering from the itch and resorted to an
oatmeal bath. Hermione just laughed at him.

"When they say ‘oatmeal bath’, they mean a bath of
water with a cup or two of oatmeal added, not an entire tub of prepared hot
cereal," she explained, gasping with laughter. Harry just shrugged, not
caring in the least as long as the itch subsided.

"It worked; that's all I care about. I knew the book
was probably referring to the plain stuff, but I only had the cinnamon
kind," he said lifting his foot to the surface showing the raisins between
his toes.

'There’s nothing more amusing than making Butterbeer come
out of Hermione's nose'. He thought to himself as she sputtered.

Later…

Hermione sat in the kitchen and perused Harry's house plans
while she waited for him to dress. "Feeling better?" she asked when
he came out in his most comfy sweatpants and tee.

"Yeah, still itchy, but not unbearable." He handed
her a fresh butterbeer and sat down.

"You know, moisturizer always helps when I'm itchy from
dry skin. It couldn't hurt," she said, reaching into her bag, and pulled
out a small tube. "Try this," she poured a small portion into his
hands. She murmured a small engorgement spell, and he had a large glob of
lotion on his hands. "Close your eyes. 'Circumtero'," she said
with a flick of her wand, and the lotion spread itself evenly over his skin.
"Feels good, right? Don't even have to take your clothes off. My mum gets
dry skin and she loves when I do that spell for her," she rambled on, and
Harry chuckled.

"Does Ron like that spell too? Can you do it with
&quo" he asked with his eyebrows raised suggestively.

"Harry Potter, you're such a pig," she declared
indignantly. "I'll have to try that," she added with a gleam in her
eye.

One chick-flick later, Harry poked through a half-finished
carton of Chinese take-out to see if there was any shrimp left. "It was
OK, but too sappy I think," Harry said about the movie as he fumbled his
chopsticks, dropping a shrimp on the front of his tee. "Damn," he
said, wiping up the sauce with his fingers, and popping the shrimp into his
mouth.

"Nice," Hermione remarked on his manners, as Harry
licked his fingers. "You're as big a pig as Ron, and that's saying
something." She picked up the remote control and flipped through the
channels. "I thought it was a great movie. Very romantic," she
said with a sigh.

Harry picked up his napkin and wiped the corners of his
mouth with his pinky finger out. "Better?" he asked, getting a prissy
look in return. "The girl was naked for half the film, and the blonde guy,
what was his name? He hardly showed his arse, only in that one shower
scene," Harry protested. "It's a jip."

"True; mmm…he did have a nice bum." Hermione
looked down at her blouse, comparing her breasts to the woman in the film.
"Hmph," she sighed, and made no further comment. Harry made himself
busy looking for another shrimp, not wanting to get into a conversation about
inadequacies with a girl. He knew it was never a safe subject, and left it
alone. He compared himself to Sev, who was much more filled out. Still, Harry
was very content with his fit body, even if he wasn't as broad-shouldered as he
would be someday. He hoped.

"I almost forgot, didn't you say you wanted to talk to
me about the meeting you had with Professor Dumbledore?" asked Hermione as
she tucked her feet up under her, getting cozy on the sofa.

"I've tried not to think about it all day, but it keeps
slipping back into my head," Harry said, aggravated. "Want another
one?" he asked, getting up for a butterbeer.

"No, thanks. Can you give me a hint, a subject? I'm
dying to know," she said, desperately wanting to know the latest news,
though it didn't sound like it was going to be good.

"My 'family'," he said disdainfully. He plopped
down on the sofa and tore open a package of crunchy Chinese noodles.
"Albus said the wards have to be reset, and they’re not giving permission
to do it."

"Oh," she said biting her lip. "Don't they
realize they’re at risk?"

"They’re too stupid. Vernon hates magic so much he won't
allow the wards, even for their own protection. It's not like the magic hadn't
been there all these years. I hate them, and I hate that I've been stressed out
over them---their safety. It puts me in such a twisted bind. I
thought when I left, I was done with all that crap."

"They probably feel the same way," she said,
always the voice of reason. "I guess, once you left they thought they
didn't have to worry about magic any more, and don't want to think about this
stuff either."

"Well, we don't always get what we want," he said
sharply. "They’re not responding to mail, and now Albus wants me to go
with him to try to talk some sense into them." he jabbed one of the
noodles into the duck sauce and crunched harder than necessary.

"Is he out of his gourd? Dumbledore actually expects
you to see them in person? Harry, they almost killed you. How can he ask such a
thing?"

"You know Albus, I always have a ‘choice’," Harry
said with a snort as if anyone ever really had any choice with Albus. "I
don't think he really cares about them, but he's worried about what it will do
to me if they get harmed. He thinks if they're attacked, I'll blame myself, and
that's his main concern. Maybe he thinks I'll be able to talk them into it.
They’re as much a target as you and Ron, since most of the wizarding world
doesn't know about my 'home life'," he said scornfully.

"Why now, after all this time? Hasn’t it been more than
a year since the wards went down?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. It must’ve been a temporary
breach. They don't boost the wards every year like at Hogwarts, the fortress
that it is. The wards on Privet Drive were reworked every four years," He
said doing the math in his head. "Albus said the wards were put on the
house the night Voldemort killed my parents. Since I was placed there just
after Halloween, I guess it's time."

"Are you going to do it?" she asked, nervous for
him.

"I guess." He shrugged. "Honestly, I was
thinking about saying no, but if something happens, and I didn't at least try,
I probably would feel bad. I can't imagine I'm going to convince them, but I
think any ‘obligation’ to them that I may feel ame lme level, will be more than
met. By going to warn them to protect
themselves, despite all they’ve done to me, I think I’ll feel I truly have acted
in a more caring and responsible way than they ever did for me. I've come a
long way since I left their house. The counseling helped me learn to release
both my anger at them, and any sense of responsibility for whatever it is
Voldie may get into his head to do. They make their own choices, and bear the
responsibility for them. Facing them is actually the hardest part for me,
though I don’t think I’ll have any real problem with that. Besides, I'll have
Albus Dumbledore by my side. I couldn't ask for more if I were facing Voldemort
himself," he said, trying to make light of the situation. Hermione still
looked concerned.

"I don’t know that I'd be too willing to go back, but
they are at risk. It would be the right thing to do," she said, unsure who
she was trying to convince, Harry or herself.

"Remus offered to go also, but I think any more wizards
in the house would freak them out more. I can only imagine how they're going to
react to Albus, in all his glory," smirked Harry.

"I hadn't thought of that," said Hermione,
remembering he had once told her that Albus never wore muggle clothes.
"With his long hair and beard, he wouldn't look like a muggle, no matter
what he wore," said an amused Hermione. "What about Severus?"

"He's livid about the whole thing. He told McGonagall
that he thought Albus never should have involved me."

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "He told you that?"

"No, I overheard her telling Albus." Harry paused
when he saw the incriminating look on his friend’s face. "Don't even
start. I was in my room at Hogwarts, looking for something, when they started
talking a few doors down. McGonagall didn't now I was there, but Albus did, and
he doesn't 'accidentally' let you overhear things he doesn't want you to
know."

"Do you and Severus talk about stuff?" asked
Hermione, hoping it wasn't just a lot of sex between them. "Does he know
about you you know? Did you tell him about the Dursleys?"

"Yeah, we talk about things. I told him about my past,
and more specifically, I told him about what led to my having Albus as
guardian. We communicate pretty well, I think. We don't always agree, but at
least we can discus issues and our opinions without hexing each other," he
said the last part lightheartedly.

"Have you had a fight yet? I mean, since you got together?"
she held her butterbeer between her hands, fumbling with the label. She knew
she was getting personal, but also knew Harry wouldn't get offended and
wouldn't have any problem telling her if something was too private.

"We don’t agree on Remus being a professor, but no, we
haven't had a fight, I guess."

"Does he still want the DADA job?"

"If you recall, it was Percy who told us he wanted the
job," he said, thinking that should be enough, but added. "No, he
officially isn't interested in the position. Maybe at one point he was, but not
now. He has issues with Remus staying in the castle during the full moon.
Personally, I don’t think it's a real problem. I argued that the night of our
third year was an extenuating circumstance and should be excused. He doesn’t
buy that. As he said, and I quote, "I recall a certain Gryffindor
having some form of extenuating circumstances at least once a year. Not good
odds, in my opinion."

"Luckily, it's not his decision to make,"
commented Hermione, miffed my what Sev had said.

"Not exactly, but he could make demands in
exchange for brewing a complex and time consuming potion once a month."

"That's extortion! He's the only one that can make that
potion." Her voice grew louder with each word.

"He can't be the only one. Wouldn't the apothecary sell
it?"

"They sell one of the original versions that barely
meets Ministry standards. I researched it when we had to do the essay on
werewolves. It’s the only potion on the market, and isn't half as good without
the advancements Severus has made. If he wanted to make it available to the
open market, he'd make a fortune."

"It's scary how thorough you are when researching. Can
we not argue about this? I'll see if I talktalk some sense into him. I still
have a headache thinking about the Dursleys. I don't need to argue with you
over Remus, especially since I agree with you." Harry had been sitting on
the edge of the sofa, and now slumped back down with a sigh.

"I get a little riled up when it comes to people's
rights. You know, like the whole house elf thing. Sorry," she said, not
wanting to upset Harry when he already had to deal with the prospect of seeing
his relatives again. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but then
couldn't resist the temptation to rub her fingers in his short, soft, freshly
grown head of hair. "Do you know when you'll go?"

"Albus said the end of the week is best, that way if we
talk them into it, we can do the wards immediately and afterwards have the
weekend to relax. I guess he has a few people on standby, should we pull it
off," he said dejectedly. “To be honest with you, I don't see it
happening. The whole thing is a waste of time, and stressful to boot."

"I tend to agree, but like you said, you have to
try." She was still lazily rubbing his head. "Sorry," she said,
realizing her hand was still on his head. "Have you ever cut your hair?
You know, there?" she said glancing down

"I don’t have any hair there now," he said with a
laugh. "Hell, I don't even have eyebrows." He laughed harder with a
snort, and she slapped him in the arm.

"You know what I mean!" she said blushing.
"Do you think Ron would like it if I did?"

"He might. It would be different. It's fun when you can
surprise him with something new," Harry said, remembering the night he'd
opened Sev's trousers with his teeth. He'd seen it in a movie and thought it
was a turn-on. It wasn't as easy as it looked on TV. "Maybe if he likes it
shorter, or shaven, he'll spend more time down there, but you’d best figure
something for the itching when it grows back,” Harry said, waggling his
non-existent eyebrows.

"You look ridiculous, like your forehead is trying, but
it's not working," said an amused Hermione. "I remember what I wanted
to ask you about. Ginny said that if you hum while giving head, it feels good,
but when I tried it I don't think Ron thought it made much difference. What do
you think?"

"I think I don't want to think about Ginny giving
someone head," he said rolling his eyes. "Does Ron know she does
that?"

"You’re as big a hypocrite as Ron. And he didn't
complain when I was Ginny's age doing the same thing."

"Rule of thumb, most men don't complain when their cock
is in your mouth. Unless there's a teeth issue," he said casually, making
her laugh. "Good thing you had your teeth shortened way back when.
Ouch," he added, having gotten another smack to the arm for his
comments. They spent the rest of the
evening talking about sex and other various pleasures.

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Severus stood in front of Albus' desk with his arms crossed
over his chest. The scowl on his face was getting him nowhere.

"I can appreciate your concern Severus, but the
presence of another wizard is not likely to help our cause," said Albus,
explaining it would be best if he didn't go with them to discuss wards with
Harry's family.

"They freaked at the sight of Arthur Weasley. How do you think they'd react to your
imposing self?" asked Harry almost comically. He could just see Sev
looking very intimidating at the Dursleys. "It's not like you've introduced
me to your family is it?" he asked, knowing Sev had no living relatives.

"I'll show you their graves if you'd like. I even have
a few portraits in storage if you wish to have a word with them," he said
dryly.

"Well, some of them must have at least liked
you," Harry retorted.

"Doubtful," Severus said, but Harry didn't think
he was being totally honest.

While Harry argued he didn't think it mattered, since he was
sure Vernon would say no, Albus, the optimist, thought they should give it
their best shot. He did concede to allowing Severus come along without being
seen by the muggles. Harry offered his invisibility cloak, but Severus
conveniently had a potion to do the same job. Harry laughed, knowing Severus
had known all along he was joining them, one way or the other.

Harry and Albus could apparate directly onto the property.
Severus quickly caught up to them from another place he knew of where he was
able to arrive safely without detection. The first thing Harry noticed upon
arrival in the Dursley's back yard was the unkempt flowerbed that used to
thrive with blossoms. He smiled, knowing his friends were keeping Petunia out
of her own garden. He hissed out a
greeting, but there were no snakes in the area at the moment. Albus smiled
encouragingly, and gestured to the door. It was time. Harry took a moment to
make sure his shirt was tucked in. He wore the tightest jeans he had, and
smiled when he realized he stood taller, as he could now see better see over
the fence. He looked good; he felt good. Unconsciously Harry began to tame his
hair, but caught himself and stopped, knowing how much Vernon hated it messy.
He wanted them to see him in fitting clothes. The messy hair was a bonus.

Albus reached over and mussed it further before knocking on
the screen door. Harry had been glad when he heard his cousin wouldn't be home
during their meeting with his aunt and uncle. Harry let out a minute gasp,
hoping it'd gone unnoticed, but no luck. Albus turned his head with a smile.
"Oh good, Severus is here, right on time," commented the older
wizard. Harry held his face calm, ignoring the invisible hand that had found
his arse.

"You know the argument you had about wanting to be a
calming presence for me?" asked Harry quietly through gritted teeth,
turning his head around to where he knew Sev to be. "I'd appear calmer if
groping hands weren't startling me." The door opened as Harry finished his
sentence. He could hear Vernon in the kitchen, instructing his wife to let them
in before the neighbors caught sight of them. Harry couldn't blame him, as
Albusse tse to wear a most colorful robe of yellow and blue with…. interesting
designs.

Severus slipped in behind Harry, working his way around the
kitchen, keeping a distance from the others. Albus was his usual cordial self.
Severus kept is eyes on his lover. Harry stood tall, his hands at his side, not
fidgeting. To most, he would look calm and proud, but Sev knew the mask. He'd
taught him how to do it. He could see it took everything his lover possessed to
sit at the table discussing the wards’ necessity. Severus also watched the big
oaf. He held his place as he watched the man make exaggerated gestures trying
to provoke a reaction from his nephew.
Harry remained his calm self, not flinching in the least when a beefy
hand looked to be lunging toward him, only to change direction at the last
minute as Vernon seemingly adjusted the blinds on the window behind Harry,
explaining it off as not wanting the busybody neighbors to see them.

Ignoring the negotiations for a moment, Severus looked
around. It was an ordinary looking home, very clean. Standing in the doorway he
glanced into the sitting room, nothing out of the ordinary there other than the
television being bigger than he'd seen. He'd almost not noticed, but something
caught his eye. A small door under the stairs. The Cupboard. It was given away by the little slotted
holes he remembered seeing in Harry's pensive project of his tenth birthday. It
looked so much bigger in Harry's memory, but then Harry had been much smaller
at the time. No one in the kitchen noticed when the cupboard door silently
opened just a bit. Inside was a broom, vacuum and various cleaning supplies on
shelves he was sure weren't there in the memory. He wouldn't have guessed a cot
could have fit in such a small place. The door closed as quietly as it opened.

Severus was seething. It took all his self control not to
strangle the man with the string from the blinds he'd adjusted several times
while trying to spark fear into his nephew. Harry held his composure, making
Sev proud. He didn't miss the fact that Petunia had flinched on the second wave
of the fat fist in the air. Seeing the horse-faced woman, he wondered how it
was this woman could be a relation to his lover's mother. Lily Evans had red
hair and was very attractive. There didn't appear to be any similarity between
the sisters.

Severus was brought back to the present by the sound of a
chair scraping the floor. Harry was standing up. He looked around miserably.
"I left a few things here. I wouldn’t have bothered you for them, but
since I'm here…" he trailed off, and began for the steps.

"You'll not be traipsing through my house!" Vernon
protested loudly. "Someone came and retrieved your rubbish after you
left."

Harry paid him no regard and continued up the steps with
Vernon in his wake. Severus desperately wanted to follow, but he'd moved back
into the kitchen and now the bitch-whatever her name was…some damn flower, was
blocking his path. Anger radiated off of him as glared at the woman.

Harry reached the top of the stairs to see the old door had
been replaced. There were no big locks keeping anyone in. No cat flap for
delivering food. Harry entered the room, still ignoring his uncle's protest.
Dudley certainly had his second bedroom back, if you could call it that. The
bed was gone. A large television was in one corner, with several chairs and a
loveseat. A shelf on the wall proudly displayed boxing trophies next to a
sickening photo of Dudley with his gloved hand held up high, declaring him the
winner of the match.

Harry pulled out his wand, hardly noticing Vernon suddenly
get quiet. He levitated a big reclining chair away from the corner, then the
rug.

"What do you think you're doing?" Vernon bellowed
as Harry continued, looking for the loose floorboard.

"Relax, I'm just getting something I left here."
Harry pried open the board and smiled, seeing that his few possessions were
still there. Not much, and certainly nothing worth going back for, but since he
was there he wasn't going to leave without them. Pocketing the items, Harry
replaced the rug and moved the chair back, then put his wand away. He didn't
trust himself.

Seeing the wand return to Harry's pocket, Vernon was once
again in his face.

"I don’t want you in my house," he growled, the
color of his face darkening.

"I don’t want to be in your house. Just let them do the
wards so no one gets hurt," said Harry evenly through gritted teeth.

"Are you threatening my family? I'm not afraid of
you!"

"Maybe you should be," said Harry in an ominous
tone. "I'm fully trained now, you know," said Harry rubbing his wand
through the fabric of his clothes. "You’re so busy fighting the magic, you
don't realize it might be saving your life. There are evil people out there who
would hurt you to get to me. People that are under the impression that I
would feel bad if anything were to happen to you." Harry was proud of
himself for keeping calm as he tried to explain. But his words fell on deaf
ears. Vernon only heard what he wanted to, which at the moment was nothing
Harry had to say.

"Magic or not, you’re nothing but a worthless
freak," his voice was threatening, as he spoke his hand suddenly came up
quick with a punch to Harry's face. To his credit, Harry didn’t even flinch. He
looked unfazed, bored even.

"I'm out of here," he said flatly.

"Good! Now get out of my home! You're not welcome here!
You never were!" Vernon yelled waving is fist in the air from the top of
the stairs. Harry took out his wand, and casually passed it over his face
concealing the black eye that was forming.

"I did my best. It's his home, if he chooses not to
accept our help in protecting his family, that's his decision" Harry said
flatly as he entered the kitchen. "Let’s go," he added before turning
to the door.

"Harry, perhaps I can convince your aunt," Albus
said in a last attempt, but Harry already had the door open.

"You do that. I'm leaving," he said without
emotion.

Albus didn't stop him, nor did he try to convince Petunia
they needed the wards. Harry needed to be there while the wards were reset.
With a heavy sigh, Albus thanked her for her time, and departed.

Severus had followed right behind Harry. The door had almost
slammed in his face, but he caught it in time and smirked when Petunia gasped at
the door opening by itself. He was sure to slam it on his way out.

Harry was in the yard kicking a stone around. With a final
kick the stone launched in the dried up garden. A snake had hissed in protest
when it was nearly bludgeoned by a rock. Severus hadn't noticed this, but did
hear his lover hissing.

"~ Sorry, I didn't see you there,~" hissed Harry
apologetically. "~You may want to stay clear of this place for a few days,
they are very angry,~" Harry warned his cold-blooded friend.

"~ Thank you for the warning.~" the snake flicked
his tongue tasting the air. "~I cannot see him, but someone draws very
near to you,~" warned the snake in return.

"~He is a friend. He cannot be seen now, but he can be
trusted,~" Harry wanted to keep
Severus safe from any misguided snake trying to defend him. Harry shivered when
he felt the comforting arms close around him.

Albus found Harry with his arms wrapped tight around
himself. He swayed as he stood with his head down. If anyone looked c
en
enough they might see his earlobe pulling out to the side before disappearing
into a warm invisible mouth.

"Gentlemen? I believe there is an eager house-elf
waiting to feed you copious amounts of food," said Albus with a small
smile, but the twinkle had long since diminished. "We may not have the
appetites we would've after a warding, but I believe a quiet meal will do us
good. I've not sat down to a private meal with my two favorite young men in far
too long." Albus resisted calling them children. He merely chuckled when
Severus reminded him they had never had a quiet meal with only the three
of them. Albus was glad Harry looked eager to go. Severus knew something wasn't
right, but he wasn't sure what. He would continue to watch Harry until he
figured out what it was.

Tbc

*circumtero -terere (Latin)[to rub against on all
sides].

Review?

LeeLeePotter@Optonline.net