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Core Pursuit	By : GryffindorToy Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 10506 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Disclaimer: I do not own anything HP related. It all belongs
to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros., and any other
entities involved.

A/N: And here is the
fifth chapter! I have a feeling that this is going to be MUCH longer than �Latent�.
Lol. There�s so much more to cover! But it�s going to be fun. I can�t already
tell� Now, read and enjoy!

A/N2: IMPORTANT!!! I
have, obviously, already decided to use the horcruxes in this story. I�m going
to try my best to make the plot go as much along with the seventh book as
possible� just because I think it will be fun to mix MY plot with J.K.R.�s�
lol. However, I�m a bit on the ropes as to whether or not I will include the
Deathly Hallows� I just don�t know. It would be interesting, I think, but I
don�t know. It might be too difficult to mix those in, too. SO! I�m leaving it
up to you all! My devoted readers! If you�d like to see the Deathly Hallows in
this story, or if you DON�T, place your vote in a review. The voting will only
last until I upload Chapter Six, so don�t dally! Thank you!

~V~

�Harry!� Hermione
exclaimed as she ran into the Great Hall for breakfast the next day.

�What is it? What�s
wrong?� he asked, fearing another attack.

�It�s all over school!�
she said, sitting down, �Everybody is saying that you�re a vampire!�

He laughed. �I�m not
a vampire, Hermione.�

�Well, of course I know that,� she said, �But- they�re
saying that you were actually seen
sucking Draco�s blood.�

He visibly flinched. He knew it
was true, but hearing it come from Hermione made it sound so� wrong. He sighed.
�Yeah� I know. I�m not a vampire.� He
lowered his voice. �But I was
drinking Draco�s blood last night.�

�What?!� she exclaimed.

�Hermione!� Harry warned, giving
her a pointed look.

�Sorry�� she said, lowering her
voice, as well, �But- why? I didn�t think that- you were a Dark race��

�We�re not. We have to have a
weekly feed of blood in order to sustain our self healing powers,� he
whispered, �If I didn�t, then every injury I�ve ever suffered would suddenly
resurface and I�d either bleed to death or die of shock. I�ve got no choice.
And the donor has to be willing, so I�m not forcing Draco into this. As my
friend and my Companion, he willingly gives his life�s blood to me.�

�So� you won�t snap and drain us
all?� she said jokingly.

He smiled, relieved that she was
at least trying to understand. �No. I think you�re all safe from my blood lust�
for now, at least.�

She laughed. �I won�t say that I
understand everything. That would be a lie. I do understand the necessity of
it, but� it�s a bit much to wrap my head around. As a muggle, I grew believing
that any being that drank the blood of another living thing was evil, not to
mention imaginary. As a witch, I was taught that vampires were Dark because of
that same trait. I think I�m going to have to think about this for a while
before I fully understand.�

He nodded. �What do you think I
should do about Ron?�

�It�s probably best to tell him,
don�t you think?� she said, �He�ll just get even more upset later on if he
finds out that you didn�t trust him with this.�

�Yeah� you�re right,� he said,
grinning, �Speak of the devil��

Ron and Draco entered the Great
Hall together, taking their seats at the Gryffindor table.

�All this fuss about you being a
vampire is nonsense,� Ron said, �I can�t believe how much they all gossip. It�s
bloody ridiculous!�

Harry sighed. �Ron, I��

�After all, just drinking blood
doesn�t make you a vampire,� Ron said quietly, smiling at his friend.

Harry blinked dumbly.

�Draco told me. I went to ask him about all this because I figured
that if it was true, you wouldn�t
want to tell me,� Ron said, �You probably thought I�d freak out. I don�t blame
you, though� I�ve got a pretty poor track record.�

Harry grinned. �Well, I�m glad
you�re okay with this. However, I was
going to tell you.�

�Really?� Draco said, �Good. That
means you won�t be angry at me for telling him.�

�Hey�� Ginny said, dragging them
out of their conversation, �Look who just walked in.�

Harry smiled as Seamus and Dean
walked over as though nothing unusual had happened the previous day. They sat
down, grinning.

�Hey, you two,� Hermione said.

�Hullo!� Seamus said.

�Sorry we got into your
chocolates,� Dean stated, �We probably made you all worry.�

�We know we made poor Neville cry,� Seamus teased.

Neville blushed. �Shut up, you
great git.�

Seamus grinned and clapped him on
the shoulder. �Nothing to be embarrassed about. I�d�ve cried if I thought you
were dying�� He turned back to Harry. �Anyway� you�ve got no idea just how sorry we are,� he said, making them
laugh, �We should�a known � you being who you are and all� not to get into
anything sent to you.�

�What�s that supposed to mean?�
Harry said, feigning offense.

�Face it, mate,� Ron said,
�There�s a fair amount of people who want you dead. It�s probably dangerous
just to be sitting this close to you.�

�Yeah� maybe we should move,�
Hermione said.

�Very funny,� Harry said ruefully,
�Gits��

�I think we can risk it,� Draco
said, smirking, �We�re probably safer now that he�s a vampire, after all.�

�Oh yeah! We heard about that on
our way down here,� Seamus said, grinning, �He�s a vampire and you�re his sex
slave, bound by his power over your mind and forced to sate his lust for the
warm blood of the living. Or something along those lines.�

Harry and Draco exchanged a look
before bursting into gales of raucous laughter at the absurdity of the story.

�Sorry�� Harry said, trying to
control himself, �But- that�s got to be one of the funniest things I�ve ever
heard! How do they come up with this stuff?�

�Unfortunately for Harry, I�m not
interested in boys,� Draco said.

�And a bloody shame, that is,�
Seamus stated, sighing sadly.

Draco quirked an eyebrow at the
boy.

�And Draco�s not exactly my type.
I�m more into tall, dark, and sinfully handsome,� Harry said. �With a voice as sexy and smooth as velvet��

They continued to discuss the many
strange and amusing stories about Harry�s newly acquired vampirism, until the
morning post arrived.

�Harry� I think you should see
this,� Hermione said, handing the morning edition of The Daily Prophet.

Harry
Potter: The Next Dark Lord?

By Cecilia Mordelai

Harry Potter. It�s a name we all know, but
do we actually know anything about the boy, himself? Apparently not. We all
heard about young Mister Potter�s slight instability in the past. Perhaps it
runs deeper than any of us could have ever thought�

I would like to start by saying that we do
not have the right to be surprised by this. After al, the signs were all there.
In his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he witnessed
the death of classmate, and fellow Triwizard Champion, Cedric Diggory, as well
as the rebirth of He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. The boy is also said to have
actually dueled with the Dark Lord.
But is that all there is to the story? This writer wonders how of this is true�

At the age of fifteen, sources say that
Potter was prone to fainting spells. Sources also say that Potter�s attitude
and behavior became increasingly erratic, describing him as �a loose cannon�.
The boy apparently became very withdrawn, closing himself off, even from his
best friends, and that he was progressively more hostile toward his friends and
peers. Were these early signs of his Darker side?

The circumstances of Harry Potter�s sixth
year are well known. Speaking of those events, young Draco Malfoy, son of the
known Death Eater, Lucius Malfoy, was recently acquitted of all charges and
allowed to return to school. Where he and Potter have evidently formed a fast
friendship. Or perhaps the friendship was already there�

Sources say that, during the Welcoming Feast
at Hogwarts, when a harmless prank was played upon Mr. Malfoy, Potter grew
quite angry. There is much speculation about a mysterious wind that seemed to
have been summoned by the young boy�s rage. And the very next day, during
classes, a unicorn, a thestral, and a winged horse, actually bowed to Mr. Potter. This writer did some
research and these three creatures only show respect to exceptionally powerful
beings�

Recently acquired information from our
sources state that there is a rising amount of whispering and secrecy between
Misters Potter and Malfoy. Sources also say that Potter was, in fact, seen by
two students early yesterday evening beneath the Quidditch stands with the
blonde boy. However, what is most shocking is that Potter appeared to be drinking
the blood of Draco Malfoy.

When asked what he thought about the recent
developments with the supposed Savior of the Wizarding World, Minister
Scrimgeour had only this to say: �I trust Harry Potter entirely and without any
uncertainty. Any information that you have received from the students of
Hogwarts should not be trusted. Or have you forgotten what the gossip is like
at that school, Cici? No� I will not believe anything about the boy unless I
hear from his own mouth. Harry Potter is a good person and a good wizard, and
you may rest assured that he will be the one to rescue us all.�

This writer must wonder about the mental
state of the Minister, as well, if is so implicitly placing his trust in a boy
of no more than seventeen years of age, who has plainly shown indications of
psychological instability.

�What a load of bull!� Harry said,
tossing the paper onto the table.

�Yes, but the Minister is being
surprisingly supportive,� she said.

�Scrimgeour probably just doesn�t
want to lose his poster-boy,� Ron stated, grinning.

�Still� having the support of the
Minister will be a big help in keeping the public on Harry�s side,� Draco said.

Harry nodded. �It�s better to have
his support than not, isn�t it?�

�I still think he has ulterior
motives�� Ron grumbled.

�Of course he has ulterior
motives. He�s a politician,� Hermione said.

�It�s to be expected,� Harry
stated, grinning.

�So� it�s the third day of
school�� Draco said, �Do you think there�ll be another attempt on our lives?�

�I don�t know. They don�t know
that we know it�s them� so they might be gutsy enough to try again,� Harry
said.

�Yeah, but it�d be nice if they
gave you guys a bit of a break,� Ginny said.

�You want me to take care of
them?� Ron asked, jokingly rolling up his sleeves.

Harry laughed. �No. I think we can
handle them without anybody getting expelled.�

�Well, if you�re sure�� Ron said.

�Surprisingly, the day passed
without incident. Harry alerted his friends to the information Blaise had
shared, as well as to Blaise�s new loyalties. They were just as shocked as he
had been, and promised to keep their eyes open for any suspicious behavior.

Thursday and Friday, as well, were
calm. Suspiciously calm, in Harry�s opinion. There were no endeavors to end his
and Draco�s lives. Professor Shanks had not proceeded with any more
interrogations. It seemed as though everybody was on their best behavior and he
couldn�t shake the feeling that this was just the calm before the storm. That
the worst was yet to come. It was Friday night, at dinner, when Hermione
presented them with a muggle notebook.

�What�s this?� he asked.

�Well� I�ve been doing some
research on- you know�� she said, mouthing the word �horcrux�.

He grinned, flipping through the
pages. �Wow. Hermione, I don�t know what to say. How�d you get all of this
information?�

�I ordered some books from a few-
less than savory places. Most of the information came from a particular book�
�Secrets of the Darkest Art�. That one was the hardest to get hold of,� she
explained, �The first half of the notes is the information that you got from
Dumbledore, combined with notes on the information I found. The second half is
notes on likely items he used, a list of his known victims and where they were
killed, and likely places that he would have hidden them. I figured you three
would need as much information as possible.�

�Hermione, you really are the
greatest!� he said, leaning over the table and kissing her on the cheek, �This
is fantastic. It�s going to be really helpful.�

�Oi! That�s my girl you�re
slobbering all over,� Ron said, laughing.

�But� you are wrong about one thing,� Harry said, grinning, �It�s not just
the three of us, who are going to
need this. I�m going to need you and Ron just as much.�

�But� we can�t leave the school,�
Hermione said.

�Doesn�t matter,� Harry stated,
�We�ve been a team since our first year. And a winning team, at that. There�s
no way that I can do this without you guys.�

Ron smirked, clapping him on the
shoulder. �You think we�d let you
leave us out of this? No way, mate. We�re in this together. �Til the end��

He smiled brightly, emotion
shining in his eyes. �Thanks.�

Hermione sniffled softly, trying
desperately not to cry. �Oh� Harry. Part of me has always believed that, but-
when you showed up with� and you were such a happy little family unit�� She
wiped furiously at her cheek. �I guess I started having doubts about whether or
not you really needed us anymore. I�m so glad that you feel that way! I just- I
suppose I needed to hear you say it.�

Harry leaned forward and grabbed
her hand, smiling. �I will never stop
needing you in my life, �Mione. You and
Ron. I may have two new members of my family, but that does not mean that I
don�t still need the rest of you guys. You�re as much my family as you always
were.�

She smiled tearfully. �Thanks��

�Women�� Ron muttered to Harry,
�You just never know whether they�re going to laugh or scream or cry.
Unpredictable as� volcanoes, I swear.�

Harry chuckled. �No kidding��

As dinner progressed and the
minutes went by one-by-one, Harry got more and more restless. His eyes darted
around the room and his mind lingered on the time. He became fidgety, tapping
his fingers on the table, picking up his fork only to set it down in the next
second, sighing repeatedly�

�So, how�re we getting out of
here?� Draco asked, trying to distract the boy.

�We�ve- er� got to report to
McGonagal�s office after dinner,� Harry replied, �He�ll get us from there.�

�I suppose you�re going to want
tonight for yourselves�� Draco said, smirking.

Harry laughed, just a little too
loud. �No� I think we can- at least hold off until you go to bed. I know he�s
your Godfather and I� don�t want to feel like I�m robbing you of him. We just
won�t get much sleep tonight.� The whole time while he was talking, his eyes
wandered around the room, searching for a clock that he knew he wouldn�t find.

Draco cringed. �Just remember the
silencing spell, will you? And don�t forget to ask him about that- weekly thing
that we talked about.�

�Hmm? Oh� yeah, I know. It�ll
probably be straight to work tomorrow, though��

Ginny suddenly sighed.

�What�s wrong, Ginger?� Draco
asked, using the nickname he�d begun addressing her by.

She smiled bitterly. �I just wish
I could go with you. Er� you guys. Both
of you.� She blushed prettily and Draco chuckled.

�Me, too�� he said, winking at
her, �It�d be much more fun with you there to keep me company.�

�Hey! That�s my little sister!�
Ron exclaimed.

Draco laughed. �Puh-lease. You can
hardly call her little anymore.�

�That�s true, Ron. She�s sixteen,
you know,� Hermione said, �Most girls her age are already sexually active, you
know.�

Ron groaned and covered his ears
while Ginny blushed and covered her face with her hands. �Shut up, Hermione��
they chorused.

�Hey, Harry, what�re you doing
this weekend?� Neville asked.

�Well� I�m leaving on- business�
why?� Harry replied.

�Oh. I was going to ask if you�d
help me with Defense,� Neville said, �I can do the spell and I can do the
maneuver, but I can�t seem to do them both at the same time.�

�Ron and I can help you, Neville,�
Hermione said.

Neville smiled. �Thanks. I�d
appreciate that.�

�Is dinner almost over?� Harry
asked Draco quietly.

�Harry, patience is a virtue. The
more you pay attention to the time and the more impatient you get, the longer
it�s going to take for time to pass,� Draco said.

Harry sighed. �I know! But- you don�t understand how hard
this has been! I feel like I�m going to burst if I don�t see him soon!�

�See who soon?� Seamus inquired.

He cursed himself for his
outburst, realizing that most of the Great Hall probably heard him. �Nobody��

�Have you got a boyfriend that we
don�t know about?� Dean asked.

Harry blushed. �No!�

�You do!� Seamus exclaimed, �I didn�t even know that you liked anybody!�

�Shut up, Seamus�� he groaned.

�Oh, come on! Who�s the lucky
bloke?� Dean asked.

Harry leaned over to Ron and
whispered, �I�d tell them they remind me of the twins, but they�d take it as a
compliment��

Ron snickered.

�There is no �lucky bloke�, guys,� Harry said calmly.

�Then who were you talking about?�
Seamus asked knowingly.

�Nobody! Just drop it, please��

�Okay. But we�re not going to
forget about this,� Seamus stated.

Harry sighed.

When the students began filing out
and the plates disappeared, Harry jumped up and practically ran from the room.
Draco followed him, though at a much slower pace. He arrived at the gargoyle
just as McGonagal gave the password and Harry raced up the staircase.

Draco stepped into the office to
see Harry pacing in front of the fireplace. He shook his head, smiling at the
wifely behavior. He walked over to the boy, grabbing him by the shoulders and
pushing him down into a chair.

�Harry! Calm down!� Draco laughed.

�I�m sorry! I just� I feel so-
edgy and� nervous,� Harry said.

�Why should you feel nervous?�
Draco said.

�I don�t know, I just do,� Harry said, �And anxious and
restless and frustrated� My stomach is in knots and my heart�s pounding. What
if he doesn�t show up? What if he�s changed his mind and doesn�t want me
anymore?�

�Harry!� Draco exclaimed, trying to contain his laughter, �It�s been
three days since you saw him last!
Stop being such a dolt and relax. He will be here. He has not changed his mind.
We�re going to have to figure something out with Sev. If this is what you�re
like after three days, I don�t want to see you after five.�

�I�m sorry�� Harry said, taking a
few deep breaths.

�Good� see? Isn�t that better?�
Draco asked.

Harry smiled. �A little bit. But I
don�t think I�m going to be able to relax until I see- Severus!�

He leapt from the chair and into
Severus� arms, nuzzling his chest and inhaling deeply. He felt instantly calmer
as Severus held him and he was surrounded by the man�s scent.

�Hello, little one. Did you miss
me?� Severus whispered into his hair.

�Only a lot�� Harry replied.

�Thank Merlin you�re here! He�s
been driving me absolutely batty!� Draco said, grinning, �Why don�t you keep
him, Sev?�

�Shut up and get out of here,�
Severus said, gesturing to the fireplace.

�Where are we going?� Draco asked,
grabbing a handful of floo powder.

�Meadow�s Keep,� Severus replied,
�Don�t ask. Just go. There�s a time limit on the fireplace we�re using.�

He shrugged and flooed to the
specified location.

�Harry, we�ve got to go, too,�
Severus said, �When we arrive at our destination, you may attach yourself to me
once more, I promise.�

Harry nodded, stepping away from
Severus and flooing to Meadow�s Keep. Severus followed and arrived just in time
to see Draco laughing as he helped Harry up off of the floor. He smiled fondly
at his clumsy mate.

�We�re going to have to work on
your exit,� Severus said.

Harry blushed. �It won�t do any
good. I�m miserable at this��

�So, where are we?� Draco asked,
looking around. The large room was done varying shades of blue with white
furniture. The walls were painted a darker blue at the bottom and faded to a
pale sky blue at the top. The carpet was a deep cerulean blue, like the ocean,
as were the drapes. There was a sofa with two end tables at either end and two
large armchairs, all in white, and, on the end tables, were vases of some kind
of pale purple flowers.

�We are in Brenna�s vacation home
near Naples,� Severus said, �She
offered to let us use it for the weekend.�

�We�re in Italy?�
Draco said.

�Indeed. The Mediterranean
Sea is visible from the back of the house,� Severus said.

�Why are we here and not at the
safe house?� Draco asked.

�Brenna and I thought that a few
days of rest by the sea would do you and Harry good,� Severus answered.

�Will she be staying here with
us?� Harry asked.

�I believe that she will be here
tomorrow and Sunday,� the man replied, �Would you like to see the rest of the
house?�

They nodded enthusiastically,
following Severus out of the room. The entire house was done in cool, calming
colors. The bedrooms, of which there were four, were done in different shades
of green, and the adjoining bathrooms were all done in blue, with large
bathtubs that could easily fit four adults each, and gave Harry the distinct impression
of being underwater, and the dining room was done in pale lavender with white furniture.
The only room that didn�t fit the basic color scheme was the kitchen, which was
done in a cheerful, sunny yellow.

However, Harry�s favorite room was
the sunroom. It was a room made completely out of glass that looked straight
out at the sea. It contained a few simple, but comfortable chairs and a
multitude of exotic greenery, ranging from colorful potted flowers, to small
trees growing up through the floor. And if one tapped the glass with one�s
wand, it would let in the sound of the crashing waves and the warm breeze.

�Can we spend the night in this room?� he sighed, taking a deep
breath of the fresh sea air.

�I don�t see why not,� Severus
said.

Harry looked at him hopefully.
�Really?�

Severus nodded. �It�s quite warm
here, so it shouldn�t be a problem.�

Draco chuckled. �You two have fun
out here. I�ll just be in the house, sleeping on a bed like a civilized
person.�

�For somebody who doesn�t like
boys, you sure are poncey sometimes,� Harry said, smirking.

Draco made a face and stuck his
tongue out at him.

�Very mature�� Harry said, rolling
his eyes.

�Harry� what is that contraption
you�ve been carrying around?� Severus asked, referring to the notebook.

�It�s a muggle notebook. Hermione
gave it to me,� he replied, �It�s got notes on the horcruxes in it. Apparently
she�s been doing some independent research. She thought we�d find it helpful.�
He handed the notebook to Severus, who flipped through it, stopping to scan
certain pages.

�This is quite good. It will be
very useful,� Severus said, �But not this
weekend. This weekend is for rest. No training, no horcruxes� nothing.�

�But- why do we need rest? It
feels kind of- unfair, us being here,� Harry said, �Like we�re getting a free
vacation.�

�And why shouldn�t you?� Severus
said, �You spent your entire summer vacation getting beaten and then training
every day. And now you�ve got to deal with hunting down the horcruxes in your
seventh year of school, when you should be focusing on your exams.�

�I�d say that earns you a weekend
away,� Draco said.

�I�ll just hold onto this,�
Severus said, walking into the house and setting the notebook on the kitchen
counter, �I�d like to go over it sometime and besides that� we can�t risk any
of the students getting their hands on it.�

Harry nodded, seeing the logic in this.
They moved back into the �Blue Room�, as Harry had dubbed it, where Harry
curled into Severus� side on the sofa and Draco sat in an armchair.

�Has anything interesting happened
since Tuesday?� Severus asked.

�Blaise Zabini swore allegiance to
Harry,� Draco said, �And he gave us some rather disturbing information.� He
explained what Blaise had said and Severus sighed.

�Fantastic� I�d thought perhaps
this time we�d remain free of your father,� he said.

�Severus? Why would Voldemort try
to use Lucius Malfoy to get to you?�
Harry asked.

�Well� Lucius and I� once upon a
time, we were lovers,� Severus replied, �He was one of the main reasons I
joined the Death Eaters. Bloody mistake, that was.�

Harry sat up. �Do you still love
him?�

�No� I haven�t felt anything for
him since- in a very long time,� Severus said, trying to keep the hurt from
showing in his eyes at the painful memory.

�Since he found out that my dad
had never had any feelings for him. He�d been recruiting for Voldemort in his
own special way and the moment he had Sev��

�Draco!� Severus snapped.

�He left him to be �initiated� all
on his own. You can imagine what that
entails,� Draco continued, heedless of the man�s irritation.

�I know exactly what it entails,�
Harry said darkly, �I�ve seen it. I�ve felt
it.�

He remembered the first vision
he�d had about an initiation. It had been early in the summer that year. The
man had been held under the Cruciatus Curse several times, for longer than felt
possible without going mad. He�d been beaten and raped and finally� when he was
begging for mercy or death� it stopped and Voldemort stepped forward, informing
him that all he�d suffered had been in the name of his Lord. The man had then kneeled, naked and bleeding, and kissed
the hem of Voldemort�s robe, thanking him.
And then he�d been Marked. Harry had woken at that point, screaming from the
pain. He�d felt everything the man had felt, but the Mark was the worst. It had
felt like his skin was being burned and peeled away, slowly, while at the same
time, somebody was carving into his arm with a small, sharp knife.

He shuddered at the thought of
Severus being forced to endure all of that alone. �I�m sorry�� he whispered,
leaning back into his mate.

�It was a long time ago,� Severus
said.

�So� why would Voldemort hope to
use Lucius Malfoy to get to you?� Harry repeated.

�Perhaps he thinks I still have feelings for him. Perhaps he has some other
plan. All we can do is wait and see,� Severus said.

�It seems like that�s all we can
do about anything these days,� Draco
said.

�Let�s move away from such
depressing topics,� Severus stated, �How is school going?�

�Same shit, different day,� Draco
said, �Aside from those first two days, it�s been business as usual.�

�I really miss Quidditch, though,�
Harry said, �It feels like it�s been a really long time since I last played.�

�I definitely miss playing against
you,� Draco said, grinning.

�Yeah, I bet� Well, maybe Ginny
will play some one-on-one with you,� Harry teased.

Severus arched an eyebrow. �Ginny Weasley?�

Draco sighed. �Yes, Ginny
Weasley.�

�One of your conquests, Draco?�
Severus asked disapprovingly.

�No. I genuinely like her,� Draco
replied, �I�m currently in the process of convincing her that she can�t live
without me.�

�And how is that going?� Severus said, smirking.

�Quite well, actually,� Draco
said.

�He�s right, you know. I�m fairly
certain that she�s already mad about him,� Harry said, �Or perhaps she�s just
mad.�

�Shut it�� Draco said, chuckling.

�What about classes?� Severus
asked.

�Business. As. Usual,� Draco said,
stressing each word.

�I wouldn�t say that�� Harry
contradicted, �Defense Against the Dark Arts is actually teaching us useful
spells. And while you and I learned most of the stuff he�s going to try and
teach us over the summer, it�ll help keep a lot more of our friends alive.�

�What kinds of things is he
teaching you?� Severus said.

Draco shrugged. �A lot of
defensive magic, shields and the like, and some handy defensive maneuvers you
can use to avoid enemy fire. We haven�t gotten into any offensive spells, yet, though.�

�It�s only the first week,�
Severus said, �It sounds to me like he�s working out quite well as a teacher.�

�Yes� but he still unnerves me. He
constantly gives me these- looks,�
Harry said, �Like I�m up to something or he�s worried I�m going to snap. And
I�ve caught him following me twice
now! And trying to listen in on my conversations.�

�He�s just trying to figure out
why you�re acting so suspiciously,� Draco said.

�Unfortunately, whatever theories
he comes up with will be totally off the mark,� Harry said.

�Just try not to do anything that
could get you into trouble with him,� Severus said, tightening his arm around
Harry�s waist, �I don�t like the idea of him having a reason to be alone with
you.�

Harry smiled at the overprotective
gesture. �Having Remus there is nice, though. It�s reassuring to know that if I
need somebody to talk to, he�s there and he�ll understand.�

�I�m glad that you feel that way,�
Severus said, �Because I was the one who suggested that Remus go back to
teach.�

�You were?� Draco asked.

He nodded. �I thought it would be
good if you boys had somebody around who you both can trust. And that Harry
would feel more at ease if he had family nearby.�

�That was awfully thoughtful of
you, Sev�� Draco said teasingly.

Harry giggled. �It really was.
Thank you.�

Severus smirked. �Yes, well� I�ve
been known to have my moments. How is your apprenticeship going, Harry?�

He sat up a bit, positively
beaming. �It�s great! Poppy- she�s asked me to call her Poppy- is a really good
teacher. You�d never expect it, but she�s really patient and she always
explains things in a way that�s easy to understand. Right now, she�s just
teaching me the basics. You know� the basic scans to figure out who�s got what,
the fundamental healing spells. I�ve already read most of the first book she
gave me! It�s fascinating, the number and different kinds of muggle and magical ailments there are. And some of them are
the same, just with different names. Did you know that Dragon Pox is the exact same thing as muggle
Chicken Pox? And-�

�Harry!� Severus interrupted, �I�m
really very happy that you�re so enthusiastic about this, but- slow down� we
can�t keep up with you.�

Harry grinned sheepishly. �You
know� Draco was thinking about working at St. Mungo�s,
too.�

Severus looked surprised at this.
�I thought you wanted to be an auror.�

�I don�t think so. Harry�s right.
After this war is over, I just don�t think I�ll want to fight anymore,� Draco
said.

�So� you want to work at St. Mungo�s now?� Severus said.

�Not necessarily at St. Mungo�s,
but for them. I don�t know exactly how it works�� Draco stated, �I think I want
to get my Master�s certification in Potions and brew for St. Mungo�s.�

�You always were exceptionally
skilled at potions,� Severus said, smiling fondly.

�And I enjoy it. Brewing is very-
soothing for me. I can clear my head and just lose myself in the familiarity of
it all,� Draco said, a faraway look in his eyes.

Severus nodded, sighing longingly.

�You miss it a lot, don�t you?�
Harry said.

�Miss what?� Severus asked.

�Teaching. Your lab at Hogwarts.
Brewing,� Harry replied.

He smiled sadly. �Yes, I do. I
still brew a bit now, but it�s not the same.�

�When this is all over, do you
think you�ll go back to Hogwarts?� Harry asked.

�I don�t know. I may follow Draco�s example, or- perhaps open an apothecary or brew
independently,� Severus said, �It all depends.�

�On what?� Harry said.

�On what I feel like doing, on
where I am in my life� where we are,�
Severus replied meaningfully.

Draco stood and stretched his arms
over his head. �I think that�s my cue. I�ll just go to bed, now.�

�You don�t have to leave, Draco,�
Harry said.

�I�m tired anyway,� he said, �You
guys need some time alone. I�m fine with that. We have all day tomorrow, after
all.� He left the room, calling over his shoulder, �Have fun!�

~V~

I�m going to end it here. An odd
place to end, but I don�t want to rush the smut� and this chapter is already
beginning to run a bit long. This way, I can devote either all or most of the
next chapter to the yummy, smutty, Snarry SEXINGS! Yesssss� Enjoy! And don�t forget to hit the little button
and REVIEW! Much love from your devoted author!

P.S. Don�t forget to leave your
vote at the door! *See A/N2 at the top for details* �

��
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