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To Have and To Keep	By : MontanaDan Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Snape Views: 15257 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- 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
- 8
- 9
Chapter 9 � Preparations

Looking up, Harry spotted the house-elf blinking his large,
surprised eyes.� �M-master,� Dobby
quivered.� �Dobby is so sorry.��

The elf backed away and Harry wondered if Dobby actually
realized what had happened.�

Squatting down on his haunches, Harry stared at Dobby,
willing him to go and get help.� Harry
hadn�t transformed on purpose and was sure his out-of-control magic, triggered
by his emotions, was to blame.�� He
growled low at the elf and the elf blinked out.

Harry hoped Dobby had left to get help, and not out of
fear.� Resigned, he jumped onto the sofa
and stretched out to wait.

*******

�Professor Snape, sir?�

Severus started and rounded on the elf ready to deliver a
scathing upbraid, until he saw the fidgeting elf�s wringing hands.� �What is it, Dobby?� Is it Harry?�

The elf�s huge eyes blinked.�
�Dobby is unsure, sir.�

Unsure?

�What?� Severus asked.

�We was arguing, Professor Snape, sir.�

Arguing?� Again?

�About what?� Did you
upset Harry?�

Dobby�s great eyes filled with tears, completely
distraught.� �About Master�s new friend,� he retorted, pronouncing the
word with some venom.

Friend, eh?

Severus scowled and crossed his arms.�

�Dobby does not like that Mr. Grant.�

Grant?� Oh, yes.� Montague.

Montgomery.

Severus didn�t care.�
�And what happened?�

�Master Harry sort of fell over.�

Standing abruptly, Severus demanded, �Tell me.�

The elf took great gasps of breath.� �He changed.�
Right in front of Dobby.�

Changed?

�What do you mean?� Severus asked somewhat puzzled.

�Dobby doesn�t know,� the elf cried.� �He changed into something�something not
Master Harry.� Big and black and furry
and big teeth.� But it didn�t attack
Dobby.� It growled at Dobby.�

His animagus form?

Severus straightened his robes.� �Take me, Dobby.�

Dobby Apparated them outside Harry�s flat door and left him
outside.� Severus then knocked on the
door and Dobby opened it from the inside.�
As he stepped in, the large cat sat up from a curl on the sofa and rested
his large green eyes on Severus.

Harry got angry and
transformed - and now he�s stuck.

Severus couldn�t help himself�he laughed, peeling mirthfully
as he stared at the annoyed form of his lover.�
The panther growled loudly which only made him laugh harder.

Harry loved the sound of Severus� laughter, but he wasn�t
quite so pleased with it at his own expense.�
Irritated, he leapt off the couch and two strides took him to his amused
boyfriend.� Jumping up, his front paws landed on Severus�
chest, knocking him cleanly onto his arse.

Standing over Severus� smiling face, Harry�s irritation gave
way to humor.� He licked at Severus� chin
and neck as Severus tried to push him away.�

�Alright, Potter.�
That�s enough,� Severus managed to say.�
�Do you want me to help or not?�

Harry backed away after one final lap at Severus� nose � as
a warning.� Severus waved it off as he
pulled himself together.� That staff
meeting was in a matter of minutes.�
Pushing himself to his feet, he surveyed Harry, who sat a few feet away,
looking up at him expectantly.� Or as
expectantly as possible in his present guise.

Severus tried the regular forced transfiguration spell
first, which was unsuccessful. He tried several other revealing spells, some
which may have bordered on Dark, but the lack of results made him pause.

Once again, Potter
defies the normal course of things.

Realizing that this was getting him nowhere, he ran through
a list of potions in his head, noting one or two that might help.

It would probably be
easier to have him transform on his own.

Severus had to agree.�
Emotion had set the magic off.� It
would either wear off in time or another emotional outburst would trigger the
counter transformation.

The large cat yawned and Severus scowled at it.� �I know it�s beyond your comprehension,
Potter, but I am thinking.� We may be
able to trigger the reversal with a potion, but I think it is far more likely
that you will transform back naturally.�

Harry growled in what sounded like a disappointed groan.

Severus glanced at his watch and then speculated Harry
again.� �I would prefer not to leave you
alone,� he murmured.

Take him with you.
Imagine the chaos that will cause.

Severus smirked at the idea.�
Of course, no one would complain � �Anything for Harry.�

�My staff meeting begins in five minutes,� Severus
stated.� �Would you care to join me?� he
asked, gesturing at the Floo.

The cat tilted its sleek head.

�Yes, Potter.� To the
meeting,� Severus affirmed.� �You would
have to behave yourself, of course.� I
don�t think anyone would mind.�

Harry stood up and trotted over to the Floo, looking back at
Severus with a Cheshire cat grin.

Oh, yes.� This will be fun.

Severus sighed and took a hold of Harry�s fur.� Together they went through to Severus� rooms,
as the staff room fireplace wasn�t on the Floo network.

Due to the hour, few students littered the halls to witness
the sight of Professor Snape striding along the corridors with a black panther
beside him.� He stopped at the door and
looked down, pulling a serious and severe expression.

�Just sit down for a moment while I explain,� Severus
commanded.� �I have no wish to cause any
alarm.�

Harry sat down and looked up at him, the picture of angelic feline
obedience.

Yeah � right.�

Severus opened the door, hoping that Albus had already arrived.� He had and Severus hailed him softly.� It seemed everyone else was on time for a
change and the group mingled within the room, awaiting the meeting�s
commencement.

The Headmaster came over to meet him at the door.� �What is it, Severus?� he inquired.

�A slight problem with Potter, I�m afraid.�

Albus frowned.� �He�s
alright?�

Severus gestured to the door and Harry leaned his head
around it to peer in.

Albus glanced at the cat and then looked back at
Severus.� �Stuck?�

�Indeed.�

Dumbledore�s lip twitched.

�We�ve tried several spells with no results,� though I have a few potion ideas,� Severus
explained.

�I daresay you�re probably better off waiting it out,� Albus
said.

Severus nodded his agreement.� �I didn�t wish to leave him alone.�

�Very wise, my friend,� Albus concurred.� �So you brought him along?�

�I have instructed him to behave and-�

Apparently, Harry was tired of waiting.� He sprang forward and loped into the room,
straight at Hagrid.� The great lummox of
a man gasped and barely had time to raise his arms before the cat�s massive
paws landed on his chest and the overly friendly tongue began an assault on his
face.� The cat�s sleek body was stretched
to the limit to reach the half-giant�s face.

He still has not
grasped the concept of �stay.�

Hagrid, not knowing it was Harry, reacted with surprise,
though he was clearly enjoying the animal�s attentions.

I�m sure the
monster-loving-idiot is in his glory.

The rest of the staff responded differently backing away,
alarmed.� Assuming the cat belonged to
Hagrid, they chastised him for bringing such a dangerous animal into the
castle.

�He won�t hurt anyone,� Albus quickly assured the
group.� Which any idiot could see as
Hagrid had not been torn limb from tree-trunk sized limb.

Harry finally pushed away from Hagrid and bounded across the
room to Minerva, the only one calmly seated in a chair.� She had simply observed the fray, silently
watching the reactions of her colleagues.�
Instead of pouncing on her, however, Harry slowed to a walk and then
laid his great head in her lap.

Minerva laughed with delight and scratched behind the cat�s
ears.� �Hello, Mr. Potter,� she
said.�

That�s when the fussing began.

�Tha�s Harry?�

�Harry Potter?�

�I didn�t know he had mastered the animagus transformation.�

�That explains why Minerva knew him.�

�Wha�s wrong with �im?� Hagrid finally asked.�

Severus experienced some surprise that Hagrid, of all people,
realized the situation was not simply an exercise in showmanship.

Albus took a seat at the head of the staff table.� �You all may remember Harry�s stay in the
hospital wing not too long ago.�
Apparently his allergy problem is still causing difficulty with his
magic.� An emotional outburst caused his
wild magic to flair, resulting in his transformation, and now he�s � well ��

�Stuck,� Severus declared again, unable to hide his grin.

Harry picked up his head and growled at him.

Several members of the staff made suggestions to help turn
him back but they all seemed to agree he would turn back on his own.�� As the faculty surrounded the table, taking
their seats, Harry paced the room.

�Potter, will you settle somewhere?�

�Severus,� Minerva rebuked.�
�After all this time, haven�t you and Mr. Potter-�

�Calm yourself, Minerva, before you cough up a hairball,�
Severus retorted.� �Mr. Potter knows my
disposition all too well and has no need of your fierce defense.�

�No need to get touchy,� Minerva replied.

�Children,� Albus put in.�
�If we could get started��

�Potter, sit.�

He doesn�t do stay,
what makes you think he can do sit?

The cat�s tail switched irately and he bared his teeth at
Severus.� In an obvious display of
defiance, Harry leapt on the table and sat down right in the middle of it.� He lifted a paw and licked it primly.

Everyone protested at once.�
Severus simply pinched the bridge of his nose.� Dumbledore chuckled.

He did sit.

�Come sit by me, �arry,� Hagrid suggested and with a glance
at Severus, Harry sauntered across the table.�
He gracefully leapt off the table beside Hagrid�s chair and lay down.

He�s still angry with
you for laughing at him.

Severus would make up for it later.� He hoped.�
In fact, all through the meeting he kept one eye on Harry, hoping to see
him shift.� If the cat fell asleep, it
was likely that he would change.� But
Harry watched the whole of the proceedings with some interest.

When the meeting finally concluded, Severus couldn�t even
recall what was discussed, so preoccupied was he with Harry�s attention.� How ever was he going to fuck him through the
mattress if he didn�t change back?

Perhaps, you should
have mentioned that before the meeting.�
You know he performs better with incentive.

Severus didn�t dally after the meeting, claiming he needed
to work on �Potter�s problem�.� His
colleagues wished them the best, all pausing to fuss over Harry, who savored
the attention.

�Come along, Potter,� Severus bade from the door.� Harry sniffed at him, but relented and
followed Severus out through the door.� After
curfew now, no one was about to notice Severus and the large cat who was doing
his best to appear irritated at his human companion.

They entered Severus� room and as he closed the door, a
screech came from behind him.� Harry had
jumped as the Maine Coon pounced at him.�
Harry leaned his massive head down to sniff the small house cat.� Gilly sniffed back, their noses touching; the
cat obviously recognized Harry�s scent because she purred and then dismissed
him to flounce away.

�Not very fierce, are you, Potter?� Severus taunted.� �Can�t even intimidate a house cat.�

The taunt didn�t work.�
Harry merely wandered into the room and sat down.� Severus was getting desperate.� He wanted skin.� He wanted kisses and he wanted cock.� Anger wasn�t working; perhaps he should try
something else.

He moved to his bedroom, removing his robe.� Laying it over a chair, he began opening his
shirt buttons.� Once his shirt hung open,
he slowly ran his hands over his chest.�
Closing his eyes, he continued to caress his chest, brushing his nipples
to firm points. �He pictured Harry�s
flushed face and the glazed green eyes that always looked on him with lust.

Something brushed past his legs but Severus ignored it, concentrating
on the feel of his skin under the light touches of his fingertips.� He skimmed lower to the waist band of his
trousers and leisurely undid the fasteners.�
Hitching the band lower, he pushed his hand within to stroke his prick
to hardness.

A deep whimper rose in front of him but once again, Severus
ignored it in favor of arousing himself.�
He pushed the trousers and pants lower so his now erect penis stood
proudly in full view.� Another whimper
rumbled and Severus dared a peek.� Harry
the cat inched towards him, panting.�

Running one hand again over his chest and the other over his
cock, Severus murmured, �Do you want this, Harry?�� A low growl was the response and Severus
shook his head.� �I fear I am not into
bestiality.� I want skin on skin,� he
said, keeping his voice low and intense.�
�I want hot kisses and a warm mouth.�

With that, he closed his eyes again and returned his
attention to his cock.� He wrapped his
hand around it and pulled.� �How I wish I
had a warm mouth surrounding this.� A
talented tongue lapping and teasing at this vein,� he intoned as he accented
his words with a finger.� �Someone to
taste the precome here, sucking and-�

Hands pushed his fingers away and a warm mouth captured his
erection, just as he had asked.� Moving
his arms, he buried his fingers in Harry�s silken locks.� Relieved, he opened his eyes to see Harry�s
green eyes looking up at him as his pink lips embraced his cock.

With a growl of his own, he pulled away and pushed Harry to
his back.� Severus had Harry�s shirt open
in less than a moment and he reveled in the texture of the satiny skin under
his hands.� Latching onto a nipple, he
sucked and bit, making Harry groan and arch into his mouth.

��Severus,� Harry
rasped, yanking on his arm.� Severus
moved up, catching those lush lips with his own.� Harry groaned into the kiss, opening to
welcome Severus� tongue.� Severus wasted
no time plunging into the familiar mouth, tasting and sliding.�

Harry�s body pressed up into his, grinding his clothed hips
against Severus� exposed cock.� It accentuated
the fact that Harry had too many clothes on.�
Pulling his mouth from Harry�s, Severus scooted down and made short work
of dragging off Harry�s jeans and pants.

Harry�s cock was already rock hard and weeping when Severus
freed it.� Severus spread Harry�s legs,
running his hands inside his thighs and trailing his fingers over Harry�s heavy
sack.

�Fuck,� Harry growled.�
�Severus, do something.��

Severus ran his tongue firmly up Harry�s cock and looked up
to meet his gaze.� �What do you want,
Harry?�� Severus put a finger in his
mouth and slid it in and out.�

Harry groaned.� �Suck
me,� he rasped.

Severus finished wetting his finger and slowly inserted it
in Harry�s tight hole.� Harry sucked in
his breath, his hips lifting off the floor.

�Please,� Harry begged.�
With a smug grin, Severus swallowed the dripping cock while his finger
moved within.� Hitting the spot, Harry
cried out, his hips thrusting.� Severus
controlled it, but taking as much as Harry pushed into him.

Harry continued to make needy sounds as Severus worked his
pleasure, licking and sucking while caressing Harry on the inside.� And just as he felt Harry�s balls tighten he
held it off until the younger man screamed in frustration.� His mouth and tongue coaxed until he was sure
Harry had reached his limits. �Satisfied,
Severus rubbed the spot within and hummed, allowing Harry to come as he
screamed Severus� name.

Severus held him tightly as he came down from the orgasmic
high, stroking his face and dropping gentle kisses on his lips.

Harry sighed.� �Fuck,�
he whispered.

�We�ll give you a moment to recover, shall we?� Severus
replied.�

Harry opened his eyes and smiled up at him.� �Good plan.�

Severus continued to run a hand over Harry�s chest.� He could never get enough of touching
Harry.� His head propped on the other so
he could admire the debauched picture Harry made.

�Aren�t you glad you changed back?�

Harry grinned.� �Yeah,
brilliant of you to think of that.�� His
face turned pensive suddenly and Severus was curious.

�What�s the matter?� he inquired.

�Are you going to the Potions Awards Banquet?�

Severus blinked, surprised by the topic.� �Of course,� Severus said.� �A Master must keep up with the new potions
being developed.�

�Mm,� Harry responded.�
He stared over Severus� shoulder.�
�I�m, um, going too.�

Severus turned Harry�s chin until their eyes met.� �I was aware of the nomination,� he
admitted.� The result of Harry�s brewing
out of necessity.�

At least this time
he's being recognized for it.

True.� �A pain killer
that is not addictive,� Severus said, trailing a finger around Harry�s
face.� �It is truly a worthy
contribution.�

Harry flushed.� �I
told Grant I�d go with him,� he said.

Ah, that must be the
cause of the latest magic-inducing argument.

�He asked me,� Harry rambled on.� �He didn�t want to sit alone at a table with
strangers, so I said yes.�

�Oh?�

�He did help me
with the potion,� Harry defended.� �He�s
my partner, er, my business partner.�

�Potter.�� Harry met
Severus� gaze again.� �You don�t need to
justify your actions to me,� Severus said.�
�If you do not wish to be with me exclusively, it is your choice.� I told you I would not pressure you.�� He couldn�t help grimacing at the thought,
however.

�It�s not like Grant and I are dating or anything.� I mean, he flirts with me and I think he
likes me, but it�s not like what we have.�

�And what do we have?�

Harry�s expression became pained.� �I-I��

The housewares on the dresser began to shake and glass
clinked somewhere in the flat.� Severus
glanced around and then stroked a hand down Harry�s chest.

�Shh,� he coaxed.�
�It�s alright.� I know you are not
ready to forgive me completely.�

�But-�

Severus ended the conversation by kissing him.�

Excellent idea.� While you�re at it, remind him why he loves
kissing you.

Severus did.� He had a
fierce need to wipe all thoughts of Grant Montgomery and anyone else from
Harry�s mind.� Harry was coming around
again, opening his heart once more.� Severus
could feel it.� Ultimately, Harry had to
decide he wanted to be with Severus again � indefinitely and exclusively, but
Severus could use everything in his power to help him choose.

Very Slytherin.

Harry still lay naked and a puddle of satisfaction in the
middle of his bedroom floor.� Severus
wasn�t about to let the opportunity slip by.�
He stood up; removing his disheveled clothes as his eyes caressed Harry�s
sated physique.�

In return, Harry�s eyes slid over Severus� form.� His eyes fixed on Severus� still erect
prick.� �Don�t you want reciprocation?�

Severus offered a hand, suppressing his smirk.� Inspiring Harry to this condition was as
satisfying as an orgasm at this particular moment but�.� �I would prefer to move this to the bed,�
Severus suggested.� �Where I will have
what I want as I fuck you through the mattress.�

He still blushes with
such charm.

********

The next day, Harry met Bill at the shop to do some curse
detection exercises.� Harry would
determine the items in the store that had curses on them and, depending on the
strength of the curse; Bill would quiz Harry on which specification spell to
use on it.� Then Bill would cast the identification
spell and Harry would use the results to determine what kind of curse or charm
was on each item.

It was an interesting session, especially with Millie and
Cassi watching and throwing out comments.�
�Surely, that�s not
cursed.�� That nice Mr. Watson sold us
that, the scoundrel.� ��Oh, dear.� Children have touched that.�� Makes me want to wash my hands, it
does.�� That�s not a curse, it�s a
blessing.��

Fortunately, Bill took the running commentary in
stride.� Having as many siblings as he
did, especially considering the twins, he was accustomed to that sort of
distraction.

As Bill prepared to leave, Harry accompanied him to the
Floo.� �You did very well,� Bill said.

�Thank you,� Harry replied.�
�I have been studying.�

�It shows.��

Bill looked down at Harry.�
He was handsome, smart, had a great sense of humor.� Harry sighed.�
Perfect partner material.� And
even though the attraction was there too, there was something missing.

He�s just not Severus.

�Harry, I-�

�Don�t, Bill,� Harry interrupted.

�No, let me finish,� Bill insisted.� �It�s clear that there�s something between
us, an attraction if you will, but I sense that your heart just isn�t in
it.�� Bill held up a hand when Harry
tried to speak.� �I�m not placing blame
here, I�m just saying that I could easily fall in love with you and I don�t
want things to go that far if the feeling isn�t mutual.� I�ve known you for a long time and you�ve
always been fair and honest.� All I want
is the truth.�

Harry bit his lip.� He
appreciated Bill�s candor more than he could say at the moment.� �You�re right.� The last thing I want to do is lead you on or
anything.� I value your friendship and
your support more than you could know.�

�But you�re in love with someone else,� Bill appended.

Harry opened his mouth, and then closed it, looking
away.� Bill cupped his cheek in his hand
and turned his face to his view.� �It�s
all right, Harry.�

Harry�s regret almost choked him.� Here was the perfect guy almost gift-wrapped
with a ready made family that Harry already adored.� Why couldn�t his life ever be simple?

�I�m sorry,� Harry managed to choke out.

Bill must have sensed Harry�s remorse because he forced a
smile.� �I know.�� Leaning down, he brushed Harry�s lips with
his own.� �And I�ll always be your
friend.�� He straightened and patted
Harry�s shoulder.� �Keep studying and
I�ll see you on Saturday.�

Harry watched the Floo swallow Bill�s form and with a sigh,
turned away.� His scar throbbed.

�Oh, how touching.� Millie sniffed.� �Such a sweet boy.�

�You did right by that young man, Harry,� Cassi said.� �It�s better that he knows your heart now.�

Mortified that the scene had been witnessed, Harry nodded
and fled to his office.

************

Grant watched Harry Floo back to his own flat.� He had stopped by to sign the approval to
have their potion distributed to a number of new apothecaries and potion
shops.� Harry said that it was easier to
take care of business things at Grant�s flat because of his irritating
house-elf.

Harry had swallowed a measure of the headache potion before
he left as he usually did when they were together for any amount of time
too.�

Also as usual, Grant had demanded his kiss.� Grant should have felt guilty about demanding
kisses for everything he did for Harry, but he couldn�t quite manage it.� Merlin, Potter could kiss.� He would contrive just about anything to get
more of them.�

Could Grant be content with them remaining business partners
and friends with perks?� Potter already
trusted him with the business and they certainly were raking in the cash -
Grant couldn't complain about that.� The
way things were going, he would soon be flush enough to quit his day job and
live quite nicely on the business profits and his share of the patent.

And Harry was so bloody nice, and generous, and fair.� Not to mention fucking gorgeous.

No, it wasn�t enough, and Grant didn�t want to be content.� Revenge be damned.� He wanted more than those stolen kisses.� Potter � Harry � would be his.

********

The man that came into view was older but still handsome in
a distinguished fashion.� His robes were
quality tailored and of a fine material.�
The body was trim without being skinny and firm without being
muscular.� A perfect smile lit up classic
features and the blond hair could not entirely disguise the gray at his
temples.

�Hello, David.�

The man continued to grin at the Floo.� �Lucius Malfoy, as I live and breathe,� he
said.� �It�s been years, my good man.�

�It has,� Lucius agreed.�
�You look well.�

�Yes, I�m fine.� Just
fine.� What can I do for you?�

Lucius grimaced.� �I
find myself in need of an escort.�

David conjured a chair and sat down before the fire.� �An escort?� he queried suspiciously.�

�Yes, I wish to attend the Potions Awards on Saturday and I
find myself with a spare ticket.�

�I find it hard to believe that Lucius Malfoy cannot find a
date.�

Lucius smirked.� �I
don�t need a date, David,� he replied.�
�I need�a distraction.�

A look of understanding crossed his face.� �Ah, now it makes more sense,� he declared.� �You have an intended target, then?�

Lucius thought of lying, but David had been a Slytherin
himself.� �I do.� My ex-fianc� and I are hoping to reconcile.�

�Ex-fianc�?� Oh,
yes.� Mr. Potter.�� David pulled a grin.� �What you mean is you wish to reconcile and
he is undecided?�

David had always been quick.�
�Something to that effect,� Lucius admitted.�

�And what do you desire me to do?�

�Severus.�

�Severus?� David said with interest.� �Severus Snape?�

�The same.�

�What does Severus have to do with this?�

�Severus had a brief relationship with the boy and broke it
off,� Lucius explained.� �I fear that
Harry still cannot see how wrong they were for each other.�

�Severus broke it
off?� David asked.� �What�s wrong with
the boy?� He always appeared to me as
charming.�

�Oh, he�s a fine specimen,� Lucius said fondly and then
frowned.� �I�m afraid Severus just can�t
offer what he needs.� Severus understood
that.�

�Mm, I see,� David said thoughtfully.� �So what you need from me is someone to occupy our dear Severus?�

�Precisely,� Lucius declared.� �I�m sure it will be for the best.� Severus will be pleased to see you, I�m
sure.� And Harry will see that Severus
has moved on.�

�How is Severus
faring?�

Lucius could see David�s mind working now.� All he had to do was set things in
motion.� �Severus is well these
days.� He�s softened a bit after the war,
and, of course, being a hero now, he has more acclaim than ever in his chosen
field.�

A reflective smile bloomed on David�s face.� �Yes, it should be nice to see Severus
again.�� He frowned.� �If he�s not still disagreeable about our
separation.�

�That was years ago,� Lucius dismissed.� �And I�ve never known you to turn from a
challenge.�

�True, true.�� David
smiled at him again.� �Very well,
Lucius.� You may depend on me.�

�Very good,� Lucius said and returned the smile.� �I will see you on Saturday, then.� Around seven o�clock?�

David agreed and Lucius pulled himself out of the Floo.� He was pleased.� Everything was shaping up fine for the
evening.� There would be nothing to stand
in his way.

�Father?�

Lucius turned as Draco stepped into his office.� �Ah, hello, my dragon.� What are you doing home?�

�I�ve stopped home to pick up a dress robe for the banquet,�
Draco said.� �Master St. Claire is abroad
this week and left very little work for me to do.�

Lucius frowned.� �I
hope the man is taking this apprenticeship seriously,� he charged.� �I pay him good money to tutor you.�

Draco shook his head.�
�You needn�t worry, father.� He is
a hard taskmaster when he�s around.� I am
learning a great deal.�

Lucius returned to his desk.�
�I should hope so,� he muttered.�
Then he recalled his prior conversation.�
�I�m so sorry, Draco,� Lucius said, turning back to his son.� �I shan�t be needing you to accompany me on
Saturday.�

Draco breathed out heavily � in relief it appeared to
Lucius.� �You have other plans?� Lucius
asked.

�No,� Draco assured.�
�It�s just that I was asked to sit at Harry�s table.�

Lucius couldn�t help his grin.� It would be the perfect excuse to visit
Harry�s table often throughout the evening.�
�Oh?� he inquired.�

�Yes.� Hermione needed
a date and, well, since we�ve been working on Harry�s curse problem��

�Ah, yes.� I
recall.�� Lucius frowned.� �You have
been spending quite a bit of time with the girl.�

Draco shifted his footing.�
�She has assisted me in some coursework as well,� he said.� �And I help her.� It�s a mutually beneficial arrangement.�

�Of course,� Lucius said.�
�And you have discussed Harry?� he asked hopefully.

Draco sighed.�
�Father, I-�

�No, no,� Lucius stopped him.� �It won�t matter.� After the weekend, everything will be fine.�

�All right, father.� Draco sighed again.� �I�ll see you Saturday.�

Draco left and Lucius sat down at his desk.� He�d need to see Fritz, he imagined.� New robes were definitely in order.� Perhaps he could convince Harry to accompany
him to Fritz� boutique.

*******

�So you were stuck in your animagus form for hours?��
Hermione giggled.

Harry smiled and he relayed visiting the staff meeting.� �It was sort of cool, surprising them
all.� Well, most of them � McGonagall and
Albus knew me � and especially Hagrid,� he said.� �Most of them agreed that the best way to
change me back would be to wait it out.�

�That would work,� Hermione agreed.� �But it could have taken ages.� I�d say the best way would�ve been to trigger
it using your temper.�

She always was
the clever one.

�Severus tried that by several scathing remarks about me in
my cat form not even being able to intimidate Gilly.�

�And what happened?�

�His scathing remarks just aren�t as insulting as they used
to be � to me, anyway,� Harry admitted.�
�They just don�t make that angry anymore.�� He snorted.�
�I know him too bloody well.�

�So what did he finally do?� Hermione asked curiously.

Harry couldn�t help blushing when he thought of it.� �He, er, triggered it using a different
emotion � one he�s better at now.�

Hermione looked confused for a moment.� �Like what?� Then she noticed Harry�s red
face.� �Oh � OH.�� She laughed.�
�Still in cat form?� Do I even
want to ask?�

Harry grinned.� �It�s
not what you think, but yeah, and it worked, so��

She poured him some more tea, pushing the biscuits at
him.� Harry wondered why everyone always tried to make him eat.

�So, did you talk to Draco?� Harry asked, taking a biscuit
anyway.

Hermione beamed, as she did more often than not when
Malfoy�s name came up.� �Yes, and he will
be sitting with us.�

Harry nodded.�
�Good.� That gives me a full table:
You and Draco, Ron and whoever he�s going to bring, Neville and his girlfriend,
Bill is going to come with Ginny and me and Grant.�

�What about Sirius and Remus?�

�They have to meet someone about their bonding ceremony,�
Harry replied.� �They tried to get out of
it, but couldn�t with the wedding in two weeks.�
I thought about asking Cassi and Millie to come, but�� He trailed off
and shuddered.

Hermione laughed.� �You�re
bringing Grant?�

�It�s more like we�re going together,� Harry said and
explained the �Grant� issue.

�Oh, that�s nice,� Hermione said. ��But are you sure it�s safe, so to speak?� I mean, doesn�t he like you?�

Harry shrugged.� �I
think he does, but it isn�t so bad with him.�
My scar doesn�t hurt as much as when I�m with, say Bill or Lucius.�

Hermione stared at him.�
�Bill, too?�

Harry looked away. �They were entering into the realm of stuff he
hadn�t told her. ��Yeah.� I feel so bad about that.�� He looked up at her.� �I really think we could have had a good relationship.��

Hermione had a strange look on her face.� �Harry Potter, what aren�t you telling me?�

He sighed.� �There's more
I have to tell you about my headaches.��

She put down her tea and looked at him expectantly.

�They don�t just happen after sex.� It seems they�re directly related to how much someone likes me.� The pain is stronger if someone has an honest
desire to be with me.�

�What happened with Bill?�

�We, er, kissed, and it turned passionate.� The pain was so bad that I hit the floor.�

�And Lucius?�

�When we were first together is wasn�t bad, but as you know,
it was worse after we had sex.� After we
split, then everything was fine until I lost the baby.� Now when I�m with anyone who�s interested in
me, I get a headache.�

She was thoughtful for a moment.� �And it gets worse the more intimate you�re
with someone?� Harry nodded. �But when you�re with Snape, nothing happens at
all?�� Harry glared at her but nodded.

�I talked to Dumbledore about it once,� Harry told her.� �He said that it was logical since it was
love that ultimately thwarted Voldemort that there could be some residual magic
making it difficult for me to retain love.

�I thought the curse just didn�t want me to have love and
that�s why it flares up every time I�m close to someone.� He sighed.� �But it seems more complicated than that now,
because it-�

�Doesn�t hurt when you�re with Snape and there was a while
when it didn�t bother you at all,� Hermione finished, nodding.

�Right.�

�Oh, Harry.� This
could be a breakthrough,� Hermione declared. ��Think about it.� You said, the headaches weren't bad you said
when you were pregnant.� It must be
because you had a part of Severus inside you.�
You were together.� When Severus
is around or touching you, it doesn�t hurt at all, does it?�

�No, actually I usually feel pretty good.�

�So it must be a
protection spell that went bad.�

�Explain that.�

�Well, when you killed Voldemort he possessed you.� It was the love inside you, the love you had,
that made him leave.� But he could have
left something inside you, a curse, a dying wish, anything.� Then when you lost your 'protection' � your love,
it attacks through the darkest part of you �your scar.�

Harry blinked, not sure if he followed her logic.

Hermione was smiling though.�
The way she always did when she was proven right about something.� �Harry, Snape
was your protection, your love.� When you
split the headaches started, and the longer you were apart, the worse it got.�

Suddenly it started making sense.� �But Dumbledore said the curse wouldn�t want
me to have any love.�

�Not any love,
Harry, any love but your true love, which is the love that
defeated Voldemort.� Your true love was your protection.� And when you had your protection back �
Snape�s baby inside you � the curse was held at bay.�

Told you it was all
about Severus.

�So you�re saying that to keep from getting headaches, I
have to spend the rest of my life with Snape?�

Sounds good to me.

Harry agreed but he didn�t want to get hurt again.� He was also hesitant to commit to a man who
made it his life�s work to protect and rescue him. Harry wanted to be Snape�s equal.�
Somehow, Severus still occasionally made him feel like someone who
needed tending. �And while it was nice to
be taken care of, to be cared for, he didn�t need a keeper.

And you shouldn�t have
to depend on being with someone just to live pain-free.

�Well, that would hold off your headaches,� Hermione was
saying.� �But the point is, now that we
know, we can concentrate on ending the curse, whatever it is that Voldemort
left inside you to make you suffer.�

Harry rubbed his face.�
While relieved that Hermione sounded so confident, he didn�t think it sounded
so easy.

Bloody complicated.

*********
- 8
- 9
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To Have and To Keep